CDCR Correctional Officer Written Selection Exam cheat sheet

Main idea = the single point the entire passage supports; every supporting detail is evidence for that point and nothing broader.

A topic sentence states a paragraph's controlling idea; it usually opens the paragraph but can close it or be implied by the details.

An inference must be forced by details in the text; a choice that is merely plausible or generally true is not the answer.

Signal words direct the logic: however/but/although = contrast, therefore/because/as a result = cause, first/then/finally = sequence.

Questions containing EXCEPT or NOT ask for the one choice that does not fit; verify every other choice against the passage.

Time markers (before, after, during, meanwhile, not until) establish chronology, and order questions require locating them first.

Retention rule: after each paragraph, restate its point in one short sentence in your own words before moving on.

For detail questions, scan for the key noun or number rather than rereading from the start of the passage.

Subject and verb must agree in number; prepositional phrases between them do not change the verb ("The list of names is complete").

Indefinite pronouns each, either, neither, everyone, nobody, anybody are singular and take singular verbs and pronouns.

Two independent clauses cannot be joined by a comma alone; use a period, a semicolon, or comma plus and/but/or/for/nor/yet/so.

A complete sentence requires a subject, a finite verb, and a complete thought; missing any one produces a fragment.

Items in a list or comparison must share grammatical form (all gerunds, all infinitives, all nouns).

Keep verb tense consistent within a sentence or narrative unless an actual shift in time is intended.

Apostrophes: singular possessive adds 's, plural possessive adds s'; its is possessive, it's means it is.

Frequently confused pairs: affect (verb, to influence) / effect (noun, result); then (time) / than (comparison); their / there / they're.

Percent = part divided by whole times 100; rewrite a percent as a decimal by dividing by 100 before multiplying.

To find the part: whole times (percent divided by 100). To find the whole: part divided by (percent divided by 100).

Percent change = (new amount minus original amount) divided by original amount, times 100; a positive result is an increase.

Proportion rule: if a/b = c/d, cross-multiply to get ad = bc, then solve for the unknown.

Mean = sum of values divided by count; therefore sum = mean times count, which yields a missing value.

Order of operations: parentheses, then exponents, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right.

Distance formula: distance = rate times time; rearrange to rate = distance divided by time or time = distance divided by rate.

Convert a fraction to a decimal by dividing the numerator by the denominator; convert a decimal to a percent by multiplying by 100.

In a ratio a:b, total parts = a + b; the value of one part = total amount divided by (a + b).

Valid form: All A are B; X is A; therefore X is B. Invalid form: All A are B; X is B; therefore X is A.

From "If A then B" only two conclusions follow: A implies B, and not-B implies not-A; not-A implies not-B is a fallacy.

"Only if" introduces a necessary condition; "if" introduces a sufficient condition.

Necessary means it must be present but may not be enough; sufficient means its presence guarantees the result.

Must-be-true questions: eliminate any choice that could be false given the stated facts, even if it seems reasonable.

Correlation does not prove causation; check for a third cause, coincidence, or a reversed order of events.

Quantifier precision: "all" excludes exceptions, "none" excludes everything, "some" means at least one and possibly all.

Ordering puzzles: place the most constrained item first, then apply fixed relative positions and eliminate conflicting arrangements.

Safety of staff, the public, and inmates outranks every other consideration in a correctional setting.

Objective documentation records observable behavior, exact statements, and times; it excludes labels such as "angry" or "uncooperative."

Active listening sequence: attend to the speaker, paraphrase, ask clarifying questions, then confirm understanding.

Escalation follows policy steps: clear verbal direction, warning of consequences, supervisor notification, and force only as a last resort and only as authorized.

Report problems through the chain of command to the immediate supervisor before going higher.

Confidentiality means sharing information only with persons who have a legitimate need to know.

Consistency rule: similar conduct receives the same response regardless of who the person is, which limits bias.

Document incidents promptly while recall is accurate; altered or delayed reports lose credibility.