NYPD Police Communications Technician study guide
NYPD Police Communications Technician · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Police Communications Technician (PCT) title is the civilian entry route into the NYPD's communications operation: the people who receive 911 and radio calls, record incident details accurately, and relay information to responding units. The role suits candidates who stay calm under a constant stream of incoming information, write clearly and quickly, and can keep details straight while several things happen at once. The NYPD Police Communications Technician study guide has 6 sections and about 1,669 words.
01Reading Comprehension and Written Communication
Reading Comprehension and Written Communication on the Police Communications Technician exam checks whether you can identify the controlling fact in a passage and express it in clear, grammatically correct English. Expect short incident narratives, policy excerpts, and sentence-correction items covering main idea, detail, inference, and report-ready wording.
276 words, about 1 min02Information Gathering, Recording, and Prioritization
Information Gathering, Recording, and Prioritization tests the intake sequence: what you ask first, what you write into the record, and how quickly the incident must be dispatched. The exam presents caller statements or brief CAD-style scenarios and asks for the missing critical element, the correct record entry, or the priority order.
271 words, about 1 min03Situational Judgment and Interpersonal Skills
Situational Judgment and Interpersonal Skills tests how you handle upset callers, coworkers, and supervisors under dispatch pressure. Items ask for the best next action, the most professional reply, or the correct escalation path.
283 words, about 1 min04Memory and Observation for Dispatch Information
Memory and Observation for Dispatch Information tests your ability to retain and reproduce critical details-addresses, plate numbers, names, and physical descriptions-after a short delay or interruption. Items may present a fact, add a distraction, then ask you to select the exact detail.
280 words, about 1 min05Spatial Orientation, Map Reading, and Geographic Knowledge
Spatial Orientation, Map Reading, and Geographic Knowledge tests whether you can locate an intersection, describe a route, and use a map without reversing directions. Items use grid maps, compass directions, scale, and New York City street patterns.
300 words, about 2 min06Basic Mathematics and Coding/Data Checking
Basic Mathematics and Coding/Data Checking tests arithmetic used in dispatch records and your accuracy in comparing coded entries. Expect elapsed-time problems, simple distance or unit calculations, percentages, averages, and items that ask whether two coded fields match.
259 words, about 1 min