QFD Firefighter Aptitude cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a detail supports only one part and cannot serve as the main idea.

Passage order matters: sequence words (first, then, finally) signal steps; contrast words (but, however, yet) signal the author's emphasis.

Cause vs. correlation: a passage stating two events co-occur does not license a claim that one caused the other.

'According to the passage' questions are answered only from stated text; 'inferred' questions require a conclusion the text forces but does not state.

Tone words carry meaning: 'claimed,' 'admitted,' and 'confirmed' assign different levels of author endorsement.

Scope check: an answer choice broader or narrower than the passage's stated scope is wrong even if factually true.

Pronoun reference: a pronoun agrees with the nearest preceding noun that fits the verb and logic of the sentence.

Analogy rule: state the relationship in a sentence (e.g., 'A is a tool used by B') before comparing options.

Whole-to-part vs. part-to-whole must match direction; a reversed relationship is a wrong answer.

Degree relationships (warm : hot) require the same direction and roughly the same intensity gap.

Classification: an item is the odd one out when it lacks a property shared by all others, not when it is merely unfamiliar.

Definitional reasoning: necessary condition must hold in every case; sufficient condition guarantees the outcome alone.

Word meaning from context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep only the one that preserves the sentence's logic.

Antonyms must differ in core meaning, not just connotation; near-synonyms are not antonyms.

Rate problems: distance = rate × time; work rate adds when workers act together (1/t total = 1/a + 1/b).

Percent change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100; a 20% increase followed by a 20% decrease nets a 4% loss.

Ratio scaling: keep units aligned; convert to the same unit before comparing or adding.

Averages: total = average × count; adding a value pulls the mean toward that value.

Proportions: cross-multiply a/b = c/d to get ad = bc; check that units cancel correctly.

Order of operations: parentheses, exponents, multiply/divide left to right, then add/subtract left to right.

Unit conversion chains: multiply by fractions equal to 1 (e.g., 60 min/1 hr) so unwanted units cancel.

Estimate first: rounding to one significant figure catches order-of-magnitude errors in hose, flow, and pressure calculations.

Lever: effort × effort arm = load × load arm; a longer effort arm reduces required force.

Class 1 lever has the fulcrum between effort and load; Class 2 has load between fulcrum and effort; Class 3 has effort between fulcrum and load.

Pulley systems: a movable pulley sharing n rope segments supports the load with effort ≈ load ÷ n (ignoring friction).

Gears in mesh turn in opposite directions; a larger driven gear turns slower and with more torque.

Fluid pressure increases with depth (P = ρgh); pressure acts equally in all directions at a given depth.

Water weighs about 8.34 lb per gallon and 62.4 lb per cubic foot; this drives hose weight and head pressure estimates.

Thermal expansion: heated metal expands; a tight metal lid loosens when warmed, a tight metal fitting tightens when cooled.

Friction opposes relative motion; rougher surfaces and greater normal force increase it.

Rotation preserves shape and size; reflection reverses orientation (handedness) and cannot be achieved by rotation alone.

Fold-and-punch: unfold reverses each fold in reverse order, mirroring the hole pattern across each crease line.

Cube counting: count hidden supporting cubes beneath visible ones; a visible top cube implies cubes below it.

Net folding: opposite faces of a cube net never share an edge; identify opposite faces before testing adjacency.

Map orientation: turning the map rotates all directions together; relative left/right between two objects is unchanged.

Symmetry: a figure has a line of symmetry if folding along that line maps the figure onto itself.

Visual discrimination: compare shapes by counting sides, angles, and intersections rather than by overall appearance.

Priority order in emergencies: personal and crew safety, then civilian safety, then property, then documentation.

Chain of command: report concerns to the immediate supervisor first; bypass only for imminent safety or illegal conduct.

Conflict resolution sequence: hear the other party, state the shared goal, agree on a specific action, confirm follow-up.

Integrity rule: a wrong order from a supervisor does not authorize unsafe or unlawful action; refuse and report.

Team communication: closed-loop confirmation (repeat back the order) prevents task errors under noise and stress.

Documentation standard: record facts, times, and observable behavior, not opinions or conclusions about motives.

Stress response: slow breathing and naming the next single action reduce error rates during high-arousal events.

Reliability = consistent attendance plus on-time arrival plus completing assigned tasks without prompting.

Honesty standard: report your own errors promptly; concealment converts a minor mistake into a trust violation.

Confidentiality: patient and incident information is shared only on a need-to-know basis.

Follow-through: confirm completion of delegated tasks and report status before being asked.

Rule compliance holds when unobserved; the standard does not change with supervision level.

Accepting correction: acknowledge the specific error, state the fix, and apply it without defensiveness.

Conflict of interest: disclose any personal relationship or financial interest that could bias a duty decision.

Observation capture order: people count, then locations, then physical descriptors, then sequence of events.

Chunking: group items into meaningful clusters (e.g., 3-4-4 for a phone number) to increase short-term recall.

Spacing effect: short reviews spread over time produce better retention than one long study block.

Recency and primacy: first and last items in a list are recalled best; middle items need rehearsal.

Descriptive accuracy: report what was seen (color, height, clothing) and flag uncertainty rather than guessing.

Interference: similar items learned close together compete; separate them with distinct cues.

Scene scan pattern: sweep left to right and top to bottom to avoid missing peripheral details.