SAFRS Firefighter Aptitude study plan
SAFRS Firefighter Aptitude · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Reading Comprehension & Mathematical Reasoning
Read and summarize 6 short informational passages, identifying main idea, supporting detail, and author's purpose
Convert between fractions, decimals, and percentages across 30 practice items
Set up and solve 15 ratio and proportion word problems (e.g., hose pressure, apparatus fuel)
Build a personal error log template and record every missed item with the reason
Your checkpoint
Completed error log with at least 40 logged items and a one-page summary of the three error types you make most often
Reading Comprehension & Mathematical Reasoning
Identify inference and tone in 8 passages and justify each answer with text evidence
Solve 20 multi-step arithmetic word problems involving time, distance, and rate
Compute perimeter, area, and volume for 15 applied shapes (rooms, tanks, hose cross-sections)
Time yourself on a 20-question mixed reading/math set and record pacing
Your checkpoint
Timed 20-question mixed set scored and reviewed, with a written pacing note on where you ran short on time
Mechanical Reasoning & Reasoning and Problem Solving
Explain how levers, pulleys, and inclined planes trade force for distance in 10 worked examples
Determine mechanical advantage for at least 8 simple-machine scenarios
Trace cause-and-effect chains in 6 short problem scenarios and state the most likely outcome
Distinguish relevant from irrelevant information in 10 word problems
Your checkpoint
A one-page reference sheet of simple-machine formulas plus 10 solved application problems showing each step
Mechanical Reasoning & Spatial Reasoning
Predict the effect of changing force, mass, or distance on 12 mechanical scenarios
Rotate and fold 10 described 2D shapes mentally and select the resulting orientation
Assemble 8 described 3D objects from their component parts in text-only form
Interpret 6 described diagrams of valves, couplings, or tool layouts
Your checkpoint
Spatial and mechanical practice set of 25 items scored at 80% or better, with misses reviewed
Situational Judgment and Human Relations & Written Communication
Apply a rank-order decision framework to 10 crew-conflict scenarios and justify each ranking
Draft 3 short incident reports that state facts, actions, and outcomes in plain, unambiguous language
Edit 5 flawed written messages to remove ambiguity, passive voice, and missing detail
Identify the most and least effective response in 8 human-relations situations
Your checkpoint
Three polished 150-word incident reports plus a ranked-response rationale for 10 scenarios
Written Communication & Observation and Memory
Write 4 grammar and usage drills covering subject-verb agreement, tense, and pronoun clarity
Practice memorizing and recalling 5 short text-based detail sets (names, numbers, sequences)
Answer 15 observation questions about a read-once passage without looking back
Review your error log for written-communication patterns and correct them
Your checkpoint
Observation drill scored with recall accuracy recorded, plus a corrected set of your 10 most frequent writing errors
Reasoning and Problem Solving & Reading Comprehension
Solve 12 logic and sequencing puzzles under a 2-minute-per-item limit
Analyze 6 longer passages for argument structure and unstated assumptions
Apply a structured troubleshooting sequence to 8 procedural problem scenarios
Identify flawed reasoning in 8 short arguments
Your checkpoint
Full-length reasoning and reading practice test completed and scored, with every miss classified by cause
Reading Comprehension & Mathematical Reasoning & Mechanical Reasoning & Spatial Reasoning & Situational Judgment and Human Relations & Reasoning and Problem Solving & Observation and Memory & Written Communication
Complete 2 full timed mock exams under test-day conditions
Review every missed item and re-solve it without notes
Rehearse pacing targets for each domain section
Consolidate your error log into a final one-page review sheet
Your checkpoint
Two completed mock exams with scores, a final one-page review sheet, and a written test-day pacing plan