Victoria Police Exam cheat sheet

'Unless A, B' translates to 'if not A, then B'; the clause introduced by 'unless' states a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.

'P only if Q' means P implies Q; Q is necessary for P but is not by itself sufficient to produce P.

From 'All A are B' and 'x is A', conclude 'x is B' (valid). From 'All A are B' and 'x is B', conclude nothing about x (invalid converse).

'Some A are B' is equivalent to 'Some B are A'; neither statement entails 'Some A are not B'.

Glossary: notwithstanding = despite; in lieu of = instead of; pursuant to = under or in accordance with; thereafter = after that time.

In Australian English, collective nouns (the committee, the team, the jury) normally take a singular verb unless members are clearly acting individually.

A valid inference must be supported by the stated text alone; outside knowledge or a plausible assumption is not sufficient support.

Each pronoun (it, they, he, she) needs exactly one unambiguous antecedent; if two nouns could be the referent, the sentence requires rewriting.

Percentage change = (new value − old value) ÷ old value × 100; a negative result is a decrease.

Reversing a percentage rise of r: original = final ÷ (1 + r). Reversing a fall of r: original = final ÷ (1 − r).

Speed = distance ÷ time; 1 m/s = 3.6 km/h; 1 km = 1000 m; 1 hour = 3600 seconds.

Mean = sum ÷ count, therefore sum = mean × count, which is the method for finding a missing value in a set.

Two workers with individual times a and b combine as rates: 1/a + 1/b, giving a combined time of ab ÷ (a + b).

Simple interest I = P × r × t with r as a decimal; compound amount A = P(1 + r)^n.

Sharing an amount in the ratio a:b - total parts = a + b; one part = amount ÷ (a + b); each share = its parts × one part.

Apply BODMAS: brackets, orders, division and multiplication left to right, then addition and subtraction; convert all units before calculating.

Order of checks for number series: first differences, then ratios, then alternating terms, then squares or cubes, then primes.

Letter positions run A = 1 to Z = 26; shifts wrap modulo 26, so a move of +1 from Z returns to A.

In a 3×3 matrix, test rows and columns separately for rotation, reflection, element count, and addition or subtraction of elements.

Analogy form A : B :: C : D - state the A-to-B transformation in words, then apply exactly that transformation to C only.

Odd-one-out: compare candidates on one attribute at a time - number of sides, symmetry, curved versus straight, open versus closed, filled versus unfilled.

Rotation rules: 90° clockwise maps up→right, right→down, down→left, left→up; a 180° rotation maps up→down and left→right.

A conclusion is valid only when it is forced by the premises; a statement that is merely consistent with them is not a valid inference.

If a pattern suggests more than one possible next term, adopt the rule that explains every term already given.

Priority ladder when interests conflict: immediate threat to life, then prevention of injury, then protection of property, then preservation of scene and evidence, then administrative tasks.

Any use of force must be lawful, necessary and proportionate to the threat, and must be reassessed and stopped once the risk is controlled.

Escalate to a supervisor when there is risk of serious harm, a weapon is involved, a vulnerable person is affected, or the required action exceeds your authority.

Conflict of interest: declare it, record it, and withdraw from the decision where a reasonable observer could doubt your impartiality.

Privacy handling: collect only what is needed, use it only for the purpose collected, and disclose only on a need-to-know basis.

Before acting on a suspicion, generate at least one alternative explanation and test it against the available facts.

Misconduct by a colleague is not excused by rank, orders or group loyalty; the obligation to report to the appropriate authority remains.

A decision that is not recorded - what was done, when, why, and who was notified - cannot later be reviewed or defended.

Structure the narrative chronologically, giving date and 24-hour time for each key event, and separate observation, action and information received.

Use active voice, past tense, first person: 'I cautioned the driver' rather than 'the driver was cautioned'.

Record speech verbatim inside quotation marks; do not paraphrase, tidy up grammar, or delete profanity.

Identify people and places precisely with full names, dates of birth, addresses and exact locations; avoid bare 'he', 'the offender' or 'later'.

Label each statement as observed fact, reported information, or opinion; the three carry different evidential weight.

The opening paragraph answers who, what, when, where, why and outcome, so a reader who stops there still understands the incident.

Avoid conclusory or derogatory labels; describe clothing, height, build and behaviour instead of character judgements.

Final checks: spelling of names, complete sentences, consistent tense, abbreviations defined once, and signature with date at the end.