Dispatch Test Day
Candidates
Dispatch - Test Day Requirements and Policies
You must bring valid government-issued photo identification. You will not be allowed to test without proper identification.
Don't forget your notarized Liability Waiver and Release Agreement. If you do not have your waiver notarized, we offer notary services at Washington State test sites for a fee. If your waiver is not notarized, you will not be allowed to test.
Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled testing time for registration and notary services. You will be required to reschedule if you arrive late.
These items are NOT ALLOWED in the written test room: Bags/Purses, Backpacks, Mechanical Pencils, Electronic Devices of any kind (including but not limited to: Cell Phones, Pagers, Smart and/or Analog Watches, Activity Trackers, Cameras, Calculators, PDA’s, MP3 Players, etc.) or any other items determined inappropriate by test proctors. It is your responsibility to secure these items prior to entering the written test room. If any prohibited item is discovered, you may be disqualified.
Make all necessary arrangements to ensure that you arrive early at the test site. You may need to make advance arrangements for such things as a ride to the test site or childcare. It would be wise to allow for more time due to potential poor weather or traffic delays. Give yourself ample time to settle in at the test site.
Allocate approximately 3.5 hours to complete the written examination.
Other Important Information
The information that you provide in your account profile, your test dates and scores, and your Personal History Statement (PHS) will be made available to the agency or agencies to which you applied.& Make sure to review your information for accuracy. It is your responsibility to make any changes in your account before your test date.
The exam you will be administered is an audio-based assessment that measures critical dispatch skills of listening comprehension, problem-solving, multitasking and composure under stress. You will listen to instructions, various scenarios, and are allowed to take notes during the exam. You will be asked a series of questions about the scenarios. In addition, other questions will be presented in writing. A Preparation Guide is available for purchase to help you study for the exam via our online Store.
You are responsible for selecting the score you want PST to forward to the agencies you applied to. While the typing test can be completed within 90 days (before or after) your written exam, your scores will not be made available to the agencies you applied to until you assign a typing test that meets each agency’s requirements. You must complete this step by choosing "Typing Tests" from your drop-down menu when you are logged into your PST account.
Failure to complete and select your typing test score may result in your application and test score not being sent to the agency/agencies, as there will be no typing test score to report.
You must declare all agencies you wish you apply to prior to taking your written exam. Review our add-on policy for more information.
Helpful Tips For Success:
- Prepare: You will increase your chances of obtaining your best score if you spend some time preparing.
- Rest: Get a good night’s sleep before the exam. Try to ensure that you are in the best possible physical and mental condition on the day of the exam. Eat a healthy meal beforehand.
- Confidence: The more confident you are in your abilities, the more likely you are to do well on the exam. Try to stay focused on the exam so that you don’t lose your place or miss some important information that is presented. Focus on becoming relaxed but concentrate on the examination.
- Positive Attitude: This examination is an opportunity for you to show your skills and abilities, and a positive attitude can impact your test score.
Look at this exam as a challenge but try not to get “stressed out” by thinking about it and over-analyzing it too much;
Remember that passing this examination is the first step in the selection process, but it is not the only piece of information used to make the hiring decision.
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Written Exam Requirements
Important information about your written exam and your typing test. -
Test Day Requirements and Policies
Important information on what you are required to bring, and what you are prohibited from bringing.
COVID-19 UPDATES
5/6/2020 Update:
TESTING IN WASHINGTON STATE CANCELED THROUGH MAY 31, 2020
All pre-employment tests in Washington State have been canceled until May 31, 2020 unless government restrictions are eased. With recent updates, facility closures, and government guidelines, this step is necessary and could be modified at any time. The health and safety of our customers, our staff, and their families is of the highest priority.
We will continue to evaluate developments and make changes to this policy as necessary. When we do resume testing, there will be plenty of events for everyone to test. We are in regular communication with our public safety agency partners, assessing alternatives to the traditional testing model and our testing policies. Any future updates will be posted on the PST website and our Facebook page.
4/1/2020 Update:
If you have tested with PST in the past 12 months, there may be additional positions you are now eligible to add. Several departments have temporarily changed their testing policies due to the suspension in testing that COVID-19 has caused. Please login to your PST account and navigate to the ‘New Positions’ page to see what departments you can add! We will regularly update that page in your account as departments send updates.
FUTURE TEST REGISTRATION
We know that there will be testing in the future - we just don’t know when! We want you to be prepared for when testing begins again so we have created test events on our calendar that you can register for that will place you in a queue to be first notified. These tests are not “real” test events, they are essentially a holding area. You will be able to “reschedule” out of that event to any other event date/location at no cost. Registering now will also give you time to work on your Personal History Statement (PHS) so that your data will be ready and up-to-date to send to your departments once testing resumes.
To sign up for this placeholder event, select the June 15, 2020 test date in your category (police, fire, 911 dispatch, corrections, etc.).
You may also click on the test event of interest below to sign up:
Law Enforcement & Corrections Written and Physical Ability Test
Please check back here frequently and ‘Like’ our Facebook page to stay updated.
PST staff are working remotely and are available by email at contact@publicsafetytesting.com. We anticipate a high email volume and will respond as quickly as possible.
