Iowa Police Officer Test (NPOST) Practice
Preparation guide for the police officer written test Iowa's academy rules require, Stanard's National Police Officer Selection Test
One test for every Iowa agency
Iowa does not leave the choice of written test to each department. The rules of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA), which certifies law enforcement officers in Iowa, require applicants to take "Stanard & Associates' National Police Officer Selection Test (POST)". Whether you apply to a city police department or a county sheriff's office, the written test is the same one.
ILEA's hiring steps for agencies put it plainly: "A POST is required" for anyone not yet certified in Iowa, including officers certified in another state. If you are already certified in Iowa, ILEA does not require a POST; check with the agency hiring you whether it asks for one anyway.
The 70 percent line
The state rule sets a minimum of 70 percent on each of the four sections of the test: mathematics, reading comprehension, grammar and incident report writing. It is per section, not an average, so a strong maths score cannot carry a weak grammar score. Agencies and civil service commissions may set a higher line than 70, so check the posting for the department you are applying to.
Retakes and how long a score lasts
A score stays valid for 12 months from the date of the exam. If you are not hired, or placed on a civil service certified list, within that time, you take the test again before you can be hired.
If you miss the line, the rule lets you retake the same version of the test once in 12 months, with at least 90 days between the two attempts. You can take an alternate version without waiting. Ask the agency which version it offers before you book.
Where it sits in the process
The POST is one of the checks an Iowa agency reports to ILEA when it hires a new officer, alongside the physical fitness test, the MMPI-2 psychological test and the background check. ILEA lists them together rather than in a fixed order, so check the agency's posting for the sequence where you apply.
Practise the NPOST
Each of these follows the real section: the same number of questions and the same clock, with your result shown against Iowa's 70 percent.
- Full POST (Sections I to III) (65 questions · 60 minutes) - Sections I to III back to back, each on its own clock, with your result in each set against Iowa’s 70 percent line.
- POST Mathematics (20 questions · 20 minutes · free) - Arithmetic word problems set in police work, with no calculator. Free to start.
- POST Reading Comprehension (25 questions · 25 minutes) - Made-up rules and incident reports, answered from the passage alone.
- POST Grammar and Spelling (20 questions · 15 minutes) - Word choice in a sentence, then spelling. Shown against 70 percent like the others.
The full format, how each section is scored and how to prepare for report writing are on the NPOST provider page. For one agency's view of the same test, see the La Crosse Police Department guide.