How the NPOST grammar section works
There are two kinds of question. In the first, a sentence has a gap and you choose the word that completes it correctly, from two or three options: witness or witnesses, there, their or they’re, I or me. The words around the gap often decide the answer, so read the whole sentence. In the second, a sentence contains one misspelled word and you choose which of five listed words it is.
The section is 20 questions in 15 minutes, the tightest clock on the test. Your score is the percentage right, with no penalty for guessing, and you can change answers until the section’s time is up.
How to answer grammar and spelling questions
Two quick routines:
- Word choice: read the sentence with each option in the gap. For I or me, drop the other person ("Officer Lee and ___") and see which sounds right on its own.
- For there, their and they’re: they’re means "they are", their means "belonging to them", and there is everything else.
- For plurals and possessives: more than one takes s; owning something takes an apostrophe. Ask whether the word owns the next word.
- Spelling: only the five words listed can be wrong. Say each one slowly in your head, syllable by syllable, and look for a doubled or missing letter.
Worked examples
"The sergeant gave the keys to Officer Lee and _____." (A) I (B) me. Drop "Officer Lee and": "gave the keys to me" is right and "gave the keys to I" is not. The answer is B.
"_____ going to the briefing at 7 am." (A) Their (B) There (C) They’re. Try "They are going to the briefing": it fits, so the answer is C.
"The officer recieved a complaint about a vehicle parked near the library." Which word is misspelled? (A) officer (B) recieved (C) complaint (D) vehicle (E) library. The rule is i before e except after c, so it is "received". The answer is B.
Tips for the real grammar section
- Keep to 45 seconds a question. Word choice items are quick; bank the time for spelling.
- Learn the words reports use all the time and people often misspell: received, separate, occurred, license, vehicle, approximately, witness, lieutenant.
- The test uses American spelling. If you learned British English, check words such as license, color and defense.
- If two spellings both look right, trust the one you would write without thinking, and move on.
- Answer all 20. Even on a five-option spelling question a guess is right one time in five.
Practise NPOST grammar on CogniPrep
Our grammar drill gives you 20 questions in 15 minutes: ten word-choice questions first, then ten misspelled-word questions. That even split is ours, as the real test does not publish one. The sentences are in American English and no spelling question turns on a word British English spells differently. You can move back and forth and change answers until time runs out, and your result is your percentage correct beside the 70% minimum Iowa sets for each section, split by question type so you know which to work on.