APCAT - Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Observation and Detail Recognition Flashcards

A report lists 14 items seized: 5 phones, 4 wallets, 3 watches, and 2 keys. A second tally lists 5 phones, 4 wallets, 3 watches, and 3 keys. What is the discrepancy?

Answer: Keys count differs

Keys are 2 in the first tally and 3 in the second.

Which word is spelled differently in the two lines? Line A: 'The suspect fled through the alley.' Line B: 'The suspect fled thorugh the alley.'

Answer: thorugh

'thorugh' has transposed letters compared with 'through'.

A map shows a park with entrances on the north and east sides, and a pond in the southwest. A later description says the pond is in the southeast. What is true?

Answer: The pond location is inconsistent

Southwest and southeast are different positions.

When asked to recall a suspect's clothing from memory, which is the most reliable approach for accurate reporting?

Answer: Report only what you actually saw and note uncertainty

Accurate reports distinguish observed facts from assumptions.

Find the odd item out: B7K9, B7K9, B7K9, B7H9, B7K9

Answer: Fourth item

The fourth code has an H instead of a K.

A scene has five parked cars in a row: red, blue, white, black, green. Later the blue and black cars have swapped places. Which is the new order?

Answer: red, black, white, blue, green

Swapping blue and black gives red, black, white, blue, green.

A date on one document reads 2026-03-14 and on another reads 2026-14-03. What does the second most likely represent?

Answer: A day and month written in swapped order

There is no month 14, so day and month are swapped in the second format.