Failed the NYPD written exam twice — what am I missing?

by Tom W. 40 views3 replies
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Tom W.OP
May 27, 2026

I'm honestly embarrassed to even post this but here goes. I've taken the NYPD Police Officer exam twice in the past three years and both times I scored in the low 80s, which just wasn't competitive enough for the list. My cousin got hired two cycles ago and keeps telling me I'm not studying the right way, but he can't really explain what that means.

I've been grinding through a NYPD practice test I found online but I'm not sure it's the right material. The deductive reasoning and reading comprehension sections are where I lose most of my points — I run out of time on the reading comp every single time. I found a study guide that covers memory observation but it feels outdated. The exam is coming up again in the fall and I really need a 90+ to have a shot at the list this cycle.

Can anyone who's actually been through this share what resources helped? Specifically looking for exam tips on time management during the reading section. How many hours a week were you putting in, and how far out did you start?

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Mike_T
May 28, 2026
The outdated study guide thing is real, be careful with that. The exam format changed a few years back and a lot of the prep books haven't caught up. Focus on the cognitive ability sections because those are heavily weighted. Also don't sleep on the map reading portion — people ignore it and then get surprised. What borough are you testing at?
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Nicole F.
May 28, 2026
Man I was in the exact same spot before my third attempt. What actually moved the needle for me was timed practice — not just doing questions but doing full 20-question reading sections under a strict timer. I started 16 weeks out, about 8-10 hours a week. The memory and observation stuff you can almost memorize the strategy for, but reading comp is pure reps. Ended up with an 94.
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Tyler B.
May 28, 2026
Time management saved me. I gave myself a hard 90 seconds per reading question and moved on no matter what. Flagged and came back. Once I drilled that habit it was a completely different test. Good luck this fall — third time's the charm, seriously.

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