IPAT Study Guide 2026

Everything you need to pass the IPAT exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.

📚 IPAT Topics to Study (39)

✍️ Sample IPAT Questions & Answers

1. Two witness descriptions: Witness 1: 'male, 6ft, black jacket, blue jeans'. Witness 2: 'male, 6ft, black jacket, black jeans'. What differs?
✓ The colour of the jeans

Both witnesses agree on gender (male), height (6ft), and jacket colour (black). The only difference is Witness 1 says blue jeans and Witness 2 says black jeans.

2. Three Gardaí A, B, C each guard a different gate: North, South, East. A is not at North. B is at East. Where is A?
✓ South

B is at East. A is not at North. The only remaining gate for A is South.

3. Choose the sentence with correct subject-verb agreement:
✓ Neither the sergeant nor the constables were informed.

With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the closer subject. 'Constables' is plural, so 'were' is correct.

4. Which sentence uses 'their', 'there', and 'they're' correctly?
✓ They're going there in their patrol car.

'They're' = they are; 'there' = a place; 'their' = belonging to them. Only option A uses all three correctly.

5. If SHIP is coded as VKLS, how is BOAT coded?
✓ ERDW

Each letter is shifted 3 places forward: B→E, O→R, A→D, T→W. BOAT = ERDW.

6. A child discloses abuse to you during a routine visit. What must you do?
✓ Take the disclosure seriously, reassure the child, and immediately follow child protection reporting procedures

Any disclosure of child abuse triggers mandatory reporting obligations. You must reassure the child, not investigate yourself (to avoid contaminating any future investigation), and immediately involve child protection services.

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How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

  1. garda.ie — Test delivery, exam format, eligibility, exam information · verified Oct 2026
  2. publicjobs.ie — Test delivery, exam information · verified Oct 2026