QPSea QPSea Memory and Observation Skills 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the QPSea, why is memory and observation tested as part of the entrance assessment?
- To assess typing speed
- Because police officers must accurately recall details from incidents, scenes, and briefings (Correct answer)
- To measure physical fitness
- To evaluate candidates' ability to write formal reports
Correct answer: Because police officers must accurately recall details from incidents, scenes, and briefings
Memory and observation are tested because officers regularly need to accurately recall descriptions, events, and details encountered during policing duties.
Question 2: You study a scene photograph for 90 seconds and are then asked questions about it. Which strategy best improves recall accuracy?
- Look at the centre of the image only
- Scan systematically from left to right and note specific details like colours, numbers, and positions (Correct answer)
- Focus on the largest object in the scene
- Try to memorise every pixel of the image
Correct answer: Scan systematically from left to right and note specific details like colours, numbers, and positions
A systematic left-to-right scan while noting specific identifiable details such as colours, numbers, and positions maximises recall accuracy.
Question 3: A briefing describes a suspect: male, approximately 180 cm, wearing a red jacket, dark jeans, and white sneakers, with a tattoo on his left forearm. How many distinct descriptors are given?
- 4
- 5
- 6 (Correct answer)
- 7
Correct answer: 6
The descriptors are: gender, height, jacket colour, jeans colour, sneaker colour, and tattoo location — six in total.
Question 4: After viewing a scene for 60 seconds, an officer is asked: 'How many windows were visible on the building?' This tests which cognitive skill?
- Verbal reasoning
- Short-term visual memory (Correct answer)
- Abstract pattern recognition
- Numerical estimation
Correct answer: Short-term visual memory
Recalling specific visual details after a brief viewing period directly tests short-term visual memory.
Question 5: Which of the following is MOST important when recalling a vehicle description at an incident scene?
- The make and model only
- Make, model, colour, and registration plate (Correct answer)
- The colour and direction of travel only
- The driver's estimated age
Correct answer: Make, model, colour, and registration plate
Make, model, colour, and registration plate together provide the most complete and actionable vehicle identification for police purposes.
Question 6: An officer witnesses an altercation and must later recall the sequence of events. Which memory technique is MOST effective?
- Mentally replay the events in reverse order
- Narrate the sequence aloud in real time while observing
- Create a brief mental timeline anchored to specific actions and their order (Correct answer)
- Focus only on the final outcome of the incident
Correct answer: Create a brief mental timeline anchored to specific actions and their order
Creating a mental timeline anchored to specific sequential actions encodes events in a structured way that supports accurate recall.
QPSea QPSea Memory and Observation Skills 1
In the QPSea, why is memory and observation tested as part of the entrance assessment?