SSPO Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield SSPO facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. You arrive at a domestic disturbance call. Both parties have visible injuries, each claiming the other is the aggressor. What should you do FIRST? → Separate the parties and interview each individually to gather facts.
2. A dashboard shows that 5 out of 8 precincts exceeded their average call volume last month. What percentage of precincts exceeded average call volume? → 62.5%
3. When structuring an incident report narrative, what is the most widely accepted and logical format to follow? → Chronological order, from the beginning of the incident to the end.
4. Which word is closest in meaning to 'CORROBORATE'? → Confirm
5. A witness says the getaway car was either blue or green, and another witness says it was definitely not blue. What color was the car? → Green
6. A police report states: 'The suspect was BELLIGERENT during the arrest.' What does 'belligerent' mean? → Hostile and aggressive
7. What is the primary purpose of 'test-retest reliability' in the context of a selection survey like the SSPO? → To confirm the survey produces consistent results over time
8. An applicant's survey results flag a high score on 'negative impression management.' What behavior does this most likely indicate? → The applicant deliberately portrayed themselves in an unfavorable light
9. A police department has a 1:500 officer-to-resident ratio. If the city has 87,500 residents, how many officers are assigned? → 175
10. A police station records the following daily call volumes for a week: 42, 38, 55, 47, 60, 33, 45. What is the average daily call volume? → 45
11. An officer reviews a line graph showing crime trends over 10 years. The line rises steeply for 3 years then flattens. What does the flat portion suggest? → The rate of increase has slowed or stabilized
12. The 'Six Essential Questions' that a comprehensive incident report should answer are: → Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?
13. A suspect fled north, then turned east for two blocks, then turned south for one block. Relative to the starting point, in which direction is the suspect now? → Northeast
14. What type of data analysis technique is often used to identify trends in survey results? → Descriptive statistics and trend analysis
15. A report shows that 3 out of every 10 domestic disturbance calls result in an arrest. In a city with 350 such calls per month, how many arrests are expected? → 105
16. You stop a vehicle and the driver is clearly impaired, but the impairment appears to be from a medical episode rather than alcohol or drugs. What should you do? → Immediately request emergency medical services and stay with the driver to ensure safety.
17. A police report table shows burglaries by quarter: Q1=42, Q2=58, Q3=67, Q4=53. What is the median number of burglaries per quarter? → 55.5
18. An officer's close family member is the subject of a criminal investigation by the officer's department. The most ethical action is to: → Recuse themselves from any involvement in the case and disclose the relationship
19. A dataset of response times in minutes is: 4, 7, 3, 9, 5, 6, 3, 8, 3, 7. What is the mode? → 3
20. Read: 'The AMBIGUOUS wording in the statute led to multiple interpretations.' What does 'ambiguous' mean? → Open to more than one interpretation
21. Which administration condition is MOST likely to compromise the reliability of a police psychological survey? → Allowing candidates to discuss items with peers during testing
22. Who is typically authorized to receive the results of an officer's psychological evaluation such as the SSPO? → Only personnel with a legitimate need to know, such as the hiring authority
23. Which of the following BEST describes a 'forced-choice' survey format often used in police selection? → Candidates choose between two equally desirable or undesirable options
24. A report states the correlation coefficient between poverty rate and property crime is r = 0.82. How should an officer interpret this? → There is a strong positive association between poverty rate and property crime
25. A precinct records 48 burglaries in January and 36 in February. What is the percentage decrease from January to February? → 25%
26. Which of the following is a common error that can weaken a police incident report? → Using the passive voice instead of the active voice.
27. An officer's annual salary is $62,400. What is his bi-weekly gross pay? → $2,400
28. An officer's report notes the victim's account was 'COHERENT.' What does this suggest about the account? → It was logical and easy to understand
29. Which of the following survey administration practices would MOST likely inflate scores on a desirability-sensitive scale? → Informing candidates that their supervisor will review individual responses
30. Which SSPO dimension evaluates a candidate's tendency to remain calm and perform effectively under high-stress situations? → Emotional stability / stress tolerance