The 999 Call Handler Audio Typing Test

If you are applying to become a Police Communications Officer or 999 Call Handler, you will have to undergo a number of challenging assessments which assess your ability to gather the required information, while remaining calm under pressure in a number of true-to-life stressful simulations.

Let’s start by looking at what an audio typing test is.

The Audio Typing Test

An audio typing test is an assessment which is commonly used in the emergency services, which assesses a candidate’s typing, listening and language skills. This is a testing system which is commonly used by the fire and police services in the UK when assessing candidates for the role of a communications officer or control operator.

The 999 Call Handler Audio Typing Test

For this test you will listen to a recorded 999 call and type up as much of the information you hear as possible. To pass the live test you will need to achieve an average typing speed of around 30 words per minute. You don’t need to type word for word but you must cover all the relevant and important information and everything you type must make sense – this includes correct use of spelling and grammar.

The sections are as follows:

• Recording 1. The first recording will be of one person reporting a fire in a house at a nearby location to them.
• Recording 2. The second recording will be of a person reporting a robbery at their property.
• Recording 3. The third recording will be one person reporting an altercation between people at a local public house.
• Recording 4. This recording is a transcript of a person reporting domestic abuse.
• Recording 5. The final recording is a transcript of a member of the public report a serious road traffic accident.

Tips for the Audio Typing Test

• Tip 1. When practicing this test wear headphones to ensure you are not obstructed by outside interference.
• Tip 2. Pay particular attention to your spelling and grammar as you will be assessed on this.
• Tip 3. Ensure you take note of location names, number of people involved etc.
• Tip 4. In the build up to your assessment practice your typing skills to ensure you meet the minimum word count per minute.
• Tip 5. Ensure that you have recorded all of the relevant information. Not just names, places etc. But also if there are any obstructions the response team may encounter when responding to the incident.