HOW TO PASS THE PRISON OFFICER TESTS
Sample interview questions proven to help you pass your prison officer assessments in 2025.
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THE PRISON OFFICER SELECTION TEST
Once you have made your initial online application and it has been successful, you will be invited to sit an online Prison Officer Selection Test (POST). The test itself is designed to be representative of the types of numerical tasks that Prison Officers are required to carry out on a daily basis.
There are four sections to the test consisting of a total of 56 questions. You have 60 minutes to complete the test, which equates to approximately 15 minutes per section. It is very important that you are the person who actually carries out the test, as there is a similar version of the POST to be undertaken at the Recruitment Assessment Day.
The good news is you are permitted to use a calculator and you do not lose any marks for incorrect answers. The questions that you will face during the online POST are predominantly based around numerical reasoning and include:
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
- Ratios and percentages
- Cross referencing lists and checking information
- Interpreting graphs and charts
- The use of the 24-hour clock
HOW TO PASS THE PRISON OFFICER TESTS
Jobs of this nature require you to be competent in the use of the 24-hour clock. During the Prison Officer Selection Test (POST) you will be required to answer a number of questions that are based around the use of the 24-hour clock. There are effectively two ways to show the time: “AM/PM” or “24-hour clock”:
– With the 24-Hour Clock the time is shown as how many hours and minutes have passed since midnight.
– With AM/PM (or the “12-Hour Clock”) the day is split into the 12 hours running from midnight to noon (the AM hours) and the other 12 hours running from noon to midnight (the PM hours).
Before you sit the online version of the Prison Officer Selection Test, make sure you are competent in the use of the 24-hour clock.
Converting AM/PM to 24-hour clock
- For the first hour of the day (12 midnight to 12:59 AM), subtract 12 hours.
Examples: 12 midnight = 0:00, 12:35 AM = 0:35 - From 1:00 AM to 12:59 PM, no change
Examples: 11:20 AM = 11:20, 12:30 PM = 12:30 - From 1:00 PM to 11:59 PM, add 12 hours
Examples: 4:45 PM = 16:45, 11:50 PM = 23:50
Converting 24-hour clock to AM/PM
- For the first hour of the day (0:00 to 0:59), add 12 hours, make it “AM”
Examples: 0:10 = 12:10 AM, 0:40 = 12:40 AM - From 1:00 to 11:59, just make it “AM”
Examples: 1:15 = 1:15 AM, 11:25 = 11:25 AM - From 12:00 to 12:59, just make it “PM”
Examples: 12:10 = 12:10 PM, 12:55 = 12:55 PM - From 13:00 to 23:59, subtract 12 hours and make it “PM”
Examples: 14:55 = 2:55 PM, 23:30 = 11:30 PM
THE PRISON OFFICER ASSESSMENT
Once you have successfully passed the online POST you will be invited to attend a Recruitment Assessment Day.
During the Recruitment Assessment Day you will sit a language test.
This test assesses you against:
Listening, taking notes and recalling heard information
You will listen to an briefing about events in a prison. You will be advised to take notes on rough paper provided. On completion of the briefing you will be asked to write down answers to questions relating to the information you have just heard.
Completing a standard form
You will complete a standard form using written information provided about a prisoner.
Checking information for discrepancies, errors and omissions
You will compare two lists and identify discrepancies and/or omissions on the second list.
Applying rules
You will be presented with two lists; the first shows cells where prisoners belong (sleep) on a prison wing; the second shows where they are currently located on the wing. You will compare the information on these two lists, and apply three rules in order to determine if everyone is present on the wing and who (if anyone) is breaking the rules.
Reading comprehension
You will read text extracted from a standard Prison Service source (e.g. Prison Service Orders, intranet, manuals etc) and then answer questions about the text.
PASS THE PRISON OFFICER TESTS
- A comprehensive mock exam section.
- Literally hundreds of test questions!
- Tools to help you pass the Prison Officer Selection Test.
- A comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to pass.
- Lots of test questions which are very similar to the ACTUAL tests used.
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Scoring Criteria
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UP-TO-DATE FOR 2025
All questions have been verified by our assessment panel experts for the 2025 prison officer assessments.
PRACTICE THE PRISON OFFICER APTITUDE TESTS
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FULLY-WORKED SOLUTIONS
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- 100s of sample test questions to help you get ready for your prison officer assessment.
- Practice psychometric testing questions for the numerical, spatial, mechanical and personality tests.
- Advice and tips included that have been written by our panel of assessment experts.
- How you will be assessed – pass first time;
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- 100s of test questions on each element of the test to help boost your scores!
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