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State · Pennsylvania

Becoming a PA police officer: the reading test

Pennsylvania's written requirement for municipal police is a reading test, not a full police exam. Two tests count, Nelson-Denny or NPOST, and the department or academy decides which one you take.

  • NPOST 70%on the NPOST
  • 9th-grade levelon Nelson-Denny
  • Cert exam 70%after the academy

The state rule on the written test

ItemWhat appliesSource
Written test
  • NPOST accepted70% or higher, as an approved reading test
  • Nelson-Denny Reading Test accepted9th-grade level or higher
MPOETC: Employing a municipal police officer · 37 Pa. Code § 203.11 · Join Philly PD: Exam informationchecked Oct 21, 2026
State rule on the written testAn approved reading test: Nelson-Denny at the 9th-grade level or higher, or NPOST at 70% or highermunicipal police; the code text (37 Pa. Code § 203.11) names Nelson-Denny, and MPOETC's page adds NPOSTMPOETC: Employing a municipal police officerchecked Oct 21, 2026
Passing scoreNPOST 70% or higher; Nelson-Denny at the 9th-grade levelMPOETC: Employing a municipal police officer · 37 Pa. Code § 203.11checked Oct 21, 2026
Exam after the academyState certification exam: 70% or higher, passed within the past 24 monthsMPOETC: Employing a municipal police officerchecked Oct 21, 2026

NPOST or Nelson-Denny: which one

The two state sources do not list the same tests. The regulation, 37 Pa. Code § 203.11, names only Nelson-Denny; the MPOETC hiring page adds the NPOST 70% route. Ask the department or academy which one it accepts before you book.

  • Nelson-Denny is a reading test only: at Philadelphia it is vocabulary (15 min) and reading comprehension (20 min); about 35–45 minutes in all. This site has no Nelson-Denny questions.
  • The NPOST is broader: mathematics, reading comprehension, grammar and incident report writing, 75 items in 75 min. The 70% line here comes from MPOETC; elsewhere, NPOST cuts are set by each hiring agency.

Philadelphia requires Nelson-Denny, so NPOST reading comprehension is the useful part for a Philadelphia applicant. The math and report-writing sections matter only if you take the NPOST.

Pennsylvania agencies we track

DepartmentStateWritten testPassing scoreTest formatSourceChecked
PennsylvaniaPA
  • NPOST accepted70% or higher, as an approved reading test
  • Nelson-Denny Reading Test accepted9th-grade level or higher
NPOST 70%—MPOETC: Employing a municipal police officer · 37 Pa. Code § 203.11 · Join Philly PD: Exam informationOct 21, 2026
Philadelphia Police DepartmentPA
  • Nelson-Denny Reading Test required9th-grade reading level
9th-grade level2 parts · 35–45 minJoin Philly PD: Exam informationOct 21, 2026

NPOST practice questions

0 of 4 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 4 · Incident Report Writing · 10 itemsNot answered

Original: "The driver acted recklessly, running the red light and forcing pedestrians to jump back." Which rewrite removes the judgment "recklessly" but keeps the observed facts?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: With no subject, this is a fragment, not a complete sentence.

B

Incorrect: "Recklessly" is the judgment the rewrite was supposed to remove.

C

Incorrect: "Nearly killed several pedestrians" goes beyond what was seen.

D

Incorrect: This drops the pedestrians, which was an observed fact.

E

Correct: This keeps both observed facts, the red light and the pedestrians jumping back, in a full sentence without the label.

Question 2 of 4 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered

Officer Rodriguez, ______ field training hours exceed the requirement, will graduate early.

Which word correctly completes the sentence?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: "Whom" is an object pronoun and shows no ownership.

B

Incorrect: "Who's" means "who is," which makes no sense here.

C

Incorrect: "Of whom" needs a word like "several" before it and does not fit this sentence.

D

Incorrect: "Who" is a subject pronoun and shows no ownership.

E

Correct: The training hours belong to Officer Rodriguez, so the possessive "whose" is needed.

Question 3 of 4 · Mathematics · 20 itemsNot answered

A $3,600 evidence distribution is to be split equally among 4 claimants after a single $180 processing fee is removed. How much does each claimant receive?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: $900 forgets the fee.

B

Correct: $3,600 − $180 = $3,420, and $3,420 ÷ 4 = $855.

C

Incorrect: $810 takes out the fee twice.

D

Incorrect: $720 takes the whole fee out of each share.

E

Incorrect: $945 adds the fee instead of subtracting it.

Question 4 of 4 · Mathematics · 20 itemsNot answered

A pump moves 3.2 gallons of water per minute. How many gallons does it move in 1.5 hours?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: 2,880 misplaces the decimal point.

B

Correct: 1.5 hours is 90 minutes, and 3.2 × 90 = 288 gallons.

C

Incorrect: 320 uses 100 minutes.

D

Incorrect: 4.8 multiplies by 1.5 without changing hours to minutes.

E

Incorrect: 192 uses 60 minutes instead of 90.

Answer every question to see your score

After the academy: the certification exam

The reading test gets you started; it is not the last exam. Once you finish the academy, Pennsylvania requires a state certification exam as well, and the pass rule for it is in the state rule table above.

This page covers municipal police. We have not checked the Pennsylvania State Police trooper exam yet; the state trooper exam guide covers what we have on trooper tests.

NPOST practice in an app

NPOST practice app

More NPOST practice questions with explanations, in a study app. Not affiliated with Stanard.

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Pennsylvania police test questions

Do I need to take the NPOST in Pennsylvania?

Not necessarily. The state accepts an approved reading test, Nelson-Denny or NPOST, and your department or academy picks which.

What score do I need on the NPOST in Pennsylvania?

NPOST 70% or higher, under the MPOETC rule.

What test does the Philadelphia Police Department use?

Nelson-Denny. Pass rule: Reading at the 9th-grade level or higher. Format: Vocabulary (15 min) and reading comprehension (20 min); about 35–45 minutes in all.

Is there another exam after the police academy in Pennsylvania?

Yes. State certification exam: 70% or higher, passed within the past 24 months.