Prison Officer Selection Test Examples - Answers

Answers to the the POST sample questions

1. POST Numeracy Test

What is the cost of the entire order?

1. £15.55
2. £15.65
3. £15.75
4. £15.85
5. £15.85
6. £16.05
7. £16.15
8. £16.25
9. £16.35
10. £16.45

The correct answer is J. To answer this question you need to calculate each of the items multiplied by the order number. For example, in the case of chewing gum the prisoner wants to order 5 packets, each of which costs 15 pence. This gives us £0.15 * 5 = £0.75. Once we have calculated the cost for the total amount of each product, we add them all together to get the final answer.

2. Reading Comprehension

Andrew was born in England on 01/05/1984 and has never left England. He is an only child and lives with his mother, Pansy. His registered address is 111 Nottingham Road MA5 4AD. The home telephone number for this address is 0161 257 3154.

What is the correct phone number of the prisoner?

1. 0161 257 3154
2. 0191 257 3154
3. 0161 247 3154
4. 0161 255 3154
5. 0161 257 3754
6. 0161 257 3174

The correct answer is A. However, this isn’t the end of the story as there are often multiple phone numbers written in the text. You have to ensure that you have selected the correct one. The more you practice with these type of questions the higher score you will get in the real POST test.

3. Completing a Standard Form

In the text you are given information about the prisoner. See the short extract below:

Andrew is a heroin addict and is on the methadone programme where he receives his daily dose from Nurse Kelly. She has found him to be rather aggressive and threatening but she reports that no attempt has been made on her. After receiving his dose he normally calms down within five minutes and is much more talkative.

Has the prisoner displayed any anti-social behaviour, bullying, threats, aggression, hate-motivated behaviour, assaults?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Cannot Say

The correct answer is A. Now you have to reflect on the text and see if the answer is true or not. From our short extract we can see that the correct answer is A as the text states that, “She has found him to be rather aggressive.” Obviously this is just a short example, but in the real test you can expect the same concepts, just on a larger scale.

4. Checking Information and the Application of Rules

Which prisoner is missing or in the wrong location at 10:00-11:00?

1. Ulyatt UT07
2. Reegan RN16
3. Wright WT09
4. Regan RN16

The correct answer is C. According to the first table, Wright WT09 should be in the courtroom at 10:00-11:00. However, we can see in the second table that at the mentioned time, the prisoner is in the kitchen.