NPOST Cheat Sheet 2026

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

1. When documenting property taken as evidence, an officer should record: → A detailed description including serial numbers if available
2. The word 'corroborate' means to: → Confirm or support with evidence
3. What does "reasonable suspicion" legally authorize a police officer to do? → Briefly stop and question a person based on specific articulable facts
4. What is 0.25 expressed as a fraction in lowest terms? → 1/4
5. When documenting an interview, an officer needs to ensure pronouns are used clearly. Which sentence is written with correct pronoun-antecedent agreement? → After the briefing, every officer returned to his or her assigned vehicle.
6. Choose the correct word: 'You're required to wear ___ vest.' → your
7. What is the best meaning of "comply"? → To obey or conform
8. A report must list events in chronological order. Which event comes first: (1) arrest, (2) dispatch, (3) arrival on scene? → Dispatch
9. Passage: 'The main idea of the memo was that response times improved after adding two patrol cars to the downtown district.' The memo's main point concerns: → Improved response times
10. The term 'accomplice' refers to a person who: → Helps another commit a crime
11. What does 'reconnaissance' most nearly mean? → Observation or surveying of an area to gather information
12. Which word means the opposite of 'guilty'? → Innocent
13. Choose the correct word: 'The number of complaints was ___ than last year.' → fewer
14. Which word is spelled correctly? → Seize
15. You receive conflicting reports: Dispatcher says incident is at 5th Street; caller says 5th Avenue. Most logical first step? → Confirm the exact location before responding
16. When recording a suspect's statement in an incident report, what is the best practice? → Quote the exact words verbatim in quotation marks
17. Why is accurate spelling of names and addresses critical in police reports? → Errors can lead to wrong identification or invalid records
18. Choose the correctly spelled word. → Testimony
19. What does 'jurisdiction' refer to? → The official power or territory to enforce law
20. A patrol covers 1/4 of its route in 15 minutes. How long to cover the full route at the same pace? → 60 minutes
21. The report was ___, meaning it left out important facts. → incomplete
22. A report states 'The man was acting suspicious.' Why is this problematic? → It is a conclusion without supporting observable facts
23. A crowd begins forming around an arrest and becomes increasingly hostile. What is the safest tactical decision? → Request backup and consider moving the arrest to a safer location
24. What can you infer from: "The keys were still in the ignition, and the engine was warm"? → The car was used recently.
25. Officer judgment: A driver is swerving slightly but signals and stops at lights. Most reasonable action? → Conduct a traffic stop to check for impairment
26. What is the purpose of including the 'how' element in a report? → To describe the manner and method by which the incident occurred
27. Choose the correctly spelled word. → Negligence
28. If 'some patrol cars are hybrids' and 'all hybrids are fuel-efficient,' which must be true? → Some patrol cars are fuel-efficient
29. A suspect ran 2 blocks north then 3 blocks east. If each block is 100 yards, how far north did he travel? → 200 yards
30. A crowd estimate doubled from 350 to its new size. What is the new size? → 700