PRACTISE NOW!

1 PRACTISE . NOW! Queensland Police Service Protective Services Officer Entrance Assessment PRACTISE . NOW! Queensland Police Service Protective Services Officer Entrance Assessment ACER Press First published 2021. by ACER Press, an imprint of Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd 19 Prospect Hill Road, Camberwell, Victoria, 3124, Australia In the spirit of reconciliation, ACER Press acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. Text copyright ACER Press 2021. Cover design, text design and typography copyright ACER Press 2021.

2 This book is copyright. All rights reserved. Except under the conditions described in the Copyright Act 1968 of Australia and subsequent amendments, and any exceptions permitted under the current statutory licence scheme administered by Copyright Agency ( ), no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, broadcast or communicated in any form or by any means, optical, digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher. Cover design, text design and typesetting by Karen Wilson PDF ISBN 978-1-74286-647-5. Contents Introduction i Assessment details iv Preparing for assessment vi CHAPTER 1 Verbal reasoning 1.

3 About this section 1. Preparing for this section of the assessment 1. Types of questions 2. Choose the misfits 2. Find the synonym 4. Find the relationship 6. Logic questions 9. CHAPTER 2 Numerical reasoning 13. About this section 13. Preparing for this section of the assessment 13. Types of questions 13. word problems 14. Number sequences 15. Number squares 18. CHAPTER 3 Abstract reasoning 21. About this section 21. Preparing for this section of the assessment 21. Types of questions 21. Next in sequence 22. Complete the pattern 26. Middle of the sequence 29. Appendix: practice question solutions 32. iii . Introduction PRACTISE Now! Queensland Police Service Protective Services Officer Entrance Assessment provides you with information, practical tips, explanations and practice questions that will help you to prepare for the Queensland Police Service Protective Services Officer Entrance Assessment.

4 The assessment requires you to demonstrate your abilities in a range of areas. Each of the chapters in this book is dedicated to building your skills in a particular area that will be assessed. Each chapter begins by identifying the specific skills you need to develop, making you aware of what you need to work on and what areas you should focus on to improve. There is also advice on the best way to prepare for each section of the assessment and for the different question types you will encounter. This book will describe a number of these question types and will provide you with strategies for attempting them. Each chapter has example questions, along with answers that include detailed explanations. These give you the opportunity to attempt questions similar to those you will find on the assessment, allowing you to then consider strategies you can use to improve.

5 It is important to keep in mind that there are many ways to approach each question. You may find strategies that work better for you that differ from the explanations given. You will also find practice questions in each chapter for you to attempt independently. These will help you further hone your skills. Where applicable, the practice questions have answers with brief explanations at the end of the book. The example and practice questions in this book give you an indication of the types of questions that you will find on the assessment. They are not necessarily representative of the full range of questions that you will encounter. The difficulty of the example and practice questions may vary from those on the assessment.

6 Reading through the descriptions, tips and examples, and attempting the practice questions will provide you with strategies to attempt questions on the assessment and give you an idea about what to expect. While this does not guarantee that you will be successful, it will be extremely valuable in your preparation for the Queensland Police Service Protective Services Officer Entrance Assessment. Assessment details What is the assessment for? You will need to take the Queensland Police Service Protective Services Officer Entrance Assessment if you are applying to the Queensland Police Service for a role as a Protective Services Officer. Applicants must pass the assessment as part of the recruitment process. iv.

7 Introduction For detailed information on the Queensland Police Service Protective Services Officer Entrance Assessment, visit the website at Logging in to ACER's online Psych Testing Platform You will be provided with a URL and unique username and password details. When you log in, the assessments that have been allocated to you will be displayed on the home page. You will need to complete some personal information. This information is collected for research purposes and is not made available to the organisation that has asked you to do the assessment. Practice questions appear first. You can then move through the screens by selecting the next' button at the bottom of the screen. The numbered bar that runs along the top of the screen enables you to move between questions without using the back/next' buttons at the bottom of the screen.

8 The bar changes colour as answers are entered. The bar will remain clear if no answer has been added. This will give you a quick glance' as to which answers are outstanding. After the practice questions, you will move to the next screen, which indicates the start of the assessment. A timer appears in the top right of the screen. At the end of the assessment, the screen shows the number of questions you have answered. If there is time, you have the opportunity to use the go back' button to check your answers. When you have finished your assessment, you should select the finish' button. During the testing session, you should not use any other programs or navigate to any other website ( calculators, dictionaries, general internet access).

9 In addition, you should only use the buttons onscreen ( next, previous) and should not use the back or forward buttons on your browser. Minimum technical requirements In order to use the Psych Testing Platform, the following technical requirements are required: minimum screen resolution: 1024 x 768. minimum DSL or cable internet connection: 56 kbps. Compatible computers and devices: PC or laptop Apple Mac iPad other tablet devices. Compatible browsers: Google Chrome (latest version). Mozilla Firefox (latest version). Safari (version 10 or above). v . PRACTISE NOW! QUEENSLAND POLICE SERVICE PROTECTIVE SERVICES OFFICER ENTRANCE ASSESSMENT. What will be on the assessment? The assessment is divided into three sections.

10 The table below shows you how the assessment is currently structured. The time allowances given for different sections of the assessment are current at the time of publication, but may change. Number of Time Test section Type of assessment questions allowed Verbal reasoning Online multiple choice 20 15 min Numerical reasoning Online numeric entry 20 20 min Abstract reasoning Online multiple choice 60 25 min More details The Queensland Police Service Protective Services Officer Entrance Assessment is administered by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) on behalf of the Queensland Police Service. There are more details about registering, preparing and sitting the assessment at Preparing for the assessment Practice and preparation will help you to improve your general skills, develop strategies for answering questions, improve your assessment-taking skills and help you to become familiar with what to expect during the assessment.