- What the Philadelphia Police Exam Actually Tests
- The Two Domains at a Glance
- Format, Timing, and Question Mechanics
- Passing Standard and Attempts
- What Happens After You Pass the Reading Test
- Minimum Hiring Requirements Checklist
- Pay and Academy Timeline
- 2026 Application Windows
- A Short, Focused Study Plan
- Quick-Reference Cheat Sheet
- FAQs
- The written test is the Nelson-Denny Reading Test: 80 Vocabulary questions in 15 minutes, 38 Reading Comprehension questions in 20 minutes.
- That's 118 questions in 35 timed minutes, though the department says the full session runs about 35 to 45 minutes.
- You need at least a ninth-grade reading level and get two attempts before you must reapply.
- Passing unlocks three attempts at the physical fitness test, then background, medical, polygraph, and psych screening.
What the Philadelphia Police Exam Actually Tests
When people say "Philadelphia Police Exam," they mean the written reading assessment the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Police Department require of Police Officer Recruit applicants. It isn't a general knowledge test, a law test, or a situational-judgment inventory - it's the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, used specifically to satisfy Pennsylvania MPOETC's police-recruit reading standard. Every question on this exam is measuring one thing: can you read fast and accurately enough to handle the reports, radio codes, statutes, and training materials that come with the job.
That narrow focus is good news for candidates. There's no math section, no map-reading, no memory drill. If you understand exactly how the two domains are built and timed, you can prepare efficiently instead of wasting hours on irrelevant content. For a broader breakdown of eligibility before you even sit for the test, see our Philadelphia Police Exam requirements guide.
The Two Domains at a Glance
Every question you'll see falls into one of two content areas. Knowing the mechanics of each domain - not just its topic - is the single highest-leverage thing you can do before test day. For a deeper walkthrough of both, read our full Philadelphia Police Exam Exam Domains guide.
Domain 1: Vocabulary
This section presents a target word followed by five possible definitions, and you pick the best match. With 80 questions in 15 minutes, you have roughly 11 seconds per item - there's no time to deliberate, only to recognize.
- 80 multiple-choice questions total
- Each word has five answer-choice definitions
- 15-minute strict time limit rewards instant recall over reasoning
Domain 2: Reading Comprehension
This section gives you 7 to 9 passages and 38 multiple-choice questions to answer in 20 minutes. You're reading for main idea, detail, inference, and author intent - then moving on fast, since the clock doesn't stop for a tricky paragraph.
- 38 multiple-choice questions across 7-9 passages
- 20-minute time limit - pacing per passage matters more than perfect comprehension
- Passages mix straightforward detail questions with inference-based ones
Format, Timing, and Question Mechanics
Combine the two domains and you get 118 total questions inside 35 minutes of pure timed testing. The department states the full administration - including instructions, distribution of materials, and any breaks - takes about 35 to 45 minutes in practice. Memorize these numbers; they're the backbone of your pacing strategy.
| Section | Questions | Time Limit | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocabulary | 80 | 15 minutes | Word + 5 possible definitions |
| Reading Comprehension | 38 | 20 minutes | 7-9 passages, multiple choice |
| Total | 118 | 35 minutes (35-45 with administration) | Two-part timed session |
Because each section is separately timed, you can't borrow minutes from Vocabulary to finish Reading Comprehension or vice versa. That's a structural detail many first-time test-takers overlook - see our difficulty breakdown for how the strict per-section clock changes your approach compared to untimed practice.
Passing Standard and Attempts
The scoring bar is described qualitatively rather than as a raw score: applicants must demonstrate reading ability at no less than the ninth-grade level. There isn't a published numeric cutoff you need to hit question-by-question - the Nelson-Denny converts your raw performance into a grade-level equivalent, and ninth grade is the floor.
You get two attempts to clear that bar. If both attempts fall short, you have to reapply to the process rather than simply retesting. That makes your first sitting far more important than a typical practice exam - there's no unlimited retake cushion. For the full mechanics of how the grade-level score is calculated and what it means in practice, see our passing score guide.
Key Takeaway
Treat your first attempt like it's your only attempt. With just two chances before a full reapplication, spend your prep time on accuracy under the 15- and 20-minute clocks, not on untimed review.
What Happens After You Pass the Reading Test
Passing the Nelson-Denny doesn't end the process - it opens the door to the physical component. Candidates who clear the reading standard receive three attempts at the physical fitness test, which covers:
- A 300-metre run
- One-minute push-ups
- One-minute sit-ups
- A 1.5-mile run
After the fitness test, the process continues into background investigation, medical and drug screening, a polygraph examination, and a psychological evaluation. Everyone who makes it through all of that heads to 38 weeks at the Police Academy. It's a long pipeline, and the reading exam is only the first checkpoint - plan your timeline accordingly using our Philadelphia Police Exam study guide, which maps out the sequence in more detail.
Minimum Hiring Requirements Checklist
Before you even schedule your reading test, confirm you meet the baseline eligibility rules:
- High-school diploma or equivalent
- Age 20 at appointment
- Valid driver's license before hire
- US citizenship at appointment
- Philadelphia residency within 18 months after hire, for applicants who don't already live in the city
None of these are tested on the exam itself, but they're gating conditions for your application to move forward at all. Our detailed requirements breakdown covers documentation and verification steps in full.
Pay and Academy Timeline
Once you're hired, the current official pay structure looks like this:
| Stage | Pay |
|---|---|
| Academy | $67,934 |
| After six months | $72,651 |
| Top of scale | Up to $98,156 |
| Sign-on bonus | $2,000 |
The Academy itself runs 38 weeks. If earnings potential factors into how seriously you prepare for the reading test, our salary guide walks through how pay progresses from Academy enrollment onward.
2026 Application Windows
The recruitment site currently lists two application windows relevant to 2026 planning:
- General and bilingual applications: September 14 - October 11, 2026
- General and bilingual applications: December 28, 2026 - January 24, 2027
Miss one window and you're waiting for the next cycle, so build your study schedule backward from whichever window you're targeting. Our exam dates and scheduling guide lays out how to work backward from an application deadline to a testing date.
A Short, Focused Study Plan
Because the exam is only two domains, a compressed prep schedule works better than a sprawling multi-month plan. Here's a simple four-part structure you can compress into a single week or stretch across a month, depending on how much lead time your application window gives you.
Vocabulary Speed Drills
- Practice matching single words to five definitions under a strict per-item timer
- Focus on eliminating obviously wrong definitions first, then choosing between the two closest options
Passage Pacing
- Time yourself reading passages similar in length to the 7-9 used on the real test
- Practice skimming for structure before answering detail and inference questions
Full Timed Simulation
- Run a complete 15-minute Vocabulary block followed by a 20-minute Reading Comprehension block back-to-back
- Note where your accuracy drops as fatigue sets in near the end of each section
Error Review
- Revisit every missed Vocabulary and Comprehension question and identify the pattern behind the miss
- Re-test only the question types you got wrong, not the whole exam
This is a Philadelphia Police Exam-specific sequence, not a generic study calendar: it's built around the exact two domains, their separate time limits, and the fact that you only get two attempts. If you want a longer-format version with daily breakdowns, our full study guide expands on each phase above.
Quick-Reference Cheat Sheet
Print this section, or keep it open on your phone the morning of your test:
- Test: Nelson-Denny Reading Test, required for MPOETC reading standard
- Vocabulary: 80 questions, 15 minutes, word + five definitions
- Reading Comprehension: 38 questions, 20 minutes, 7-9 passages
- Total: 118 questions, 35 timed minutes, ~35-45 minutes overall
- Passing bar: Ninth-grade reading level or higher
- Attempts: Two attempts on the reading test before reapplication is required
- Next step after passing: Three attempts at the physical fitness test (300m run, push-ups, sit-ups, 1.5-mile run)
- Age/eligibility: Age 20 at appointment, HS diploma or equivalent, valid driver's license, US citizenship
- Academy: 38 weeks, starting pay $67,934, rising to $72,651 at six months, up to $98,156, plus a $2,000 sign-on bonus
- 2026 windows: Sept 14-Oct 11, 2026 and Dec 28, 2026-Jan 24, 2027
For a more exhaustive look at how these facts fit into whether the process is worth pursuing given your circumstances, see our ROI analysis. And if you're comparing this cheat sheet against what you've read elsewhere, our pass rate discussion explains why qualitative benchmarks like grade-level reading matter more here than a numeric percentage.
FAQs
No. In this context, it refers specifically to the Nelson-Denny Reading Test administered to Philadelphia Police Officer Recruit applicants to satisfy Pennsylvania MPOETC's reading requirement - not a broader civil service exam.
118 total: 80 Vocabulary questions in 15 minutes and 38 Reading Comprehension questions in 20 minutes, spread across 7 to 9 passages.
You need to demonstrate reading ability at no less than the ninth-grade level. There's no separate raw percentage score published beyond that grade-level standard.
You get two attempts to pass. If you don't pass within those two attempts, you'll need to reapply to the recruitment process rather than testing again immediately.
You move to the physical fitness test (three attempts allowed), then background, medical and drug screening, a polygraph, and a psychological evaluation, followed by 38 weeks at the Police Academy.
Keep this cheat sheet handy as you move through registration, prep, and test day - and when you're ready to practice under real timing conditions, head back to the main practice test hub to run a full simulation.