The 911 Dispatcher Test (2024 Guide)

A 911 dispatcher works as a point of contact for an emergency call.

They need to be able to calmly deal with a crisis, while taking necessary details and dispatching the right personnel based on the details given by the caller.

To be a successful 911 dispatcher, you need to manage communication with the caller and with the units.

You also must ensure you are getting all the information you need to create or update a report, including names and addresses, phone numbers and locations.

You will also have to remain calm while a caller is in crisis; they could be overwhelmed and emotional, terrified or injured – and this creates a highly pressured environment where multitasking and communication are key.

What Is a CritiCall 911 Dispatcher Test?

CritiCall is a pre-employment screening test used by most agencies who employ 911 dispatchers throughout the US and Canada.

Part of a larger organisation known as Biddle Consulting Inc., which is a HR and consulting firm established in 1974, the CritiCall test is designed to provide realistic scenarios and assess key skills and aptitudes.

The CritiCall test is not an assessment of job or subject knowledge; however, as a psychometric test, it does ask questions to determine your inherent skills in the areas that are necessary to become a successful 911 dispatcher.

These can include:

• Communication – both written and verbal
• Multitasking and prioritizing
• Good memory
• Good knowledge of English, including spelling and clarity
• Attention to detail
• Fast and accurate typing

If you are applying for a 911 dispatcher role, there are some other pre-employment tests you might take instead of CritiCall, including the POST Dispatcher Test and the NYPD 911 Operator Exam, but they are mostly similar in what they assess.

How Is the 911 Dispatcher Test Structured?

The CritiCall assessment can have up to 23 modules and take up to three hours to complete. However, the actual content of the test you take will depend on which agency and/or department you have applied for.

You will not know the contents of the test before you take it, so it is difficult to know what you will be facing in your assessment – it is unlikely you will be asked to complete all the available modules.

CritiCall does not release details on the modules, but the questions will be on the following subjects:

• Multi-tasking and advanced decision-making
• Computerized data entry
• Oral comprehension
• Reading comprehension
• Sentence clarity
• Cross-referencing
• Probability determination
• Map reading
• Memory recall (short and long term)
• Inductive reasoning
• Numerical ability
• Perceptual ability (error checking and accuracy)
• Vocalization summary

The test itself is set up to be a realistic job scenario where you will be expected to work virtually as a dispatcher and complete the tasks presented.

There will often be more than one competency assessed at a time, and some skills will be needed throughout, like listening, effective communication and accurate typing.

Below are some descriptions of common question types – this is not an exhaustive list, as the questions themselves will be different, depending on the agency and location you are applying to.

Decision-Making

Throughout the assessment, emergency messages will pop up on the screen and you will need to quickly and accurately decide which service needs to attend, and which unit you will be sending.

This will be based on the details and rules provided to you.

The choice is between Police, Fire, EMS or Utilities, and you will have 15 seconds to respond.

This is part of the multi-tasking nature of the assessment (and the job role, if you are successful).

Data Entry

Some information will be provided in either audio or written format, and you will need to insert it into a form in the right place, quickly and accurately.

The data will need to be input using uppercase letters in most instances.

The data will need to be put into a form which might include fields for the following:

• First name
• Last name
• Address
• Zip code
• Phone number
• Licence plate number
• Vehicle ID
• Location

Cross-Referencing

You will be provided with some information in an address book and will need to transpose that into a form, quickly and accurately.

This is another facet of data entry that features in many parts of the assessment.

Call Summarization

Through audio on the computer, you will hear call simulations and must summarize what happened, identifying the correct information as you go.

This is a test of multitasking skills, as you need to listen to the call, pull out relevant information and input data, like addresses, at the same time.

Map Reading

Spatial awareness and the ability to read and understand maps are essential to the role as a 911 dispatcher.

Not only do you need to be able to assign the closest unit to a call, but you may need to offer directions or alternative routes to avoid traffic or arrive at the scene faster.

The maps used in the assessment are not particularly detailed. However, you will need to orient yourself according to relative positions and give accurate directions using left and right turns, as well as north, south, east and west.

For example, you might be asked to find the quickest route between point A and point B on a map like the one below:

Reading Comprehension

This part of the assessment is similar to a verbal reasoning test – it provides a passage of information.

You must quickly read and understand it and then analyze it for the important, necessary details.

The contents of the text will not be particularly difficult, but the ability to quickly assess the information for relevance is what is being tested here.

Spelling and Sentence Clarity

As a 911 dispatcher, you will need a general proficiency in spelling to be able to spell names and locations to create and update reports, and take down details efficiently.

In the spelling test, you will need to listen to words and spell them correctly. The words are challenging, but not impossible.

For the Sentence Clarity portion, you will be provided with a number of sentences that have the same meaning or message. You will need to choose the one that gives the information in the clearest way.

Character Checking

This is much like an Error Checking aptitude test, in that you will be provided with two tables of data that are nearly identical, and you will need to find the difference between them.

This could be as small a detail as a misplaced number or a letter instead of a number in a license plate, for example:

In the above table, the second column of the second row has a transposed number 8 instead of an uppercase B.

Prioritization

As the assessment progresses, multitasking is important, as you will receive a number of emergency messages and will have to deal with them as they arrive. This is simple prioritization where an urgent call takes priority.

However, as a 911 dispatcher, not all calls will be treated as an emergency. You will also have a number of tasks to complete at roughly the same time – so you will need to prioritize calls, as well as create reports.

In the prioritization section of the assessment, you will be presented with a number of scenarios, calls, and tasks and need to rank them in order of importance.

Memory Recall

Throughout the assessment, you will need to be able to remember details to correctly input data.

However, there is a specific module that deals with short-term memory testing. Here, you will be presented with phrases, letters or numbers and will need to accurately recall them.

The items might be provided in audio format, too.

Throughout the assessment, one or more of these skills might be tested at the same time – this is designed to resemble the fast-paced, pressured environment that a 911 dispatcher must work in.

The CritiCall test is designed to be challenging – not in content, but in the way it is presented and structured.

As a candidate, you will be under time pressure as well as anxious to perform well. Because you will not know what is coming and will have to make quick decisions, it is a realistic portrayal of what the role will be like if you are successful.

CritiCall does not publish their questions or provide practice tests – this is to ensure that the environment is as realistic as possible – but that does not mean you should not prepare yourself for it.

Final Thoughts

The structure, content, and pressure of the CritiCall test is designed to be as realistic as possible. This means you need to manage the stress of the situation so you can multi-task and think quickly to get the results you want.

The pass marks are set by the agency, so the best way to ensure you can progress in your application to be a 911 dispatcher is to practice before the test and keep calm during it – so that you can be prepared for whatever action is needed next.

This will not only help you ace your test, but will also be great practice for helping people in need when you land your new role.