100 items; 1 hour 40 minute time limit.
- Reading Comprehension
- Math Ability
- Teamwork and Customer Service
- Mechanical Aptitude
- Map Reading
We have three alternate forms for the Entry Firefighter test. These three test forms are based on a common test item bank.
There is no pre-test study guide for this test. Test administration is very straight-forward, and does not include assessment of candidate’s listening skills (i.e., the proctor does not have read-aloud components).
This test is designed to assist agencies to select candidates for entry to a fire academy. For those agencies that require candidates to possess a Firefighter I certificate before testing, see Skilled Firefighter F-323.
Validity evidence for Donnoe & Associates, Inc.’s Entry Firefighter written test includes content and criterion evidence. This test was initially designed around a content validity strategy. Test construction was guided by the results of a task-oriented job analysis in one large agency, and confirmed in later multiple job analysis studies with other large agencies. Next, the test was administered to a sample of greater than 200 incumbent Firefighters, supervisory performance ratings were collected, and the test was correlated with job performance. This is referred to as criterion validity, using a concurrent sample. The observed uncorrected validity coefficients from this study include: 1) correlation between this test and supervisory ratings of overall individual Firefighter’s job performance = .2262 (p<.001); and 2) correlation between this test and supervisory ratings of individual Firefighter’s overall ability = .3074 (p<.001).
As most agencies are aware, there is a tendency for candidates to “agency hop” and take entry firefighter exams whenever they are offered. Because of this we have developed alternate forms of this test, and we closely monitor where this test is used, then avoid having neighboring agencies use the same version of the test. This assists in maintaining exam security, and reducing the possibility that an individual candidate would be advantaged, or disadvantaged by the process.