Firefighter Exam For Dummies

The fast and easy way to score your best on the Firefighter Exam

In addition to physical tests of strength, agility, and
coordination, firefighters must also pass a difficult written test
that requires serious preparation to fare well, and many applicants
fail to succeed.

Firefighter Exam For Dummies gives you a complete review
of the most commonly tested topics that are typical of firefighter
exams given to candidates across North America, as well as tips and
advice on how to pass the oral interview, psychological testing,
and the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT).

• Coverage of reading comprehension, math, principles of
  mechanics, tool usage and recognition, memorization and
  visualization, and on-the-job scenarios

• Study advice and test-taking tips

• 4 full-length practice exams with answers and detailed
  explanations including the National Firefighter Selection Inventory
  (NFSI), a battery of 105 questions that assess the job-related
  cognitive skills required of a firefighter, and a test based on the
  New York City (NYC) firefighter exam-one of the most demanding
  Complete with advice for conquering test anxiety, Firefighter
  Exam For Dummies covers everything you need to know to
  confidently tackle-and pass-the big exam.

Auteur

Stacy L. Bell is responsible for the development and validation of testing instruments for Fire & Police Selection, Inc. Tracey Vasil Biscontini, founder, president, and CEO of Northeast Editing, Inc., is a test-preparation development specialist. Lindsay Rock, managing editor at Northeast Editing, Inc., is a former firefighter.

Résumé
The fast and easy way to score your best on the Firefighter Exam In addition to physical tests of strength, agility, and coordination, firefighters must also pass a difficult written test that requires serious preparation to fare well, and many applicants fail to succeed.

Firefighter Exam For Dummies gives you a complete review of the most commonly tested topics that are typical of firefighter exams given to candidates across North America, as well as tips and advice on how to pass the oral interview, psychological testing, and the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT).

• Coverage of reading comprehension, math, principles of mechanics, tool usage and recognition, memorization and visualization, and on-the-job scenarios
• Study advice and test-taking tips
• 4 full-length practice exams with answers and detailed explanations including the National Firefighter Selection Inventory (NFSI), a battery of 105 questions that assess the job-related cognitive skills required of a firefighter, and a test based on the New York City (NYC) firefighter exam-one of the most demanding Complete with advice for conquering test anxiety, Firefighter Exam For Dummies covers everything you need to know to confidently tackle-and pass-the big exam.

Contenu

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Conventions Used in This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

How This Book Is Organized 2

Part I: So You Want to Be a Firefighter? Get Ready! 2

Part II: Gearing Up to Take the Test: The Written Exam 2

Part III: Demonstrating Physical, Mental, and Emotional Fitness with Interactive Tests 3

Part IV: Practice Firefighter Exams 3

Part V: The Part of Tens 3

Icons Used in This Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part I: So You Want to Be a Firefighter? Get Ready! 5

Chapter 1: Getting the Lowdown on the Job of Firefighter 7

Understanding What It's Like to Be a Firefighter 7

Knowing your role 7

Looking at shifts: Timing is everything 9

Picturing your work environment 9

Considering risks on the job 10

Handling the highs and lows 11

From Firefighter to Fire Chief: Climbing the Fire Department Ladder 11

Starting on the bottom rung 12

Firefighter 12

Engineer 12

Moving to middle management 12

Fire lieutenant 12

Fire captain 12

Battalion chief 13

Becoming the top dog 13

Assistant/Division chief 13

Deputy chief 13

Fire chief 13

Finding Firefighters: Who They Work For 13

In the public sector 13

In the private sector 14

Predicting the Future: How Many Firefighting Jobs Will There Be? 14

Chapter 2: Throwing Your Hat in the Ring: Applying to Be a Firefighter 15

Finding and Applying for a Job 15

Understanding job requirements 15

Obtaining information about the exam and the position 16

Filling out the application 17

Submitting resumes, cover letters, and references 18

Noting special considerations 19

The Road to Landing a Firefighter Job 19

The written exam 20

The physical ability test 20

The oral interview 21

The medical exam 21

The psychological evaluation 22

Chapter 3: Preparing Yourself for the Firefighter Exam 23

Getting Familiar with the Written Exam 23

Test format 23

Question topics 24

Tips for the written exam 25

Preparing for the Non-Written Tests 26

1, 2, 3, lift: Prepping for the physical test 26

You don't say: Prepping for the oral test/interview 27

Keeping it clean: Prepping for the background check 28

Take a deep breath: Prepping for the medical test 29

Don't psych yourself out: Prepping for the psychological test 30

Part II: Gearing Up to Take the Test: The Written Exam 31

Chapter 4: Showing Off Your Reading and Verbal Comprehension 33

Getting an Overview of the Reading and Verbal Comprehension Component 33

What is a reading passage, anyway? 34

Tuning in to the listening portion 34

Processing What You Read and Hear 34

Scanning the questions first 35

Noting important details 35

Figuring out the main idea 36

Answering Different Types of Questions 36

Finding-details questions 37

Determining-the-main-idea questions 37

Questions about new words 38

Questions that use NOT or EXCEPT 43

Drawing-conclusions questions 44

Questions about charts and tables 44

Practice Reading and Verbal Comprehension Questions 45

Answers and Explanations 51

Chapter 5: Mastering Verbal Expression 53

Acing Vocabulary Questions 53

Choosing the correct synonym 54

Looking for context clues 54

Acing Spelling Questions 55

Remembering spelling rules 55

Mastering commonly misspelled words 56

Acing Grammar Questions 57

Choosing the correct verb tense 57 <p...