A CritiCall passing score is not one national percentage. CritiCall is a configurable testing system: a public-safety employer selects the tests it wants, sets the standards for its position, decides how the result affects hiring, and communicates the outcome to candidates. Your agency's notice—not an internet benchmark—answers whether you passed.
That distinction matters because search results often turn agency examples into universal rules. Numbers such as 70%, 80%, 35 words per minute, or a particular waiting period may describe one employer or an informal target. They are not a substitute for the policy attached to your application.
Why CritiCall has no universal cutoff
The vendor's current dispatcher-applicant FAQ describes CritiCall as a work-sample system with more than 20 different tests, from which each agency selects only those appropriate to its positions. Its agency page likewise says tests appear in the sequence uniquely selected by each public-safety agency and that the software automatically scores virtually every aspect tested.
Those facts separate two decisions that are often blurred together:
- CritiCall calculates performance. The platform scores the tests administered.
- The employer makes the selection decision. The agency chooses the battery, sets its job-related cutoffs, decides whether sections must pass individually, and determines what candidates see.
An official CritiCall comparison document also says the software lets an agency set a cutoff custom to its needs. Therefore, asking for “the CritiCall passing score” without naming the employer is like asking for a hiring requirement without naming the job announcement.
The product itself is evolving too. The vendor now markets CritiCall 3D as combining operational skills with situational and behavioral measures. Your invitation may describe a classic skills battery, a newer configuration, or a locally named performance assessment. Read the actual notice before assuming an older module list matches your session.
Three current agencies, three different result systems
Current employer policies show why a single score claim is unsafe. These examples explain variation; they do not create rules for other departments.
| Hiring organization | Battery and typing rule | Result or advancement rule | Retake or eligibility rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Oakland | Separate typing assessment at 35 average net WPM, followed by CritiCall and a confirmatory typing assessment | Passing scores are required in each CritiCall section; Oakland warns its per-module standards may differ from another provider's | Candidates may take Oakland's typing and CritiCall assessments only once every three months |
| RCMP in British Columbia | Eight modules in about 60–90 minutes; typing requirement of 40 WPM with less than 5% error | Every module must pass; the candidate receives only pass or fail within four weeks | First unsuccessful attempt may be retaken after two weeks; after a second, the candidate waits three months to reapply |
| City of Sacramento | Online Dispatcher CritiCall exam with audio components | The exam is pass/fail; passing candidates who also satisfy application standards can move forward | Passing Dispatcher Recruit eligibility remains active for one year from the result notification |
The details come from Oakland's current Police Communications Dispatcher recruitment, the RCMP's current 9-1-1 Police Dispatcher application process, and Sacramento's current Dispatcher Recruit announcement.
Notice what the comparison does not support. It does not support calling 35 WPM universal, because the RCMP publishes 40 WPM with an accuracy condition. It does not support one retake interval, because two weeks and three months both appear in current policies. It does not support a single delivery mode, because Oakland lists an in-person CritiCall assessment while Sacramento describes an online exam.
Find the standard that actually applies to you
Use an evidence hierarchy instead of averaging numbers from prep websites.
1. Start with the invitation
Look for the exact employer, job classification, testing window, delivery instructions, equipment rules, identification requirements, and recruiter contact. The invitation may also state whether typing is integrated, separately verified, or required through a certificate.
2. Read the current job announcement
A broad agency careers page may be less specific than the live posting. Search within the announcement for “CritiCall,” “typing,” “assessment,” “pass/fail,” “eligible list,” “retest,” and “results.” Save a copy or screenshot because continuous recruitments can be revised.
3. Separate five questions
Ask these independently:
- Which tests or skill areas will this employer administer?
- Must every section pass, or does the employer make another overall decision?
- Is keyboarding part of CritiCall, a separate assessment, or both?
- Will candidates receive percentages, pass/fail only, ranking, or eligibility status?
- After an unsuccessful result, when may the candidate test and apply again?
One answer cannot safely stand in for the others. A job can use a separate typing threshold and still require each CritiCall section to pass, as Oakland's process demonstrates.
4. Ask HR narrowly
If the posting omits a cutoff, ask: “Does this recruitment publish candidate minimums, or are results communicated only as pass/fail?” That is more useful than asking a prep company to guess. Also ask whether outside results are accepted and what documentation or test date is required.
How to read a CritiCall result notice
A CritiCall outcome can arrive in several forms. Treat each form according to what it actually says.
Pass/fail only
The RCMP explicitly says it reports only pass or fail. A fail notice without percentages therefore does not prove that the system produced no underlying scores; it means the candidate-facing policy does not provide them. Ask whether diagnostic feedback is available, but do not assume the recruiter can disclose protected test information.
Section scores
If you receive a breakdown, compare each number only with the standard confirmed for that recruitment. Do not average sections on your own unless the agency says it uses an average. Oakland's requirement to pass each section illustrates why a strong result in one area may not erase a below-standard result elsewhere.
Eligibility notice
Eligibility is not a job offer and is not necessarily a portable credential. Sacramento says passing candidates who meet qualification standards move forward and remain eligible for one year. They can still face application review and a background process. Oakland describes an eligible list that may remain active for up to two years, a different local rule.
Outside or transferred result
Never assume a passing result follows you automatically. Oakland accepts CritiCall results from one named training provider, yet warns that minimum module standards may differ between the provider and the city. Before paying, traveling, or skipping a scheduled assessment, obtain written confirmation that the receiving agency accepts your testing source, date, battery, and documentation.
What to do after a passing result
Save the original email, attached report, testing date, job number, and recruiter contact. Then record four deadlines: the application deadline, any document-submission deadline, the eligibility expiration date, and the next hiring stage.
Passing normally means “continue,” not “hired.” Sacramento follows CritiCall with qualification screening and may later require a background investigation. The RCMP says successful CritiCall candidates may next be invited to a panel interview, followed by reference, security, and medical stages. Complete the precise action in your notice even if a general careers page describes the process differently.
If another department asks for prior results, send only the form it requests. A screenshot, a candidate report, an agency-to-agency transfer, and a passing-status email are not interchangeable unless the recipient says they are.
What to do after an unsuccessful result
First, do not schedule around an assumed retake rule. On the day you receive the notice, confirm:
- the earliest retest date;
- whether you must submit a new application;
- whether the limit applies to the test, recruitment, or agency;
- whether any section feedback is available; and
- whether a separate typing result remains valid.
Then rebuild skills from public, legitimate material. The vendor's official candidate preparation guide says specialized dispatcher knowledge is not required. It recommends following the supplied rules, entering written and spoken names, addresses, and telephone numbers accurately, remembering short number strings, using simple maps, and practising clear reading and writing. It also says practice items appear at the beginning of each section and do not count toward the final score.
Use a four-part error log:
| Practice evidence | Likely training response |
|---|---|
| Accurate typing slows sharply during audio | Alternate short written-entry and spoken-entry blocks; measure accuracy as well as speed |
| Digits or letters are transposed | Drill short alphanumeric strings, then compare character by character before increasing pace |
| Rule-based decisions are inconsistent | Restate the provided rule before each set and review rule application, not outside dispatch knowledge |
| Routes fail around restrictions | Trace simple maps while checking direction, barriers, bridges, and the requested destination |
The official CritiCall applicant resources page provides the candidate guide and limited sample batteries for keyboarding, proofreading, and spelling. It also states that CritiCall does not sell an applicant version of its agency software. Avoid anyone claiming to provide leaked live items or a guaranteed copy of your employer's proprietary battery.
Five score myths to discard
“Everyone passes at 70% or 80%.” No current vendor-wide candidate cutoff supports that claim. Only the hiring agency can establish what advances a candidate.
“Thirty-five WPM is the CritiCall rule.” Oakland uses 35 average net WPM, while the RCMP publishes 40 WPM with less than 5% error. Both are employer policies.
“A pass is valid everywhere.” Acceptance, battery equivalence, result age, and documentation are controlled by the receiving agency.
“All CritiCall tests are on-site.” Current official materials say the cloud-based system can be delivered remotely or locally, and Sacramento currently describes an online exam. Your invitation determines your setting.
“Failing means waiting six months.” Oakland currently uses three months; the RCMP uses a two-week first retest followed by a three-month reapplication wait after a second failure. Neither is a national rule.
The practical bottom line
Your safest CritiCall target is not a percentage copied from another department. It is documented compliance with your employer's selected tests, typing rule, section standards, and instructions. Before testing, identify those requirements. After testing, interpret only the result the agency issued, preserve its deadlines, and confirm portability or retake timing in writing.
This guide was checked against live vendor and agency sources on July 23, 2026. Recruitments change, so the latest invitation and hiring-agency policy always control.
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