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TTPS Entrance Exam Cheat Sheet

Practice QuestionsStudy Guide

Dictation

Not publishedof exam

Spelling AccuracyPunctuation MarksListening FocusPassage Transcription

English Language

Not publishedof exam

Grammar RulesPunctuation MarksHomophonesReading Comprehension

General Knowledge

Not publishedof exam

T&T CivicsCaribbean & CARICOMWorld GeographyCurrent Affairs

Test Process & Eligibility

Not publishedof exam

Eligibility RulesSelection StagesRequired DocumentsTTPS Basics

Quick Facts

Exam
TTPS Entrance Exam
Body
Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
Areas Tested
Dictation, English, General Knowledge
Questions
Not published by TTPS
Time Limit
Not published by TTPS
Pass Mark
Not published by TTPS
Age Range
18 to 35 years
Height Min
167cm male, 150cm female

Dictation Approach

  1. Passage read at pace→Listen fully before writing
  2. Missed a word→Leave gap, keep listening
  3. Unsure of spelling→Write best guess, move on
  4. Passage repeated once→Fill gaps on repeat
  5. Time to review→Check punctuation and capitals
  6. Tricky homophone appears→Use sentence context

Dictation Test Skills

Full stop
End of sentence
Comma
Short pause
Capital letter
Start new sentence
New paragraph
Indent, new line
Proofread pass
Check after writing
Homophone check
Confirm correct spelling

Commonly Misspelled Words

Necessary
One c, two s
Occurred
Double c, double r
Separate
'Rat' in middle
Definitely
Contains 'finite'
Accommodate
Double c, double m
Believe
I before E
Receive
E before I after C
Government
Contains 'govern'

I Before E Rule

I before E, except after C

Believe, chief, friendReceive, ceiling, after C

Its vs It's

Its

  • Shows possession
  • No apostrophe

It's

  • Means it is
  • Has apostrophe

Apostrophe means 'it is'

Grammar Fix Picker

  1. Two sentences joined wrong→Add period or semicolon(Fix run-on)
  2. Sentence missing a verb→Add subject and verb(Fix fragment)
  3. Confused their/there/they're→Check ownership vs location
  4. Confused affect/effect→Affect = verb, effect = noun
  5. Unsure singular or plural verb→Match verb to subject
  6. Unsure I or E order→I before E except after C

Parts of Speech

Noun
Person, place, thing
Verb
Action or state
Adjective
Describes a noun
Adverb
Describes a verb
Pronoun
Replaces a noun
Preposition
Shows relationship or position
Conjunction
Joins clauses
Interjection
Expresses emotion

Quick Homophone Check

If unsure, read the sentence aloud

Their = owns somethingThere = a placeThey're = they are

Affect vs Effect

Affect

  • Usually a verb
  • To influence something

Effect

  • Usually a noun
  • The result itself

Verb affects, noun is effect

Punctuation Marks

Apostrophe
Possession or contraction
Semicolon
Joins related clauses
Colon
Introduces a list
Comma splice
Two clauses, wrong comma
Quotation marks
Direct speech
Hyphen
Joins compound words
Question mark
Ends a question

Then vs Than

Then

  • Refers to time
  • Sequence of events

Than

  • Used in comparisons
  • Bigger than, faster than

Then = time, than = compare

Common Homophones

Their/there/they're
Owns/place/they are
Its/it's
Owns/it is
Your/you're
Owns/you are
To/too/two
Toward/also/number
Affect/effect
Verb/noun result
Then/than
Time/comparison
Whose/who's
Owns/who is

Grammar Rules

Subject-verb agreement
Match singular/plural
Tense consistency
Keep tense uniform
Run-on sentence
Two sentences, no break
Fragment
Incomplete sentence
Active voice
Subject does action
Passive voice
Subject receives action

Comprehension Strategy

Skim first
Read passage overview
Main idea
Central point of passage
Context clues
Guess word meaning
Reread question
Match exact wording
Topic sentence
First line of paragraph

T&T National Symbols

Scarlet ibis, cocrico, chaconia, red-white-black flag

Ibis = Trinidad birdCocrico = Tobago birdChaconia = national flower

Independence Day vs Republic Day

Independence (1962)

  • Left British rule
  • Queen stayed head of state

Republic (1976)

  • Adopted new constitution
  • President replaced Queen

1962 freedom, 1976 republic

T&T Government & History

Capital
Port of Spain
Independence
August 31, 1962
Republic Day
Sep 24 holiday (republic Aug 1976)
Head of State
The President
Head of Government
The Prime Minister
Parliament
Bicameral, House + Senate
House of Representatives
41 elected members
Senate
31 appointed members
Currency
TT dollar (TTD)

President vs Prime Minister

President

  • Head of state
  • Chosen by Parliament

Prime Minister

  • Head of government
  • Leads the Cabinet

President ceremonial, PM governs

National Symbols

National bird (Trinidad)
Scarlet ibis
National bird (Tobago)
Cocrico
National flower
Chaconia
National flag colors
Red, white, black
Second city
San Fernando
Major festival
Carnival (Feb/March)

Caribbean & CARICOM

CARICOM
Caribbean Community bloc
CARICOM HQ
Georgetown, Guyana
CARICOM founded
1973, Treaty of Chaguaramas
CSME
Single market and economy
Nearest neighbor
Venezuela (7 miles)
Two islands
Trinidad and Tobago

World Geography Basics

Largest ocean
Pacific Ocean
Largest continent
Asia
Longest river
Nile River
UN headquarters
New York City
Smallest continent
Australia
Equator crosses
South America, Africa

Selection Stage Order

Written, background, medical, agility, interview, polygraph, psych, drugs

8 stages totalWritten exam first

Polygraph vs Psychological Exam

Polygraph

  • Tests truthfulness
  • Checks physiological response

Psychological exam

  • Tests mental fitness
  • Assesses suitability for role

Honesty check vs fitness check

Selection Stage Picker

  1. Confirming basic eligibility→Application screening
  2. Checking exam knowledge→Written examination
  3. Verifying character history→Background investigation
  4. Checking physical fitness→Medical exam, agility test
  5. Assessing honesty→Polygraph examination
  6. Assessing mental fitness→Psychological examination
  7. Checking substance use→Drug testing

Eligibility Requirements

Age range
18 to 35 years
Citizenship
Trinidad and Tobago citizen
Education
5 CXC passes, incl English
Height (male)
At least 167 cm
Height (female)
At least 150 cm
Driver's permit
Class 3 endorsement
Character
Police certificate required

Selection Stages

Stage 1
Written examination
Stage 2
Background investigation
Stage 3
Medical examination
Stage 4
Physical agility test
Stage 5
Interview
Stage 6
Polygraph examination
Stage 7
Psychological examination
Stage 8
Drug testing

Required Documents

Birth certificate
Computerized copy needed
Academic certificates
CXC/O-Level proof
National ID
Or valid passport
Driver's permit
Class 3 copy
Passport photos
Recent, per specs

Common Traps

Dictation ≠ Free Writing

Write exactly what's read ≠ Don't paraphrase or summarize

Affect ≠ Effect

Affect is usually a verb ≠ Effect is usually a noun

Independence ≠ Republic Day

1962 = independence from Britain ≠ 1976 = became a republic

President ≠ Prime Minister

President is head of state ≠ PM is head of government

Polygraph ≠ Psychological Exam

Polygraph checks truthfulness ≠ Psych exam checks mental fitness

Written Exam ≠ Final Stage

Exam is stage one only ≠ Seven more stages still follow

Last Minute

  1. 1.Three areas: Dictation, English, GK
  2. 2.Age 18-35, T&T citizen only
  3. 3.Need 5 CXC passes incl English
  4. 4.Height: 167cm male, 150cm female
  5. 5.Class 3 driver's permit required
  6. 6.Eight stages: written exam to drugs
  7. 7.Capital is Port of Spain
  8. 8.Independence 1962, republic 1976
  9. 9.President = head of state
  10. 10.PM = head of government
  11. 11.Parliament: House + Senate, bicameral
  12. 12.Recheck homophones before submitting exam

Trinidad & Tobago Police Service Entrance Examination

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