NTN FireTEAM Exam Flashcards

Q: What is the NTN FireTEAM exam?

The FireTEAM is National Testing Network's entry-level firefighter aptitude battery, used by hundreds of U.S. and Canadian fire agencies. It has four sections — Human Relations (video-based situational judgment), Mechanical Aptitude, Math, and Reading — and takes about 2 hours 20 minutes total.

Q: How many questions are on the FireTEAM, and how much time do I get?

The FireTEAM has 170 questions across four timed sections: Human Relations (28 scenarios, 76 questions, 57 minutes), Mechanical Aptitude (36 questions, 43 minutes), Math (31 questions, 25 minutes), and Reading (27 questions, 15 minutes).

Q: What score do I need to pass the FireTEAM?

There is no universal passing score. National Testing Network (NTN) delivers the exam, but each hiring department sets its own cutoff score and section weighting — some departments weight the Human Relations section as much as 70% of the composite score.

Q: Can I use a calculator on the FireTEAM Math section?

No. All FireTEAM Math questions must be solved mentally within the time limit — calculators and written work are not permitted.

Q: How long are FireTEAM scores valid, and how soon can I retest?

Scores are generally valid for about 12 months. NTN requires a minimum 3-month (90-day) wait before retesting, and a retest replaces your previous scores and department designations entirely — only the newest score counts.

Q: What happens after I pass the FireTEAM?

Departments that invite you forward typically require the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) or an equivalent, an oral board interview, a background investigation, and medical/psychological evaluations before a conditional job offer.

Question 1

NTN FireTEAM Human Relations Section

Accepted Answer

A video-based situational-judgment section: candidates watch realistic workplace video scenarios (28 scenarios, 76 questions, about 57 minutes) and choose the BEST — and sometimes WORST — course of action from multiple-choice options. No essay or spoken response is required.

Question 2

Choosing the 'Best' Response on Situational-Judgment Items

Accepted Answer

Favor the option that is professional, direct, honest, and resolves the situation through appropriate channels (e.g., calmly raising a concern, reporting through the chain of command). Avoid passive, aggressive, dishonest, or channel-skipping responses.

Question 3

Public and Customer-Interaction Scenarios

Accepted Answer

When a scenario involves the public (patients, bystanders, residents), the best-rated response is patient, empathetic, and informative while staying within your role — avoid giving unauthorized medical/legal advice or making promises you can't keep.

Question 4

De-escalation Basics

Accepted Answer

Effective de-escalation responses acknowledge the other person's concern, keep your tone calm and low, and focus on solving the immediate problem — arguing or matching the other person's emotional intensity is rated as a weak response.

Question 5

Reporting Coworker Misconduct

Accepted Answer

When a scenario shows unsafe, dishonest, or unethical behavior by a coworker, the best-rated response reports it through the proper chain of command or established policy — not ignoring it, retaliating, or handling it informally alone.

Question 6

Honesty Over Self-Interest

Accepted Answer

Situational-judgment items consistently reward admitting a mistake and being transparent, even when it is personally costly, over covering up an error, shifting blame, or minimizing what happened.

Question 7

Disagreeing with a Supervisor's Order

Accepted Answer

If an order seems unsafe or improper and there is no immediate life-safety emergency, the best-rated response raises the concern respectfully through the chain of command rather than ignoring it, refusing outright, or silently complying with a known hazard.

Question 8

Peer Conflict During an Incident

Accepted Answer

Best-rated responses to conflict between coworkers on a call complete the immediate task safely first, then address the interpersonal issue privately and professionally afterward — not arguing in front of the public or letting the dispute delay the response.

Question 9

Responding to Harassment or Discriminatory Comments

Accepted Answer

The best-rated response directly but professionally addresses inappropriate jokes, harassment, or discriminatory remarks and/or reports them through proper channels — staying silent or laughing along scores as a weak response.

Question 10

Treating Coworkers and the Public Fairly

Accepted Answer

Situational-judgment scenarios reward responses that treat all coworkers and community members equally and respectfully regardless of background, and penalize responses built on stereotypes or assumptions.

Question 11

Staying Composed Under Pressure

Accepted Answer

On high-stress items (mass-casualty scenes, hostile bystanders, equipment failure), the best-rated responses show calm, methodical prioritization of safety and task completion over emotional reactions.

Question 12

Three Classes of Levers

Accepted Answer

First-class: fulcrum is BETWEEN effort and load (seesaw, crowbar). Second-class: load is BETWEEN fulcrum and effort — always multiplies force (wheelbarrow). Third-class: effort is BETWEEN fulcrum and load — multiplies speed/distance, not force (fishing rod, broom).

Question 13

Mechanical Advantage of a Lever

Accepted Answer

MA = length of the effort arm ÷ length of the resistance (load) arm. An effort arm longer than the resistance arm gives an MA greater than 1, multiplying the input force.

Question 14

Fixed Pulley

Accepted Answer

A pulley anchored to a fixed point. It changes only the DIRECTION of the force needed (e.g., pulling down to lift up) — mechanical advantage is 1, so it does not reduce the effort required.

Question 15

Movable Pulley & Block-and-Tackle

Accepted Answer

A single movable pulley gives a mechanical advantage of 2 (halves the effort needed). For any pulley system, MA equals the number of rope segments supporting the load.

Question 16

Meshed Gears — Direction and Speed

Accepted Answer

Two directly meshed gears always rotate in OPPOSITE directions. The smaller gear (fewer teeth) turns faster than the larger gear it's meshed with — gear speed is inversely related to gear size.

Question 17

Gear Ratio and Torque

Accepted Answer

Gear ratio = teeth on the driven gear ÷ teeth on the driving gear. A larger driven gear (higher ratio) increases torque but decreases speed; a smaller driven gear increases speed but decreases torque.

Question 18

Inclined Plane

Accepted Answer

A ramp reduces the FORCE needed to raise a load by increasing the DISTANCE over which the force is applied. A longer, shallower ramp requires less force than a short, steep one to move the same load.

Question 19

Wedge and Screw

Accepted Answer

A wedge is two inclined planes joined back-to-back, converting force into a splitting or lifting action (axe, chisel). A screw is an inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder, converting rotational force into linear force (bolt, jack).

Question 20

Pascal's Principle

Accepted Answer

Pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted equally in all directions throughout the fluid. This is the basis for hydraulic jacks, lifts, and brakes.

Question 21

Hydraulic Force Multiplication

Accepted Answer

In a hydraulic system, output force increases with the AREA of the output piston: a larger-area piston produces more force than the input piston, but moves a shorter distance — force is gained at the expense of distance.

Question 22

Torque = Force × Lever-Arm Length

Accepted Answer

Turning force (torque) increases with a longer handle or lever arm for the same applied force — this is why a longer wrench or breaker bar makes it easier to loosen a tight bolt or nut.

Question 23

Center of Gravity and Stability

Accepted Answer

An object is most stable when its center of gravity is LOW and its base of support is WIDE. Raising the center of gravity or narrowing the base makes an object easier to tip over.

Question 24

Adding and Subtracting Fractions

Accepted Answer

Convert to a common denominator first, then add or subtract the numerators and keep the denominator. Example: 1/4 + 1/6 = 3/12 + 2/12 = 5/12.

Question 25

Multiplying and Dividing Fractions

Accepted Answer

To multiply, multiply the numerators together and the denominators together. To divide, multiply by the reciprocal of the second fraction. Example: 2/3 ÷ 4/5 = 2/3 × 5/4 = 10/12 = 5/6.

Question 26

Converting Fraction, Decimal, and Percent

Accepted Answer

Fraction to decimal: divide numerator by denominator. Decimal to percent: multiply by 100. Percent to decimal: divide by 100. Example: 3/4 = 0.75 = 75%.

Question 27

Finding a Percentage of a Number

Accepted Answer

Convert the percent to a decimal and multiply by the number. Example: 20% of 150 = 0.20 × 150 = 30.

Question 28

Solving a Proportion by Cross-Multiplication

Accepted Answer

In a/b = c/d, cross-multiply so a × d = b × c, then solve for the unknown. Example: 3/4 = x/20 → 4x = 60 → x = 15.

Question 29

Ratio vs. Rate

Accepted Answer

A ratio compares two quantities of the SAME type (3 red to 2 blue). A rate compares two quantities of DIFFERENT units (miles per hour). Both simplify by dividing both terms by their greatest common factor.

Question 30

Area Formulas

Accepted Answer

Rectangle = length × width. Triangle = 1/2 × base × height. Circle = π × radius². Memorize these — area questions test direct formula recall and application.

Question 31

Volume Formulas

Accepted Answer

Rectangular box = length × width × height. Cylinder = π × radius² × height. Volume is always expressed in cubic units (e.g., ft³).

Question 32

Distance = Rate × Time

Accepted Answer

The core formula for motion word problems. Rearrange as needed: Rate = Distance ÷ Time, or Time = Distance ÷ Rate.

Question 33

Combined Work-Rate Problems

Accepted Answer

When two workers or machines work together, ADD their individual rates (job per unit time). Example: a job that takes 4 hours alone (rate 1/4) and 6 hours alone (rate 1/6) combine to a rate of 1/4 + 1/6 = 5/12 job per hour.

Question 34

Order of Operations (PEMDAS)

Accepted Answer

Solve in this order: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication/Division (left to right), Addition/Subtraction (left to right). Example: 2 + 3 × 4 = 2 + 12 = 14, not 20.

Question 35

Solving a One-Variable Equation

Accepted Answer

Isolate the variable by performing the same operation on both sides. Example: 3x + 5 = 20 → 3x = 15 → x = 5.

Question 36

Finding the Main Idea

Accepted Answer

The main idea is a passage's central point, usually stated in the first or last sentence of a paragraph. Ask 'What is this whole passage mostly about?' rather than fixating on one supporting detail.

Question 37

Making an Inference

Accepted Answer

An inference is a logical conclusion drawn FROM stated facts, not something written outright. The correct answer must be strongly supported by the text — avoid choices that require outside knowledge or unwarranted assumptions.

Question 38

Author's Purpose and Tone

Accepted Answer

Identify why a passage was written (to inform, instruct, persuade, or warn) and its tone (neutral, urgent, cautionary) by examining word choice and structure, not just the topic.

Question 39

Fact-Based (Detail) Questions

Accepted Answer

These questions ask what the passage explicitly states. Locate the exact sentence or phrase — the correct answer is directly supported by the text, not by memory or prior knowledge.

Question 40

Distinguishing Similar Answer Choices

Accepted Answer

Wrong answers often restate a passage detail with one changed number, condition, or qualifier (e.g., 'always' swapped for 'usually'). Re-check the exact passage wording before picking an answer that looks almost right.

Question 41

Skim First, Then Read Closely

Accepted Answer

Skim the passage first for structure and main idea, read the questions, then return to the specific sentences needed for detail questions — this is faster than reading word-for-word before knowing what will be asked.

Question 42

Reading Sequential, Step-Based Instructions

Accepted Answer

For procedure passages, track the exact ORDER of steps and any conditions attached to each one (e.g., 'only if,' 'before,' 'after'). Wrong answers often reorder steps or drop a condition.

Question 43

Conditional Language in Procedures

Accepted Answer

Qualifying words like 'must,' 'may,' 'should,' and 'unless' change whether a step is mandatory, optional, or conditional — test items frequently hinge on this distinction.

Question 44

Applying a Written Rule to a New Scenario

Accepted Answer

Some reading items give a rule or policy, then ask you to apply it to a new example. Match the scenario's facts precisely against each condition in the rule before deciding whether it applies.

Question 45

Vocabulary-in-Context Questions

Accepted Answer

Determine a word's meaning from how it's used in the surrounding sentence, not from its most common dictionary definition — context can shift a word's intended meaning.

Question 46

Using Context Clues

Accepted Answer

Look for definition, contrast, or example clues near an unfamiliar word (a restating phrase, or 'unlike X, Y is...') to determine its meaning without outside knowledge.

Question 47

NTN FireTEAM Format

Accepted Answer

Four sections: Human Relations (video-based, 76 questions/57 min), Mechanical Aptitude (36 questions/43 min), Math (31 questions/25 min), and Reading (27 questions/15 min) — 170 questions total in roughly 2 hours 20 minutes.

Question 48

Who Sets the Passing Score?

Accepted Answer

National Testing Network (NTN) administers the FireTEAM, but each hiring department sets its own cutoff score and decides how much weight to give each section — some departments weight Human Relations as much as 70% of the composite score.

Question 49

FireTEAM Score Validity and Retesting

Accepted Answer

FireTEAM scores are generally valid for about 12 months. NTN requires a minimum 3-month (90-day) wait before retesting, and retesting deletes your previous scores and department designations — only the newest score counts.

Question 50

What Comes After the FireTEAM?

Accepted Answer

Candidates who clear a department's cutoff typically move to the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) or equivalent, an oral board interview, a background investigation, and medical/psychological evaluations before a conditional job offer.

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