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A lieutenant must decide how to deploy limited personnel between a spike in commercial burglaries on one corridor and a separate cluster of robberies elsewhere in the command. The supervisory ability MOST central to choosing the best allocation is:
A
B
C
D
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2026 Statistics
Key Facts: NYPD Lieutenant Exam
70%
Minimum Passing Score
DCAS Notice of Examination (Exam No. 3528)
50% / 50%
Test vs. Seniority & Awards in Final Score
DCAS Notice of Examination
$101.00
Application Fee (most recent cycle)
DCAS Notice of Examination (Exam No. 3528)
96 credits
College Credits Required Before Promotion
DCAS Notice of Examination
2 years
Permanent Sergeant Service to Be Promoted
DCAS Notice of Examination
4 years
Typical Eligible List Duration
NYC DCAS Civil Service System
The Promotion to Lieutenant (Police) Examination is the DCAS computer-based multiple-choice test for permanent NYPD Sergeants. Candidates must score at least 70% to pass. The most recent cycle (Exam No. 3528) carried a $101.00 application fee. The multiple-choice score counts for 50% of the final score, and seniority plus departmental awards count for the other 50%. To be promoted, a Sergeant needs at least two years of permanent service and 96 college credits. The resulting eligible list typically lasts four years.
Sample NYPD Lieutenant Practice Questions
Try these sample questions to test your NYPD Lieutenant exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 200+ question experience with AI tutoring.
1Under New York Penal Law § 35.30, a police officer may use deadly physical force to effect an arrest only when the officer reasonably believes the offense involved certain serious crimes OR that deadly force is necessary to:
A.Prevent the suspect from fleeing on foot, regardless of the underlying offense
B.Defend the officer or a third person from what the officer reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force
C.Recover stolen property worth more than $1,000
D.Detain a suspect wanted for any felony, even a non-violent one
Explanation: PL § 35.30 permits deadly physical force in an arrest for certain enumerated violent crimes (e.g., a felony involving force, kidnapping, arson, first-degree burglary or escape), but also independently when the officer reasonably believes deadly force is necessary to defend the officer or another from the use or imminent use of deadly physical force. Flight alone or property recovery never justifies deadly force.
2Under CPL § 140.10, a police officer may arrest a person without a warrant for a CRIME when the officer has reasonable cause to believe the person committed it. For an OFFENSE that is not a crime (such as a violation), the officer generally may make the warrantless arrest only when:
A.The offense was committed at any time within the past 24 hours
B.The offense is committed in the officer's presence
C.Another officer requests the arrest by radio
D.The person refuses to provide identification
Explanation: CPL § 140.10 lets an officer arrest for any offense committed in the officer's presence, but for offenses that are not crimes (violations and petty offenses), in-presence commission is generally required. For crimes, the officer needs only reasonable cause, whether or not committed in the officer's presence.
3A lieutenant reviews an arrest where the officer used physical force to overcome a suspect's active resistance. Under the NYPD Patrol Guide use-of-force framework, the central legal standard the lieutenant must confirm the officer applied is that the force used was:
A.The maximum the officer felt was warranted
B.Reasonable under the circumstances and proportional to the threat or resistance encountered
C.Equal to the force the suspect first displayed, no more and no less
D.Authorized in advance by a supervisor
Explanation: NYPD policy and constitutional standards require that force be objectively reasonable and proportional to the resistance or threat the member of service faces. The lieutenant evaluates whether the level and type of force matched the circumstances, not whether it was the maximum permissible or pre-approved.
4An officer at a precinct desk asks the lieutenant whether a Desk Appearance Ticket (DAT) may be issued. A DAT is generally appropriate when:
A.The arrest is for a homicide or other serious felony
B.The charge and arrestee qualify under Department guidelines and there is no disqualifying condition such as an outstanding warrant or inability to verify identity
C.The arrestee specifically requests not to be held
D.The arresting officer has finished their tour and wants to go home
Explanation: A DAT releases a defendant with a future court date rather than holding them for arraignment, and is used for eligible lower-level charges when the person's identity is verified and no disqualifier (warrant, public-safety concern, etc.) exists. Serious felonies and unverifiable identity are disqualifiers, and convenience to the officer is never a basis.
5As Platoon Commander conducting roll call, a lieutenant's PRIMARY purpose in accounting for personnel and inspecting members of service is to:
A.Identify which officers are eligible for overtime
B.Ensure members are fit for duty, properly equipped, and informed of conditions and assignments before deployment
C.Determine who will be transferred to other commands
D.Collect signatures for departmental memos
Explanation: Roll call is the supervisor's tool to confirm members are present, fit for duty, properly uniformed and equipped, and briefed on current conditions, assignments, and Department information before posting. It is an operational readiness check, not an overtime, transfer, or paperwork function.
6A lieutenant assigning personnel to posts at the beginning of a tour should base post assignments primarily on:
A.Seniority alone, giving senior officers the easiest posts
B.Crime conditions, calls-for-service patterns, and the staffing needed to address area conditions
C.Alphabetical order of the officers' last names
D.Personal friendships within the platoon
Explanation: Effective deployment matches personnel to where they are most needed, driven by crime conditions, calls-for-service data, and known area problems. Assignments based on seniority, alphabetical order, or personal relationships ignore operational need and undermine command performance.
7A lieutenant learns that a sergeant under their supervision may have failed to properly safeguard recovered narcotics evidence. The lieutenant's FIRST responsibility is to:
A.Wait to see whether anyone files a complaint
B.Take immediate steps to secure and account for the evidence and ensure the matter is properly documented and reported through appropriate channels
C.Personally re-test the narcotics to confirm the weight
D.Quietly counsel the sergeant and take no further action
Explanation: Safeguarding evidence and ensuring integrity are core lieutenant responsibilities. The lieutenant must immediately secure and account for the evidence and report the potential mishandling through proper channels. Inaction, concealment, or improvising forensic testing all create integrity and chain-of-custody failures.
8Under Vehicle and Traffic Law, the prohibited blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for the per se offense of Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) for a standard, non-commercial driver in New York is:
A..05 of one percent or more
B..08 of one percent or more
C..10 of one percent or more
D..15 of one percent or more
Explanation: Under VTL § 1192, a BAC of .08 of one percent or more constitutes the per se DWI offense for a standard driver. A BAC of more than .05 up to .07 supports the lower Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI) charge, and .18 or more supports Aggravated DWI.
9A complaint of corruption is made against an officer in the lieutenant's command. Consistent with the Department's integrity obligations, the lieutenant must:
A.Investigate it personally and resolve it within the command without notifying anyone
B.Promptly report the allegation through appropriate channels (such as the Internal Affairs Bureau) and ensure it is not suppressed
C.Advise the complainant to put it in writing and mail it to headquarters
D.Determine whether the allegation is credible before reporting anything
Explanation: Allegations of corruption must be promptly reported to the Internal Affairs Bureau and through proper channels; supervisors may not adjudicate or sit on corruption complaints. Pre-screening for credibility, handling it informally, or deflecting the complainant all risk suppression of corruption, which is itself serious misconduct.
10A precinct reported the following index crimes this week: 4 robberies, 6 burglaries, 10 grand larcenies, and 5 grand larceny autos. Compared with last week's 4, 4, 8, and 4 respectively, the TOTAL week-over-week change in these four categories is an increase of:
A.3
B.5
C.7
D.9
Explanation: This week totals 4 + 6 + 10 + 5 = 25; last week totaled 4 + 4 + 8 + 4 = 20. The increase is 25 − 20 = 5. Lieutenants routinely compute period-over-period changes to detect emerging crime patterns.
About the NYPD Lieutenant Practice Questions
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