5.1 LES Format & the Life Areas It Covers
Key Takeaways
HRD describes the LES as multiple-choice questions about past history and experience relevant to entry-level police performance.
The 2019 HRD-format guide described 68 questions, each with five choices (A to E), and about 45 minutes for the LES and WSQ together.
Sample questions asked how a supervisor would rate your workload, how many days you skipped work in two years and how often you do community activities.
Answer every question with the closest honest option; blanks can lead to disqualification.
HRD's guide recommends reviewing transcripts, resumes and evaluations beforehand so you can answer accurately.
5.1 LES Format & the Life Areas It Covers
The Life Experience Survey (LES) is the biographical part of HRD's police exam. HRD's 2026 posters describe it as a series of multiple-choice questions about your past history and experience that may relate to success as an entry-level police officer.
Where the Written Ability Test asks what you can figure out, the LES asks what you have actually done. Its underlying idea, common in employment testing, is that past behavior in school, work and community life is a useful predictor of future behavior on the job.
Format
HRD's current posters do not state the LES length. The 2019 HRD-format preparation guide for the Massachusetts police exam described it this way:
| Feature | 2019 HRD-format description |
|---|---|
| Length | 68 questions covering "many different topics" |
| Answer choices | Five alternatives, A through E |
| Task | Choose the alternative that best describes your past experience |
| Imperfect fit | Pick the closest option even if none fits perfectly |
| Pace | Work steadily; do not dwell on any single question |
| Time | About 45 minutes for the LES and WSQ together |
| Blanks | Unanswered questions may lead to disqualification |
Like the WSQ, the LES is scored only if you pass the WAT. The 2019 guide said the scores are then combined with the WSQ and Ability Test scores to determine continued eligibility.
What the Questions Look Like
The 2019 guide gave three sample questions. Paraphrased:
- Work effort. How would a previous supervisor describe your workload compared with coworkers? Choices ran from more than your fair share down to less work than most.
- Attendance. In the past two years, how many times have you taken a day off because you did not feel like going to work? Choices ran from never to more than three times.
- Community involvement. Since high school, how many days a month have you taken part in community-based activities such as volunteering, athletics, clubs or drama? Choices ran from 0 to 9 or more.
These samples show three features you will see throughout the LES:
- Specific time windows ("in the past two years," "since completing high school").
- Counts or frequencies rather than opinions.
- Other people's view of you ("your previous supervisor would describe you as...").
Life Areas the LES Can Touch
HRD has not published an official list of LES topics. Based on HRD's description and the sample items, expect questions about areas like these:
| Life area | What a question might ask about |
|---|---|
| Work history | Effort compared with coworkers, how supervisors rated you, job changes |
| Attendance and reliability | Unplanned days off, lateness, meeting commitments |
| School | Completion, effort and activities |
| Community involvement | Volunteering, teams, clubs, religious or civic groups |
| Responsibility | Taking on duties for family, work or organizations |
Not every candidate has a long work history. Recent high school graduates, veterans and career changers all take the same survey. Answer from the experience you have; options such as "0" or "never" exist because they describe some candidates accurately.
How to Prepare
The 2019 guide said that extended preparation is not necessary or expected. It did strongly recommend reviewing your records beforehand so you can answer accurately:
- School transcripts. Dates, completion and anything you might be asked to recall.
- Your resume or employment list. Employers, dates, job titles and reasons for leaving.
- Evaluations. Past performance reviews or instructor evaluations, so you know how supervisors actually rated you.
Tip
Build a one-page personal history timeline before exam day. List each school and job by month and year, plus volunteer or team activities. It takes an hour and makes LES questions quicker and more accurate. You will need the same information again for the department's background packet after a conditional offer.
Common Misconceptions
- "The LES rewards a perfect past." Real histories include job changes, a missed day or a weak semester. HRD's guide said both the WSQ and LES contain internal mechanisms that can identify dishonest response patterns.
- "It is just a formality." The LES is scored and combined with your other results.
- "Skipping a hard question is safer than guessing." On the LES a blank can lead to disqualification. Choose the closest honest answer.
- "Nobody checks." Departments conduct their own background investigations and obtain information related to some LES questions. Answers that conflict with what they find may lead to disqualification.
How did the 2019 HRD-format preparation guide describe Life Experience Survey questions?
Multiple-choice questions about your past, each with five choices (A to E)
True/false questions testing knowledge of Massachusetts criminal law
Short written essays explaining why you want to be a police officer
Timed math word problems built from the candidate's own personal financial data
What preparation did the 2019 HRD-format guide recommend for the Life Experience Survey?
Memorizing model answers that match profiles of successful officers
Completing a commercial personality-test coaching course
Reviewing transcripts, resumes and past evaluations for accuracy
No review at all, because accuracy is not checked
An LES question asks how many days a month you have taken part in community activities since high school, and no option fits your situation perfectly. What does the HRD-format guidance say to do?
Leave it blank, because choosing an imperfect answer would be dishonest
Choose the highest number, because community involvement is valued
Write a note in the margin explaining your situation
Choose the response that fits your experience best, even if imperfect
When is the Life Experience Survey scored?
Always, even if the candidate fails the Written Ability Test
Only if the candidate passes the Written Ability Test
Only for candidates claiming veterans' preference
Only after the candidate receives a conditional job offer
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.