6.1 Details Item Format
Key Takeaways
- MCOLES Details items present two statements (A and B); you select the one with more useful, specific information for a police-style report
- Details is the smallest writing weight on the exam (~4% of the full 120-item test) but trains the report-writing mindset agencies expect
- Prefer verifiable who/what/when/where/how facts over vague adjectives, opinions, or filler that only lengthens the sentence
- A shorter statement can win if every clause is report-ready; a longer statement can lose if it adds fluff without actionable detail
- On the real exam you typically compare two choices; practice quizzes here use four options so you can still apply the same selection rule
Quick Answer: On MCOLES Details items, you compare two statements and choose the one that gives more useful, specific information for a police or incident report. Official overview materials describe Statement A and Statement B side by side. Pick the version with concrete, verifiable facts—not the wordier or more dramatic one.
The Writing — Details skill is the first writing item type listed in the official MCOLES order (Detail, Spelling, Word Usage, Clarity, Grammar). It asks a simple but career-relevant question: Which statement would actually help someone act on the information? That is the same judgment you will use later when drafting field notes, CAD updates, and narrative reports.
Official Format (Overview PDF Style)
According to the MCOLES Reading and Writing Test overview materials, Details items present two statements labeled A and B. Your job is to select the statement that contains more useful, detailed information. You are not asked to invent facts, correct grammar, or choose the “nicest” sounding sentence. You are ranking information quality for report use.
| Exam feature | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Presentation | Two statements (A / B) describing a similar event or situation |
| Task | Choose the statement with more valuable / detailed information |
| Knowledge required | None beyond ordinary English; no Michigan statutes or tactics |
| Job link | Report writing, call notes, and investigative follow-up |
| Approx. weight | Smallest writing slice (~4% of the full exam; practice banks often mirror a few items) |
On test day, the interface may show A and B as the only two choices. Teaching quizzes on this site often use four options so you can practice the same rule against distractors. Apply one standard either way: more report-ready detail wins.
Why a ~4% Skill Still Matters
Details is the lightest writing weight, but it is high value for mindset. Agencies hire people who can turn a chaotic scene into usable notes. A vague sentence wastes dispatch time, weakens prosecutions, and forces another officer to re-interview. Training your eye for specificity on the exam is practice for that habit.
Think of Details as a filter:
- Can another officer locate the place, person, or property from this sentence alone?
- Are times, identifiers, and actions specific enough to verify later?
- Is any wording opinion, guesswork, or empty intensifier?
If statement A answers those questions and statement B does not, A is the answer—even if B sounds more “police-like” with dramatic adjectives.
Worked Pair 1 — Time and Address
Statement A: An officer later checked on a problem at a house on Maple and talked to someone about a fight.
Statement B: At 9:18 p.m. on July 12, Officer Patel responded to a disturbance at 214 Maple Street, Apartment 3B, and interviewed resident Dana Ruiz about a verbal argument with a neighbor.
Better choice: Statement B. It supplies clock time, date, officer name, exact address with apartment, complainant name, and the nature of the call. Statement A’s “later,” “a house on Maple,” and “someone” cannot support a timeline or follow-up.
Worked Pair 2 — Vehicle and Direction
Statement A: The suspect fled in a dark car going toward downtown and seemed nervous.
Statement B: The suspect fled westbound on Grand River Avenue in a black four-door Chevrolet Impala with Michigan plate ABC-1234 and heavy front-end damage.
Better choice: Statement B. Direction, roadway, make/model/color, full plate, and damage are searchable. “Dark car,” “toward downtown,” and “seemed nervous” are weak for BOLO use; nervousness is also an opinion, not a measurable fact.
Worked Pair 3 — Property and Point of Entry
Statement A: Someone broke into the store somehow and took valuable merchandise overnight.
Statement B: Between 11:00 p.m. and 6:05 a.m., an unknown person forced the rear metal door at 880 Industrial Drive and removed two Dell Latitude laptops (serials ending 4412 and 7789) from the manager’s office.
Better choice: Statement B. Time window, forced-entry location, business address, property type, and serial fragments support evidence recovery. “Somehow,” “valuable,” and “overnight” are placeholders.
Worked Pair 4 — Person Description
Statement A: A suspicious person was hanging around the park acting strangely near closing time.
Statement B: At approximately 8:40 p.m., a white male, about 25–30 years old, 5'10", thin build, wearing a red baseball cap and gray hoodie, was observed standing at the south entrance of Riverside Park asking patrons for cash.
Better choice: Statement B. Approximate time, demographics, height/build, clothing, location, and behavior are identifiable. “Suspicious” and “acting strangely” label without describing.
Decision Checklist (Use on Every Item)
| Prefer this | Avoid this |
|---|---|
| Named people / roles (Officer Kim, complainant Lee) | “Someone,” “a guy,” “the subject” with no descriptors |
| Clock times and dates | “Later,” “recently,” “last night” alone |
| Street number + street name (unit if any) | “A house nearby,” “over on Main” |
| Make/model/color/plate or unique marks | “A dark vehicle” |
| Observable actions | Mind-reading (“he looked guilty”) |
Common Format Traps
- Trap: longer = better. Extra clauses about weather, “obviously,” or how scared everyone felt do not beat a shorter sentence with plate, time, and address.
- Trap: jargon prestige. “Subject initiated egress from the locus” is not better than “ran south on Third Street.”
- Trap: equal-looking pairs. When both have some detail, pick the one with more independently verifiable facts (identifiers you could check on camera, in RMS, or on a plate reader).
- Trap: inventing knowledge. Do not “upgrade” a vague statement with facts you assume; choose only from what is written.
How This Fits the Writing Block
Details opens the writing section conceptually: before spelling and grammar, MCOLES checks whether you recognize information density. Spelling and grammar make a report readable; Details makes a report usable. Keep the report-ready filter on for the rest of the writing skills—especially Clarity, where fluff also loses.
Mini Drill Before the Quizzes
Rewrite this weak line in your head: “A guy broke into a place and took stuff.” A strong rewrite might include time window, address, entry method, and listed property. On the exam you will not rewrite—you will recognize which printed option already did that work.
On a typical MCOLES Details item (as described in official overview materials), what is your primary task?
Statement A: "An officer eventually went to a house on Oak about a noise issue." Statement B: "At 1:12 a.m., Officer Nguyen responded to a loud-music complaint at 455 Oak Avenue and spoke with resident Marcus Hale." Which statement is better for Details scoring, and why?
Why is Details still worth studying carefully even though it is the smallest writing weight (~4%)?
Which pair shows the better Details choice first?