6.1 Express CallTaker Test: Written Situational Judgment
Key Takeaways
NTN describes the Express CallTaker Test as a written multiple-choice situational judgment test about common stressors and situations in emergency communications.
Each Express CallTaker item gives a written scenario and asks for the best response, simulating critical parts of call-taker duties.
When two answers look reasonable, choose the one that better protects life and safety, gets help moving, and keeps information accurate.
Strong answers stay professional with abusive callers, never abandon a possible emergency, admit and fix errors at once, and escalate what is beyond the call-taker's role.
Options with absolute language, passive waiting, arguments with callers, or actions outside a call-taker's role are usually distractors.
If your jobs use the Express version of the ECOMM, the call-taker part is written rather than video. NTN describes it this way:
"This written multiple-choice situational judgment test measures candidates' judgment when dealing with common stressors and situations experienced by emergency communications personnel. The test is designed to simulate critical components of call taker duties. After reading each scenario, test takers are asked to choose, in a multiple-choice format, the best response to each question."
Two differences from the video version matter. First, you read each scenario, so nothing plays on without you and you can reread the key sentence. Second, the scenarios reach beyond the moment of a 911 call to the stressors of the job: difficult callers, competing demands, mistakes, coworkers, and the emotional weight of the work. The judgment logic is the same as in Chapter 2, and like the rest of the ECOMM, NTN says the test does not check policy knowledge. Every answer must come from the scenario and common sense about the call-taker's role.
A Priority Ladder for "Best Response" Items
Situational judgment items often offer two or three reasonable-sounding answers. Rank them against this ladder and choose the one that serves the highest rung:
- Protect life and safety: the caller's, the public's, and responders'.
- Get help moving: confirm the location and the nature of the problem so units can be sent.
- Keep information accurate: correct errors and pass on new facts.
- Keep control of the call with calm, polite, firm direction.
- Use the chain of command for problems beyond your role or authority.
- Serve efficiently and courteously, the right goal once the higher rungs are covered.
An answer that is polite but delays help ranks below one that is brisk but gets units moving. An answer that is fast but rude to a caller ranks below one that is equally fast and professional.
Common Situation Families
| Situation in the scenario | Best-response pattern | Tempting wrong answers |
|---|---|---|
| A caller curses at you but is reporting an emergency | Ignore the insults, stay calm, get the location and what is happening | Hanging up; lecturing the caller about language; arguing back |
| Someone calls 911 for directions or an outage update | Briefly confirm there is no emergency, then refer them to the right number and free the line | A long conversation; scolding; hanging up without checking for an emergency |
| A caller rings back asking "where is the ambulance?" | Reassure them, confirm the address, ask whether anything has changed, pass on new facts | "They're coming, stop calling"; promising an exact arrival time you don't know |
| A caller demands a supervisor in the middle of an emergency | Acknowledge the request, keep gathering critical information, involve a supervisor once help is moving | Transferring at once and losing the critical details |
| 911 lines ring while you handle a routine call | Wrap up or briefly hold the routine call and answer the emergency line | Letting 911 ring until the routine call ends |
| You notice you entered a wrong address | Correct it immediately and tell the dispatcher or supervisor | Hoping nobody notices; waiting until the end of the shift |
| A coworker is overwhelmed or makes an error | Offer help, or alert the coworker or supervisor promptly and respectfully | Ignoring it; complaining to others; fixing it secretly |
| The call involves someone you know personally | Tell your supervisor and follow their direction, such as transferring the call | Handling it alone; giving special treatment |
| A friend or reporter asks about a call you took | Decline politely and refer them to a supervisor or public information officer | Sharing "just a few details"; posting about it |
| A disturbing call ends and the next line is ringing | Take a slow breath, answer the next call, and use support resources after it | Leaving the console without notice; snapping at the next caller |
| You don't know the rule for an unusual request | When time allows, ask a supervisor; in an emergency, take the safe action first | Guessing at a policy; refusing to help at all |
How to Eliminate Distractors
- Watch absolute words. "Always," "never," and "immediately hang up" often signal an overreaction. Real call-taking involves judgment.
- Reject passive options. "Wait and see," "do nothing until asked," and "let someone else handle it" rarely beat taking a reasonable action now.
- Reject role violations. A call-taker does not tell callers to confront suspects, leave the console to go to a scene, or decide outcomes that belong to officers or supervisors.
- Read the question stem precisely. "What should you do first?" usually points to safety or location. "What is the best way to handle this?" may favor a complete, professional response.
- Prefer action plus empathy over empathy alone. "I understand you're scared; tell me the address" beats both "Calm down" and a long expression of sympathy that gathers no information.
- Own mistakes. Answers that admit and correct an error right away beat answers that hide it or blame someone else.
Worked Example
A practice item written for this guide, not an NTN item.
A caller begins by shouting profanity and complaining that the police "took forever" the last time she called. She has not yet said why she is calling today. What is the best response?
- (1) "Ma'am, I won't tolerate that language. Call back when you're calm." This could abandon an emergency, and it argues with the caller.
- (2) "I'm sorry about last time. Let me transfer you to a supervisor to file a complaint." It sounds courteous but sends the caller away before you know whether anyone is in danger.
- (3) "I want to help you right now. What's the address, and what's happening there?" It steps past the insult without reacting and goes straight to location and the nature of the call. This is the best response.
- (4) Stay silent until she stops shouting. This is passive and wastes time that could matter.
The best answer accepts the caller's frustration without arguing, then takes control by asking the two questions that start every response. The complaint about last time can be routed to a supervisor once it is clear that nobody needs help now.
Practicing for the Written Format
- Make your own scenario cards from the table above and say your answer aloud before checking it against the priority ladder.
- For every practice item you miss, write one sentence explaining which rung the correct answer served better.
- Keep a steady pace. The test is timed as part of the roughly 2-hour session, so do not reread every option several times. Decide, move on, and trust the ladder.
A caller dials 911 to ask whether a road is closed because of a parade. There is no emergency. What is the best response?
Explain at length why 911 must never be used for questions and warn the caller about misuse penalties
Hang up immediately so the line is free, since parade questions are not emergencies
Confirm there is no emergency, then politely refer the caller to the correct non-emergency number
Look up the full parade route and stay on the line until every street question is answered
Midway through a shift, a call-taker realizes they typed the wrong house number on a call that was dispatched ten minutes ago. What should they do?
Correct the address now and tell the dispatcher or supervisor so units are redirected
Wait to see whether the responding units find the right house on their own
Fix it quietly in the record without telling anyone, so the responding units are not confused
Mention it at the end of the shift so the supervisor can review the whole call afterward
During a call about a medical emergency, the caller demands to speak to a supervisor because they think the questions are wasting time. What is the best way to handle this?
Transfer the caller to a supervisor at once, because callers have a right to escalate
Briefly explain that the questions do not delay help, keep gathering the critical details, and involve a supervisor once help is moving
Refuse the request and warn the caller that they will be disconnected for interfering
Put the caller on hold until they agree to answer the questions calmly
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.