1.2 NTN Registration, Fees, Retests & Test-Day Rules
Key Takeaways
NTN pricing varies by test location, test type, and the department jobs you choose; the exact total appears at checkout.
Adding a department job after you test costs $15 per job, and only jobs or departments opened since your test date can be added.
NTN keeps written scores for one year, and candidates must wait at least three months before retaking the standard computer-administered test.
Exam fees are non-refundable, and NTN allows self-service rescheduling only when the request is more than seven days before the exam.
NTN virtual sessions use live proctors, can last up to three hours with no breaks, and end if you leave the room.
Many ECOMM candidates lose opportunities to paperwork rather than to the test itself: a job added too late, a score that expired before a job closed, or a virtual session ended because the room did not meet the rules. Every rule below comes from NTN's candidate FAQ, pricing, testing-process, PSSA, typing, and virtual-testing pages as checked in October 2026. NTN can change its policies, so recheck them in your candidate account before you pay.
Registering and Choosing Jobs
NTN's testing process has four steps:
- Choose a career. Select Emergency Communications.
- Choose departments. You may select as many department jobs as you like, from any state, after checking each job's minimum requirements.
- Schedule a test time. Test virtually from home, or in person at an NTN test center.
- Pay for the test and the department application fees, then complete the online components each department requires, such as the Personal History Questionnaire and the Public Safety Self Assessment.
Warning
Add every job you want before you test. After you test, NTN lets you add only jobs or departments that opened after your test date, and each added job costs $15.
NTN's FAQ says all of its currently posted jobs require applicants to be at least 18, and candidates must meet a job's requirements when they schedule the exam.
What the Test Costs
NTN does not publish a single ECOMM price. Its pricing page says pricing "varies by test location, type of test, and department job you are applying to," and the total appears during checkout. The FAQ describes the structure: a base testing fee plus an additional cost for each department you apply to.
- Fee waivers. Some partner agencies offer a fee waiver to applicants who cannot afford the fee. You submit NTN's waiver form with proof of financial hardship, such as a SNAP benefit letter or an unemployment statement, and a separate form for each agency. The department decides. NTN warns the process can take weeks and does not extend testing deadlines.
- Refunds. Exam fees are non-refundable.
- Typing retests. If an agency uses the NTN Typing Test, you can retake it at any time for a nominal fee ($9.99 on NTN's FAQ).
Score Life and Retesting
| Rule | What NTN says | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Score availability | Departments have instant access once you finish | Your results go straight to every job on your list |
| Score life | Written scores are good for one year after the test date | Your score must still be active when a job closes |
| Retest wait | At least three months before retaking the standard computer-administered test | Plan your first attempt as if it were your only one |
| What a retest erases | Your previous scores and all department jobs on the old application | Re-select every job when you buy the retest |
| Scores you cannot see | PSSA and Data Entry/Computer Simulations scores | Do your best on them; you will get no feedback |
| Scoring questions | NTN staff cannot discuss score specifics or scoring details | Don't plan on detailed feedback after the test |
The three-month rule shapes your strategy. If an agency you want is hiring now, take the test only when you are ready. A rushed attempt can lock you out of a better score for a full quarter.
Rescheduling
You can reschedule yourself, through View/Reschedule Exams in your account, until one week before the exam. NTN does not allow schedule changes within seven days of the exam and does not take rescheduling requests by phone.
Virtual Testing Rules
A virtual exam runs on NTN's Virtual Proctor platform from a private location you choose. The rules are strict:
- Live proctors watch you and your computer for the whole session. You agree to let NTN see all computer activity, and the session is recorded.
- You may not leave the room. Sessions can last up to three hours, depending on the test, and there are no breaks. Use the restroom first.
- Your exam ends if the proctor suspects cheating, sees unauthorized materials, or sees you leave the room.
- Your equipment is your responsibility. Test it against NTN's virtual testing requirements beforehand, because proctors and support staff cannot troubleshoot your computer or internet. If you cannot connect at your scheduled time, you cannot test in that session.
Test-Center Rules
- Arrive about 30 minutes early. Late arrivals may not be allowed to test.
- Bring a valid government-issued photo ID whose name matches your NTN account (for example, a driver's license or passport that is valid or expired within one year), plus your NTN username and password.
- Bags, coats, phones, electronics, writing implements, and paper are not allowed in the testing area. NTN says anyone who takes prohibited items into the testing room is considered to have failed and will not be admitted to future testing at NTN centers. Use whatever note-taking materials NTN provides during the session.
Requesting an Accommodation
For a disability-related (ADA) accommodation, do not schedule first. Complete NTN's Form A with supporting documentation from a medical professional, dated within the last three years, or have a physician complete Form B. Then fax or mail the forms to NTN. NTN replies in writing within 5–7 business days of receiving complete paperwork and helps you schedule after approval.
A Practical Registration Timeline
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| Before paying | Read every target job's minimum requirements, closing date, and score rules |
| At registration | Select all jobs at once; choose virtual or a test center; request a fee waiver if eligible |
| Within days of paying | Complete PSSA Part 1, the Personal History Questionnaire, and any Computer Simulations or Typing Test the jobs require |
| One week out | Last chance to reschedule; run the virtual system check |
| Test day | ID and login ready; arrive early or set up a compliant room; no breaks |
| After testing | Watch for new jobs (adding one costs $15); track your one-year expiry date |
A candidate took the ECOMM five weeks ago, scored lower than hoped, and wants to retest for a dispatcher job that closes next month. What does NTN's retest policy mean for them?
They can retest right away because the job has not closed yet
They must wait at least three months, and retesting erases their old scores and job list
They can retest once a year, and NTN automatically keeps whichever of the two scores is higher
They can retest after 30 days, and all of their department selections carry over to the new test
After testing, a candidate sees a dispatcher job at a department that has used NTN for years and posted the job before the candidate's test date. Can the candidate add it?
Yes, any NTN job can be added at any time for $15
Yes, but only by retesting within seven days
No, because after testing only jobs or departments opened since the test date can be added
No, because NTN sends scores only to the first department a candidate chooses at registration
Forty minutes into a virtual ECOMM session, a candidate needs the restroom. What do NTN's virtual testing rules say?
Message the proctor, pause the exam, and return within five minutes
Take a short break between subtests, since a break is built into every session
Stay in the room: leaving ends the exam, and sessions have no breaks
Switch to a phone and finish the remaining sections from another room
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.