10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
These 10 free MA-POLICE questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Massachusetts Municipal Police Officer Civil Service Examination blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
At 22:15, Officer Alvarez found a shop's rear window broken. The owner, Lin, said she had locked the shop at about 21:00 and believed no one was inside then. Alvarez had not witnessed the window being broken. Which sentence preserves the distinction between the officer's observation and the owner's account?
Correct answer: C - At 22:15, Alvarez observed the broken rear window; Lin reported locking the shop at approximately 21:00.
Complete this incident-report sentence using standard subject-verb agreement: 'Neither the passengers nor the driver ___ injured; each of the witness statements ___ signed at the scene.' Choose the verbs in the order they belong in the sentence.
Correct answer: B - was; was
The gate notice for a road race reads: 'The south gate is closed to spectators. Volunteers displaying an event pass may enter there on foot before 09:00. At 09:00, all south-gate access ends. The east gate remains open. A volunteer pass does not authorize vehicle access.' At 08:35, a volunteer displaying an event pass approaches the south gate on foot. The gate officer says the volunteer must wait for a supervisor. What does the notice actually permit?
Correct answer: B - The volunteer may enter on foot now; the notice requires no supervisor approval for that entry.
A department memo states: 'The neighborhood reporting desk has received favorable comments, but comments alone do not show whether residents are being served more promptly. Current logs record completed reports, not waiting time or the number of people who leave before speaking with an officer. Staff will begin recording those two measures before recommending whether to expand the service.' The memo's central point is that:
Correct answer: C - More complete service data are needed before recommending whether to expand the desk.
A transit station is being evacuated after a smoke alarm. The evacuation plan requires the designated route to remain passable without first moving stored equipment, and every exit door on that route to open fully. An officer receives four updates. Which update identifies a condition that directly violates those requirements?
Correct answer: A - A wheeled container prevents a designated exit door from opening fully, although a worker says it can be moved quickly.
A response record must distinguish when an incident occurred, when the call was received, when the assigned officer arrived, when the response ended, and when a clerk entered the information. Under the recording rule, the response cannot end before that officer arrives. The following entries concern one response on the same date and use a synchronized clock: Incident occurred: 14:05 Call received: 14:12 Officer arrived: 14:23 Response ended: 14:19 Information entered: 14:41 Which issue requires clarification rather than being explained by the fields' different meanings?
Correct answer: D - The recorded end of the response precedes the assigned officer's arrival.
For tonight's operation, every officer assigned to North Station has completed the radio briefing. Some officers who completed that briefing are bicycle-patrol officers. No bicycle-patrol officer is assigned to traffic-post duty tonight. From these staffing facts alone, it follows that:
Correct answer: D - Some officers who completed the radio briefing are not assigned to traffic-post duty tonight.
Reception failed during three radio checks, all made with Radio R beneath the same underpass. Two explanations are being compared: a fault in Radio R that would follow it to other locations, or a location-related problem that would affect other radios beneath that underpass. Which additional finding would favor the radio explanation over the location explanation?
Correct answer: A - Radio R fails in an open parking lot, while a replacement radio works beneath the underpass.
Five witnesses will be interviewed separately, once each: Ames, Boyd, Chen, Diaz, and Ellis. Scheduling requires Ames to be interviewed before Chen, Diaz immediately before Boyd, and Ellis after Chen. No other order is required. Which schedule meets all three requirements?
Correct answer: C - Ames → Diaz → Boyd → Chen → Ellis
An experience form asks for the number of different people formally supervised from January 1 through June 30. It defines formal supervision as assigned responsibility for both scheduling and evaluating a worker, and says to count each person once. Rosa's complete record shows that she was assigned that responsibility for Eli and Mei from January through March, then Mei, Noor, and Owen from April through June. She also coached Sam, but had no responsibility for Sam's schedule or evaluation. What number accurately represents Rosa's qualifying experience?
Correct answer: B - 4 people
The full bank has 1,020 more MA-POLICE questions with explanations.
Continue in the free practice test →
View plans