New York State Trooper Exam Study Guide
104 original practice questions with every answer explained, a chapter on each of the twelve abilities, and a full 65-question practice test. Use it alongside the free official guide as a second set of practice. The real test uses photographs for some questions; the book uses drawings to practice the same skills.
Paperback on Amazon Kindle editionThe exam at a glance
| Exam window | November 16, 2026 to November 16, 2027 |
|---|---|
| Registration | November 16, 2026 to November 1, 2027 |
| Fee | The $44 testing fee is waived for the 2026/2027 exam |
| Where | At a Pearson test center or, new for this exam, by remote online testing |
| Attempts | Two in the window. After a failed first attempt you may retest 90 days after your first exam date |
| Length | Two hours, 150 multiple-choice questions |
| Scored section | 65 cognitive ability questions in 1 hour 40 minutes |
| Second section | 85 personality questions in 20 minutes, timed separately |
| Who can take it | U.S. citizens aged 20 to 43 with a high school or equivalency diploma. College credits are required for appointment |
| First Academy class | Anticipated for spring 2028 |
| Starting pay | $65,139 a year at the Academy; a minimum of $109,620 after one year of service |
Source: the New York State Police recruitment site, joinstatepolice.ny.gov. Dates and rules can change. Read the site yourself before you register.
What the test measures
Only the 65-question cognitive section can be studied for. Your score on it is the number you answer correctly, and candidates are ranked by score, so a pass is the floor and a high score is the goal.
The State Police's study guide lists twelve abilities. Eight are worked on paper in words: Reading, Vocabulary, Writing, Grammar, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning and Ordering of Information, along with Memorization, where you study pictures and then answer from memory. Four use figures: Pattern Recognition, Visualization, Spatial Orientation and Flexibility of Closure.
No knowledge of the law or of police procedure is tested. Any rule you need is given in the question.
The official study guide is free and includes a practice test. Start there.
Five practice questions
These are original questions in the forms the official guide shows. Answer each one before you open the explanation.
Identify the word that has the most similar meaning to "hinder."
- Assist
- Follow
- Conceal
- Obstruct
Show the answer
D. To hinder is to get in the way of something. Obstruct is the closest. Assist is the opposite.
Choose the word or phrase that correctly completes the sentence.
The sergeant gave the assignment to Trooper Diaz and _____.
- me
- I
- myself
- mine
Show the answer
A. The pronoun is the object of "to," so it is "me." Take out "Trooper Diaz and" and the sentence reads "gave the assignment to me."
Take-Home Equipment Policy (invented for these questions)
| Radios | A portable radio is issued to each member and may be taken home. A lost radio must be reported to the station commander within 2 hours of discovering the loss. |
|---|---|
| Body cameras | Body cameras are docked at the station at the end of every shift. A camera may NOT be taken home, even by a member who is on call. |
| Laptops | A laptop may be taken home only with the written approval of a sergeant. It must be carried in the locked trunk and never left in the passenger compartment. |
| Keys | Station keys are signed out at the start of a shift and signed in at the end. |
At 6 p.m. Trooper Cho notices that his portable radio is missing. He last had it at noon. He reports the loss to the station commander at 7:30 p.m. According to the policy, did he report in time?
- Yes; he reported within 2 hours of discovering the loss.
- No; he reported more than 2 hours after he last had the radio.
- No; a lost radio must be reported to a sergeant.
- Yes; a radio may be taken home.
Show the answer
A. The 2 hours run from "discovering the loss," which was at 6 p.m. He reported at 7:30. B measures from the wrong starting point. D is true but does not answer the question.
A trooper describes a welfare check. The statements are not in order.
1. "I knocked and announced myself, and no one came to the door."
2. "At 9:15 a.m. a mail carrier reported that the mail at 14 Fern Road had not been collected for a week."
3. "When no one came, I looked through the kitchen window and saw an elderly man lying on the floor."
4. "I arrived at 9:40 and saw newspapers piled on the porch."
5. "The ambulance crew found that he was breathing and took him to the hospital."
6. "I forced the back door, checked that he was alive, and called for an ambulance."
Which of the following is the correct order of the statements?
- 2, 4, 3, 1, 6, 5
- 2, 1, 4, 3, 6, 5
- 2, 4, 1, 3, 5, 6
- 2, 4, 1, 3, 6, 5
Show the answer
D. The report comes in (2), the trooper arrives (4) and knocks (1). Statement 3 begins "When no one came," so it follows the knock, which rules out A. The trooper forces the door and calls an ambulance (6) before the ambulance crew can do anything (5), which rules out C.
Choose the summary that describes the most important details in the scenario most clearly and accurately.
Marcus Hale manages the Pine Ridge Campground. On Saturday morning a camper told him that the lock on the equipment shed had been cut. Marcus checked the shed and found that two kayaks and a generator were missing. He remembered seeing a green pickup with a trailer leave the campground at about 5 a.m., earlier than campers usually go. He wrote down what he could recall of the truck and called the State Police.
- Marcus Hale, manager of the Pine Ridge Campground, found on Saturday morning that the equipment shed's lock had been cut and that two kayaks and a generator were missing. He had seen a green pickup with a trailer leave at about 5 a.m., and he called the State Police.
- A camper told Marcus Hale that the lock on the equipment shed at the Pine Ridge Campground had been cut. Marcus remembered a green pickup that had left the campground earlier than campers usually go.
- Marcus Hale called the State Police on Saturday to report that the driver of a green pickup with a trailer had stolen two kayaks and a generator from the Pine Ridge Campground at about 5 a.m.
- Two kayaks and a generator were missing from a shed at a campground on Saturday morning, and the manager wrote down what he could recall of a truck.
Show the answer
A. The key points are who and where, the cut lock, what was missing, the pickup seen leaving, and the call. A has all five. B leaves out what was missing and the call. C states as fact that the pickup's driver was the thief, which the scenario does not establish. D names neither the manager nor the campground.
Three habits that raise scores
Answer every question
The cognitive score counts correct answers. A blank can never help you.
Use only what is on the page
Reasoning questions give you a policy or a set of statements. The right answer follows from those words, not from what you think the rule ought to be.
Practice the figure questions early
Pattern grids, face comparisons and map routes feel strange the first time and ordinary the tenth. They improve faster with practice than reading does.
More practice
New York State Trooper Exam Study Guide
104 original practice questions with every answer explained, a chapter on each of the twelve abilities, and a full 65-question practice test. Use it alongside the free official guide as a second set of practice. The real test uses photographs for some questions; the book uses drawings to practice the same skills.
Paperback on Amazon Kindle editionCommon questions
When is the New York State Trooper exam in 2026 and 2027?
The State Police say the 2026/2027 Trooper Entrance Exam is open from November 16, 2026 to November 16, 2027, with registration open until November 1, 2027.
How much does the NY State Trooper exam cost?
The State Police say the $44 testing fee is waived for the 2026/2027 exam.
How many questions are on the NY State Trooper exam?
150 multiple-choice questions in two hours: 65 cognitive ability questions in 1 hour 40 minutes and 85 personality questions in 20 minutes.
How many times can I take the trooper exam?
Twice during the exam window. After a failed first attempt you may retest 90 days after your first exam date. After a second failure you wait for the next exam.
Can I take the NY State Trooper exam at home?
Yes. For the 2026/2027 exam the State Police offer remote online testing as well as testing at Pearson centers.
What is on the cognitive section?
Twelve abilities: Reading, Writing, Deductive Reasoning, Ordering of Information, Inductive Reasoning, Pattern Recognition, Grammar, Vocabulary, Visualization, Spatial Orientation, Flexibility of Closure and Memorization. No knowledge of police work or the law is tested.