21 Reading Comprehension & Applied Math Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. A facility directive states: 'During a formal count, officers must count living, breathing flesh — not bundles or shapes. All inmate movement in the housing unit stops until the count clears. If the totals reported by the two counting officers disagree, the entire count must be repeated. Officers may not use the unit roster to supply a number for any inmate they did not personally observe.' Which statement is best supported by the directive?

   • A.A count clears as soon as either counting officer submits a final total for the unit.
   • B.Inmate movement is halted only during counts conducted after nightfall each day.
   • C.The unit roster may be used to confirm the presence of any inmate asleep in a cell.
   • D.The count must be repeated whenever the two counting officers report different totals.✓ Answer

   The directive states directly that if the two counting officers' totals disagree, the entire count must be repeated. The roster may never substitute for personal observation, movement stops during every formal count (not only at night), and clearing requires both officers' totals to agree — so each other choice contradicts or adds to the passage.

   Source: NYS Correction Officer Series subject area 'Understanding Written Material' — answer must be supported by the passage; standard formal-count rule (discrepant totals force a recount)Report a problem with this question

2. 2. A transport directive states: 'Officers shall not inform an inmate of the date or time of an upcoming outside medical trip. When the same inmate requires repeated outside trips, the route taken should be varied. Restraints shall be applied as prescribed by the transport order.' Which conclusion is best supported by the directive?

   • A.A completely new route must be used every time any inmate leaves the facility grounds.
   • B.Outside medical trips may be scheduled only during overnight or early-morning hours.
   • C.Inmates are never told the purpose of any movement outside their assigned housing unit.
   • D.The secrecy and route-variation rules are meant to reduce the chance of a planned escape.✓ Answer

   Withholding the trip's date and time and varying the routes both remove the predictability an inmate or outside accomplices would need to plan an escape or ambush, so that purpose is the supported inference. The rule covers only the date/time of medical trips (not the purpose of all movement), says routes 'should be varied' for repeated trips (not a new route every time), and says nothing about scheduling hours.

   Source: NYS 'Understanding Written Material' (valid inference); transport-security principle common across state systems — unannounced trip times and varied routes deter planned escapesReport a problem with this question

3. 3. A reporting rule states: 'Before the end of the shift in which force was used, the officer shall submit a written report describing the type of force applied and the inmate conduct that precipitated it.' As used in the rule, 'precipitated' most nearly means:

   • A.brought about✓ Answer
   • B.made worse
   • C.ruled out
   • D.followed after

   To 'precipitate' an event is to cause it or bring it about; the report must describe the inmate conduct that caused the use of force. The conduct comes before the force, so 'followed after' reverses the relationship, and nothing in the sentence supports 'ruled out' or 'made worse.'

   Source: Vocabulary in context (NYS RC item style): 'precipitate' = to cause, to bring about (standard dictionary sense)Report a problem with this question

4. 4. A grooming standard states: 'Hair may not extend more than 1/2 inch below the top of the shirt collar. Beards are prohibited unless the officer has a documented medical waiver on file. Mustaches are permitted but may not extend below the corners of the mouth.' Based only on this standard, which officer is in compliance?

   • A.Officer Ruiz, whose trimmed mustache extends slightly below the corners of his mouth.
   • B.Officer Cole, who grew a short beard while his medical waiver request is pending.
   • C.Officer Park, whose hair reaches a full inch below the collar but is kept neatly tied back.
   • D.Officer Lee, whose hair falls 1/4 inch below his collar and who is completely clean-shaven.✓ Answer

   Officer Lee meets every clause: 1/4 inch is within the 1/2-inch hair limit, and being clean-shaven requires no waiver. Park's hair exceeds the measurement and the rule allows no tied-back exception; Cole's waiver is not yet documented on file, so his beard violates the rule; Ruiz's mustache passes below the corners of the mouth.

   Source: NYS subject area 'Applying Written Information in a Correctional Setting' — compliance determined solely by the stem's stated 1/2-inch limit, documented-waiver clause, and mustache lineReport a problem with this question

5. 5. A key-control directive states: 'Security keys shall never be taken beyond the facility perimeter. An officer who discovers that a key is missing shall notify the shift commander immediately and shall remain at the affected post until properly relieved.' Which officer acted in accordance with the directive?

   • A.Officer Vega carried a security key home overnight so that it could not be stolen there.
   • B.Officer Grant reported the missing key immediately and remained at his post until relieved.✓ Answer
   • C.Officer Bell waited until the end-of-shift equipment check to report the missing key.
   • D.Officer Shaw reported the missing key at once, then left the post to search the yard for it.

   The directive imposes two duties on discovering a missing key — immediate notification and remaining at the post until properly relieved — and Officer Grant did both. Shaw abandoned the post, Vega took a security key beyond the perimeter (expressly forbidden), and Bell delayed the required immediate report.

   Source: NYS 'Applying Written Information' / PA work behavior 'policy interpretation and following orders' — key-control rule as stated in the stem (immediate notification + remain at post)Report a problem with this question

6. 6. A visitor-screening procedure lists these steps in order: (1) verify the visitor's government-issued photo ID; (2) confirm that the visitor appears on the inmate's approved visitor list; (3) screen the visitor with the walk-through metal detector. A visitor who alarms the detector twice after removing all metal items shall be denied entry for that day. Officer Nam has just verified a visitor's photo ID. According to the procedure, what should Officer Nam do next?

   • A.Ask the visitor to remove all metal items before any list is checked.
   • B.Confirm that the visitor appears on the inmate's approved visitor list.✓ Answer
   • C.Deny the visitor entry for the day and record the refusal in the visit log.
   • D.Screen the visitor with the walk-through metal detector right away.

   The procedure fixes the sequence: ID verification is step 1, so the next required action is step 2 — confirming the visitor is on the approved list. Metal-detector screening comes only after the list check, and denial applies only to a visitor who has already alarmed the detector twice, which has not happened.

   Source: NYC ability 'Information Ordering' / NYS 'Applying Written Information' — step sequence (1) ID, (2) approved list, (3) metal detector, given in the stemReport a problem with this question

7. 7. A directive states: 'An officer who finds suspected contraband shall secure the item and notify the watch commander if possible. If the watch commander cannot be reached, the officer shall use best judgment to preserve the item as evidence. The item shall never be left unattended.' Officer Ito finds a homemade blade during a cell search and cannot reach the watch commander by radio. Under the directive, Officer Ito should:

   • A.leave the blade exactly where it was found until the watch commander can inspect it.
   • B.take no action of any kind until a direct order arrives from the watch commander.
   • C.keep the blade secured on his person and use best judgment to preserve it as evidence.✓ Answer
   • D.return the blade to the cell occupant and simply document the search as complete.

   The directive's exception clause governs exactly this case: when the watch commander cannot be reached, the officer secures the item and uses best judgment to preserve it as evidence, and the item may never be left unattended. Leaving the blade in place or waiting for orders abandons or delays control of a weapon, and returning it surrenders the contraband entirely.

   Source: NYS 'Applying Written Information' — exception clause in the stem ('if the watch commander cannot be reached, use best judgment; item never left unattended')Report a problem with this question

8. 8. An incident report must combine these facts: (1) At 3:15 p.m., Officer Diaz inspected the day room. (2) During that inspection, he found a sharpened toothbrush under a chair. Which sentence expresses these facts most clearly and accurately?

   • A.Officer Diaz found a sharpened toothbrush under a chair, then inspected the day room at 3:15 p.m.
   • B.While inspecting the day room at 3:15 p.m., Officer Diaz found a sharpened toothbrush under a chair.✓ Answer
   • C.At 3:15 p.m., Officer Diaz inspected a chair in the day room and found a toothbrush that was sharp.
   • D.Inspecting the day room, a sharpened toothbrush was found under a chair at 3:15 p.m.

   The correct sentence keeps Officer Diaz as the actor of the modifying phrase, keeps the time attached to the inspection, and keeps the find inside the inspection. The first option dangles its modifier (the toothbrush appears to do the inspecting) and omits who found it; the third reverses the sequence of events; the fourth changes what was inspected from the day room to a single chair.

   Source: NYS subject area 'Preparing Written Material' — Information Presentation: a participial modifier must attach to its actor; restatement may not distort sequence or factsReport a problem with this question

9. 9. The four sentences below belong to the same report but are out of order. (1) The nurse cleaned the cut and returned the inmate to his cell. (2) Officer Okafor noticed that inmate Reyes had a cut on his left hand. (3) Officer Okafor then escorted Reyes to the medical unit. (4) During the morning meal, the officers supervised the serving line. Which order arranges the sentences most logically?

   • A.2, 3, 1, 4
   • B.2, 4, 3, 1
   • C.4, 3, 2, 1
   • D.4, 2, 3, 1✓ Answer

   Sentence 4 sets the scene and belongs first; sentence 2 introduces the observation; sentence 3's word 'then' shows the escort must follow the noticing; and sentence 1's medical treatment can occur only after Reyes reaches the medical unit. Every other sequence either buries the scene-setting sentence or places the escort or treatment before the injury was noticed.

   Source: NYS 'Preparing Written Material' — Paragraph Organization: topic/setting sentence first, then chronological order; 'then' must follow its antecedent eventReport a problem with this question

10. 10. Which sentence is grammatically correct for use in an incident report?

    • A.The two inmates was separated, and each was interviewed by the sergeant.
    • B.The two inmates were separated, and each was interviewed by the sergeant.✓ Answer
    • C.The two inmates were separated, and each were interviewed by the sergeant.
    • D.The two inmates was separated, and each were interviewed by the sergeant.

    The plural subject 'the two inmates' requires the plural verb 'were,' while the indefinite pronoun 'each' is grammatically singular and requires 'was.' Only the last sentence satisfies both agreement rules; the others mismatch one subject or the other with its verb.

    Source: English subject-verb agreement (CDCR scope: grammar in report preparation): plural subject takes 'were'; 'each' is singular and takes 'was'Report a problem with this question

11. 11. At the 10:00 p.m. count, a facility records the following in-unit totals. Unit A: 46 inmates. Unit B: 52 inmates. Unit C: 39 inmates. Unit D: 48 inmates. What is the total in-unit count for the facility?

    • A.185 inmates✓ Answer
    • B.183 inmates
    • C.195 inmates
    • D.175 inmates

    A facility total is the sum of the unit counts: 46 + 52 = 98, plus 39 makes 137, plus 48 makes 185. The wrong choices come from dropping a carry or misadding one pair of units.

    Source: NYC ability 'Number Facility' — whole-number addition: 46 + 52 + 39 + 48 = 185Report a problem with this question

12. 12. An inmate's commissary account holds $18.50. In one order, he buys a bar of soap for $1.45, four packs of noodles at $0.85 each, and a book of stamps for $7.20. How much remains in the account after the order?

    • A.$6.45✓ Answer
    • B.$7.45
    • C.$6.55
    • D.$5.45

    First total the order: $1.45 + (4 × $0.85 = $3.40) + $7.20 = $12.05. Then subtract from the balance: $18.50 − $12.05 = $6.45. The traps come from charging only one noodle pack, or slipping by ten cents when borrowing in the subtraction.

    Source: CDCR scope 'basic arithmetic' — decimals: 1.45 + 3.40 + 7.20 = 12.05; 18.50 − 12.05 = 6.45Report a problem with this question

13. 13. A housing unit has a rated capacity of 120 beds and currently houses 90 inmates. What percentage of the unit's rated capacity is in use?

    • A.80%
    • B.65%
    • C.75%✓ Answer
    • D.70%

    Percent of capacity is the part divided by the whole, times 100: 90 ÷ 120 = 0.75, which is 75%. Dividing the capacity by the population (120 ÷ 90) or estimating from the 30-bed gap produces the wrong neighboring percentages.

    Source: Percentage rule: part ÷ whole × 100 → 90 ÷ 120 = 75% (CDCR 'simple arithmetic computations')Report a problem with this question

14. 14. Of the 240 inmates served at the noon meal, 3/4 received the regular tray and the rest received the alternative tray. How many alternative trays were served?

    • A.180 trays
    • B.80 trays
    • C.60 trays✓ Answer
    • D.40 trays

    If 3/4 got the regular tray, the remainder is 1 − 3/4 = 1/4, and 1/4 of 240 is 240 ÷ 4 = 60. The classic trap, 180, is the number of regular trays (3/4 of 240); 80 comes from using 1/3, and 40 from using 1/6.

    Source: Fraction rule: remainder = 1 − 3/4 = 1/4; 240 × 1/4 = 60 (NYC 'Number Facility')Report a problem with this question

15. 15. Officer Mba begins duty at 10:45 p.m. and works a shift of 8 1/2 hours with no break in service. At what time does the shift end?

    • A.8:45 a.m.
    • B.7:15 a.m.✓ Answer
    • C.8:15 a.m.
    • D.7:45 a.m.

    Add the hours first, then the minutes: 10:45 p.m. plus 8 hours reaches 6:45 a.m., and adding the remaining 30 minutes reaches 7:15 a.m. The later choices come from adding 9 hours or from treating the half hour as a full hour.

    Source: Elapsed-time computation: 10:45 p.m. + 8 h 30 min = 7:15 a.m. (NYC 'Mathematical Reasoning')Report a problem with this question

16. 16. Over five consecutive tours, a housing unit recorded evening counts of 212, 208, 215, 209, and 211 inmates. What was the average evening count across the five tours?

    • A.210 inmates
    • B.209 inmates
    • C.211 inmates✓ Answer
    • D.208 inmates

    An average is the sum divided by the number of values: 212 + 208 + 215 + 209 + 211 = 1,055, and 1,055 ÷ 5 = 211. Estimating from the middle of the range or dropping one tour from the sum yields the slightly lower wrong answers.

    Source: Average = sum ÷ count: 1,055 ÷ 5 = 211 (NYC 'Mathematical Reasoning' — average per tour is the agency's own example type)Report a problem with this question

17. 17. A facility's population fell from 150 inmates to 129 inmates over one quarter. By what percent did the population decrease?

    • A.12%
    • B.16%
    • C.13%
    • D.14%✓ Answer

    Percent decrease is the change divided by the original amount: the drop is 150 − 129 = 21, and 21 ÷ 150 = 0.14, or 14%. The 16% trap comes from dividing the change by the new population (21 ÷ 129) instead of the original.

    Source: Percent-change rule: change ÷ original × 100 → 21 ÷ 150 = 14%Report a problem with this question

18. 18. A transport van travels 117 miles to a court appearance at an average speed of 45 miles per hour. How long does the trip take?

    • A.2 hours 48 minutes
    • B.3 hours 6 minutes
    • C.3 hours 15 minutes
    • D.2 hours 36 minutes✓ Answer

    Time equals distance divided by rate: 117 ÷ 45 = 2.6 hours, and 0.6 of an hour is 0.6 × 60 = 36 minutes, so the trip takes 2 hours 36 minutes. The common error is reading the decimal 2.6 as 2 hours 6 minutes or rounding the leftover distance into an extra fraction of an hour.

    Source: Distance-rate-time: time = distance ÷ rate → 117 ÷ 45 = 2.6 h = 2 h 36 min (NYC 'Mathematical Reasoning')Report a problem with this question

19. 19. A quarterly log lists use-of-force incidents by month. April: 9 incidents. May: 15 incidents. June: 12 incidents. What was the average number of incidents per month for the quarter?

    • A.13 incidents
    • B.12 incidents✓ Answer
    • C.36 incidents
    • D.15 incidents

    Total the log's three months and divide by the number of months: 9 + 15 + 12 = 36, and 36 ÷ 3 = 12 incidents per month. Choosing 36 forgets the division step, 15 is merely the highest single month, and 13 comes from a small addition error.

    Source: Data interpretation from a log (JobTestPrep/NYS-derived guides: arithmetic from tables and logs): average = (9 + 15 + 12) ÷ 3 = 12Report a problem with this question

20. 20. A count sheet lists a unit roster total of 210 inmates, with these out-counts. Medical: 3 inmates. Court: 2 inmates. Work detail: 6 inmates. How many inmates must be physically present in the unit for the count to clear?

    • A.221 inmates
    • B.199 inmates✓ Answer
    • C.201 inmates
    • D.205 inmates

    The in-unit count must equal the roster total minus everyone accounted for elsewhere: the out-count is 3 + 2 + 6 = 11, and 210 − 11 = 199. Forgetting the work detail gives 205, a mis-added out-count gives 201, and adding instead of subtracting gives 221.

    Source: Count-sheet reconciliation (data interpretation): roster 210 − out-count (3 + 2 + 6 = 11) = 199Report a problem with this question

21. 21. A duty roster lists the officers assigned to each shift. Day shift: 28 officers. Evening shift: 24 officers. Night shift: 17 officers. How many more officers are assigned to the day shift than to the night shift?

    • A.4 officers
    • B.10 officers
    • C.7 officers
    • D.11 officers✓ Answer

    The question compares only the day and night lines of the roster: 28 − 17 = 11 officers. Choosing 4 compares day with evening, 7 compares evening with night, and 10 is an off-by-one subtraction slip.

    Source: Roster reading + subtraction (NYC 'Number Facility'; data interpretation from a duty roster): 28 − 17 = 11Report a problem with this question

Practice questions modeled on the knowledge domains state corrections officer civil-service exams share — situational judgment, professional conduct, report writing, legal foundations, and civil-service aptitude. Each state and county runs its own hiring process: exam formats, passing scores, fees, and physical/background requirements vary and change, and none are tested here. Confirm current requirements with the department you are applying to. Not legal advice, and not affiliated with any state department of corrections or civil-service commission. Example: PA DOC hiring →