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Agency FAQs

Agency Officials

Agency FAQs

Will you bring your services to other regions?

We are very interested in working in other regions around the U.S. Please submit a request through our contact us page so we can discuss details and answer any questions you may have. We are willing to make a presentation in your area and discuss how we can work together to help your agency hire the best candidates while saving your department significant staff time & money.

What tests do you use and are they valid?

PST only uses tests that meet or exceed industry standards. Our entry-level written tests are developed by I/O Solutions, Inc. and are state-of-the-art, job-related, validated, provide no evidence of adverse impact, meet all federal, state, and local guidelines and have high content, criterion, and predictive validity. The law enforcement, corrections, and firefighter exams measure the following dimensions:

  1. Cognitive Ability
  2. Work Styles/Personality
  3. Bio-Data
  4. Integrity/Ethics
  5. Situation-Based Judgment
  6. Intercultural Sensitivity

Our physical ability tests for law enforcement and corrections are those tests required by the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission & Idaho POST. For firefighters, the IAFF/IAFC Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) is administered. As we expand to other regions, we will work closely with local and/or state officials to conduct physical ability tests that meet their requirements. Our test administrators and proctors are experienced and receive continuous training. Your agency officials are welcome to visit any testing site to observe testing procedures and methods.

Does your service supplant civil service authority?

No.

Our service does not replace or supplant Civil Service Commissions or HR authority; we are an independent and professional testing service for you. We provide the raw scores related to the written and physical ability examinations. You then process those applicants and certify eligibility lists as you currently do. We do offer, free of charge, model civil service rules that your Commission can adopt.

Is this a statewide list?

No.

Applicants designate which subscribing agencies that they wish to apply to. Your agency will only receive the names (and test scores) of those applicants that want to work for your agency and have passed the examinations you require. No longer will you have to worry about with those that fail to show for testing, those that fail the written exam or physical, etc.

How often will you test?

We frequently test at locations throughout the Pacific Northwest and as we expand to other regions, in those areas as well. We also offer nationwide testing for the written test through a network of certified testing centers.

This past year we conducted hundreds of tests for law enforcement, corrections, firefighter, and dispatcher candidates. Your applicants may test for your agency at any location we are testing! Please view our Test & Event Schedule.

When does the eligibility list expire?

With continuous testing, the eligibility list itself does not expire, the names on the list do. You will maintain a continuous list, and we can provide you model civil service rules (at no charge) to adopt this method. Individual candidate names on the list expire 12 months after they are certified. This ensures you will always have an up-to-date list with the best candidates at the top whenever you have a hiring need.

Are you testing solely for my agency?

No.

Applicants decide what subscribing agency or agencies that they want to apply to. One applicant could be testing solely for your agency, while another could be testing for your agency plus a number of others on the same day!

When are applicant scores available to our agency?

As soon as we have verified and certified the scores, you will have access. In 90+% of the time, this occurs on the same day as the test. You will have 24/7 online access to scores and candidate data in your secure PST account.

What if our agency has special requirements, such as a college degree?

Candidates have the opportunity to view information about each subscribing agency, including department information, community information, salary and benefit information, and any special requirements your agency may have. For example, if your agency requires a 2-year college degree, the candidate will have to indicate that they meet that requirement during their online application process. We can accommodate any special requirements you may have.

What kind of advertising will you do?

We advertise extensively both online using social media, virtual career fairs, and job boards, as well as traditional advertising mediums, including newspapers, event sponsorships, etc. We also frequently participate in traditional job fairs, distribute materials to colleges and military bases, and pursue other marketing opportunities. Subscribing agencies are provided "business cards" that can be distributed (in lieu of extensive application packets, etc.) by HR personnel, line-employees and others to prospective applicants - an effective and convenient recruiting tool! We will provide a link to your agency on our website and ask that you provide our link on yours as well; candidates interested in your agency will frequently check out your website first!

Is it expensive for applicants?

As is common in many professions, we charge the applicant a testing fee for the convenience and flexibility of our services. In our research with many candidates in the development of our services, it was clear that the traditional testing process was extremely costly in terms of opportunity costs for missed work, out-of-pocket travel expenses, individual agency fees, and more. To say nothing of the impossibility of being at two separate locations when agencies were conducting tests on the same day.

Applicants indicated their willingness to pay for the flexibility and convenience that we offer - and the ability to apply to multiple agencies and take only one written exam and one physical ability test. You can view candidate prices on our Pricing Schedule.

Can our agency continue its testing process as well?

Possibly.

Because civil service rules usually prohibit multiple eligibility lists for the same class of hires, your testing process (written exam, PAT, etc.) would have to mirror our process. We are pleased to say that many of the agencies that were initially conducting parallel testing have decided to use our services exclusively as they were pleased with the results experienced related to both police and firefighter testing.

How much will it cost our agency and what will we get in return?

For a fraction of what you spend now to advertise, recruit, process applications, conduct, and process tests, PST will do it for you. Not only will your agency spend much less, but you will also have a better - and frequently updated - candidate pool! Annual fees are based on the size of the agency - please contact us for details.

Public Safety Testing will:

  • Advertise - you get exposure both locally, statewide, and nationwide
  • Market via colleges, military bases, alternative community newspapers, job fairs, social media, etc.
  • Process applications - we handle the paperwork!
  • Administer the written exam
  • Administer the Physical Ability Test
  • Provide you the names of candidates and test scores of candidates that have passed the examinations you require, and that want to work for your agency
  • Provide a comprehensive Personal History Statement (PHS) for each candidate
  • Provide a detailed report that describes how each candidate performed on each dimension of the written examination.
  • Provide other needed services such as promotional exams, assessment centers, polygraph examinations, EyeDetect lie detection, comprehensive pre-employment background investigations, workplace misconduct investigations, and other HR services.

What are subscribing agency representatives saying about your services?

We continuously seek feedback from agencies and applicants. We are in continuous communication with our agency representatives and conduct annual all-agency meetings with them. Some agency representative comments:

  • Just a note of appreciation on Saturday's test. I must say I was extremely impressed with your processes and your staff in the test administration.  Extremely professional and well thought out. My confidence in your company could not be higher.
  • There are three things I will never live without: my husband, my washer & dryer, and PST.
  • When we switched to PST, we immediately experienced a noticeable increase in candidate quality and quantity.

  • Cost effective, convenient and good candidates.

  • Great customer and agency support.

Do you offer other services?

Yes. We offer a variety of customized consulting and HR services. These include background investigations, promotional examinations, assessment centers, polygraph examinations, EyeDetect lie detection, CPAT transportability studies, and other customized services.