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 CritiCall questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the CritiCall Public Safety Dispatcher Test blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Domain 1: Operational
Question 1
Under the four-service emergency-message rules, Police covers threatened or actual harm and damage to another person's property; Fire covers visible fire, a fire alarm, or rescue of a trapped person; EMS covers an emergency medical condition; and Utility covers malfunctioning public water, electrical, gas, heating, or sewer systems. A caller reports that a neighborhood transformer has failed and several homes have lost power. There is no smoke, flame, sparking, downed wire, injury, or trapped person. Select the service that applies.
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Correct answer: B - Utility response
Question 2
A caller states: 'I am at 47 West Elm Avenue, Apartment 6. My neighbor used a tire iron to break the passenger-side window of my parked car, then left eastbound on foot toward 3rd Street. No one is hurt, and I did not see a firearm. My callback is 555-0149.' Choose the dispatch entry that preserves the critical facts without adding or changing information.
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Correct answer: D - 47 West Elm Avenue, Apartment 6; neighbor broke the passenger window of caller's parked car with a tire iron; left eastbound on foot toward 3rd Street; no injuries or firearm seen; callback 555-0149.
Question 3
An agency scores character accuracy as correct characters divided by required characters, multiplied by 100, and net correct KPH as correct characters divided by minutes, multiplied by 60. Its qualifying thresholds are 98.0% accuracy and 3,500 net correct KPH. An applicant enters 1,182 characters correctly out of 1,200 required in 20 minutes. How should this result be classified?
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Correct answer: A - 98.5% accuracy and 3,546 KPH; the applicant qualifies on both measures.
Question 4
The caller begins, 'I am at 315 Oak Street, Unit 12.' After describing a silver pickup, a barking dog, and a blue mailbox, the caller says, 'I gave you the old address. The incident is at 351 Oak Street, Unit 21.' The final incident address to retain is:
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Correct answer: C - 351 Oak Street, Unit 21
Question 5
An agency lookup returns a record only when every requested field matches exactly. The screen shows: A - Nia Calder, DOB 08/14/1992, plate B80S25, phone 555-0126; B - Nia Calder, DOB 08/14/1992, plate B8OS25, phone 555-0162; C - Nia Calder, DOB 08/14/1992, plate B80S25, phone 555-0162; D - Mia Calder, DOB 08/14/1992, plate B80S25, phone 555-0162. The exact match for Nia Calder, DOB 08/14/1992, plate B80S25, and phone 555-0162 is:
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Correct answer: A - Record C
Question 6
On a north-up street grid, 3rd Street and 6th Street run north-south, three blocks apart, and Pine Avenue runs east-west. A caller starts at Pine Avenue and 3rd Street, travels three blocks east on Pine to 6th Street, then one block south. Where is the caller?
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Correct answer: D - One block south of Pine Avenue at 6th Street
Question 7
Source statement: 'Two vehicles are blocking the west entrance now.' Select the dispatch note that is grammatically correct and preserves the source meaning.
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Correct answer: C - Two vehicles are blocking the west entrance.
Domain 2: Situational
Question 8
Forty minutes before shift end, a dispatcher has two time-sensitive tasks and a required routine report. After estimating the remaining work, the dispatcher knows all three cannot be completed accurately before handoff. The shift lead can reassign work. What is the most dependable response?
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Correct answer: B - Tell the lead early, identify what is complete and what remains, and request prioritization or reassignment.
Question 9
During a radio read-back, a coworker repeats Apartment 3 even though the caller corrected it to Apartment 8. Select the clearest assertive response.
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Correct answer: A - The caller corrected the location to Apartment 8; the current read-back says 3. Please update it to 8 and read it back.
Question 10
A hostile caller uses insults but continues answering factual questions. The address is confirmed, and no threat toward the calltaker has been made. The response that best reflects resilience and composure is:
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Correct answer: C - Keep a steady tone and ask one concise factual question at a time.