Petersons - Master the Firefighter Exam

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2009 Petersons, a Nelnet company

Previous editions 1981, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005

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ISBN-13: 978-0-7689-3505-9

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Check out our Web site at www.Petersonspublishing.com/publishing to see if there is any new information regarding the test and any revisions or corrections to the content of this book. Weve made sure the information in this book is accurate and up-to-date; however, the test format or content may have changed since the time of publication.

You want to become a firefighter. Thats great! Every city, town, and village needs qualified and enthusiastic new recruits to maintain a full firefighting staff. Youve made a good start toward becoming a firefighter by buying this book.

Master the Firefighter Exam has been carefully researched and written to help you through the qualifying process. This book will show you what to expect on your written exam and will give you a speedy brush-up on the subjects covered. It will also provide valuable tips on how to prepare for the physical aptitude portion of the screening process.

Some of the subjects covered on the written exam are not taught in schools, so even if your study time is very limited, you should:

• Become familiar with the type of examination you will take
• Improve your general test-taking skills
• Improve your skills in analyzing and answering questions involving reasoning, judgment, comparison, and evaluation
• Increase your speed and skills in reading and in understanding what you read (an important part of your ability to learn and a major part of most written tests)

This book presents different types of questions that have appeared on actual firefighter exams. Armed with this book you will learn to do the following:

• Find your weaknesses. Once you know what subjects you need help with, you can concentrate on strengthening those areas. This kind of selective study yields the best test results.
• Get the feelof the exam. All the questions in the Practice Tests, as well as the chapters that provide instruction in answering reading comprehension, reasoning and judgment, and spatial orientation questions have been taken from actual firefighter exams from around the country. You will gain experience in answering real test questions.
• Build your confidence as you prepare for the test. Practicing for the written exam with real firefighter exam questions will build your self-confidence and will help prevent the test anxiety that sometimes contributes to low test scores.

All firefighter exams are not alike; every city administers its own exam. The number of questions, the timing, and the actual content of firefighter exams vary from one municipality to another. Nearly all firefighter exams, however, use the multiple-choice question format and cover basic subject areas such as reading, reasoning and judgment, use of maps and diagrams, and observation and memory. All of these areas are covered in this book, so you can gain plenty of practice with every type of question.

Every question in this book comes with a detailed answer explanation. You will learn immediately why a correct answer is correct and why a wrong answer is wrong. Studying answer explanations for all the questions in the bookeven those you answer correctlywill serve as a course in itself.

Carefully read each chapter of Master the Firefighter Exam, and do not skip any information. You must know what to expect and then prepare yourself for it. The better prepared you are, the more confident you will feel about taking the exam. If you feel confident, youre more likely to answer questions quickly and decisively, complete the exam, and earn a high score. Greater confidence will also help you enter the physical performance course without hesitation, so you will be better able to prove that you are fit for the job. Here are seven tips to start you off:

	Set up a study schedule. Assign yourself a period each day devoted to preparing for your firefighter exam. A regular schedule is best, but the important thing is to study daily, even if you cant do so at the same time every day.
	Study alone. You will concentrate better if you work by yourself. Make a list of questions that you find puzzling and points of which youre unsure. Later, discuss the items on the list with a friend who is preparing for the same exam. Exchange ideas and discuss more difficult questions at a joint review session shortly before the exam date.
	Eliminate distractions. Choose a quiet, well-lit spot that is removed from distractions such as telephones, televisions, computers, and family activities. Try to arrange not to be interrupted.
	Start at the beginning and read carefully. Underline points that you consider significant. Make marginal notes. Flag the pages you think are especially important
	Concentrate on the information and instruction chapters. Learn the vocabulary of the job. Get yourself psyched to enter the world of firefighting. Learn how to handle reading-based questions. Focus on eliminating wrong answers an important method for answering multiple-choice questions, but an especially questions and vital way to correctly answer questions involving reasoning and judgment.
	Answer the practice questions in each chapter. Study the answer explanations. You can learn a great deal from them, even when you have answered correctly. The explanations might bring out points that had not occurred to you. This same suggestion applies throughout this book, not only to the practice tests but also to instructional chapters.