The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement provides training and certification for peace officers, corrections officers, and telecommunicators. The TCOLE basic proficiency certificate, for example, is required to become a licensed peace officer in the state of Texas. The test will measure your understanding of the knowledge and skills you learned during your training.
Who Can Take the TCOLE Basic Peace Officer Proficiency Exam?
Before you can take the test, you need to meet certain criteria in order to be eligible for the Basic Peace Officer Proficiency exam.
- Currently possess an active license or appointment
- Have completed at least 1 year of service.
- Passed the following TCOLE training courses (or approved equivalents):
- Personnel Orientation
- Peace Officer Field Training
- Human Trafficking
Once you’ve provided the appropriate documentation to establish that you fulfill all of those requirements, you’ll be allowed to take the exam and move forward in the certification process.
What Do I Need to Bring on Test Day?
On the day of your test, you will need a valid, government-issued photo ID as well as the PID (Personal Identification Number) assigned to you by TCOLE. Beyond these things, you cannot bring anything else into the exam room with you that includes notes, books, your phone, or any other electronics.
If you require any special testing accommodations due to a diagnosed disability, you need to make those arrangements no less than 90 days before the date of your exam.
What Will I Be Tested On?
There will be a total of 250 multiple choice questions which will cover all the basics that you need to know as a peace officer in the state of Texas. That includes:
- Firearms training
- Texas penal code
- Physical fitness training
- Report writing
- Patrol tactics
- Criminal investigations
- Standardized field sobriety testing
- Self-defense techniques
- Traffic enforcement and investigations
- Crime scene investigation
You will have just 3 hours to get through all the questions covering each of these subjects so that means you really need to know your stuff and be able to identify the correct answer quickly. You will have less than one minute per question.
What Score Do I Need to Pass?
The minimum passing standard for the basic peace officer proficiency exam is 70%. That means that you need to answer at least 175 out of 250 questions correctly. You’ll find out your score immediately after finishing the test so you know right away whether or not you passed.
Once you have passed the exam and met all the other requirements, you will still be required to continue your training and education. All peace officers in the state of Texas must complete a minimum of 40 hours of qualified continuing education per 24 month period. That includes certain, required courses offered by TCOLE.
How Should I Prepare for the TCOLE Test?
Above all, pay attention and take diligent notes during your required training courses. What you learn in these classes is not only important for passing this test but for successfully doing your job as a peace officer. Once your training is done, the next steps are to review the material, make a study plan, and develop essential test taking skills like memory, recall, speed, and accuracy.
To do that, use the Mometrix Study Guide. This guide comes with much more than just a simple overview of the test material. You’ll get that chapter by chapter breakdown, of course, but you’ll also get practice questions, test taking tips and proven strategies for improving your performance come to test day. This guide has everything you need to do your best.
When you combine that with the Mometrix Flashcards, you’ll be able to study the material in a more engaging, interactive way. You can quiz yourself, play creative study games, and take them with you to squeeze in a few minutes of studying here and there throughout your day. Those mini sessions will add up to help reinforce the information you learn during your main study sessions.