CPS Firefighter Test – CPS Practice Tests and Study Guides
Yedidya Lixenberg

Yedidya, Firefighter Recruitment Expert at JobTestPrep.

Have a question? Contact me at: ask_the_team@jobtestprep.com

What is the CPS Firefighter Test

The CPS firefighter test is a cognitive and behavioral test that includes five sections: understanding written and oral information, mathematical ability & numerical Skills, maps and diagrams, mechanical aptitude, and an behavioral section. It includes 100 multiple choice questions and is limited to two hours. 

The CPS firefighter test is divided into five sections and these will contain seven possible areas of cognitive and behavioral abilities. In the following section, we will review every element of the CPS fire test and answer CPS practice test questions to give you a picture of the types of questions you will be answering in the real test. 

Is the CPS fire test not what you're looking for? Visit our main firefighter test page for more prep opportunities. 

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CPS Firefighter Test Sections

Verbal - 

  • Understanding Oral Information (listening exercise) – When reacting to an emergency, firefighters must operate in very loud environments and be able to decipher spoken verbal information accurately - this is often a matter of life or death. In this section, you will listen to recordings and answer questions related to the information in them. 
  • Reading Comprehension – During an emergency, there is usually an LED sign with scrolling texts explaining the situation, so it is important that your reading comprehension skills are up to par. This involves being able to identify crucial information in a text, and to read quickly and accurately - exactly what this section of the test measures. 

CPS Practice Test Question - Reading Comprehension

Read the following instructions, identify the relevant information, and answer the question below.

Dealing with a personal fire
If your clothes catch fire don’t run around; you will fan the flames and make them burn faster. The correct thing to do is to lie down as this makes it harder for the fire to spread and reduces the effect of flames on your face and head (flames burn upwards), smother the flames, and cover the flames with heavy material, like a coat or blanket; this blocks the fire's source of oxygen. Roll around – rolling smothers the flames.
If your escape route is blocked:
If you’re on the ground floor, go out of a window – throw bedding or cushions onto the ground outside to break your fall. If you can’t open the window, use a heavy object to break it at the bottom corner and cover any jagged edges with clothing, a towel or a blanket. Lower children as far as possible before letting them drop. Get an adult to break their fall if you can. Lower yourself by your arms from the window ledge before dropping.
If you can’t get out, get everyone into one room: choose a room with a window and, if you can, put cushions, towels or bedding at the bottom of the door to block smoke; open the window and call for help. Think now about which room might be best for this – you need a window that can be opened and, if possible, a phone for calling 999.

Which of the following statements is correct?

A. Allow children to jump out of the window if there is a blanket below.
B. Even if the escape route is blocked, try to get it open for other people to use it.
C. Put cushions in a safe room so everyone will be comfortable.
D. Use soft materials to break your fall.
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer
Explanation
The correct answer is option D as the text states: throw bedding or cushions onto the ground outside to break your fall.

 

 

 

How to Pass Your CPS Firefighter Test
The competition for every firefighter position is fierce, meaning that in order to begin your rewarding career in firefighting you will need to get a high score to help you stand out. The key to achieving your goal is preparation, plain and simple. 
With JobTestPrep's CPS fire test preparation pack you will receive the keys to success that you need - including CPS practice tests, study guides, score reports and more. 

Mathematical Ability 

Firefighters use a lot of math in their operations, and must be able to perform complex calculations while under the pressure of performing life-saving activities. For example, firefighters must be able to understand what hose length is needed to reach the scene of the fire, which ladder is the correct height, or how much water is still in the tank and if it is sufficient. The section contains multiple choice questions that cover two main aspects of mathematical ability - word problems, and arithmetic reasoning. 

Let's review a couple of questions that represent the mathematical ability section of the CPS firefighter test: 

CPS Practice Test Question - Mathematical Ability

What is the value of X?

x/2 = (x+1)/3

A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4
E. 5
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer
Explanation

x/2 = (x+1)/3 / Find a common denominator
3x/6 = 2(x+1)/6 / Multiply both sides by 6
3x = 2(x+1) / Multiply out the brackets
3x = 2x+2 / Subtract 2x from each side
x = 2
  
   

Another way to solve the equation is cross multiplying both sides of the equation by the respective denominator:

x/2 = (x+1)/3     //Cross multiply by the respective denominator

3*x = 2*(x+1)   //Open the brackets

3x = 2x + 2      //Move variables to one side of the equation and numbers to the other side

3x - 2x = 2

x = 2

CPS Practice Test Question - Word Problems

A shop owner bought some shovels for $5,500. The shovels were sold for $7,300, with a profit of $50 per shovel. How many shovels were involved?

18
36
55
73
90
None of these
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is 36.


The total profit from the sale is the selling price minus the cost of purchase, which is $7300-$5500= $1800.
If the total profit is $1800 and each shovel accounts for $50 profit, the amount of shovels is 1800/50=36.

Did you know that the passing under 20% of candidates pass the CPS in many fire stations? This is why accurate and thorough prep is essential!

Maps & Diagrams

A firefighter must be able to navigate quickly and effectively, be it en route to the site of an incident, or inside a structure. This is why understanding how to read a map well is a crucial part of every firefighter's toolbox. In this section of the CPS fire test your spatial reasoning abilities will be tested, as well as your ability to use a map effectively. Let's have a look at a representative question:

CPS Practice Test Question - Maps & Diagrams

If a firetruck is heading Northeast and then turns right, left, right, and right again, in which direction is it then headed?

A. Northeast
B. South
C. Southeast
D.Southwest
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is D.

Mechanical Aptitude

Be it the firetruck, hoses, ladders, pulleys, or any other of the many tools of the trade, the firefighter relies heavily on being to apply mechanical principles effectively. The mechanical aptitude section measures your basic understanding of mechanics, and how they relate to the many tools that that you will be using on the job. The questions in this section can be especially tricky under a strict time limit, so brushing up on your mechanical aptitude is essential. 

CPS Practice Test Question - Mechanical Aptitude

Danny received a bunch of colorful helium balloons for his birthday. One of the balloons was not attached properly and flew away.

Assuming the temperature remains constant, what will be the volume of the balloon at a very high altitude?

A. Smaller
B. Bigger
C. Unchanged
D.Cannot Say
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is B.

In order to answer this question one should know the Ideal Gas Law:

PV=nRT

where P =pressure, V = volume, n = number of moles of gas (amount of gas), R = Gas constant, T = temperature.

Since we know the temperature is constant, the right side of the equation will also be constant (providing the amount of gas in the balloon remains constant, meaning: PV = Const, at all times.

As the balloon raises atmospheric pressure decreases since the amount of air above it the balloon is reduced (similar to hydrostatic pressure).

If the pressure decreases (as the balloon raises) then the volume must increase in order for P*V to remain constant.

Situational Judgement Test

This section is similar to a personality test, but with a focus  situational judgment, i.e. how you are likely to react in the daily interpersonal interactions typically encountered in fire departments and on the job as a firefighter. The reason this section is included in the CPS test is that firefighters must live and work together for extended periods in close quarters, as well as interact with civilians experiencing extremely difficult moments. Firefighters are therefore expected to hold certain personality traits that will ensure they can handle these situations professionally. 

CPS Practice Test Question - Situational Judgement Test

During the last fire, the hose got caught in the truck. It took an extra five minutes to loosen the hose and lay it out long enough to reach the fire. Following this incident, your captain calls in Tom, the firefighter from your fire department who performed the last equipment check before you left. You know that your captain is upset after this dangerous error, and you know that Tom will get in trouble. You also remember that it was you who rolled the hose last and that you did it while talking on the phone, which may have distracted you.
What would be the worst response to this situation?

Wait to see what the captain will say to Tom before you take any rash actions.
Tell Tom that you think you should share the blame and suggest you talk to the captain together.
Talk to the captain, confess what you did, but emphasize that this is exactly why equipment checks are important.
Suggest to Tom that next time he should check the instruments more thoroughly. 
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is Talk to the captain, confess what you did, but emphasize that this is exactly why equipment checks are important.

Worst response: C
Competencies: Integrity (ethics), Interpersonal relations (teamwork)
Explanation: Following a dangerous incident, your teammate Tom is expected to be blamed for failing to spot a potential hazard in his inspection. Tom indeed should have found the error, but you are the one who caused it. You have a chance to either take responsibility for your part or to let Tom take all the blame. Notice that you are being asked about the worst response to the situation.

In response A, you wait. This seems like a passive response or a response that postpones your need to decide. However, deciding to wait is also a decision. Your first response is not to take responsibility. This is not a positive response, yet it is not the worst.

In response B, you take your share of the responsibility. You don't take the full blame, and indeed Tom has his part too. But you show solidarity and ethics. This is the best response.

Response C might be confusing. First, you confess to your part of the blame – you weren't focused enough while rolling the hose. You go on to emphasize why equipment inspections are important. While this is true, and they are indeed important, emphasizing it here seems to be an attempt to take the blame from you and turn it to Tom. You appear to be responsible, but in fact, you are trying to eat the cake and have it too – presenting yourself as ethical by confessing your part but also dodging the reprimand by pointing to someone else. This is the worst response.

In response D, you fail to confess your part in the incident and act insensitively to your teammate's situation. However, here you don't make things worse for him by trying to get your captain more upset with him. This is a negative response, but it is not the worst.

Please not that our CPS Test preparation pack doesn't currently prepare for the situational judgement section - we're working on an update as we speak!

Prepare For The CPS Firefighter Test

The CPS fire test combines many different cognitive ability assessments, and under a strict time limit this can be a highly challenging. To ensure that you have the highest chances of getting the score you deserve on the test and get to the next stage of the hiring process, you need to treat this test seriously and work hard towards it. 

With our accurate prep materials, including CPS practice tests and study guides that will help you prepare both for the question types and the time constraints of the test, you can be sure that you will arrive at the test ready to ace it.  

 

Firefighter Tests - Prep Resources 

JobTestPrep has a wide array of prep materials including practice tests and study guides for firefighter tests, aimed to help candidates overcome the tough hiring process and begin their career in the fire stations of their choice.

Visit our free firefighter practice questions page to learn more about firefighter tests and our many other prep opportunities. For example, you can prepare for the Gledhill Shaw test, learn about the requirements of the IO solutions firefighter test, the firefighter physical test and more. 

 

 

 

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