The UDEE Test (Uniformed Division Entrance Exam) is used to test candidates for service in the uniformed units of the United States Secret Service. This is a computer-based exam that is intended to evaluate candidates regardless of whether they have prior law enforcement or military background so that all applicants have an equal opportunity to succeed.
It is a challenging exam, including a total of 300 questions and taking up 3 hours and 45 minutes (including breaks), and is comprised of 6 sections:
Further below we explore each section in more detail, including sample questions and answers.
The Uniformed Division Entrance Exam is separated into six sections, each measuring a different set of cognitive or behavioral skills.
Let's go over the sections one by one, including sample questions with answers.
UDEE Test Section #1 - Critical Thinking
In this UDEE test section, you will be shown a series of passages, and have to answer questions to demonstrate that you've been able to understand the passages in-depth. This section has 23 questions and will take you about 30 minutes to complete.
The questions follow a standard format – each passage is followed by several statements, which you must rank either True, False, or Indeterminable based on your understanding of the passage.
An inmate's jailhouse phone call instructing relatives to relay to his attorney his willingness to accept a plea deal is not protected by attorney-client privilege, a federal appeals panel has ruled.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that the inmate—who knew that his call was being recorded—-did not have a "reasonable expectation of confidentiality" when he told his sister to tell his brother to tell his attorney that he wanted to discuss whether he could "cop-out" before an indictment.
Because the inmate "was aware that his calls were being recorded, and there is no indication that he could not have contacted his attorney directly without being monitored, the district court did not abuse its discretion in finding there was no reasonable expectation of confidentiality in his communications," a unanimous circuit panel stated.
The court found that phone calls made in prison by inmates are not protected by the attorney-client privilege.
UDEE Test Section #2 - Situational Judgment
In this section, containing 82 questions to be solved in 34 minutes, you will be shown 15 brief animated scenarios that can plausibly come up during your employment as a Uniformed Division officer.
For each scenario, you are given 5-6 responses (a total of 82 responses that are divided between the 15 different scenarios) and you are requested to rank them on a 7-point scale between 'Very Ineffective' to 'Very Effective'.
The Situational Judgment section is intended to evaluate your expected behavior in interpersonal scenarios and your general sense of professionalism – not your knowledge of the law!
Jen has recently joined your team. She seems responsible and eager to learn. After a two-week training period, you feel that she is ready to begin taking some part in projects and learn from working with more experienced officers.
You assign her to Tim - a highly qualified and experienced officer who is currently loaded with work and you believe could use her help.
However, when you talk to Tim about your decision, he objects to it, saying that training a new employee will only slow down his pace.
Please judge the effectiveness of each statement for holding the situation using the following rating scale:
Core competency: responsibility for subordinates, influence.
Secondary competencies: decision making, flexibility, and adaptability.
In response A you show sympathy for Tim’s feelings, but you don’t take any action to ease the situation for him. Whether or not Tim’s objection is justified, his concerns are appropriate and deserve proper consideration. This response shows appreciation for his capability, but lacks a serious consideration of his concerns. This response lacks responsibility for his situation and is unlikely to motivate him to cooperate. Even though you want him to train Jen, it’s better to find ways to make him feel more comfortable with the situation and to be an effective tutor.
This response is Moderately Ineffective.
Note that it is not Very Ineffective (it does not make the situation worse). However, of the given options it is the only one in which you don’t take any action to address Tim’s concerns. Taking this response, the chances of influencing Tim to cooperate on the task are lower. Not showing any flexibility or an active attempt to address his concerns might antagonize Tim instead of motivating him.
In response B you involve Tim in the problem solution. You show flexibility by being open to new ideas, as well as an appreciation of his input (decision making). However, you take a big step back and set the responsibility exclusively on Tim.
Therefore, this response is Slightly Ineffective.
In response C, as in response A, you reject Tim’s objections and stand behind your decision. However, in this response, you make an effort to motivate (influence) Tim by showing him how he could benefit from this decision. You address his concerns seriously and explain how they could be solved using this opportunity. This response demonstrates a respectful approach to employees’ complaints, influence, and authority.
Therefore, this response is Moderately Effective.
In response D, you are both flexible AND influencing. You stand behind your decision, but at the same time take Tim's concerns into consideration and offer a practical approach to address them.
Therefore, this response is Very Effective.
UDEE Test Section #3 - Memory Skills
In this section of the test, you will be asked a range of questions about the situations you've dealt with in the Situational Judgement Test Section.
This is a fairly brief section – it contains only 12 questions, and you have 8 minutes to answer them.
It's important to pay attention to the scenarios in the previous section – the instructions for UDEE Test Section 2 won't remind you of this. Although the test instructions state that you will not be expected to memorize minute details about the scenarios, in reality, you often will be.
The reason Tim did not want to train Jen was:
UDEE Test Section #4 - Figural Reasoning
This section is a logic test, in which you will be asked to look at a number of figures that follow a pattern. You will be asked to choose which figure correctly completes the pattern. This section contains 14 minutes to be solved in 32 minutes.
UDEE Test Section #5 - Writing
The writing section of the Uniformed Division Entrance Exam is a test of your English skills.
It is not a traditional writing assignment. Like the other sections, this is a multiple-choice test where you will be shown a variety of sample texts and asked to correct grammar, syntax, and spelling mistakes in them.
You will be given 35 minutes to answer 30 questions.
When training for the army, one should consider not only the rigorous physical demands but also the emotional toll, should he enlist.
UDEE Test Section #6 - Work Style Inventory
This last UDEE test section aims to assess who you are as a person and how you act in a workplace.
For this purpose, the test presents 139 statements. You need to rank, on a 1-5 scale, how well each statement describes your behavior in the workplace. You will have 25 minutes to complete this section.
I often worry about things to come.
The official promotional materials for the UDEE tests will tell you that "there are no right or wrong answers" and that all you need to do is answer truthfully – but of course, this is somewhat optimistic.
The Secret Service, like all employers, will be looking for specific answers that they associate with desirable and professional candidates – in your preparation you should learn which answers are preferable.
Taking the UDEE Test
The UDEE test is taken at the Pearson VUE examination center.
The volume of material and the time taken to complete the test are substantial (nearly 4 hours). That means that it is essential to prepare not only in terms of studying for the exam, but also for the fact that the exam will essentially take up an entire day if you consider the task of getting there, waiting for the exam to start, and getting back.
Prepare for Your UDEE Test