How to Study for the Firefighter Written Exam: Strategies That Actually Work

The written exam is usually the first hurdle in the firefighter hiring process, and it eliminates more candidates than any other step. Not because the material is impossibly difficult, but because most candidates do not take it seriously enough or do not know how to study for it effectively. They figure they are smart enough to wing it, they cram the night before, or they study the wrong material entirely. Then they score in the middle of the pack and wonder why they never get called for an oral board.

Here is the reality. In a competitive hiring process, the difference between getting an interview and getting passed over often comes down to a few points on the written exam. If 200 people take the test and the department interviews the top 30, you need to be in that top 15 percent. A score of 85 might sound solid, but if 40 other candidates scored higher, your application is going nowhere. The written exam is a ranking tool, and your goal is to rank as high as possible.

What Is on the Test

Written exams vary by department, but most fall into a few common categories. The majority of departments use either a nationally standardized test from a vendor like National Testing Network, CWH, or IPMA-HR, or they develop their own exam in-house. Regardless of the source, the content areas are generally the same.

Reading comprehension is the largest section on most firefighter written exams, often making up 30 to 40 percent of the total score. You will be given passages to read and then answer questions about what you read. The passages might be about fire behavior, building construction, emergency medical procedures, or department policies. The questions test whether you understood the information, can draw correct conclusions from it, and can distinguish between what the passage says and what you might assume.

The key to reading comprehension questions is answering based only on what the passage states. Do not bring in outside knowledge, even if you know the subject well. If the passage says water boils at 200 degrees in a fictional scenario, and the question asks at what temperature water boils according to the passage, the answer is 200 degrees. Test creators deliberately include answer choices that are factually correct but not supported by the passage. This trips up firefighters and EMTs who already have training because they answer from their knowledge base instead of from the text.

Mechanical aptitude is the second most common content area. These questions test your understanding of basic physics, simple machines, gears, pulleys, levers, hydraulics, and spatial reasoning. You might be shown a diagram of a gear system and asked which direction a specific gear rotates. You might be asked to calculate mechanical advantage or identify which tool applies the most force. If you do not have a strong background in mechanics, this is the section where targeted studying pays off the most.

Mathematical reasoning covers basic arithmetic, fractions, percentages, ratios, and word problems. You might be asked to calculate the volume of water in a tank, determine a flow rate, or figure out how to divide resources among multiple units. The math itself is not advanced, but it is presented in word problem format, which requires you to identify what the question is actually asking before you can solve it.

Spatial orientation questions test your ability to navigate mentally through a described environment. You might be given a map or a floor plan and asked to determine the shortest route, identify which direction you would be facing after a series of turns, or locate a specific position relative to other landmarks. These questions simulate the kind of spatial awareness firefighters need when navigating inside smoke-filled buildings.

Situational judgment questions present scenarios and ask how you would respond. These are not fire-specific scenarios in most cases. They test your judgment, interpersonal skills, and decision-making. You might be asked how you would handle a coworker who is not pulling their weight, what you would do if you witnessed a policy violation, or how you would prioritize conflicting demands. There are no trick answers here. The panel wants to see that you can think through a situation, consider consequences, and make a reasonable decision.

How to Study Effectively

Start studying at least six to eight weeks before your exam date. Cramming does not work for the type of material on firefighter written exams. Reading comprehension and situational judgment improve with practice over time, not with a single marathon study session.

Get a quality study guide. Several publishers produce firefighter exam prep materials, and most of them cover the common content areas. Look for guides that include full-length practice exams with answer explanations. The explanations are more valuable than the questions themselves because they teach you the reasoning behind correct answers, not just what the right answer is.

FireRescue1 at firerescue1.com maintains a library of career development resources including test preparation guidance and articles written by fire service professionals who have been through the hiring process. Their content can supplement a formal study guide and give you additional perspective on what departments are looking for.

Take practice tests under timed conditions. Most written exams give you a set amount of time, usually two to three hours, to complete the test. Practicing under timed conditions helps you develop the pacing you need to finish without rushing. If you consistently finish practice tests with a lot of time left, slow down and double-check your work. If you consistently run out of time, work on your speed in the areas where you are slowest.

For reading comprehension, practice by reading unfamiliar nonfiction material and summarizing what you read. Fire service textbooks, NFPA standards, and IFSTA manuals are good sources because they are similar to the type of technical prose you will encounter on the exam. After reading a passage, close the book and see if you can recall the main points and specific details. This builds the active reading skills you need on test day.

For mechanical aptitude, use a dedicated study guide that covers basic physics concepts. Barron's Mechanical Aptitude and Spatial Relations Test guide is widely used and covers the fundamentals. If gears, pulleys, and levers are completely foreign to you, start with the basics and build up. YouTube has excellent visual explanations of simple machines and mechanical advantage that can make abstract concepts click.

For math, practice word problems specifically. The calculations themselves are straightforward, but the challenge is translating the word problem into a math equation. Read the problem twice before you start calculating. Identify what you are solving for, what information you have been given, and what operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) you need to apply.

Test Day Strategies

Get a full night of sleep before the exam. Arrive early. Bring multiple sharpened pencils, a photo ID, and whatever documents the testing agency specified. Do not bring your phone into the testing room if the rules prohibit it.

Read each question carefully and completely before looking at the answer choices. On reading comprehension questions, read the passage first, then the questions, then refer back to the passage for specific answers. Do not rely on memory alone.

If you get stuck on a question, mark it and move on. Come back to it after you have finished the questions you are confident about. Do not spend five minutes on one question while 30 others remain unanswered.

Eliminate obviously wrong answers first. Most multiple choice exams have four options. If you can eliminate two, you have a 50 percent chance of guessing correctly on the remaining two. That is much better than a 25 percent random guess.

Do not change your answers unless you have a specific reason to. Research consistently shows that your first instinct on a test question is more often correct than a second guess. If you re-read the question and find information that clearly points to a different answer, change it. If you are just second-guessing yourself out of anxiety, leave it alone.

After the Test

Some departments post results within days. Others take weeks. Use the waiting time productively. Start preparing for the oral board, maintain your physical fitness for the CPAT, and continue researching the departments you have applied to.

If your score is not what you hoped, do not give up. Many successful firefighters tested multiple times before they got hired. Analyze your weak areas, study harder, and test again. The written exam is a learnable skill, and your score will improve with focused preparation.

StruckBox gives future firefighters the training tools they need to prepare for every phase of the hiring process. From knowledge drills to scenario-based practice, we help you show up ready. Start at struckbox.com and put the work in now so you are ready when your number gets called.