The CPS (Cooperative Personal Services) test consists of 100 questions and made up of five different categories.

• Listen-to Passage (20 Questions) – The scenario will be read to the group in under 10 minutes or there may be two smaller sections read back-to-back ranging from 1 ½ - 3 minutes.
• Mathematics (20 Questions)
• Mechanical Aptitude (20 Questions)
• Reading Comprehension (25 Questions)
• Dealing with People (15 Questions)

The CPS test is the most common entry firefighting test you will find in Ontario. The rest of Canada and the United States use tests that resemble the CPS tests. Categories commonly found on these tests include any number of the following (not in any particular order).

• Memory of understanding oral information
• Mapping
• Understanding written firefighter material
• Grammar
• Mathematical reasoning
• Understanding three-dimensional diagrams
• Mechanical aptitude
• Construction
• Tool recognition
• Teamwork
• Community living

Each category is then given values that help fire departments grade each test. The test you write could have all of these topics or only a few. It really depends on what categories are important to the fire department that created the test.

It's important to be prepared as well as confident when entering a firefighting test. You don't have to be an experienced firefighter to do well. With a grade 12 education or equivalent, you should have no problems completing the mathematical portion on this exam.

**For Information regarding firefighter tests and how to prepare for them.  Refer to the book The Complete Guide to Becoming a Firefighter.