Are You Ready for the 2024 Civil Service Exam?

The 2024 Civil Service Exam starts on Saturday, March 16, and the New Bedford Police Department wants to make sure you’re prepared.

“The Civil Service test is an entry level exam for those who wish to be police officers in Massachusetts. It consists of three parts to the test — theirs an abilities test, theirs a workstyle questionnaire, and a life experience survey,” said Deputy Assistant Chief Derek Belong.

Assistant Deputy Chief Derek Belong has been with the department for nearly two decades and is an instructor for the Civil Service Exam prep course that New Bedford offers to sharpen up applicants for the big test taking day.

“The class itself, the seminar is three hours long, and what we do in that seminar is we take the preparation guide that Massachusetts gives to all applicants and we will break it down piece by piece,” he said.

Why is taking the Civil Service Exam so important? Over the past few years, the U.S. has seen a national trend of less and less people interested in law enforcement.

“It’s so important for people to take this exam because this is the main avenue for those who wish to be police officers in Massachusetts, and theirs an obvious need for law enforcement throughout the country, including Massachusetts.”

The NBPD says the prep course is a great opportunity for them to help those wishing to take the exam in preparation for it.

“The benefits from our experience is that its gonna help the applicant understand the process, what to expect when they take the exam, not just on the test but actually showing up for the seminar where they’re gonna go, the instructions to follow that are given to them from the state, its gonna help them understand the material that they will be asked to answer,” said ADC Belong.

Anyone who is looking to be a police officer in Massachusetts, who has signed up for the entry level exam, or is interested in doing so next year, is welcome to attend the class on Saturday, February 24, starting at 11 a.m. at Keith Middle School.

Belong added, “We would recommend that all applicants bring a copy of the preparation guide which can be found on the civil service website for Massachusetts, a notepad, a pencil, and a willingness to learn.”

To sign up for the prep course, or if you have questions about the Civil Service Exam, reach out to the training division at TrainingDivision@newbedfordpd.com.

“And we’ll point you in the right direction,” said Sgt. Trevor Sylvia, whose in charge of training and development at the NBPD.