CHP Exam Strategies

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) written examfamiliar with and use regularly -- and studying
will demand that you show you have certainconsists mostly of refreshing that knowledge.
acquired knowledge in writing and readingSince a dictionary isn't exactly light reading, a
comprehension, plus the skills necessary to applybetter preparation would be to find and use CHP
that knowledge correctly.written practice tests. If you hit a brick wall
The first portion, the Writing Skills Test measuresquestion, use each of the answer choices in the
clarity, vocabulary, and spelling. Seems prettysame test question/sentence and go with the one
straightforward -- identify clearly writtenthat makes sense to you. If two words seem to
sentences, choose words that match the meaningbe options, try to determine what the difference
of other words, and choose correctly spelledis between those two words first; then try using
words. These three sections all contain multipleeach in the test sentence. One will sound clearer
choice questions -- piece of cake, right?to you than the other -- this is your answer
Wrong! Before you even begin to study for thischoice.
test, you need to train yourself to focus on eachThe Spelling section demands concentration and
task, each question, as you come to it. Multiplestaying on target. While this may seem the
choice questions can lure you into scanning modeeasiest to some test-takers, it is also the section
-- reading the question quickly and scanning yourthat trips up the overconfident. You are tired,
choices for a quick response. Do not fall into thisstressed, have pored through sentences and
mental trap. Scanning means we look for keyword meanings, and now all you have to do is
words or phrases that would normally trigger apick the right spelling of one word in a sentence.
correct answer to a dilemma or problem.The simplicity of it can be deceptive. You may
However, in this case, the test makers use thishave the tendency to relax, to fall into scanning
generalized approach to intelligence gatheringmode, or to not follow through completely on
against you by offering answers that, at firstmarking your answer.
glance, appear to be correct. A closer look thoughThis is not the time to let up your concentration!
reveals that an important qualifying word isTake a few deep breaths to oxygenate and
missing -- and the answer is wrong.refresh yourself, and then dive into this section.
You can boost your score on the Writing ClarityFocus on the sentence first, and then the spelling
section by studying the elements of writing thatchoices. Make your correct choice decision, focus
qualify statements and sentence information, suchon the letter assigned to your answer, and ensure
as modifiers, references, and sentence boundaries.that this is the letter you mark on your test
If you are shaking your head again, you need toscoring sheet.
find a study guide that will explain these qualifiers,Nothing is worse than missing a score because
teach you how to identify them with confidence,although you knew the right spelling, you lost your
and provide you with practice questions.focus at the last moment and marked down the
The Vocabulary section is simple and to the point.wrong letter.
Choose the word with the meaning that is closestThe key failure phrase throughout the first
to the underlined word in the test sentence. Thisportion of the written test is: you lost your focus.
portion of the test relies most on your acquiredReplace that phrase with: you never lost your
knowledge -- the vocabulary you are alreadyfocus -- and enjoy the sweet taste of success!