What the California POST battery measures
POST describes its entry-level battery as 11 separately timed tests measuring verbal, reasoning, memory, and perceptual abilities. Public formats include reading and listening, rule application, prioritization, short-term recall, coded-information comparison, and switching attention between written and spoken information.
The complete official battery takes about two and a half to three hours, including a short break. It measures general abilities rather than knowledge of one agency's radio codes or dispatch software.
What CritiCall is
CritiCall is a dispatcher-applicant testing platform developed by Biddle Consulting Group. Its official materials describe configurable operational, situational, and other testing options that agencies can select for their own hiring needs. Because agencies can configure the battery, two CritiCall administrations may not contain exactly the same modules.
Official CritiCall applicant resources include a candidate preparation guide and limited sample activities. Applicants should use those materials when a hiring notice specifically names CritiCall.
The most important practical difference
A label such as dispatcher test, communications exam, or written examination does not identify the product by itself. POST states that the required abilities may be assessed by its dispatcher battery or by another job-related test. An agency can therefore meet its selection responsibilities through different assessment systems.
Do not assume that a POST-focused score, timer, question category, or practice strategy predicts a CritiCall result. Some underlying abilities overlap, but the interfaces, modules, instructions, scoring, and local cutoffs can differ.
How to confirm your test
- Read the full recruitment notice and every testing email.
- Look for the exact names California POST, POST Dispatcher Test, CritiCall, or another vendor.
- Ask the hiring contact which assessment will be administered if the notice is vague.
- Use the official candidate guide for the named assessment.
- Follow the local agency's timing, materials, identification, and score instructions.
How this website fits
California Dispatcher Practice is designed around the broad formats described in California POST's public examinee guide. Its questions are original and unofficial. It does not contain secure POST or CritiCall material, and it should not be presented as a CritiCall simulation.
The site's dual-voice call-taking trainer can strengthen listening, note-taking, and fact capture, but it is a separate applicant skill tool and not an official POST or CritiCall simulation.
Verify with the source
Official sources and further reading
Applicant procedures and agency requirements can change. Use these California POST pages to confirm current information and follow the directions from your testing agency.