Ninety people applied to become East Ridge police officers during 2014 but only 15 managed to pass the department’s initial written test — which is simply designed to measure skills such as reading comprehension, following directions and logic.
The test, which focuses on information not related to law enforcement, is one of the first of a half-dozen steps applicants must take to get a job at the East Ridge Police Department.
Most police departments across the country have similar initial tests.
But not all have the 17 percent pass rate that East Ridge saw last year. At the Chattanooga Police Department, for example, more than 60 percent of applicants passed the initial written exam.
“Most of the applicants who took the test in 2014 did fail the test,” said East Ridge police Cpl. Robert Wade.