Your agency picks which CritiCall modules you take, so two dispatcher applicants rarely sit the same test

Dispatcher tests such as CritiCall reward working accurately at speed: checking details against each other, reading a map, deciding priorities and doing quick arithmetic while a clock runs. Our CCAT-style test trains speed and attention under a tight time limit, and the WorkKeys practice test adds reading charts and maps.

CritiCall is built around audio and keyboard tasks: typing from dictation, summarizing a recorded call, entering addresses into forms and multitasking while listening. None of our tests uses audio or typing. Build typing speed and listening practice separately, and use our tests only for the reasoning and attention parts.

CritiCall is software that agencies configure. Prep sites put the full bank at somewhere between about 15 and 23 modules; one local testing description lists a session of ten. The variation is the point: a small county center might test typing, data entry and map reading, while a large city adds prioritization and multitasking.

Ask the agency which modules you will take and what score each needs. Some centers, such as Denton County in Texas, test candidates on the full set of modules and note that a hiring agency may still ask you to retest. That detail tells you whether to prepare broadly or focus.

Data entry modules give you call cards or spoken messages and ask you to enter names, addresses and phone numbers into fields exactly as given. Only accurately saved entries count. Call summarization plays a recorded call or short scenario and asks you to capture the key facts, then enter them in the right boxes.

Typing speed matters even in modules that are not called typing tests. Aim for a comfortable 40 words per minute with high accuracy before test day, and practice typing while someone reads you addresses aloud. Spelling counts: an address entered with one wrong letter sends a unit to the wrong street.

Cross-reference modules ask you to match information across tables or spot the differences between two versions of the same record. It is close to the attention-to-detail items on general aptitude tests, so the timed checking in our CCAT practice test is fair practice.

Map reading questions show a street grid with one-way streets, landmarks and obstacles, and ask for the quickest route or a direction. Prep sites describe them as multiple choice and quick. Practise with real city maps: pick two points and plan a route in 20 seconds, then check it. Our WorkKeys graphic literacy test adds practice reading maps and charts.

Some modules give a set of incoming calls or incidents and ask you to rank them. The logic is the logic of the job: threats to life first, then crimes in progress and property threats, then reports of things already over. When two calls look equal, choose the one where a delay would change the outcome.

Decision-making items may also ask which unit to send or which question to ask a caller first. Keep the caller's safety and location at the top of every answer; a dispatcher who knows where someone is can always send help.

CritiCall is usually given on site under supervision, often with headphones. Bring glasses if you need them and arrive early enough to settle. Before audio modules you can usually adjust the volume; do so, because missing a word in a recording costs points you cannot get back.

Read each module's instructions slowly even though the clock is visible. Many points are lost by entering data in the wrong format, such as a phone number with dashes when the field expected digits only.

These come from anonymous reviews, university careers pages and prep guides. They often disagree, and 911 dispatcher (United States) has not confirmed them. Read them as leads, not rules.

• Prep sites describe the full CritiCall bank as 15 to 23 modules, while one local testing description mentions a ten-module session.
• Prep sites say CritiCall is supplied by Biddle Consulting Group and is administered on site and supervised.
• Practice sites give typing minimums from 25 to 35 net words per minute as examples, but agencies set their own.