# Being observant



## USAF286 (May 20, 2011)

It's fairly obvious that being observant is a critical part of being a LEO. The several tests I have taken the majority off them had the picture of some scene which you got to look at for roughly 1 minute, and then answer several questions about it. My question is does anyone have any type of tricks they have picked up or mental exercises they learned at the academy that will help improve this ability? I know it's an awkward question but reason being is I tend to struggle with this section while testing because I second guest myself.


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## Guest (Dec 20, 2011)

I took that test for my first police job, and aced it (100%).

I drew a picture of the picture, then made quick notations of the more subtle things. Mine was a bank robbery in-progress, so I made notes about the relative heights of the suspects compared to fixed objects (doorway, tables) as well as the number of customers and employees in the bank, a possible getaway car outside the doors, etc.


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## chief801 (Dec 8, 2004)

Make up a story in your mind that goes along with the picture instead of trying to just remember bits and pieces of information. It is much easier to recall the details if you place them into some sort of context, as opposed to trying to remember 500 different things.


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## LGriffin (Apr 2, 2009)

You have to think like a police officer when you take these tests and there very basic scenes but you can hone your eidetic memory by locating tests around the web:
Eidetic Memory Test - YouTube
How to Train Your Memory (BBC, 2003) - YouTube
Brain Games & Brain Training - Lumosity

It's fun when it's a test, but once you get on, you may find that the greater problem is removing images from your brain.


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## USAF286 (May 20, 2011)

LGriffin said:


> You have to think like a police officer when you take these tests and there very basic scenes but you can hone your eidetic memory by locating tests around the web:
> Eidetic Memory Test - YouTube
> How to Train Your Memory (BBC, 2003) - YouTube
> Brain Games & Brain Training - Lumosity
> ...


I appreciate those sites!


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## 263FPD (Oct 29, 2004)

This will not answer your question and is more of a statement then anything else. No One is born to do this job. That said, it has to become a way of life while you are doing the job. Obviously you should not rake it home with you but as far as powers of observations go, you either have it or you don't. You can develop those powers over time but some people go through their career with blinders on. They skate through their 30 years never accomplishing anything more then mediocre. If you don't do that well on the observations part of the test, it doesn't mean that you don't have what it takes. Some of these skills have to be developed and practiced over time. I tend to notice more shit then I did as a civilian, and I most certainly see Ore things then I could see at the starts of my career. If you can't grasp all the details now, it doesn't mean you can't train yourself to do it later. It is a talent for some, a learned skill for others, and some people will never have it at all.


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## lofu (Feb 25, 2006)

One trick I learned was to divide the picture into quadrants and focus on one quadrant at a time. Also pay close attention to the obvious like street names, addresses, business names, numbers of people or vehicles, numbers on emergency vehicles. Also, if there is a compass rose, take a good look at that. They might ask "which direction where the people running?" I once took a fire test for practice and they asked "which direction was the wind blowing?" You had to look at the direction the smoke was blowing as well as a flag that was drawn.

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk


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## 263FPD (Oct 29, 2004)

lofu said:


> One trick I learned was to divide the picture into quadrants and focus on one quadrant at a time. Also pay close attention to the obvious like street names, addresses, business names, numbers of people or vehicles, numbers on emergency vehicles. Also, if there is a compass rose, take a good look at that. They might ask "which direction where the people running?" I once took a fire test for practice and they asked "which direction was the wind blowing?" You had to look at the direction the smoke was blowing as well as a flag that was drawn.Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk


I thought the questions on the fire test would have something like "What's for dinner on wednesday? How much sleep can you get on an average shift that falls out on a weekday? If you runout if propane for the firehouse grill, where can you find the least expensive refill?"


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