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Government & Public Safety

Government & Public Safety

There are 6 government & public safety credentials in the TestPrepPilot directory: 6 national certifications awarded by a single body, and 0 licences issued by individual state boards across 0 states.

Police, firefighter and corrections entrance exams, fire service certification, federal hiring and postal assessments, dispatch and emergency management.

Credentials: 6
Specialisms: 5
National: 6

How do the main government & public safety credentials compare?

Verified figures for 6 of the national government & public safety credentials, drawn from each awarding body's published material. Fees change — confirm with the body before you book.

Credential	Awarded by	Exam fee	Length	Pass mark
FAA Air Traffic Controller Selection	Federal Aviation Administration	No fee (FAA hiring process)	~3 hours	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report
USPS Virtual Entry Assessment 474	United States Postal Service	Free — no registration fee; the exam is included in the USPS application	~30-45 minutes (no strict time limit; must be completed within 72 hours of invitation)	70% passing score (USPS publishes no cohort pass rates)
Corrections Officer Entrance Exam	State and county corrections agencies	Department-dependent	~2-3 hours	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report
NIMS ICS-100	FEMA Emergency Management Institute	Free	Untimed within the self-paced course	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report
Pro Board Firefighter I	National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications	Varies by academy	Varies by academy (written ~2 hours + stations)	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report
NYPD Police Officer Exam	New York City Police Department	Free	~3-4 hours	Passing score set by the awarding body; see the official score report

Which government & public safety credentials lead to the highest published pay?

Ranked by the median annual wage published for the occupation each credential unlocks — the most recent figure per occupation, quoted from the source named in the guide (usually the BLS occupational series). A credential is the entry ticket to an occupation, not a pay guarantee: these are occupation medians, not starting salaries.

FAA Air Traffic Controller Selection

$144,580 median for air traffic controllers (BLS, May 2024) — among the highest-paid federal civilian occupations, gated by an aptitude screen, not a test of aviation knowledge

The FAA publishes no AT-SA pass rate — instead it publishes hiring bands: recent campaigns require Well-Qualified (about 85 percent or above) to advance

Verified 2026-08
NIMS ICS-100

ICS-100 is a required baseline for many emergency-response roles: emergency management directors earned a $86,130 median in May 2024 (BLS)

IS-100.c requires a 75 percent passing score on a 25-question exam, with unlimited retakes (FEMA EMI)

Verified 2026-08
NYPD Police Officer Exam

$76,290 median for police and sheriff’s patrol officers (BLS, May 2024)

No pass rate is published — the NYPD exam is a ranked civil-service list, not a pass/fail credential

Verified 2026-08
Pro Board Firefighter I

$59,530 median for firefighters (SOC 33-2011, BLS May 2024)

No national pass rate is published — certification is state-administered with a typical 70% written cut score and pass-or-fail practical stations

Verified 2026-08
Corrections Officer Entrance Exam

$57,950 median for correctional officers and jailers (BLS May 2024) — employment declining 7%, but ~31,900 openings a year from replacement

No national pass rate is published — the typical passing standard is about 70% on a scaled written exam, set by each agency or state

Verified 2026-08
USPS Virtual Entry Assessment 474

Postal service workers earned a May 2024 BLS median of $57,870, and passing the VEA 474 is the screening gate for mail-carrier roles at the USPS.

USPS publishes the 70% passing score for the VEA but no cohort pass rate — and the real bar is the 72-hour deadline and the one-year retest rule.

Verified 2026-08

Federal Hiring & Civil Service 2 credentials

Corrections & Security-adjacent Public Safety 1 credential

Corrections Officer Entrance Exam Corrections Officer Entrance Exam — Public Safety credential from State and county corrections agencies Exam

Emergency Management & Dispatch 1 credential

NIMS ICS-100 NIMS ICS-100 — Public Safety credential from FEMA Emergency Management Institute Training

Firefighter 1 credential

Pro Board Firefighter I Pro Board Firefighter I — Public Safety credential from National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications Certification

Law Enforcement Entrance 1 credential

NYPD Police Officer Exam NYPD Police Officer Exam — Public Safety credential from New York City Police Department Exam

Frequently asked questions about government & public safety credentials

How many government & public safety credentials are there?

Do you need a certification to work in government & public safety?

None of the 6 credentials in this field is a state-issued licence — all 6 are national certifications awarded by a professional body. That usually means the certification is not legally mandatory, but employers, insurers or clients may require it as a condition of the work.

Which government & public safety credential should you start with?

Start with the one your target employer or state board names. The most widely recognised national options in this field are FAA Air Traffic Controller Selection, USPS Virtual Entry Assessment 474, Corrections Officer Entrance Exam — each has a full guide with eligibility rules, fees and a week-by-week study plan.

How often do government & public safety requirements change?

Fees are revised most years and eligibility rules change whenever a state legislature or awarding body acts. Every guide on TestPrepPilot links to the primary regulatory source it was verified against, and the "Sources" section is the authoritative place to confirm current figures before you book.