The FBI Phase 1 test is the first assessment in the Special Agent Selection System (SASS). It is a computerized exam of approximately three hours, taken in a proctored testing center, and it is made up of five timed sections: logic-based reasoning, figural reasoning, a personality assessment, preferences and interests, and situational judgment. You are told whether you passed within one hour of finishing.
You reach it straight after the application and screening stage, and once you are invited you have 14 days to schedule and complete it. This guide covers what each section contains, how many questions it holds, what the FBI publishes about scoring, and how to prepare.
The purpose of the FBI Phase 1 Test
The FBI evaluates applicants against a set of Core Competencies, and Phase 1 is the first place it does so. As published on FBIJobs.gov, those competencies are Collaboration, Communication, Initiative, Organizing and Planning, Problem Solving/Judgement, and Professionalism/Integrity. The live Special Agent job posting rates applicants on a related list of eight, which adds Flexibility/Adaptability, Interpersonal Ability and Leadership and drops Professionalism/Integrity, so the FBI is currently publishing two lists in two places.
Two of the five sections measure reasoning ability: whether you can tell a valid inference from an invalid one, and whether you can find the rule governing an arrangement of shapes. These have right and wrong answers.
The other three look at behavior and attitude rather than ability. They explore how well your character and judgment fit the role. The FBI describes its Foundation as Fidelity, Bravery and Integrity, and it evaluates applicants throughout the selection process against its published Core Competencies rather than against a values questionnaire.
The FBI's own guide states that there are no correct or incorrect answers in those three sections, and it is equally clear about not gaming them: "Do not attempt to 'beat the test' by claiming qualities or experiences that you do not really have." Falsified responses can mean a permanent bar from FBI employment.
No background is preferred. The FBI says it "seeks special agents with any occupation that requires a college degree", and neither law enforcement nor military experience is required.
FBI Phase 1 Test Structure
The Phase 1 test is structured into five sections, all taken in a single sitting. The FBI lists them, with their item counts, in this order:
- Logic-based reasoning: 11 questions
- Figural reasoning: 9 questions
- Personality assessment: 100 statements
- Preferences and interests: 37 questions
- Situational judgment: 19 questions
The FBI publishes those counts and a total sitting time of approximately three hours, a figure that includes check-in and check-out procedures. It publishes no time limit for any individual section, so treat a guide that gives you a per-section minute figure as unverified.
Each section is outlined in more detail below.
Logic-based reasoning
The logic-based reasoning section works like a verbal reasoning test. For each question you are given a short paragraph of text, then a multiple-choice question with five options.
Your task is to work out which conclusion is a valid inference from the statements in front of you, rather than from anything you already know about the subject. The FBI states that "no pen and paper or calculations are necessary" for this section. There are 11 questions in total.
The FBI's guide sets out four types of statement, and knowing which one you are looking at tells you what you may and may not infer:
- "All" statements, signalled by "all" or "every". The facts that apply to one group also apply to another, but you cannot reverse it. If all payroll employees work part time, it does not follow that all part-time employees work in payroll, only that some do.
- "No" statements, signalled by "no" or "none". These tell you there is no overlap at all between the two groups.
- "Some" statements, signalled by "some", "many" or "few". The facts apply to part of a group only, and you cannot infer anything about the rest of it.
- "If-then" statements, signalled by "if-then", "whenever" or "every time". These describe a sequence of events.
The FBI's own preparation advice for this section is to use the information in the description only, introduce nothing from outside it, and pay attention to words such as "must" or "only".
Figural reasoning
The figural reasoning section is another measure of logic and problem-solving, this time using visual cues instead of words.
Questions are given as an arrangement of shapes and patterns with one section of that arrangement missing, and you select the part that completes it from five options. To solve the problem you need to identify the rules governing the arrangement. The FBI notes that patterns "may follow the three rows or columns", and may involve any aspect of the figures, including shape, color, the number of shapes or sides, or other characteristics, so it is worth checking both directions before you commit. You may have come across something similar if you have ever taken an abstract reasoning test, and practice versions of these make for good preparation here.
There are nine questions to complete in this section.
Personality assessment
The personality assessment is an evaluation of how well your character traits suit the demands of the role.
You are "presented with five pairs of statements on each screen", and you use a slider to indicate how far you agree with one statement of each pair rather than the other. The closer you move the selector toward a statement, the greater your agreement with it. The FBI is explicit that "you will not be able to choose a neutral position": for every pair you must move the selector left or right, and you cannot leave it in the middle.
The statements do not necessarily relate to each other, so it can be genuinely difficult to choose. The FBI says that is deliberate and "a normal part of the assessment".
This section is adaptive: your "responses on the previous questions will be used to determine the next set of questions". In total it contains 100 statements.
Preferences and interests
This section is similar in purpose to the personality assessment. The FBI describes it as gathering "information about your personal attitudes toward a variety of statements", so you are recording how far each statement matches you rather than solving anything.
The format is different from the personality section, and this is where people get the two confused. Here you get one statement at a time with a five-point rating scale, running Strongly Agree, Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree. Unlike the personality assessment, there is a midpoint. The FBI's advice is not to dwell, not to "read into" the statement, and to choose the option that most accurately describes you.
There are 37 questions in the preferences and interests section.
Situational judgment
This section is a situational judgment test, designed to explore how you are likely to handle situations a Special Agent would encounter.
There are 19 questions, each describing a hypothetical but realistic work scenario with five response options, each proposing a different way of responding. Your job is to select the "response option that is most consistent with how you would actually respond". As with the personality and preferences sections, there are no right or wrong answers.
How to prepare for the FBI Phase 1 Test
Start with the FBI's own guide
The FBI publishes a Testing Overview Guide on FBIJobs.gov containing practice items, with an answer key for the reasoning questions only, because the personality, situational and preferences items have no correct answer. The same guide states, twice:
"The FBI does not endorse any test preparation materials beyond what can be found on FBIJobs.gov or within this guide."
Beside that, in a boxed warning, it tells applicants that they "will be deactivated for receiving advice beyond what is provided by the Applicant Coordinator and/or what is available at FBIJobs.gov. This includes information gathered from online sources or FBI employees."
That applies to this page as much as to any other, and you should read it before you buy anything, from us or from anyone else. Nothing here is FBI material, FBI approved, or a reproduction of real Phase 1 items. Applicants sign a nondisclosure form, so anyone publishing genuine FBI test questions would be publishing something the FBI forbids its applicants from handing over.
Take practice tests in the same formats
What general practice can legitimately do is make the question formats routine, so that on the day the format is not the thing slowing you down. The logic-based section behaves like a verbal reasoning test and the figural section like an abstract reasoning test, and working through logical reasoning questions exercises the same inference skills that both rely on.
Through regular practice you become more familiar with this type of assessment and more confident completing it, and you get quicker at recognizing each type of problem.
Pay attention to the detail
Read each question and every answer option carefully. This matters most in the text-based questions, where a single qualifying word changes what does and does not follow from the paragraph.
Identify the statement type first, using the four types above, then work out what it lets you infer. A conclusion that would be sound for a "some" statement is often unsound for an "all" statement, and that distinction is exactly what this kind of question is built to test.
Learn to answer instinctively
In the personality, preferences and situational judgment sections, the FBI is looking for honesty rather than the answer you think it wants to hear. The more practice you put in, the more comfortable you will be answering on instinct rather than reading too much into a question, and that gives a truer reflection of you.
Build up to a three-hour sitting
Three hours is a long time for anyone to hold full concentration, and it may take some practice to work up to it. Start with shorter sessions and lengthen them until you are confident you can think clearly for the full duration.
Do not ignore physical preparation
How you prepare physically affects your mental sharpness, so do not neglect it. Get a good night's sleep before test day, eat properly and stay hydrated.
It is worth starting on the real thing early, too. If you pass Phase 1, a Physical Fitness Test self-evaluation falls due within 7 days.
The Day of the Test
The Phase 1 test is administered in a proctored testing center by a testing contractor. The FBI does not name that contractor anywhere in its published material, and its guide notes only that the proctors "are not affiliated with the FBI", so treat any page naming a particular test publisher as unverified.
On the day you must bring a driver's license to the assessment. Paper and pencil are not allowed. Allow for the full three hours, since the FBI's stated duration includes check-in and check-out procedures, and arrive with time to spare.
After the FBI Phase 1 Test
You are notified whether you passed within one hour of completing the test.
If you pass, two forms fall due within 7 days: a Physical Fitness Test self-evaluation and a Suitability Questionnaire. You are then invited to a Meet and Greet session, scheduled within 30 days of eligibility, where you discuss your application in more detail and are assessed further against the Core Competencies. The official Physical Fitness Test follows within 30 days of that session, in the same stage as the Phase II (a) written exam, and the Phase II (b) panel interview comes after both, within 90 days of eligibility.
If you fail, you are limited to two invitations to Phase 1 in total, with a minimum of 90 days before a second one. A second failure means you are deactivated and ineligible for future consideration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I retake the FBI Phase 1 Test?
You are limited to two invitations to the Phase 1 test. If you fail at the first attempt, a minimum of 90 days must pass before a new invitation, and it is not guaranteed. Failing twice means you are deactivated and ineligible for future consideration for the Special Agent role.
Do I need previous work experience to join the FBI?
It depends on the grade you would enter at. At GL-9 you need a bachelor's degree plus one year of sworn law enforcement officer experience, or an advanced degree. At GL-10 you need a bachelor's degree plus at least two years of full-time professional work experience, or an advanced degree plus at least one year. A bachelor's degree or higher from a US accredited college or university is mandatory in every case, and the FBI is explicit that military service does not waive it.
How is the FBI Phase 1 Test scored?
The FBI publishes no scoring model, no cut score and no explanation of how the five sections combine. What it publishes is the section names, the item counts, and the fact that you are notified whether you passed within one hour of finishing.
What is a good score on the FBI Phase 1 Test?
There is no published answer. The FBI releases no test results, no average scores and no cut score, and the only outcome it communicates to you is whether you passed.
How many candidates are invited to the FBI Phase 2 Test?
The FBI does not publish a figure. No pass rate, invitation rate or progression rate appears in its careers pages, in its guide PDFs or in the live Special Agent job posting. What it does say is that applicants are rated on their individual competitiveness and on the professional needs of the FBI, and that hiring depends on annual federal funding levels and hiring goals. Any percentage you see quoted for Phase 1 or Phase 2 has not come from the FBI.
What skills do I need to become an FBI Special Agent?
The FBI evaluates applicants against six Core Competencies published on FBIJobs.gov: Collaboration, Communication, Initiative, Organizing and Planning, Problem Solving/Judgement, and Professionalism/Integrity. The live job posting rates applicants on a related list of eight, adding Flexibility/Adaptability, Interpersonal Ability and Leadership and dropping Professionalism/Integrity, so prepare examples that cover both.
How long does the whole FBI process take?
The FBI says the process "generally takes at least one year and often longer, depending upon annual federal funding levels and hiring goals". The background investigation alone averages approximately six months and can take 18 months or more.
