California · Corrections · Entry level
California CDCR Correctional Officer Exam Prep
Exam authority: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation · California
Make sure this is your examFor the CDCR Correctional Officer written exam — not the BSCC/STC exam used by participating local agencies.
Online exam preparation
California CDCR Correctional Officer Exam Prep
Prepares the California CDCR Correctional Officer Written Examination
CDCR’s official sample contains twelve item types.
$49one-time
- Access
- 90 days from purchase
- Covers
- 8 prepared areas
No subscription. No automatic renewal.
Access starts when payment clears, on the email you use at checkout — no password to create.
What this prepares
RankHigh prepares eleven of them.
Scene-description practice trains the observation and comparison the examination’s picture questions test.
CDCR’s examination bulletin also lists remembering names and faces among the abilities the written test may measure.
Its published sample contains no recall question, and RankHigh does not prepare one.
- Reading and Interpreting Information
- Written Accuracy and Clarity
- Ordering Written Information
- Basic Arithmetic
- Applying Rules and Procedures
- Comparing Accounts
- Comparing Pictures
- Describing a Scene
How RankHigh helps you prepare
- Targeted practice across this exam’s prepared areas
- Worked explanations after every served question
- Missed-question and due-review queues
- Timed practice in this exam’s configured format
Coverage notes
- Situational judgment is not coached — no defensible answer key exists outside CDCR.
- Remembering names and faces is not prepared — CDCR's bulletin lists the ability and its published sample contains no such question
- CDCR's illustrated-scene format is not reproduced. Scene-description practice trains the same observation and comparison from drawn scenes
View coverage details
- Situational judgment is not coached — it is the twelfth item type in CDCR's published sample and there is no defensible key to it outside CDCR
- Remembering names and faces is not prepared — CDCR's bulletin lists the ability and its published sample contains no such question
- CDCR's illustrated-scene format is not reproduced. Scene-description practice trains the same observation and comparison from drawn scenes
Depth and format— see the numbers
- Practice questions
- 395 outside the reserved simulations
- Full-length simulations
- 2 fixed forms of 60 questions
- Worked explanations
- Every served question, including the wrong options
- Timed practice
- In this exam's configured format
If you buy before taking the written examination and your official result says you did not pass, you can ask for your money back. Full conditions
See the questions before you buy
Answer one, then read the explanation you would get.
Sample question 1 of 3
Reading and Interpreting Information
At Kestrel Flat, the shift handover note is handled as follows. The shift handover note is written by the outgoing officer before leaving the post. It is kept at the unit desk where the next officer can read it, and anything left unresolved is repeated on the following note until it is closed.
See what you unlock with RankHigh Prep
More than practice questions — a clear study plan, focused practice across the areas RankHigh prepares, help reviewing mistakes, and a simple way to know what to work on next.
CDCR Correctional Officer · Today
Example — not your history
Today’s training
15 minutes
Approximately 10–15 questions
Focused on your weakest areas
Reading and Interpreting Information + Written Accuracy and Clarity
Your areas
- Reading and Interpreting InformationNeeds work58% · 24 answered
- Written Accuracy and ClarityDeveloping71% · 31 answered
- Ordering Written InformationStrong88% · 26 answered
3 items due for review · 5 of 8 areas practised this week
StartOptional baseline
A short baseline sets your starting point. Skip it if you would rather practise.
TodayFocused practice
One session a day, aimed at the areas that need attention.
ReviewLearn from mistakes
The questions you missed come back, each with a worked explanation.
Keep goingFollow your plan
Pick up where you left off, and see how much of the exam you have covered.
$49 one-time · 90 days of access · no subscription
What you have to take
The score is the product
CDCR weights this examination at 100% on one written test, and a score of 70 or greater passes it. What the score then does is the reason preparing is worth anything: names are placed on the employment list in order of written test score, that list lives 24 months, and CDCR states that candidates in the top three rank classes are considered reachable for hire. Two qualifications belong here rather than in small print — rank CLASSES are bands rather than places, so one extra point does not move you one place up the list; and any veteran who achieves a passing score is placed in the top rank regardless of their score. Institution assignment, once you have an offer, is based on departmental need. RankHigh is independent third-party preparation and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by CDCR or the State of California.
What RankHigh covers in this exam
- Reading and Interpreting Information
- Written Accuracy and Clarity
- Ordering Written Information
- Basic Arithmetic
- Applying Rules and Procedures
- Comparing Accounts
- Comparing Pictures
- Describing a Scene
Official exam information
Last successfully checked October 1, 2026- Applications
- Applications are accepted continuously
- Written exam
- Testing is scheduled individually after application
Verified exam details
- Exact exam
- California CDCR Correctional Officer Written Examination
- Administered by
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
RankHigh preparation
A written test weighted 100% and a score of 70 to pass. Your score sets your rank class on an employment list that lives 24 months, and CDCR says the top three rank classes are reachable for hire
Exam-change alerts are planned as a separate opt-in.
- Written test
- Weighted 100% — the only scored examination
- Passing score
- 70 or greater
- Your score decides
- Your rank class on the employment list
- List eligibility
- 24 months
- After a failed written test
- Reapply after 30 days
Decides your rank
The written test
Weighted 100% · 70 or greater to pass · twelve published item types
Reading schedules, forms and passages; grammar and spelling; ordering sentences; arithmetic; applying rules; comparing two accounts of one event; comparing pictures; describing a scene; and situational judgment. CDCR’s official sample contains twelve item types. RankHigh prepares eleven of them. Situational judgment is not coached. CDCR publishes no item count and no time limit for the test.
Eleven of the twelve item types are prepared by the modules below
The situational judgment items
One of the twelve published item types
CDCR’s sample asks candidates to identify the LEAST appropriate action in a dilemma. RankHigh does not coach judgment: there is no defensible key to that outside the department that wrote it, and preparation that drilled you toward somebody’s guess at the “right” answer would be worse than none. Read CDCR’s own sample to see the format.
Not prepared by RankHigh — and deliberately so
The rest of the process
After the written test
Passing the written test is one step. CDCR’s bulletin also lists a Physical Fitness Test, a background investigation, a pre-employment medical examination and a peace officer psychological examination — all pass or fail, none of them scored competitively — followed by a 13-week academy after appointment. None of that is prepared here.
Not prepared by RankHigh — written test only
Official listing
California CDCR Correctional Officer Written Examination
Exam identity checked 2026-09-04
Everything included
- Targeted practice across this exam’s prepared areas
- Worked explanations after every served question
- Missed-question and due-review queues
- Timed practice in this exam’s configured format
All of it is online: RankHigh runs in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer. There is nothing to download and nothing is posted to you.
How this preparation is built
These are the automated checks every question goes through before it can be served. They are run over the whole bank, by software, every time it changes.
- Every question is original
- Every question carries an approval record
- Every answer is explained
- The bank is measured, not just proofread
How questions are checked
- Every question is original
- Each one is written for RankHigh. Nothing is taken from a real examination, a competitor's bank or a public question set, and every new batch is checked for duplicates against every other question in the catalog.
- Every question carries an approval record
- A question that has not been through these checks is not served at all. That is what this product serves, not what has been written.
- Every answer is explained
- All of them, not the hard ones. An explanation says why the keyed answer is right and what each of the other options gets wrong, so a question you got wrong is worth more to you than one you got right.
- The bank is measured, not just proofread
- Answer positions, answer lengths and repeated scenarios are measured across the whole bank against chance. Where a pattern would let somebody pick the answer from its shape instead of its content, the questions are repaired — because a pattern you can learn here is one that will not be there on the day.
$49one-time
90 days of access from payment clearance. No subscription. No automatic renewal.
Questions
Can I apply right now?
CDCR states that Correctional Officer applications are temporarily closed and are expected to re-open on 1 October 2026. “Expected” is CDCR’s word, not ours — check cdcr.ca.gov before making plans around the date. The examination itself is continuously filed when applications are open.
Is RankHigh affiliated with CDCR?
No. RankHigh is independent third-party preparation and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or the State of California. We name the examination because that is what it is called and because you need to know which test this prepares. CDCR publishes its own sample written selection exam, and you should read it — it is free, it is authoritative, and nothing here is.
How much of the real test does this cover?
CDCR’s official sample contains twelve item types. RankHigh prepares eleven of them. Situational judgment is not coached. CDCR’s examination bulletin also lists remembering names and faces among the abilities the written test may measure. Its published sample contains no recall question, and RankHigh does not prepare one. We do not put a percentage on it, and you should be sceptical of anyone who does: CDCR publishes no weighting between the item types, no item count and no time limit, so nobody outside the department knows what share of the test any type represents. What is knowable is the list of types, and this prepares eleven of the twelve.
Why don’t you cover the situational judgment questions?
Because there is no defensible key to them outside CDCR. Its sample asks which of several actions is the LEAST appropriate in a dilemma, and any preparation product answering that is teaching you somebody’s guess at what a scoring panel wanted. Drilling you toward a guess is worse than leaving the type alone and telling you we have. Read CDCR’s own sample so the format is not new on the day.
Do the picture questions look like the real ones?
The comparison ones work the same way and ask the same question: how many details differ. Ours are drawn from data rather than illustrated, which is what lets us guarantee the number of differences is exactly what the item says it is. Scene-description practice trains the observation and comparison the examination’s picture questions test. It does not reproduce CDCR’s illustrated-scene format. That distinction matters enough that the scene-description practice is left out of the free diagnostic entirely.
Does a higher score actually help?
Yes, and this is unusual enough to be worth stating plainly — it is not true of every exam we prepare. CDCR places successful competitors on the employment list in order of written test score, keeps that list for 24 months, and says candidates in the top three rank classes are considered reachable for hire. Two caveats: those are rank CLASSES rather than places, so a single extra point does not move you one place up the list; and any veteran who passes is placed in the top rank regardless of score. Institution assignment, after an offer, is based on departmental need.
More questions (5)
What happens if I fail?
CDCR’s bulletin states that candidates unsuccessful at the written examination or the physical fitness test may reapply 30 days from the date of disqualification. A disqualification at the background investigation carries one year instead, and a disqualification at the pre-employment medical examination or the peace officer psychological examination carries six months.
How long are RankHigh’s practice tests?
2 practice tests of 60 questions each, sharing no question between them. Both the length and the clock are RankHigh’s own design, because CDCR publishes neither an item count nor a time limit for this examination. The practice tests bring all eleven prepared item types together under timed conditions.
Is this a subscription?
No. It is a single payment of $49. Nothing recurring, nothing to cancel, and no card kept on file for later.
How long do I have access?
Your access opens online as soon as payment clears — there is nothing to wait for in the post. Your one-time purchase includes 90 days of access from the time payment clears. No subscription. No automatic renewal. One payment, nothing recurring, nothing to cancel.
Does RankHigh guarantee a passing score?
No, and be careful with anyone who does. What this does is show you which areas are costing you points and give you focused practice on them. The work is still yours to do.
Guides and resources
- What Is on the CDCR Correctional Officer Written TestWhat does the CDCR correctional officer written test actually contain?
- How the CDCR Correctional Officer Score Is UsedDoes a higher score on the CDCR written test actually get me hired sooner?
- CDCR Correctional Officer Sample Questions: What They Look LikeWhat do the questions on the CDCR written test actually look like?
- Reading, Grammar and Arithmetic on the CDCR TestHow do I prepare for the reading, writing and math parts of the CDCR test?
- The Picture Questions on the CDCR TestWhat are the picture questions on the CDCR test and how do I practice them?
- Applying for the CDCR Exam, and What Happens If You FailHow do I apply, when can I test, and what happens if I do not pass?
RankHigh is an independent preparation product. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California government, or any city, county or department. Application and hiring decisions are made by the hiring authority — check the official posting for anything that decides your application.