What Is on the PELLETB?

The four sub-tests

POST groups the battery into two measured abilities. Writing Ability covers clarity, spelling and vocabulary — three sub-tests totalling 45 to 54 items, with each sub-test carrying between 15 and 18. Reading Ability is reading comprehension, 20 to 24 items, with passages from a single paragraph to a full page.

That is the entire test. There is no situational judgment section, no personality inventory, no video and no essay.

CLOZE is gone — ignore prep that still teaches it

The CLOZE reading sub-test was removed from the PELLETB effective 1 January 2025, and POST's current preparation guide reflects the change. Several commercial prep products still teach it.

Studying CLOZE now costs you preparation time on a section you will not sit. If material you are using describes five sections, it is describing the pre-2025 exam.

How long it takes — and a conflict worth knowing

POST's Agency FAQs state that applicants are given 2¼ hours to complete the exam including instructions. That figure sits on the page whose section list matches the current four-section structure, so it is the one to plan around.

An older POST applicant page still says 2½ hours and still lists five sections including CLOZE. RankHigh records both rather than quietly picking one: the 2¼ figure is consistent with the current test, and the 2½ figure appears alongside a section list POST itself has superseded.

Why the test exists

Commission Regulation 1951 requires peace officers to read and write at the levels necessary for the job, as determined by the PELLETB or another professionally developed and validated test of reading and writing ability.

That last clause matters: the PELLETB is the standard instrument, not the only lawful one. A department may use a different validated reading and writing test, which is one reason to confirm what your own agency requires.

Related guides

• PELLETB Scores and T-Scores Explained
• Where Can I Take the PELLETB?
• PELLETB Clarity Practice