Juvenile Correctional Officer 1

JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL OFFICER 1 TESTING INFORMATION

Per the Official Code of Georgia, Annotated (O.C.G.A. §35-8-8(a)(8)), requirements for appointment or certification of persons as peace officers must successfully complete a job related academy entrance examination provided for and administered by the Council in conformity with state and federal law. Effective January 1, 2009, the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Council adopted the Compass exam as the official P.O.S.T. Entrance Exam for law enforcement candidates. The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice adheres to these standards in their entirety.

Effective, November 1, 2013 applicants who are not P.O.S.T. certified must pass the COMPASS exam prior to applying for a Juvenile Correctional Officer 1 (JCO 1) job with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).

P.O.S.T. Entrance Exam – The Compass exam is administered through the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). The Compass exam is a computer-based exam that provides immediate results. The exam measures reading, writing and numerical skills*. Applicants obtaining a passing score on the P.O.S.T. Entrance Exam may be considered for P.O.S.T. certified positions within DJJ. There is a fee of $15.00 - $25.00 to take the exam. The fee is payable at the TCSG location. Applicants who do not perform satisfactorily on the exam shall be ineligible to retake the exam for a period of 30 days after an unsuccessful attempt. As of January 2012, passing scores for the Compass exam are as follows:

Test Portion Compass Reading 70 Writing 32

P.O.S.T. Testing Locations – For a listing of Technical Colleges throughout Georgia click on the following link: https://tcsg.edu/college_campuses.php

P.O.S.T. Entrance Exam Access Form  You must take a completed copy of the P.O.S.T. Examination Access Form with you to the test site. The form can be accessed here: http://www.gapost.org/pdf_file/EEFORM.pdf

 For additional P.O.S.T. Information, please visit www.gapost.org

Additional Information – Compass testing information is available at www.act.org/compass/ Click on the tab labeled “For Students” to view test taking tips and sample questions.

Applicants may also submit a transcript that contains the ACT or SAT test scores to convert in lieu of taking the Compass exam. The acceptable scores on the ACT or SAT are as follows:

Test Portion ACT SAT Verbal 18 430 1 Math 16 400

*P.O.S.T. does not require a passing score on the numerical portion of the exam; however, the completion of the numerical portion is required to receive a score. The numeric score does not determine successful passing of the test. State of Georgia-Department of Juvenile Justice | Office of Human Resources | October 16, 2013