test coming up need info

[HANIFAN]

i live in mass,the FF test is coming up and i am not sure if i am ready!i was hoping that maybe someone could tell me what i really need to know.so i can focus on the things that r going to be in the test.i have been studying 4 about 1 1/2 yrs.i am 28,and tired of swingn a hammer 4 my check.all ways wanted to be a ff but always had to much on my plate to study....thanks

[Scrops]

the fire department you are applying to is the first place you should go to. Call them and ask about the suggested reading list. A lot of dept.s actually will supply people with these references as part of their application packet.

[agavegrove]

You may also want to check with your local Barnes and Noble, local library, or other bookstore. In the test prep section you can usually find civil service study guides published by ARCO, Barron's, or Learning Express. Any of these are a good place to polish up on what you'll probably need to know.

Definitely check with the department you apply at.

[CaptBob]

Go to www.fireprep.com

[clancyxdogg]

....i was hoping that maybe someone could tell me what i really need to know.so i can focus on the things that r going to be in the test.i have been studying 4 about 1 1/2 yrs.i am 28,and tired of swingn a hammer 4 my check.all ways wanted to be a ff but always had to much on my plate to study....thanks

Well, here's (http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=hrdterminal&&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Civil+Service&L2=Guides+%26+Publications&sid=Ehrd&b=terminalcontent&f=cs_publications_certificatio norderoflists&csid=Ehrd) the first thing you need to know about MA civil service test. If you take the open competitive exam and you are a non-resident civilian applicant, all those people listed above will be ahead of you.

The key to being hired in MA is to know who gets placed highest on the list,and to become one of those people. If you're serious about this, you'll have to:

Move (http://www.mass.gov/Ehrd/docs/cs/publications/fire_departments_covered_by_ci vil_service.rtf) to the city where you want to work; and,

Go see a recruiter.

There are so many vets returning now that they will be practically the only ones hired for the forseeable future. The only other thing to consider doing, depending on where you are trying to be hired, is getting EMT and paramedic certification.

The thing to take away from this is that how well you score on that 100 question, multiple choice, general knowlege exam means a lot less than you probably think. Unless you don't think you can pass (70/100), studying for years or spending hundreds on prep classes is a waste of effort and won't get you hired.

Good luck.

[HANIFAN]

hay thanks,do you have to live so many miles from the dept you work for?I am hoping to get on weymouth - brantree area i live in pembroke now!!for anyone that is scratching there head right now it is about 10-15 miles on the highway??!!!!! thanks