Portlands Wirtten Test Results [Archive] - Firehouse Forums

Jwarne2001

11-28-2006, 05:46 PM

You will receive your results this week. Good luck!

Thanks. I was checking the website last week and saw results would be sent by the end of November. I've been very anxious checking the mail over the last couple days.

nwfire17

11-29-2006, 01:54 PM

well, the trainee results are out. my brother and a buddy both passed and have their interviews in Jan. now we've got to wait another day or two before getting our results for the firefighter pool....

firerunner7

11-29-2006, 05:33 PM

Well I got my letter today. Have to wait until 5pm to open it since Im n ot at home. Does anyone know what the passing score was? I took the FF/EMT test.

pdxfire

11-29-2006, 06:27 PM

Well I got my letter today. Have to wait until 5pm to open it since Im n ot at home. Does anyone know what the passing score was? I took the FF/EMT test.

you will only receive a score if you did not pass. hopefully no score on your results. IF you didnt pass please post cut off score so everyone will know.

ryanr3

11-29-2006, 11:52 PM

I just got my results for Trainee yesterday; I passed and have an interview in January! :)

Good luck to everyone else currently in the process!

Jwarne2001

11-30-2006, 02:30 AM

Anyone who took the FF/EMT test hear anything yet?

GoCougs

11-30-2006, 02:43 AM

AHH this is killing me. I keep asking my parents every day if something came in the mail from Portland. Hopefully it will come tomorrow. Does anyone know how many they are taking for the trainee or for the FF/EMt?

firerunner7

11-30-2006, 12:20 PM

Well I got my results Wed 11/29 and I passed the FF/EMT test and I have an interview on Feb 15th. Good luck to all who made it!

Jwarne2001

11-30-2006, 02:04 PM

Well I got my results Wed 11/29 and I passed the FF/EMT test and I have an interview on Feb 15th. Good luck to all who made it!

Are you taking the TVFR test as well on 2/8 & 2/9? Looks like Feb will be a busy month for you.

.....still waiting for results from Portland.

firerunner7

11-30-2006, 02:14 PM

Are you taking the TVFR test as well on 2/8 & 2/9? Looks like Feb will be a busy month for you.

.....still waiting for results from Portland.

Yeah I am set for the TVFR test also so I do have a busy Feb. Seems that alot will probably be in the same boat as I am. Anyone know the cut off score or how many passed?

Jwarne2001

11-30-2006, 02:51 PM

Wife called, mail just came....I'm moving on to the oral boards. Took the FF/EMT test. Interview is Feb 28th. Probably see some of you at the TVFR test.

Good luck to everyone else waiting for Portland results.

firerunner7

11-30-2006, 02:58 PM

GoCougs

11-30-2006, 03:00 PM

Still havent heard. Hopefully it will come in the mail today. Im also taking the TVFR test in feb. See you all there

GoCougs

12-01-2006, 08:01 PM

Jan. 18th 2007. I got in for the Trainee section.

Jwarne2001

12-02-2006, 01:33 AM

Jan. 18th 2007. I got in for the Trainee section.

Congratulations!

GoCougs

12-02-2006, 01:41 AM

Thank you.

GoCougs

12-02-2006, 01:41 AM

Thank you. I cant wait

nwfire17

12-02-2006, 05:17 AM

Ok, so now I'm really wondering....

I haven't heard of anyone who's failed this written. Either FF/EMT, or Trainee. So, either everyone I know, and everyone on here, just kick ass on written tests, or they're taking a bunch of people to the interviews.....

:rolleyes:

Nozzleman25

12-02-2006, 04:39 PM

Heard yesterday they are taking quite a few to interviews. Few guys at my station are going to be on the boards. Good luck to all of ya.

GoCougs

12-02-2006, 05:58 PM

Do you know how many people per interview are going to be there? Will it be one of us and 4 of you?

Nozzleman25

12-02-2006, 06:15 PM

GoCougs, a normal panel for Portland is 3 and 1. Usually two fire bureau personnel and one from somewhere else in the city. Good luck, we are still hiring pretty heavy so these should be pretty decent lists.

Jason6368

12-02-2006, 09:05 PM

i just got my letter in the mail. I passed and i have an interview on Feb, 20th. maybe there is actually alot of smart guys on this forum. i applied for the FF/EMT position, It seems as if the trainee applicants are going in january and the FF/EMT applicants will be going during Feb.

ryanr3

12-02-2006, 09:16 PM

Does anyone know approximately how many trainees they are hiring? I am curious too, as to what the first interview entails. The letter I received states that a resume is not necessary and will not be accepted. Should I expect an interview, or will they just ask questions at the interview regarding past experience?

Thanks for the help,

Ryan

Nozzleman25

12-02-2006, 11:07 PM

Interview is a structured set of questions, all applicants get asked the same questions. You can probably count on a diversity question. After that it may be what have you done to prepare? A question about dealing with the public or possibly a dificult co worker etc. If I can think of more I will get it for you.

There are points they want you to hit in answering each question. If you know anyone who has been through our process in the past few years I would talk to them because the questions tend to be similar each time. Most of all be honest.

As far as numbers they are going to hire, depends on what the retirements are projected at. They have been fairly high the past few years and hiring has had trouble keeping up. I think they target about 36 new hires per year. What they tend to do is hire equally off each list, they alternate between the two and hire in groups of 12 now I beleive. I got hired a little over 9 years ago and there are aprox 350 below me on the senority list now so that gives you an idea of the rate we have been hiring lately. Good luck to all of ya it is a great dept to work for.

Jason6368

12-06-2006, 12:43 AM

GoCougs

12-06-2006, 12:57 AM

I just recieved a letter today saying that 32, 39 and 65. Question 69 A & D are correct answers.

I know its a shot in the dark but does anyone know what the questions were for these?

good luck,
Jason Norton

I got that same letter today and was wondering what it was about. Does anyone know if that affects our score at all?

nwfire17

12-06-2006, 02:54 PM

It will only improve your score, it can't hurt it.

Although...if someone had happened to get those questions right, it won't help. It will just help those who missed them. So I guess its bad if you had the right answer :rolleyes:

OlieCan

12-06-2006, 04:37 PM

unless for question 69 you put B or D, then you suck

ogomez

12-06-2006, 11:37 PM

First, Nozzleman, drop me a line, curious as to your real ID. I'm on e26A

I heard that the score was fairly low due to a low passing rate. I hear that was sent from the HR side of it. To bad we can't use the test as a weeding out process, god forbid.

Be ready to toot your own horn, the interviewers don't ask much if any ?'s on your experience.

For those who passed, forget about those questions, we on the line don't care if you answered a or d.

Start getting in shape now boys and girls, not only for the PAT but for the academy. We get quite a few probies trying to get in shape when they get in and it is too late. For those in the PDX area checkout this gym, it is the best place to get in shape or get in over the top shape.

www.adapttraining.com

Also, the academy is VERY academically intensive. Be ready to hit the books from day one.

Good luck to one and all

Orlando Gomez FF
Peer Fitness Trainer

GoCougs

12-07-2006, 12:59 AM

Does anyone know when Portland is planning on starting the academy?

ogomez

12-07-2006, 01:31 AM

Coug,

you can't even begin to think that far ahead, it may be 2 years before you might get in. They pick their pool of however many and then they fill into the academy as needed. That pool may dry up with guys not getting in. Worry about each step as you go

GoCougs

12-07-2006, 02:31 AM

Gomez, trust me the only step that I am thinking about right now is the Interview that I have on the 18th. I graduate college in a week and then begin school for EMT. So I was just wondering

Jason6368

12-07-2006, 03:07 AM

ogomez, first off thanks for providing some light for us. Second, i was wondering if you knew the tally of how many people took the test and how many they passed? If you do not, that is fine, but i just wanted to know if at all possible.

Thanks,
Jason Norton

ogomez

12-07-2006, 04:13 AM

I have heard 1600-1800 with over 2000 initially signing up

ogomez

12-07-2006, 04:14 AM

I haven't heard a passing number yet, I hope to by next week

Nozzleman25

12-07-2006, 01:25 PM

Like ogomez said, I heard aprox 1800 took the tests with them fairly evenly split between the two tests.

Also like he said start working out and getting ready for the PAT, they finally made ours a little tougher and we weed out a fair amount with it now. Unlike the old one that could be done without breaking a sweat. Good luck to all of ya.

firerunner7

12-07-2006, 01:45 PM

To Nozzleman and Gomez, thanks for all the info. You say1800 people took the tests and its evenly split so about 600 took the FF/EMT and 600 took the trainee? I could have swore it looked like more than that. Not that any of this matters right now (the interview is what matters). I have a friend who is in the Portland academy right now and he says its alot of tests, bookwork, and pretty physical. BEING IN SHAPE BOTH MID AND BODY IS KEY.

Thanks again for all the info you giuys have given

Jwarne2001

12-07-2006, 03:40 PM

Great info here. Thanks for keeping us informed. I had been prepping for the oral's for awhile, in case they wanted to start the boards immediately after the written test. However, mine isn't until the end of Feb....so if I'm not fully dialed in for it, it's my own fault.

Jwarne2001

12-09-2006, 08:40 PM

Recevied another letter from PFR today providing info around practice sessions for the physical agility test (if you've passed the written.) The available dates are extensive....times available nearly every Friday and Saturday between Dec. 14th and Mar. 2nd....the time of day depending on your last name.

This, to me, puts a lot of emphasis on the oral boards. Seems that if candidates take advantage of this great opportunity to practice/train for each individual station (and are in top shape, of course) they should be able to pass the physical portion of this process.

That leaves the oral boards to set yourself apart.

Hope to see some of you at the practice sessions.

fightfiresmt

12-10-2006, 03:56 PM

I also got my letter for the written, and made it passed that hurdle. Interview is set for Feb 22nd. For those PFD firefighters out there, what can we expect from interview on down the line for the hiring process? How is your PAT different from the others? What makes it harder? Can you give some insight into the academy on what to expect? Thanks for your time and help!

Stay safe everybody.....

ogomez

12-10-2006, 06:01 PM

The interviews are less about your experience and more about saying the right thing. We do mock interviews out in the stations individually. Usually word of mouth gets the word out. THere may also be a class on interview skill put on by one of our guys, I'll update later if that is going to happen.

Look on the website for the PAT stations, the time is 8:02. It;s basically a test in anaerobic endurance. THere will be alot of practice days coming up in Dec. I will get the dates in a day or 2.

ogomez

12-13-2006, 01:35 AM

Those who passed will be getting a letter with the dates and address of the practice sessions for the physical agility

GoCougs

12-22-2006, 11:22 PM

I got that letter in the mail last week. I got to start getting in shape for the interview and for the PAT

Jwarne2001

12-23-2006, 02:38 AM

I went over this week. Great opportunity here for everyone if you take advantage. Ran through all the stations a couple times just to get a feel for everything. Then I did the whole course start to finish....didn't time it, just wanted to run through everything to gauge what I needed to focus on.

Upper body/core strength - good.
Cardio - good.
Squats/leg strength - opportunity.

Anyways, training crew was great...very helpful, giving us pointers, walking us through every step, giving encouragement, etc. Even got a chance to climb the aerial. A group of probies were over on the other side of the training facilty going through drills.....was watching them with envy during my 'pitstops.'

Plan to head over at least once a week although I imagine it will start to get a little crowded in '07.

Nozzleman25

01-05-2007, 04:42 PM

Like Jwarne did I would recomend going over and practicing the agility if you can. If you are in decent shape you should do fine but since we changed our agility a few years ago it is tougher and since your moving on in the process depends on it practice is a good thing. Good luck all of ya.

Ogomez, send me a PM or an Email and I will let you know who I am , Lt. on B Shift in the North end. :)