Austin Fire Exam, May 23rd 2012

[gtcaptain2]

Hello brock, I'll be taking the test for Austin as well. Can't wait to get it done! Sucks we have to wait til June 8th to get the scores. Did u take Austin's test last year too?

[FFighterRob]

Word is that this test is going to be very short, I.E. not many questions, not much chance to separate yourself from the mob.

This as a great example of a situation where two things are going to come into play. First you need to have the ability to speak to your audience; you would answer a question differently to a 25-30 years on chief, than you would to a high school teacher or a member of the public.

Second, there is no time where doing mock interviews are more important. There is only one way to get really good at responding to questions in an oral interview. That is by answering questions in an oral interview. Having people ask you questions across a table while they stare at you, having them critique you honestly and harshly, this the best way to hone your interview skills.

Having so much depend on every little thing you say should make you want to be sure all of it is pure gold. I have done this job over 20 years and I have never gone to a medical call or fire where there was an oral board interview on the front porch I have to complete before I did my job. Hiring and promotion are the only times this will ever come up. But if you can’t get good at it, you will never get a chance.

Please don’t fall into the thinking that the person that talks the most, crams the most into each question, is going to get the best score. Intelligent people can take complicated situations and make them simple. Just because they tell you that you have 5 minutes to answer a question, doesn’t mean you have to, or should talk for five minutes.

Two guys were asked the same question and shown the same picture of a fire in a promotion interview. One guy called a second alarm, set up divisions and groups, did a lot of talking on the radio and got lots of feedback from all of the crews. In 5 minutes the fire was out. The next guy looked at the same picture and said, “I’ve been to this same fire a lot, I’ll set up a two out crew and I can put that fire out with one 1 ¾”. The fire was out in less than one minute. Think of which sounded like they were more in control and better suited for the job.

[Brockrocks]

Hello brock, I'll be taking the test for Austin as well. Can't wait to get it done! Sucks we have to wait til June 8th to get the scores. Did u take Austin's test last year too?

Yes I did, but I did not proceed forward to the interview. I am more prepared this time, so hopefully I will do much better.

[oakleyfire144]

..........

[gtcaptain2]

Hey Oakley sorry to hear u scored that high and still did not make it. Look at it this way if u have the same score this go round u will make it since they are hiring more this time. Sent u a pm

[Sizzle]

Does anyone know if you should answer strongly agree or just agree on this test? I keep hearing both things.

[TrevorT]

Hope you gentleman are enjoying this concrete.

[FireMuscleMan21]

Not really its pretty damn hard!!$. That concession line is Redic!!$

[Brockrocks]

Now the waiting game. I guess 2 more weeks isn't too bad though

[gtcaptain2]

5 more days. The wait is brutal

[Brockrocks]

Yes, I agree! I sure hope I at least get an interview this time around. I know I nailed the cognitive section, but those behavioral questions always make me second guess myself.

[gtcaptain2]

Yes those questions were pretty tricky! The cognitive wasnt bad at all. So we shall see. Friday is the day

[longhorn2008]

So it looks like only 2679 people sat for the test:

http://afdsnewsyoucanuse.blogspot.co...ance-exam.html

5 p.m. can't come any faster! Best of luck to everyone!

[BigRed2011]

2 more hours!!!! Come on 5 O'Clock.

[Baseline1979]

Results are posted

[bulljargon]

Well that is a pleasant surprise, I scored 100! I've got plenty of company though with 50+ others scoring 100 and an additional thirty or so candidates scoring a 99. Good luck to all those moving on in the process!

[gtcaptain2]

Bulljargon I'm about to send u a pm. I have a question for u

[j4321]

Congrats to those that scored well...I performed not as well as I anticipated...81%...I believe that I answered all of the problem solving / scenario questions 100% with about a 3% margin of error...Could the personality aspect have taken me down a notch? I did feel sort of rushed on it...Anyhow, what does everyone think? I flew down once from Baltimore for the written & would have to fly down again for an interview...Is it worth it at this point only having scored 81% on the written? Thanks in advance to anyone who lends some advice...

[ChickenMcSuckIT]

well I would like to say congrats to those that scored well, I posted a 92%. I didnt think that was bad, I wish I would have done better, but not bad for my first exam. Good luck to those moving on to the SOI stage

[longhorn2008]

Congrats to those that scored well...I performed not as well as I anticipated...81%...I believe that I answered all of the problem solving / scenario questions 100% with about a 3% margin of error...Could the personality aspect have taken me down a notch? I did feel sort of rushed on it...Anyhow, what does everyone think? I flew down once from Baltimore for the written & would have to fly down again for an interview...Is it worth it at this point only having scored 81% on the written? Thanks in advance to anyone who lends some advice...

If you want it bad enough, I would say yes. Remember, the exam score is only 1/3 of your final score. If you are confident in your interview skills, you can easily crack the top 120. I personally got a 91.34 which ranks me at 492, but I still like my chances of making the cut. One thing I learned well during college was how to interview. I like the fact that AFD doesn't solely rely on test scores to advance people early on in the process unlike SAFD or FWFD.