CritiCall Dispatcher Testing Software

Testing Solutions for Public-Safety 911 Agencies and HR / Personnel

Many of CritiCall’s test modules provide a miniature replica of the emergency services job. However, CritiCall is scientifically designed so the job applicants need no prior dispatch experience or special dispatcher training to succeed during testing. These tests provide the applicants a realistic preview of the job… so much so that 911 agencies / HR have reported that some applicants have removed themselves from the recruitment process knowing that they do not possess the skills and abilities necessary for success!

CritiCall is virtually self-administering and self-scoring. The job applicant sits at the computer and the CritiCall program does the rest. CritiCall tests automatically appear – as uniquely selected by each public-safety agency – one after another, until the applicant is informed by CritiCall that the test session is complete. CritiCall automatically scores virtually every aspect of the test. Tens-of-thousands of job applicants (at more than 1,800 public-safety agencies) have been tested by CritiCall with great success.

• 
  CritiCall/TestGenius Data Sheet (PDF)
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  Dispatcher Personality Testing
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  NEOGOV Insight Integration
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  Private-Industry Dispatching

Year of Adoption	Retention Rate
Year Zero (before CritiCall)	15%
Year One	54%
Year Two	86%
Year Three	100%

Washington County 911 in Oregon knew that they needed to make some changes. They completely revamped their hiring process and instituted CritiCall as their skill testing program.

The results were incredible. In three years, they saw an 85% increase in retention. CritiCall is not the only change that Washington County 911 made, but Training Coordinator Susan Koch considers it to be one of the most integral parts.

CritiCall testing software is developed by the testing experts at Biddle Consulting Group. It is based on best practices and information gathered from studies involving more than 100 police, fire, and emergency services agencies from across the United States and Canada and will help your agency to know which applicants possess the skills & abilities necessary for success in the stressful emergency dispatch environment.

CritiCall has been adopted by more than 1,800 public-safety agencies, including more than 50% of all State Police/Highway Patrol agencies, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as well as a number of provincial-wide agencies in Canada.

One Texas city reported that it cost $88,000 for the recruitment, testing, selection, training, and probationary supervision of a single dispatcher. And yet, too many public-safety agencies have learned the hard way that interviews and written tests are not sufficient to determine whether someone possesses the knowledge, skill, and ability needed to become a successful dispatcher.