Police Academy Study Tips

[JJay704NC]

What's going on everyone, I just started the police academy and wanted to ask all my LEO's what has helped you retain and memorize information? I have a hard time studying and wanted to learn new study tips.

A bit late but I agree with everything said so far. Im a little bit over half way through mine and study groups have been a huge help. What I do as a last step is to create a chapter outline/study guide and read through that before a test as a refresher.
Don’t be afraid to lean on classmates in areas you may struggle with. Ego has no place here and you learn that early on. The goal is to graduate, not care what others may think.

Also, all other advice holds true. Run till you can’t anymore, then run some more. I hate running but I love watching my endurance improve and recovery times drop.

I recommended also reading through the other forum topics here giving advice to rookies. Those have helped me out a lot in scenarios.

the academy is just as tough as I thought but reading about it and going through it are two different things. From barely getting sleep multiple times a week from night qual and night driving and going right into PT, it can be rough. But man, it’s fun.

[tanksoldier]

Even when it works out it doesn’t usually work out.. I slightly know two people who were academy classmates from neighboring agencies. They started dating at the academy, moved in together afterwards for about a year, then got married. The marriage lasted six months. Now they are bitter with each other over whatever happened.

I don’t know what happened to cause the breakup, I just know it happened.

I do know the academy is an artificial environment, with artificial demands, and artificial sense of comradery. What seems to work there doesn’t necessarily transfer to the real world.

[Ratatatat]

Agreed, save the socializing for After graduation, never lose sight of Why you’re actually there,………

Having witnessed the inter-classmate love thing several times, I have my theories why it happens...

Academies are stressful events. Most people quit decent paying jobs before they start so there's an omni-present threat of losing the new job because of a failed exam or not being able do enough sit ups. Add to that week after week of inspections, practical exercises, legal exams, getting barked at for every little mis-step, and graphic exposure to unsettling things, like severe child abuse or dashcam video after dashcam video of a cop getting shot execution style.

People, when under stress, find coping mechanisms to deal with it. Traditional methods like xanax, alcohol and marijuana (I live in a state where the leaf is now legal and last year $1.5 billion was spent on that form of stess relief) are much frowned upon during academies. So people often turn to romance, especially short term romance, as a way to brunt the reality of the situation they're in.

Of the five academies I went through, only the state-run academy said 'don't do it' on Day One. People still did, and while they tried to keep it on the down low, everyone still knew what was going on. It's impossible to hide a secret romance in such a fishbowl.

At the three fed academies, it wasn't the college age kids who were doing the tango, but mostly married thirtysomethings. It was as if they were 18 again, away from their parents for the first time, and they were living in a fantasy world of fast cars, guns, beer, and hot sun on the Georgia beaches. We used to call them 'fletc marriages' because when it was over, back they went to where ever they were from and their real-life spouses. Graduation Day was always a little awkward, as the real spouses would be there, beaming with happiness and pride, completely unaware of what every classmate knew about their cheating partner.

In addition to unspoken judgement from classmates, knockin' boots also causes jealousy. Humans don't like it when others get something they aren't getting, especially something primal and lizard brain. Add to the equation a healthy amount of testosterone and the constant pecking order competition of who's the most Alpha of the pack, it can cause unnecessary tension. Group dynamics are integral to the academy experience, and giving Cupid a target for his arrow almost always upsets the equilibrium.

Maybe in big agencies, where you can spend your entire career not seeing a fellow classmate, academy dalliances are mostly forgotten. But in small outfits, people remember and the gossip continues for many years and gets shared with those who weren't even there.

Never dip your pen in company ink. Don't poop in your own nest. Don't get high on your own supply. On and on. All are very true idioms that apply.

Do what you gotta do- have a hook up with a rando from the bar, watch favorite dirty movies with your phone in one hand and a dirty sock in the other, or take a warm shower with yer favorite bar of soap. Just don't get freaky with academy classmates because the cost is bigger than you think....

[NolaT]

Fatal attraction,………..

[Aidokea]

A-freekin'-men!

It's never a good idea to poop where you eat, but marital infidelity and/or banging an academy classmate, is incredibly stupid. It demonstrates SERIOUS judgement problems that should have been identified BEFORE academy started.

[NolaT]

Agreed, save the socializing for After graduation, never lose sight of Why you’re actually there,………

[Aidokea]

Tell me about it. Every weekend break at my academy was like being at senior prom night.

Most of the people who were hooking up prior to graduation never made it off patrol phase training. I don't think one thing necessarily had anything to do with the other, just always thought it to be a weird coincidence.

Same-same. At my last academy, as a happily-married 44 year old father, some 22 year old diversity hire with big boobs made a run at me. I politely declined. She eventually ended up getting knocked up by some other guy in our class, neither one of them graduated with us, and much life-altering drama ensued.

[clof2001]

3. Every academy I went through (five, it's a long story) had romantic trysts break out. At the community college academy, they didn't care. At the state academy, they strongly discouraged it. At the fed academy, they practically passed out condoms. Anyways, don't participate in such shenanigans, if for no other reason than doing so is a distraction for you, and the other classmates, from the training.

Tell me about it. Every weekend break at my academy was like being at senior prom night.

Most of the people who were hooking up prior to graduation never made it off patrol phase training. I don't think one thing necessarily had anything to do with the other, just always thought it to be a weird coincidence.

[NolaT]

I agree with the above on study groups, I prefer to study by myself,……

[Ratatatat]

1. Review the academic material for a brief period of time every night. That way you won't have to cram the night before an exam, which isn't exactly the best mode of recollection.

2. Study groups or having a study buddy may work for some folks, but I always found them to be more of a liability than an asset. Example: you think you have a solid grasp on a complicated subject like 4th amendment search and seizure, until your confused classmate raises doubt in your head during a study group session and then you go into an exam not so sure anymore. I'd rather fly solo and soar than fall and fail because of some marginal classmate.

3. Every academy I went through (five, it's a long story) had romantic trysts break out. At the community college academy, they didn't care. At the state academy, they strongly discouraged it. At the fed academy, they practically passed out condoms. Anyways, don't participate in such shenanigans, if for no other reason than doing so is a distraction for you, and the other classmates, from the training.

[dchoudhry61]

Thank you everyone for your response, I will take everyone's advice.

[Zeitgeist1]

This was very important for me. Especially Criminal procedure. +1000

[NolaT]

True, writing helps you remember, that’s why it’s important to make YOUR OWN flash cards, vs studying someone else’s notes or available online cram notes.

Plus, who’s to say their notes, that you’re studying, are even Correct?!?

[Metro174]

Re-writing my class notes every evening helped me. This made it easier to read and I was able to review.

[John Wick]

Study and study hard. I learn by saturation. I need to review over and over. I didn't sleep much at the academy but it worked. I finished 4th academically.