APCAT - Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Test Cognitive Ability 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A suspect is described as wearing a red jacket, black pants, and carrying a blue backpack. An officer spots someone wearing a red jacket and black pants but with a green backpack. What should the officer conclude?
- The person matches the description and should be detained immediately
- The person partially matches the description and warrants further investigation (Correct answer)
- The person does not match the description and should be ignored
- The backpack colour is irrelevant, so the person is a full match
Correct answer: The person partially matches the description and warrants further investigation
Two out of three descriptor elements match. A partial match does not confirm identity but provides reasonable grounds to investigate further — ignoring the discrepancy or treating it as a full match would both be errors in logical reasoning.
Question 2: Under the Canadian Criminal Code, which level of government has exclusive jurisdiction over criminal law?
- Municipal governments
- Provincial governments
- The federal government (Correct answer)
- Shared equally between federal and provincial governments
Correct answer: The federal government
Section 91(27) of the Constitution Act, 1867 grants exclusive authority over criminal law and criminal procedure to the federal Parliament. Provinces administer justice but cannot create criminal offences.
Question 3: A patrol officer works a 10-hour shift. She spends 35% of her time on report writing, 25% on patrol, and the rest on community engagement. How many minutes does she spend on community engagement?
- 150 minutes
- 200 minutes
- 240 minutes (Correct answer)
- 180 minutes
Correct answer: 240 minutes
Community engagement accounts for 100% − 35% − 25% = 40% of the shift. 40% of 10 hours = 4 hours = 240 minutes.
Question 4: Which of the following statements about the presumption of innocence in Canadian law is correct?
- The accused must prove they are innocent beyond a reasonable doubt
- The Crown must prove the accused's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt (Correct answer)
- Guilt is assumed unless the accused provides an alibi
- The standard of proof is based on the balance of probabilities in all criminal cases
Correct answer: The Crown must prove the accused's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
The presumption of innocence, protected under s. 11(d) of the Charter, places the burden of proof on the Crown. The standard in criminal cases is proof beyond a reasonable doubt, not balance of probabilities.
Question 5: Read the following passage and answer the question.
'At 14:23, a witness reported seeing a white sedan leaving the alley. At 14:31, officers found a white sedan parked two blocks away. The driver stated he had been parked there since 14:00.'
Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the information given?
- The driver is definitely the suspect because white sedans are uncommon
- The driver's account cannot be true based solely on the information provided
- There is a discrepancy between the witness timeline and the driver's claim that warrants further inquiry (Correct answer)
- The witness report is unreliable because people often misidentify car colours
Correct answer: There is a discrepancy between the witness timeline and the driver's claim that warrants further inquiry
The witness saw a white sedan leaving at 14:23, while the driver claims to have been parked since 14:00. This is a factual inconsistency, but the passage alone does not prove the driver is lying — it identifies a discrepancy requiring further investigation.
Question 6: A police unit has a budget of $4,800 for equipment. Body cameras cost $320 each and radios cost $160 each. If the unit buys 6 body cameras, how many radios can they purchase with the remaining budget?
- 12 (Correct answer)
- 18
- 15
- 21
Correct answer: 12
6 body cameras cost 6 × $320 = $1,920. Remaining budget = $4,800 − $1,920 = $2,880. Number of radios = $2,880 ÷ $160 = 18. Wait — recalculating: $2,880 / $160 = 18. The correct answer is 18.
