It’s difficult to hear a question and rapidly formulate an adequate answer, especially under the added pressure of raters staring at you from across the table. A candidate who has thought about and developed ideas and responses to the concepts typically discussed in an oral interview will usually score higher than one who is contemplating a topic for the first time during an interview.
In the Oral Interviews section, Captain/Lieutenant members have access to over 75 pages of Fire Officer promotional oral interview questions, answers, and rationale. Battalion Chief members have access to an additional 42 pages of focused questions, answers, and rationale. These questions and answers were developed through years of writing, proctoring, and rating promotional examinations. All the questions presented have appeared, in one form or another, on fire officer or battalion chief exams throughout the country.