ECOMM Computer Simulations: The 35-Minute Typing Half

The Data Entry and Computer Simulations test — NTN also calls it ECOMM National Computer Simulations — is the keyboard half of the process. It runs to approximately 35 minutes and is taken through your NTN candidate account, at a time you choose.

The four segments, plus a questionnaire

NTN publishes what each one involves.

Personal Self-Assessment

"A questionnaire that measures work-specific attitudes."

Data Entry of License Plate Numbers

"Test takers hear a call taker ask for a caller's license plate number. The test taker will hear the caller say the license plate number, and test takers type it. Test takers can have the license plate number repeated. Test takers try to get through as many license plate numbers as possible."

Data Entry of Names

"Test takers hear a call taker ask for the caller's name, and the caller respond. Test takers can have the name repeated or ask to have the name spelled. The test taker types the last name. Test takers try to get through as many names as possible."

Listening and Understanding

"Test takers listen to a caller making a statement and then read a statement about that call. Test takers decide if the written statement accurately reflects what the caller said."

Cross Search and Entry

"Test takers see a screen with a driver's license record on one side, and text boxes for data entry on the other. Test takers enter the requested information based on the driver's license record."

The repeat function is the strategy

Three of the four segments say "as many as possible", so throughput matters. But two of them also give you a control most candidates under-use: you can have the plate repeated, and you can have the name repeated or spelled.

That creates a real trade-off, and getting it right is most of the score. A repeat costs you seconds. A wrong entry costs you the item. For an unusual surname, asking to have it spelled is almost always the better trade — and it is also what a competent dispatcher does, which is presumably why the function is there.

The rule of thumb: repeat when you are not sure, push on when you are. Treating the repeat as an admission of failure is the wrong instinct; so is repeating everything reflexively.

What each segment is really testing

• Plate numbers — alphanumeric accuracy from speech, where the failure is confusable characters and transposition.
• Names — spoken-to-written accuracy on unpredictable spellings, which is why the spell-out option exists.
• Listening and Understanding — comprehension rather than transcription. Does the written statement match what was said?
• Cross Search and Entry — accurate transfer between two areas of a screen, which is the most common single act in the job.

The practical conditions

NTN is specific, and these are worth checking before you start:

• "Many questions have a listening component so headphones are strongly recommended."
• "The test must be taken on a computer with a keyboard. The test cannot be taken on a mobile device."
• "It is a test and must be taken in a quiet environment with no help from others."
• Candidates "need to ensure they have allotted the appropriate amount of time, undisturbed".

Because you take it at home at a time of your choosing, the conditions are your responsibility. Three of five segments are audio-dependent — do not attempt it on laptop speakers in a shared room.

Two things about the result

You do not see your score. NTN's FAQ is direct: asked whether candidates can see their score for this test, the answer is "No, you will not be able to see your score." Agencies may use it as part of their selection process.

You cannot retake it on its own. "If you re-apply (and pay) to take the test for the job you are interested in, you will retake the Data Entry and Computer Simulations test. You cannot retake it by itself."

Those two facts together are the argument for preparing before you sit it rather than treating a first attempt as a practice run. You will not learn anything from the attempt, and undoing it means reapplying and paying again.

NTN also notes it should be taken as soon as possible and completed before the testing period closes for the jobs you have applied to.

Practising it

This is the segment where practice transfers most directly, because the tasks are mechanical skills rather than judgement.

Audio data entry is the closest match to the plate and name segments — hear it, type it, under time. Cross-referencing trains transferring between a record and a form, which is Cross Search and Entry. Data entry and typing cover raw accuracy and speed, and our free typing test gives you a baseline in a couple of minutes.

The full ECOMM guide covers the whole exam, and the dispatcher typing test covers speed expectations more generally.

Sources

• National Testing Network, Emergency Communications Operator Testing with ECOMM
• National Testing Network, Data Entry and Computer Simulations (ECOMM National Computer Simulations)

ECOMM is administered by the National Testing Network, Inc. DispatchDrills is an independent practice provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Testing Network, Inc. or Ergometrics. We do not reproduce exam content; every example in our material is original and illustrative.

Common questions

How long is the ECOMM computer simulations test?

NTN gives total test time as approximately 35 minutes.

What is on it?

A Personal Self-Assessment questionnaire, data entry of licence plate numbers, data entry of names, listening and understanding, and cross search and entry.

Can I have things repeated?

Yes. Plate numbers can be repeated, and names can be repeated or spelled out.

Will I see my score?

No. NTN states candidates cannot see their score for this test.

Can I retake it?

Not on its own. You retake it by re-applying and paying for the job's test again.

Do I need headphones?

NTN strongly recommends them, and the test cannot be taken on a mobile device.