NTN ECOMM Test: Both Versions, Scoring, Retakes and Prep

If a dispatcher job posting tells you to register with National Testing Network rather than wait for the agency to schedule you, you will be sitting NTN's Emergency Communications exam, which almost everyone calls the ECOMM test. The content is developed by Ergometrics and delivered through NTN, and the way it works is different enough from agency-run testing that it is worth understanding before you pay to book a seat. Everything below is taken from NTN's own candidate pages, and we flag where what circulates online does not match them.

If you want to start practicing now, our ECOMM practice test page lists the drills that match each part, and free practice needs no account.

The ECOMM test at a glance

Question	What NTN says
Who makes it	Ergometrics & Applied Personnel Research, delivered through National Testing Network
Versions	Comprehensive (video-based) and Express (written tests plus computer simulations)
How long	Approximately 2 hours for either version
Where	At a test center, or from home with live online proctoring
Cost	Varies by location, test and department, and is shown at checkout; fees are non-refundable
Who sees your score	Each department you designate
Passing score	None set by NTN; each department chooses its own standards
Score validity	One year from your test date
Retakes	Wait at least three months; retesting deletes your previous scores and job list
Official practice test	None for ECOMM

How the NTN model works

With most agency-run tests, you apply, the agency invites you, and the result belongs to that one hiring process. NTN reverses that. You create a candidate account, choose the departments you want to apply to, pay, and book your own sitting. Once you have tested, NTN gives your scores to every department you designated. One sitting can support several applications.

That has consequences worth planning around:

• Choose your departments before you test. NTN's FAQ says there is a base fee plus a cost for each department. After you test, you can only add jobs or departments that opened since your test, at $15 per job.
• Treat the booking seriously. One result goes to every department on your list, so a weak day costs you more than one application. Do not book early "just to see what it is like."
• Ask about the fee. Exam fees are non-refundable, but NTN says some agencies offer fee waivers and departments can cover testing costs through a voucher program. Check the job listing or ask before you pay.
• Read the listing for extra requirements. Participation varies. Some departments also require a typing test, their own interview or further testing, and some only accept scores from a recent window. Our guide to reading a dispatcher job posting covers how to pull this out.

The Comprehensive version

NTN lists three parts, with a total test time of about two hours.

• CallTaker Video Test. You watch video scenarios of call takers handling emergency calls and take notes as they play. Each call stops at a critical decision point and you choose the best course of action from multiple choices. NTN says the items "play without stopping," and that the test is not about policy: everything you need is in the scenario.
• Recording Pertinent Information Test (the note-taking test). You read statements about the calls you just watched and, using your notes, mark each one Correct, Incorrect or Unsure. The notes you took during the videos are what you have to work with, so this part rewards notes that captured the right details the first time.
• Dispatcher Test. A multitasking test. You keep track of four police units in moving situations, and as new calls come in you decide which units to send based on where they are and what they are doing, whether to send them immediately, and whether medical also needs to go. NTN says no dispatch experience is needed.

The Express version

The Express exam also runs about two hours, but most of it is written rather than video:

• CallTaker test. A written multiple-choice situational judgment test: you read scenarios about common call-taker situations and stressors and pick the best response.
• Dispatcher test. A written multitasking test that uses maps to help you track three police units and two medical units, deciding which to send as new calls arrive.
• Computer simulations. Data entry, listening and understanding, and cross-search and entry.
• Role Fitness Questionnaire. Measures call center suitability, job compatibility and work-specific personality dimensions.

Because the two versions really are different, find out which one your agency uses before you prepare. The job listing on NTN usually says; if it does not, ask the agency.

The online data entry and computer simulations test

Some departments also use a separate Data Entry and Computer Simulations Test (NTN also calls it ECOMM National Computer Simulations). It takes about 35 minutes and you take it through your NTN candidate account at a time that suits you, before the testing window for your job closes. NTN says it cannot be taken on a mobile device and recommends headphones. Its parts are a personal self-assessment, data entry of license plate numbers, data entry of names, listening and understanding, and cross search and entry, where you work from a driver's license record on one side of the screen into data-entry boxes on the other. Two things catch people: NTN says you will not be able to see your score, and you cannot retake this test by itself.

The NTN typing test

If a department requires typing, NTN's typing test is its own product: a five-minute, unproctored online test taken through your candidate account, where you type displayed paragraphs into a text box. It reports adjusted words per minute, capitalized words must be capitalized to count as correct, and uncorrected mistakes count against both your speed and accuracy. NTN says it needs Google Chrome on a laptop or desktop, and that you can retake it for a fee. The speed you need is set by the department. Our dispatcher typing test guide explains adjusted and net speed, and the free typing test gives you a comparable number.

Scores, validity and retakes

NTN does not decide who passes. Its FAQ says "individual departments choose scoring standards based on department needs," and departments contact you if you move on in their process. Some set a separate minimum for each section, so a strong result on one part may not rescue a weak one. Any single "ECOMM passing score" you read online is one department's choice at best.

Scores are kept for one year from your test date, after which you have to retest to keep being referred, and a department can choose to accept only more recent scores. You must wait at least three months to retake the standard tests. When you do retest, NTN deletes your previous scores and every department job from the original application, so you have to select all of them again when you buy the new test.

How to prepare for the ECOMM test

ECOMM does not test knowledge of dispatch procedures, so preparation is about the skills each part leans on.

• Build a note-taking system. Use a fixed layout for every call: location first, then what is happening, then people, vehicles and weapons, then anything the caller corrects. Abbreviate the same way every time. Practice on a radio call-in show or podcast you cannot pause, then check whether your notes let you answer specific questions ten minutes later. Our guide to listening and typing at the same time covers capturing information on the move.
• Answer judgment items from the scenario. NTN says candidates "are only asked to know what is stated during the tests." Pick the response that best fits what you were shown, using general public-safety sense — safety of people first, information that gets help moving — rather than a specific agency's procedures. NTN's test-taking tips add: assume everything is normal unless the question tells you otherwise, and stick to the facts presented.
• Practice tracking several units. Keep a consistent mental order for the units and update a unit's status the moment it changes, not at the end of the scenario. Why candidates fail the multitasking sections explains why the switching, not the individual tasks, is what costs points.
• If you have the Express version or the simulations test, drill data entry. Names, plates and license records into fields, accurately. Data entry and cross-referencing practice map directly onto the simulations.
• Answer every question. NTN's free test-taking tips sheet says there is no penalty for guessing on its tests. That is the opposite of California's POST dispatcher test, so do not carry that habit between the two.
• Do one full-length session. Two hours of sustained attention is its own challenge, and a virtual session can run longer with no breaks.

What people get wrong about ECOMM

• "NTN sells an ECOMM practice test." It does not. The Ergometrics practice tests on NTN's site are for its police, fire, corrections and transit exams. What NTN offers ECOMM candidates for free is its test information pages and a test-taking tips sheet.
• "ECOMM has spelling, reading and memory sections." Neither version's component list includes spelling, reading comprehension or an unaided memory test. Those are features of other tests, such as CritiCall batteries.
• "You need X% to pass." NTN sets no pass mark; departments do.
• "ECOMM is the National Dispatcher Selection Test." The NDST is a separate product from a different publisher. If your agency's letter names one specifically, prepare for that one.
• "NTN eCall" or "ECOM." NTN's pages call the exam Emergency Communications or ECOMM; we found no NTN product called eCall.

ECOMM compared with CritiCall and POST

	NTN ECOMM	CritiCall	California POST
Who books it	You, through NTN	The agency	The agency
Format	Video or written, plus simulations	Computer, agency-selected modules	Paper, with audio tests
Score goes to	Every department you designate	The testing agency	The testing agency
Guessing	No penalty, per NTN	Skipped questions penalized unless told otherwise, per Biddle	Wrong answers cost a fraction of a point

For a side-by-side of how to tell which test you are sitting, see what is on the 911 dispatcher test. For the CritiCall details, see the CritiCall test guide.

Sources

• National Testing Network, Emergency Communications exam (both versions and their components)
• National Testing Network, Candidate FAQ (fees, adding departments, score validity, retakes, scoring standards, practice tests)
• National Testing Network, Data Entry and Computer Simulations Test
• National Testing Network, NTN Typing Test
• National Testing Network, Test pricing

ECOMM is a trademark of the National Testing Network, Inc. CritiCall is a registered trademark of Biddle Consulting Group, Inc. DispatchDrills is an independent practice provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the National Testing Network, Inc., Ergometrics or Biddle Consulting Group, Inc. We do not reproduce exam content; all examples in our material are original and illustrative.

Common questions

What is on the ECOMM test?

It depends on the version. The Comprehensive exam has a CallTaker Video Test, a note-taking test answered from your notes, and a Dispatcher Test tracking four police units. The Express exam has a written call-taker judgment test, a written dispatcher test with maps, computer simulations (data entry, listening and understanding, cross-search and entry) and a Role Fitness Questionnaire.

How long is the ECOMM test?

NTN lists both versions at approximately two hours. Its FAQ says a standard video test can take up to about two and a half hours, and the separate online computer simulations test takes about 35 minutes.

What is a passing score on the ECOMM test?

NTN does not set one. Each department chooses its own scoring standards, and some set a minimum for each section. Check the listing or ask the department.

How much does the NTN ECOMM test cost?

NTN does not publish a single price: it varies by location, test type and the departments you choose, and the total is shown at checkout. Adding a newly opened job after testing costs $15 per job. Fees are non-refundable, and some agencies offer waivers or vouchers.

Can I take the ECOMM test at home?

NTN offers virtual testing from home with live proctors, as well as test centers. The separate data entry and computer simulations test is taken online through your candidate account and cannot be taken on a mobile device.

How long is my score valid, and when can I retake?

Scores are kept for one year from your test date. You must wait at least three months to retake, and retesting deletes your previous scores and the department jobs on your original application.

Is ECOMM the same as CritiCall?

No. They come from different companies and work differently: ECOMM is booked through NTN and shared with the departments you choose, while CritiCall is a modular computer test run by the hiring agency. Both assess overlapping skills, which is why practicing those skills helps with either, but a score on one is not a score on the other.