Badge Spatial Orientation on the NCJOSI-2
Spatial orientation is the ability to know where you are and which way you're facing, and to find your way from one place to another. On patrol, it's getting to a call quickly without driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
This page explains what these questions ask of you, gives you a map question to try, and walks through a method for choosing the right route.
What the questions ask you to do
Spatial orientation questions usually show a map of streets and landmarks and ask about getting around it. You might be asked for the shortest legal route between two places, which direction you'd be facing after a set of turns, or where you'd end up.
Read the map's key before anything else. One-way streets, blocked roads and the direction of north are what separate a correct route from one that looks right but isn't legal.
Try a practice question
This question is original practice content written by Badge & Hose. Every name, place and rule in it is fictional.
An officer at the police station needs to get to the hospital. Obeying all one-way streets, which is the shortest route?
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: East on Cedar St to 3rd Ave, north to Ash St, then east to 4th Ave
3rd Ave is the only avenue on this map that allows northbound travel. Cedar St and Ash St are two-way, so this route is legal the whole way, and at five blocks it is as short as any route can be.
Each of the other routes travels north on 1st, 2nd or 4th Ave, and all three of those avenues are one-way southbound.
A method for map questions
Read the key and find north
Before looking at the routes, note which way is north and which streets are one-way or closed. These details decide most questions.
Find the start and the destination
Locate both points on the map and picture the general direction you need to travel, such as north and east.
Rule out illegal routes first
Trace each choice with your eyes and cross it off the moment it goes the wrong way on a one-way street or through a blocked road.
Count blocks on what's left
If more than one route is legal, count the blocks on each and pick the shortest.
Common mistakes
Picking the route that looks shortest. The most direct-looking path is often the one that goes the wrong way down a one-way street.
Losing track of left and right. When a route involves turns, your left and right depend on which way you're facing, not on the map's left and right.
Missing arrows in the middle of a block. Check the whole length of each street on your route, not just the intersections.
Assuming north is up. Most maps put north at the top, but always check the compass.
Practice more spatial orientation questions
In Badge & Hose study mode you can focus on one ability at a time and see an explanation after every answer. Spatial Orientation is included free.