In-Basket Exercise: What It Is, How to Prioritize, and a Worked Sample
An in-basket exercise is a timed promotional test where you play a supervisor, such as a new police sergeant or fire captain, and work through a stack of memos, emails, phone messages and reports. For each item you decide how urgent it is, who you need to contact and what action you'll take. Some agencies make it written (Prince George's County Police's 2020 sergeant in-basket had 6 to 12 items and a time limit of about 1.5 to 3 hours). Others make it oral (Denver Fire's 2024 captain in-basket gave candidates 15 minutes before the panel to explain the priority, contact and action for each item).
Last checked Nov 1, 2026
What an in-basket tests
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) calls the in-basket "a frequently used assessment center exercise" and says applicants "play the role of a person new to the job and are instructed to read and react to a pile of memos, messages, reports, and articles."
The Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police describes it this way in its assessment center exercise menu: "The In-Basket exercise closely simulates the day-to-day administrative and decision-making activities of a supervisor/manager in an actual working situation." Assessors judge whether your decisions "demonstrate sound management principles."
In practice, raters are watching for:
- Prioritization. Do you see what's urgent, not just what's on top?
- Judgment. Is each decision sound and within policy?
- Delegation. Do you hand work to the right person, with a deadline, while staying accountable?
- Links between items. Do you notice when two or three items are about the same person or event?
- Communication. Oral or written, is it clear and organized?
Denver's 2024 fire captain handout says assessors look at your "analytic ability and the oral communication skills" you show.
Written vs oral in-basket
| Written in-basket | Oral in-basket | |
|---|---|---|
| Published example | Prince George's County Police, sergeant, 2020 | Denver Fire, captain, 2024 |
| Size and time | 6 to 12 items, about 1.5 to 3 hours | A number of items, a prep period, then 15 minutes before the panel |
| What you produce | Written notes and actions on each item, plus one or two formal written responses | A spoken presentation: for each item, priority level and why, who you'd contact, and what action you'd take |
| What's scored | Your decisions. Written communication is scored only on the one or two items that ask for a formal response. Elsewhere, bullet points and incomplete sentences are fine. | Only the oral presentation. You can make notes and sort the items, but notes aren't scored. |
Read your own orientation guide to know which you're facing. The skills are the same. The delivery is different.
How to work an in-basket, step by step
- Read the instructions and the background first. Note who you are, today's date and time, your schedule, and who reports to you. Many items only make sense against that calendar.
- Skim every item before acting on any. The worst mistake is handling item 1 first because it's on top. Items are often out of order on purpose.
- Mark links. Circle names, dates and incident numbers that appear in more than one item. Linked items usually rise in priority together.
- Assign a priority to each item. Use four levels (Denver's handout uses high, medium, low and no priority):
- High: a risk to life or safety, an officer or firefighter welfare concern, a deadline today, legal or liability exposure, or a public complaint or media question.
- Medium: due this week, personnel issues that will get worse, training or certification deadlines.
- Low: can wait or be scheduled, such as routine requests and future events.
- No priority: information only, or junk. Say so and move on.
- For each item, decide contact and action. Who do you call, meet or delegate to, by when, and how will you follow up? Name your boss when the chain of command needs to know.
- Write the formal responses well, if any are required. These are often the only items where your writing is scored.
- Leave five minutes to check you covered every item. A skipped item usually scores as a missed one.
Worked sample in-basket (10 items)
This sample was written by Ten-Four for practice. It is not from any agency's exam.
Your role: You are Sergeant Sam Ortiz, newly assigned to Patrol Squad B. It's Monday at 0600. Roll call is at 0700. You have one hour before roll call. Your lieutenant is Lt. Reyes.
| # | From | Item |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lt. Reyes (email, Sun 2140) | "The use of force report for Officer Diaz's arrest on Friday still needs your supervisory review. I need it by noon today." |
| 2 | Phone message (Sat 1515) | Officer Kim's wife called. Since last week's fatal crash call, Kim "isn't sleeping and isn't himself." She asks you to call her back. Kim works today. |
| 3 | Records unit (memo, Fri) | Three reports from Squad B were rejected for missing case numbers. Corrections needed by Friday. |
| 4 | Neighborhood association president (email, Sat) | Asks for an officer to speak about car break-ins at the Nov 20 community meeting. |
| 5 | Voicemail transcript (Sun 1100) | A driver says Officer Patel was rude and swore at her during a traffic stop on Saturday. She wants a call back today. |
| 6 | Training unit (memo, Fri) | Officers Diaz and Lane are overdue for annual firearms qualification. Their status lapses Nov 30. |
| 7 | Fleet (email, Sat 2200) | Unit 214 was reported with a brake warning light Saturday night. Not yet inspected. Unit 214 is on today's assignment sheet. |
| 8 | Two vacation requests | Officers Brooks and Hart both asked for Thanksgiving week off. Minimum staffing allows one. |
| 9 | Public information officer (email, Sun 1900) | A TV reporter is asking about a bystander video of Friday's arrest by Officer Diaz. The PIO asks for the basic facts by 1000 today. |
| 10 | Vendor flyer | Demo of a new flashlight model, Wednesday at noon, lunch provided. |
Model prioritization (written by Ten-Four as a model answer)
| Priority | Item | Why | Contact | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 High | 7, Unit 214 brakes | Officer and public safety, and the car goes out at 0700 | Fleet, the officers assigned 214 | Pull 214 from service before roll call, reassign a car, request inspection today, note it on the assignment sheet |
| 2 High | 2, Officer Kim | Officer welfare and possible fitness for duty, and he works today | Kim's wife (call back), Kim (private talk before roll call), Lt. Reyes | Call back, talk to Kim privately, offer peer support and the employee assistance program, decide with Lt. Reyes on duty status per policy |
| 3 High | 1 and 9 together, the Diaz arrest | Same incident. A use of force review is due at noon and a media inquiry at 1000 | Lt. Reyes, the PIO | Review body-worn video and the report this morning. Brief Lt. Reyes on the video first. Give the PIO the facts through the chain, per policy. Don't speak to the reporter yourself |
| 4 High | 5, complaint about Officer Patel | A public complaint, and she asked for a call today | The driver, Officer Patel | Call her back today, take the complaint through your agency's intake process, review the stop video, talk to Patel |
| 5 Medium | 6, firearms qualification | Hard deadline Nov 30, and a lapse may affect an officer's duty status, depending on policy | Range staff, Diaz and Lane | Book both on the range this week, confirm in writing, put Nov 30 in your calendar |
| 6 Medium | 3, rejected reports | Due Friday, and a pattern worth a reminder | The three report writers | Delegate corrections with a Wednesday deadline, remind the squad at roll call about case numbers |
| 7 Medium | 8, vacation requests | Weeks away, but people need an answer to plan | Brooks, Hart | Apply your agency's leave rules (often seniority or request date), answer both this week, explain the decision |
| 8 Low | 4, community meeting | Three weeks away, good for trust | Lt. Reyes, a community-minded officer | Accept, assign an officer with Lt. Reyes's approval, confirm to the president this week |
| 9 No priority | 10, vendor demo | Information only | None | File it or pass it to whoever handles equipment |
Why this order scores well: the two items that can hurt someone today (brakes, an officer in distress) come first. The three Diaz items are spotted as linked: the use of force review, the media question and the firearms deadline all involve one officer. The complaint is handled the same day because the citizen asked and trust depends on it. Routine work is delegated with deadlines instead of done by the sergeant.
What would lose points: working the items in the order given, talking to the reporter yourself, leaving Unit 214 on the street, treating Kim's wife's call as a personal matter to deal with later, or saying "I'd handle it" without naming who you'd contact and when.
How one item sounds in an oral in-basket
Denver Fire's 2024 captain handout asks for three steps per item: "Management Analysis and Plan" (the priority level and why), "Contact" and "Action." Here is item 2 in that shape.
Example answer (written by Ten-Four as a model, not from a real candidate) "Item 2, the call from Officer Kim's wife. Management analysis and plan: high priority. This is an officer welfare issue that could affect his safety and the public's, and he's working today. Contact: I'll call his wife back before roll call to listen and thank her. Then I'll talk with Officer Kim privately before he goes out. I'll let Lieutenant Reyes know. Action: I'll ask Kim how he's doing since the crash call, offer peer support and the employee assistance program, and, with the lieutenant, decide on his duty status today following our policy. I'll check in with him again at end of shift and later this week."
Fire captain version
The same skills apply in fire promotional in-baskets. If you're preparing for a fire officer exam, swap in items like these and work them the same way:
| Police item | Fire version |
|---|---|
| Unit 214 brake warning | Engine 12's pump failed its test, and it's in service today |
| Officer Kim after a fatal crash | A firefighter withdrawn after a pediatric fatality call |
| Firearms qualification lapsing | Two members' EMT certifications lapsing at month end |
| Media asking about an arrest video | A reporter asking about a fire where a resident was hurt |
See our fire officer assessment center guide for the tactical and interview parts.
Common mistakes
- Starting on item 1 without skimming the whole basket
- Missing linked items about the same person or incident
- Doing everything yourself instead of delegating with a deadline
- Giving a priority with no reason ("high" alone scores less than "high, because it's a safety risk today")
- Running out of time and leaving items blank
- Promising discipline before you have the facts
Practice drill
- Set a timer for 30 minutes and work the sample above without looking at the model table.
- Compare your table with ours. Note any item where your priority differed by two levels.
- For an oral in-basket, present all ten items out loud in 15 minutes, using priority, contact and action for each.
- Write your own 8-item basket for your agency and rank, and swap with a study partner.
Practice the spoken part out loud. Ten-Four is AI oral board practice: its panel asks promotional questions and scenarios out loud and follows up on what you missed. You get a 1 to 5 score with the points you made and missed, and a dated plan up to your exam date. 7 days free. Start a police promotional mock board or a fire promotional mock board
FAQ
What is an in-basket exercise? A timed simulation where you act as a supervisor and handle a stack of memos, emails, messages and reports, deciding each item's priority, who to contact and what to do. It's common in police and fire promotional assessment centers.
How do you prioritize items in an in-basket exercise? Skim every item first, mark items that are linked, then rank them: safety and welfare risks and today's deadlines first, then this week's issues, then routine items, then information only. Give a reason for each priority.
How long is an in-basket exercise? It depends on the agency. Prince George's County Police's 2020 sergeant in-basket ran about 1.5 to 3 hours for 6 to 12 items. Denver Fire's 2024 captain in-basket was oral, with 15 minutes in front of the panel after a preparation period.
Is the in-basket exercise written or oral? Either. Some agencies have you write your actions and one or two formal responses. Others, like Denver Fire's 2024 captain exam, have you present your decisions out loud, and only the oral presentation is scored.
Is spelling scored on an in-basket? In Prince George's County Police's 2020 sergeant in-basket, written communication was scored only on the one or two items that asked for a formal written response. Other items could be answered in bullet points without being marked down for spelling or grammar.
Can I delegate items in an in-basket? Yes, and good delegation usually scores well, as long as you name who, by when, and how you'll follow up. You stay accountable for the result.
Related guides
Official sources
- Prince George's County Police 2020 Sergeant Skills Assessment Manual
- Denver Fire 2024 Captain Promotional Process Candidate Handout
- Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, Assessment Center Exercise Menu
- U.S. OPM, Assessment Centers
Ten-Four is not affiliated with any police or fire department, civil service commission, POST, or testing company. The sample in-basket and model answers were written by Ten-Four for practice and are not from any agency's exam.