Finland’s police college in Tampere has decided to provide prospective students with an audio version of the book forming the basis for its entrance exam.
This year the police college opted to tighten entrance requirements after it concluded that too many of its students struggled to produce well-written texts.
Marko Vesterbacka, a Finnish-language teacher, told Yle he believed that some people may be able to pass the exam by listening to the book, but he said most would probably use it as a companion for the regular textbook.
He said an audio version gives people more time to cover the material as information from an audiobook can be absorbed while driving or jogging.
“There’s a lot of active people in our applicant pool,” he said.
The audiobook spans nearly 14 hours and covers 18 articles about different aspects of police life. During the test, aspiring students are expected to write an essay based on the material covered in the book.
Pen most powerful instrument
From now on, grammatical errors can disqualify applicants in the written part of the entrance exam.
Many of this year’s applicants are born in the 2000s. Vesterbacka said reading a thick book for the entrance exam is an entirely new experience for some police college applicants.
The Police University College told Yle it hoped the audio version of the book would help aspiring police officers get started with their reading and smooth the path for those feeling overwhelmed by the undertaking.
Last year saw record interest in academy training, with more than 5,000 candidates vying for 400 available study spots at the Police University College.