• 75 questions

Oregon Security Guard Practice Test

Unofficial questions on the Oregon law an unarmed private security professional works under, each answer linked to its section.

How old must an applicant be for certification as an unarmed private security professional in Oregon?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. Bank checked October 14, 2026.

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All 75 questions

Certification: who needs it, who qualifies, work permits 28

  • A conviction for an offense that carries more than one year, and is not an ORS 137.700 crime, requires denial until how long after the sentence is fully completed? OAR 259-060-0310(2)(c)
  • A member of the public makes a reasonable request to see a provider's certification. What does OAR 259-060-0015(2) require? OAR 259-060-0015(2)
  • A person guards a warehouse for pay as the main part of the job, part-time and in plain clothes. Is that person a "private security professional" under ORS 181A.840(7)? ORS 181A.840(7)
  • A person provides private security services without being certified and without the certificate in possession. What does ORS 181A.995(1)(b) call that? ORS 181A.995(1)(b)
  • A private security provider changes address. How soon must the Department be notified, and on which form? OAR 259-060-0015(6)(a)
  • A private security provider who is not employed is charged with a crime. Whom must the provider notify under ORS 181A.885(1)? ORS 181A.885(1)
  • An applicant falsifies information on the application for certification. What may the Department do under OAR 259-060-0310(3)? OAR 259-060-0310(3)(b)
  • An applicant works for two security employers while the application is processed. How many temporary work permits are needed? OAR 259-060-0030(3)(a)
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Certification: who needs it, who qualifies, work permits, continued

  • An employed private security provider is charged with a crime. How soon must the provider give notice under ORS 181A.885(1)? ORS 181A.885(1)
  • An executive manager temporarily assigns a person certified in another state with equal or higher standards. For how long may that last under ORS 181A.850(2)? ORS 181A.850(2)
  • By when must a copy of the Form PS-20 be sent to the Department under OAR 259-060-0030? OAR 259-060-0030(3)(b)
  • How long does a temporary work permit (Form PS-20) last under OAR 259-060-0030? OAR 259-060-0030(3)(c)
  • How old must an applicant be for certification as an unarmed private security professional in Oregon? ORS 181A.855(1)(a)
  • May a certified private security professional contract independently with a business to provide security services? OAR 259-060-0015(1)(c)
  • Uncertified crowd management staff work an organized event under the exemption in ORS 181A.845. How many certified or licensed persons must be on-site? ORS 181A.845(2)(b)
  • What does "primary responsibility" mean in ORS 181A.840(5)? ORS 181A.840(5)
  • What may the Department do with the certificate of a provider charged with a crime, under ORS 181A.885(3)? ORS 181A.885(3)
  • What must a person obtain before performing any service as a private security professional in Oregon? ORS 181A.850(1)(d)
  • What must a private security provider have in possession while working, under OAR 259-060-0015(2)? OAR 259-060-0015(2)
  • What offense is knowingly falsifying information pertinent to an application for a certificate under ORS 181A.995(1)? ORS 181A.995(1)(a)
  • When does a certificate issued by the Department expire under ORS 181A.875(1)? ORS 181A.875(1)
  • Which agency certifies private security professionals in Oregon? ORS 181A.840(1)
  • Which education does OAR 259-060-0020 require of a new applicant for certification? OAR 259-060-0020(2)
  • Which of these bars certification as a private security professional under ORS 181A.855(1)(c)? ORS 181A.855(1)(c)
  • Which of these is a "private security service" under ORS 181A.840(9)? ORS 181A.840(9)(d)
  • Which of these people is outside Oregon's private security law under ORS 181A.845(1)? ORS 181A.845(1)(h)
  • Which of these would take a ticket taker or usher out of the crowd management exemption in ORS 181A.845(2)? ORS 181A.845(2)(a)
  • Who may issue a temporary work permit to an unarmed applicant under OAR 259-060-0030(2)? OAR 259-060-0030(2)

The 14-hour course and its exam 14

  • A person once held Oregon certification but has not held it for more than four years. What does OAR 259-060-0060(12) require? OAR 259-060-0060(12)
  • A student scores 92 percent on the written test. What must the instructor do under OAR 259-060-0136(7)? OAR 259-060-0136(7)(a)
  • Below what test score must the instructor fail the student, or have the student repeat the missed section and retake the exam? OAR 259-060-0136(7)(b)
  • How can military training count toward the training requirement under ORS 181A.855(2)? ORS 181A.855(2)
  • In what language must the written exam be completed, and with what help, under OAR 259-060-0060(5)? OAR 259-060-0060(5)
  • On what must all Oregon private security courses and examinations be based, under OAR 259-060-0060(1)? OAR 259-060-0060(1)
  • What are "assessments" in Oregon's private security training under OAR 259-060-0060(9)(b)? OAR 259-060-0060(9)(b)
  • What does basic training for unarmed private security professional certification consist of under OAR 259-060-0120(3)? OAR 259-060-0120(3)(a)
  • What kind of written examination closes Oregon's basic classroom instruction under OAR 259-060-0060(9)? OAR 259-060-0060(9)(a)
  • What must an unarmed private security professional complete to renew certification under OAR 259-060-0120(3)? OAR 259-060-0120(3)(b)
  • What score must an applicant reach on all examinations and assessments under OAR 259-060-0060(10)? OAR 259-060-0060(10)
  • Which form, signed by the instructor who gave the course, proves that the training was completed? OAR 259-060-0060(7)(a)
  • Who may conduct the required training and testing under OAR 259-060-0060(2)? OAR 259-060-0060(2)
  • Within how long of completing the training must the Department receive and accept it, under OAR 259-060-0060(8)? OAR 259-060-0060(8)

Titles, uniforms, vehicles and penalties 14

  • A security uniform resembles a law enforcement uniform in style or color. What makes it lawful under OAR 259-060-0012? OAR 259-060-0012(1)(c)
  • A security vehicle resembles a law enforcement vehicle. Where must the word "security" be prominently displayed under OAR 259-060-0012? OAR 259-060-0012(1)(d)
  • A violation of the same rule goes on for months. How may the Department count it under OAR 259-060-0450(9)(e)? OAR 259-060-0450(9)(e)
  • After a Notice of Intent to Propose Civil Penalty is served, how soon must the Department receive a written request for a hearing? OAR 259-060-0450(6)(b)
  • May a private security provider use a rank title such as "sergeant" or "lieutenant" under OAR 259-060-0012? OAR 259-060-0012(1)(a)
  • What does OAR 259-060-0015(4) forbid a private security provider to do with the Department's logo or a DPSST certification? OAR 259-060-0015(4)(b)
  • What is an "Allegation of Non-Compliance" for, under OAR 259-060-0450(5)(a)? OAR 259-060-0450(5)(a)
  • What is the lowest civil penalty for an unarmed private security professional's first violation under OAR 259-060-0450(9)? OAR 259-060-0450(9)(a)
  • What is the most the Board may impose as a civil penalty for a violation, under ORS 181A.995(2)? ORS 181A.995(2)
  • What may the name of an entity that employs private security providers not imply under ORS 181A.893(1)(a)? ORS 181A.893(1)(a)
  • When may a private security vehicle carry a ramming bumper or a cage under OAR 259-060-0012? OAR 259-060-0012(1)(f)
  • Which lights may an Oregon private security vehicle not be equipped with under OAR 259-060-0012? OAR 259-060-0012(1)(e)
  • Which of these is a violation that may bring a civil penalty under OAR 259-060-0450(2)? OAR 259-060-0450(2)(d)
  • Which title may an Oregon private security provider use under OAR 259-060-0012? OAR 259-060-0012(1)(a)

Citizen's arrest and detention 7

  • A person detained under ORS 131.655 later sues the merchant's employee. What is a defense under ORS 131.655(2)? ORS 131.655(2)
  • After a citizen's arrest in Oregon, what must the private person do under ORS 133.225(1)? ORS 133.225(1)
  • How may a person suspected of theft in a store be detained under ORS 131.655(1)? ORS 131.655(1)
  • Under ORS 131.655, what must a merchant's employee have before detaining a person in a store? ORS 131.655(1)(a)
  • When may a private person arrest another person under ORS 133.225? ORS 133.225(1)
  • Which enforcement action does ORS 181A.840(9)(f) list as a private security service? ORS 181A.840(9)(f)
  • Which statute sets the physical force a private person may use to make an arrest under ORS 133.225(2)? ORS 133.225(2)

Use of physical force 6

  • A person in lawful control of premises reasonably believes a criminal trespass is under way. What does ORS 161.225(1) allow? ORS 161.225(1)
  • A private person has arrested someone under ORS 133.225, and the person tries to escape. What does ORS 161.255(1) allow? ORS 161.255(1)
  • Oregon lets a person use force to stop a theft of property. What limit does ORS 161.229 put on it? ORS 161.229
  • Two people agree to fight, in a contest no law authorizes. Is the physical force either uses justified as self-defense under ORS 161.215? ORS 161.215(1)(c)
  • Under ORS 161.209, how much force may a person use in self-defense or to defend a third person? ORS 161.209
  • When may a private person making a citizen's arrest use deadly physical force under ORS 161.255(2)? ORS 161.255(2)

Criminal trespass 6

  • A manager lawfully tells a shopper to leave a store during business hours. At what point is the shopper trespassing under ORS 164.205(3)? ORS 164.205(3)(b)
  • A person was denied future entry by a merchant's notice of trespass and comes back during open hours, intending to steal. Which offense is that under ORS 164.255? ORS 164.255(1)(b)
  • A person was lawfully directed not to enter a store that is open to the public, and enters. What is that under ORS 164.205(3)(c)? ORS 164.205(3)(c)
  • How serious an offense is first-degree criminal trespass under ORS 164.255(3)? ORS 164.255(3)
  • What is criminal trespass in the second degree under ORS 164.245? ORS 164.245
  • Who is a "person in charge" of premises under ORS 164.205(5)? ORS 164.205(5)

How this list was compiled: Oregon Revised Statutes 181A.840 to 181A.918 and 181A.995, private security (https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors181A.html); Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 259, division 60, the private security rules of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (https://secure.sos.state.or.us/oard/displayDivisionRules.action?selectedDivision=834); ORS 131.655 (detention by a merchant), 133.225 (arrest by private person), 161.015, 161.209, 161.215, 161.225, 161.229 and 161.255 (use of physical force) and 164.205, 164.245 and 164.255 (criminal trespass), all on https://www.oregonlegislature.gov. Each was read on October 14, 2026. The Department's Unarmed Private Security Professional Training manual, version 2.0 (https://www.oregon.gov/dpsst/PS/Documents1/v2.0%20Jan%202024.pdf), gives the subjects of the 14-hour basic course; OAR 259-060-0060 and 259-060-0136 set its closed-book examination and the 100 percent score with remediation. Each question names its section and links to it. Licence: Own work. Every question, wrong choice and explanation was written for this site from the text of the law. Nothing is taken from the Department's examination, from any instructor's course or from any other practice test.

How it works

This unofficial Oregon security guard practice test asks 75 of our own questions on the private security statutes, DPSST rules and Oregon's citizen's arrest, force and trespass law. Not affiliated with the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.

Read the full guide

What the Oregon test covers

The written exam closes the unarmed basic course, which a certified instructor teaches from the Department's published training manual. These questions follow the law sections of that manual: the rules for private security professionals, citizen's arrest, use of force and trespass. Patrol, report writing and the hands-on assessments are left to the class.

  • A temporary work permit (Form PS-20) lasts 120 days and covers one employer only (OAR 259-060-0030).
  • Charged with a crime? Tell your employer within 48 hours, or the Department if you are not employed (ORS 181A.885).
  • "Security officer" is an allowed title; "agent", "deputy" and "detective" are not (OAR 259-060-0012).

Questions and answers

What score do I need on the Oregon unarmed security exam?

100 percent, with remediation. Under OAR 259-060-0136(7) a score of 85 to 99 percent is corrected by reviewing each miss with the instructor, and below 85 percent the student fails or repeats the missed section and retakes the exam.

How many hours is Oregon unarmed security training?

Fourteen. OAR 259-060-0120(3) requires 14 hours of unarmed basic classroom instruction, exam and assessments. Renewal every two years takes the four-hour unarmed renewal course and exam.

How long is DPSST unarmed certification good for?

Two years. Under ORS 181A.875(1) a certificate expires two years after issuance or on the assigned renewal date.

Can a security guard make an arrest in Oregon?

As a private person, for a crime committed in the guard's presence and with probable cause, under ORS 133.225. The arrested person goes to a magistrate or a peace officer without unnecessary delay. This is exam practice, not legal advice.

Are these the real DPSST exam questions?

No. Each was written for this page from the Oregon Revised Statutes and the division 60 rules. The Department's exam is closed-book and unpublished, and the rule gives no question count, so the 25 questions of the practice exam here are this page's own choice.

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