Map reading practice for dispatcher candidates
Updated November 1, 2026
A map exercise asks you to turn a visual layout into a legal route. A line that looks short may be closed or one-way. The useful habit is to check restrictions before you count blocks. The CritiCall publisher says no map training is required for the basic maps on its test, but candidates should be able to follow directions such as left and right.
Read the legend first
In Dispatcher Prep, north is up and each segment between adjacent intersections counts as one block. A red crossed segment is closed. An arrow permits travel only in the direction shown. Unmarked streets allow travel both ways. These are the rules of our fictional maps, not a description of any particular test, so always read the legend you are given.
Practice left, right and compass directions
Left and right depend on the direction you are traveling. Heading south, your left is east. If that trips you up, turn the question around: imagine sitting in the driver's seat at each corner, or rotate the page. A helpful exercise from the publisher's hints is to describe the quickest route from point A to point B out loud using both left and right and north, south, east and west. Any online map of your own town works for this.
Count segments, not labels
A route through three intersections uses two blocks. When comparing routes, check each pair of neighboring intersections against the map. Make sure the route begins at the requested start and actually reaches the destination.
A worked example
Suppose the direct eastbound block from your start is closed. A route that goes one block south, one block east and one block back north takes three blocks, as long as all three segments are open in those directions. Drawing a straight line from start to destination would ignore the road network, and that is the error these questions are built to catch.
How the answer key is checked
The app generates a small street network and computes a shortest legal path. Distance questions ask for its number of segments. Route-choice questions include one shortest legal route, and the wrong options are checked so that an equally short legal route is not unfairly marked wrong. In the review, the supported path is highlighted and explained. An accessible street list gives the same restrictions in text. Higher levels use larger grids and more restrictions.
Mistakes to watch for
- Going the wrong way on a one-way street. Check the arrow for each segment, not just the first.
- Counting intersections instead of blocks. The number of blocks is one less than the number of intersections on the route.
- Stopping at the first legal route. A question may ask for the shortest legal route, and a longer one is still wrong.
- Mixing up compass and turn directions. "Turn left" and "go west" mean the same thing only when you are heading north.
A method for test day
- Find your start and your destination before you read the options.
- Note closures and one-way arrows near both points.
- Trace the most direct legal path you can see.
- Check the options against it, one segment at a time.
Maps are one part of a broader preparation. Also practice listening and data entry and the other core skills, and follow your hiring agency's instructions.
Try a map exercise →Dispatcher Prep is independent practice, not an official test. Hiring agencies set their own tests and requirements, so confirm the details with yours.