In Arkansas, in reaction to complaints about traditional methods of selection for promotion, the civil service commission has chosen to base promotions in the police department solely on scores on locally-developed objective tests. Items developed and loaded into a computerized test bank were selected from six areas of responsibility: (1) criminal code; (2) traffic laws; (3) criminal investigation procedures; (4) department policy and procedures; (5) supervision; and (6) administration. Items in the data bank were validated by four police captains. A 424-item test bank was constructed and validated for use for police promotion examinations. Examinations were constructed and administered to officers at each level. On the examination for promotion to sergeant, 38.5% of the patrolmen passed. For promotion to lieutenant, 33.3% of sergeants passed. For promotion to captain, 40% of the lieutenants passed. The initial reactions of officers was favorable. This flexible system allows tests to be generated as needed and to be updated as laws and policies change. An appendix lists the references used in construction of the item bank. (SLD)