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California Guard Card (BSIS) Exam Cheat Sheet (2026)
A free, printable California Guard Card (BSIS) exam cheat sheet: the 127 highest-yield points to know, grouped into 7 sections that follow the exam's content areas, each section with its published weight.
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- 200 free California Guard Card (BSIS) practice questions on the same material, every one explained.
- Last updated: September 2026.
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Powers to Arrest
25% of the exam- Arrest = custody by physical restraint or submission
- PC §835
- Detention requires reasonable suspicion; arrest requires probable cause
- Terry v. Ohio framework; PC §836 standard
- Words don't matter — actions do
- Restraining someone who is not free to leave is an arrest
- Private person arrest authority
- PC §837
- Peace officer arrest authority
- PC §836
- The 'in fact committed' trap
- Cervantez v. J.C. Penney Co. (1979) 24 Cal.3d 579
- Reasonable belief alone does not save a private arrest for a felony that did not happen
- Cervantez, supra
- Misdemeanor private arrest only if in your presence
- PC §837(1)
- 'Presence' means your own senses, not someone else's report
- People v. Sjosten (1968)
- When in doubt, detain briefly and call police
- PC §836 gives officers broader authority
- Notice of arrest required
- PC §841 — intent, cause, authority
- Deliver to peace officer without unnecessary delay
- PC §847(a)
- Peace officer civil immunity does not extend to private persons
- PC §847(b)
- Shopkeeper's privilege
- PC §490.5(f)
- Detention must be reasonable in time, manner, and force
- PC §490.5(f)(2)
- Exceeding the privilege voids it
- Cervantez v. J.C. Penney (1979); People v. Zelinski (1979)
- Demand identification and explanation; recover merchandise
- PC §490.5(f)(3)
- Power to Arrest exam requires 100% to pass
- 16 CCR §628
- Guard Card mandatory training
- BPC §7583.6 — 8 hours pre-employment + 32 hours skills training
- Single-provider training rule
- SB 652 effective 2026-01-01
- BSIS administers licensing under BPC Chapter 11.5
- BPC §§7580-7588.5
Appropriate Use of Force
20% of the exam- Force judged by objective reasonableness
- Graham v. Connor (1989) 490 U.S. 386
- Three Graham factors
- Severity of offense; immediate threat; active resistance or flight
- No 20/20 hindsight
- Judged from the perspective of a reasonable person on scene
- Stop when the threat stops
- Continued force after compliance is battery (PC §242)
- AB 392 (2019) rewrote PC §835a
- Deadly force by police only when necessary
- SB 230 (2019) requires written UOF policies
- Penal Code §13519.10
- De-escalation expected even when not strictly required
- Industry standard reflected in BSIS curriculum
- Try verbal, distance, and backup before hands-on
- Reduces both liability and risk of injury
- Force continuum: presence > verbal > soft hands > hard hands > intermediate weapons > deadly force
- Industry standard model
- Deadly force only for imminent threat to life
- Tennessee v. Garner (1985) 471 U.S. 1
- Skip rungs only when threat requires it
- Articulate the threat level you faced
- Force stops the instant the threat ends
- Continued force becomes battery (PC §242)
- Firearms permit
- BPC §7583.12; 14-hour course; semiannual qualification
- Baton permit
- BPC §7585.10; 8-hour course
- Pepper spray
- Civilian carry PC §22810; on-duty carry requires training
- Working armed without permit is a crime
- BPC §7583.36, §7587
- Positional asphyxia kills
- Get the subject off their stomach as soon as controlled
- Carotid restraint and chokeholds prohibited for peace officers
- AB 1196 (2020); PC §7286.5
- Neck restraints by private guards treated as excessive
- Industry and BSIS guidance
- Pre-force tactical decisions count
- Hayes v. County of San Diego (2013) 57 Cal.4th 622
Liability & Legal Aspects
15% of the exam- False imprisonment
- Civ Code §43; PC §236 / §237
- Battery
- PC §242 (criminal); civil battery same conduct
- Assault
- PC §240 — attempt with present ability
- Your defenses are PC §837 / §490.5(f) lawful detention and Graham-reasonable force
- All elements must hold
- Respondeat superior
- Employer liable for in-scope acts of employees
- PPO statutory responsibility
- BPC §7583.39
- Acts outside scope can leave you personally liable
- Personal errands; off-duty disputes
- Report and document every use-of-force or detention
- Required by most PPO policies and risk insurers
- Fourth Amendment generally does not reach private guards
- Burdeau v. McDowell (1921) 256 U.S. 465
- Bane Civil Rights Act reaches private actors
- Civ Code §52.1
- Bane Act remedies
- Damages, treble, attorney fees, $25,000 statutory penalty
- Close cooperation with police can make you a state actor
- People v. Zelinski (1979) 24 Cal.3d 357
- Negligent hiring / retention / supervision
- California common-law tort doctrines
- Duty to invitees
- Premises owners owe reasonable care to lawful visitors
- Property owner and PPO usually sued together
- Apportionment under Prop 51 (Civ Code §1431.2)
- Honest application, completed training, followed post orders
- Your individual contribution to the company's defense
- Elder abuse reporting
- W&I Code §15630
- Child abuse reporting
- PC §11166
- Trespass
- PC §602 — multiple subsections; refusal to leave is the common security trigger
- Workplace Violence Prevention Plan required
- Labor Code §6401.9 (SB 553), effective July 1, 2024
Observation, Documentation & Report Writing
12% of the exam- Vary your patrol pattern
- Predictable patrols are exploitable
- Cooper's color codes
- White / Yellow / Orange / Red — operate in Yellow on duty
- OODA loop
- Observe, Orient, Decide, Act — keep cycling
- Use all senses, not just eyes
- Sound and smell often warn first
- 5W+H
- Who, What, When, Where, Why, How
- Chronological, specific times, named people, exact locations
- No vague language
- Facts over conclusions
- 'Said he had three beers' not 'was drunk'
- Refresh recollection from contemporaneous notes
- Evidence Code §771
- Head-to-toe suspect description
- Top down, finishing with direction of travel
- CYMBALS vehicle description
- Color, Year, Make, Body, All other, License, State
- Plate beats every other vehicle identifier
- Get it first if you can
- Describe weapons by what you saw
- Don't guess make / model
- Two-party consent for audio
- PC §632
- Criminal invasion of privacy
- PC §647(j)
- Treat images as evidence
- No edits, no social media, chain of custody
- Post written notice when recording for consent purposes
- Common workplace practice
Communication, Public Relations & Ethics
10% of the exam- Introduce yourself; ask, do not order
- Lowers temperature; preserves dignity
- Offer options and let the person save face
- Gives a path to compliance
- Slow and quiet to counter loud and fast
- Mirror in reverse
- Acknowledge feelings without endorsing claims
- 'I can see you're upset' is not agreement
- Active listening signals
- Open posture, acknowledgments, paraphrasing
- Open questions to gather, closed questions to confirm
- Different tools for different jobs
- Body language is data, not a verdict
- Humans poor at deception detection
- Cultural difference is real
- Avoid mistaking respect for evasion
- ADA accommodations
- 42 U.S.C. §12101 et seq.
- Service animal — two questions only
- Required because of disability? What task is it trained to do?
- Unruh Civil Rights Act bars business discrimination
- Civ Code §51
- LEP and crisis communication require patience and simple language
- Use translation tools; never escalate language barrier into hostility
- Honesty in reports is non-negotiable
- False reports are dischargeable and sometimes criminal (PC §118.1 applies to officers; falsification by guards triggers BSIS discipline)
- Confidentiality of incident info
- Contractual and often statutory
- Whistleblower protection
- Labor Code §1102.5
- No personal use of access
- Misuse of access is dischargeable misconduct
Emergency Procedures & Officer Safety
10% of the exam- PASS
- Pull, Aim (base), Squeeze, Sweep
- Extinguisher classes
- A ordinary, B flammable liquids, C electrical, D metals, K kitchen oils
- Fight only if small, smoke-free, escape behind you, alarm sounded
- Otherwise evacuate
- Use stairs; hold elevators for fire department
- Standard evacuation protocol
- 911 first, then scene safety, then care
- Do not become a second patient
- CPR depth and rate
- 2 inches, 100-120/min, full recoil
- AED Good Samaritan protection
- Civ Code §1714.21
- FAST for stroke
- Face, Arm, Speech, Time
- Stop the Bleed
- Direct pressure, then tourniquet high and tight, mark time
- Run, Hide, Fight
- DHS active-shooter model
- Bomb threat checklist
- Stay on line, document voice and content, notify 911
- HOT for suspicious package
- Hidden, Obviously suspicious, not Typical — do not touch
- Drop, Cover, Hold On
- Earthquake protocol; do not run outside during shaking
- Distance + cover
- Cover stops bullets; concealment only hides
- Watch the hands
- Hands cause harm
- Radio discipline
- Clear, short, protocolized
- Lone-worker check-ins with real escalation
- Missed check-in must trigger response
Terrorism Awareness & WMD
8% of the exam- Three buckets: international, domestic, lone wolf
- Lone wolf gives smallest pre-attack signal
- Private security guards much of the critical infrastructure
- Closest eyes on the target
- If You See Something, Say Something
- DHS public-awareness program
- Report uncertain observations
- Analysts integrate weak signals
- Seven indicators of pre-attack planning
- Surveillance, elicitation, security tests, supplies, suspicious persons, dry runs, deploying assets
- Document specifics
- Plates, descriptions, times, locations
- Patterns matter more than single events
- Report each so analysts can integrate
- Drone overflight of restricted facilities is reportable
- Often used for surveillance and dry runs
- CBRNE
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive
- Chemical clues
- Multiple matching symptoms, unusual odors, dead animals, vapor clouds
- Biological clues
- Cluster of unusual illness; suspicious powder
- Radiological defense — time, distance, shielding
- Move away, stay away, put mass between you and the source
- Explosives remain the most common WMD threat
- VBIED, suicide vest, mailed device
- Local LE first; then JTTF, fusion centers
- Layered reporting
- California fusion centers
- STAC statewide; JRIC, NCRIC, SacRTAC, CCIC, OCIAC, SD-LECC regionally
- Federal criminal intelligence framework
- 28 CFR Part 23
- Report behavior, not identity
- Profiling produces bad reports and legal exposure
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