FORT PIERCE, Fla. -- Just as students face standardized exams to determine if they make the grade, police K-9s are tested every year on their skills.

Forty-one teams from across Florida go to Fort Pierce for the annual exam to see if the dogs have the right stuff to continue serving as K-9s.

Images: K-9 Teams Take Tests In St. Lucie County

"Believe it or not, there is a lot of stress. It's like anything else. When you take a test in college, you always get that nervousness, where here, it's also a question of how our dog is going to react," St. Lucie County Deputy Matthew Woods said.

The dogs must show that they can attack when their handlers need help and, even more importantly, show that they can stay calm, even under fire. In every scenario, obedience is key.

"If the handler is stressed and it goes right down to the leash, to the dog, and then the dog is going to mess up and may not be able to certify," said Sgt. Ed Rinaldo, a St. Lucie County Deputy.

For the most advanced dogs, there is the K-9 version of graduate school -- certification to track down bombs and drugs.

The key for the dogs is knowing whether to be calm or to attack and when.

The K-9 certification exams continue all week at the fairgrounds in St. Lucie County.