Preparing for the Canadian Police Test

If you are interested in policing, then you are likely aware of the lengthy hiring process. There are many opportunities to join police forces across the country, but each requires its own set of eligibility requirements, tests, prerequisites and interviews.

With the right qualifications, which include passing the exams and acing an interview, you will be well on your way to meeting your career goal. One of the biggest hurdles, though, is the Canadian Police Test. Applicants must pass this test to become a Canadian police officer.

Naturally, you should do as much preparation as possible for this exam, including police test tutoring. Read on to learn more.

Potential Police Forces

In Canada, we have a variety of police forces that you can join. The national police force is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and then there are the provincial and municipal police forces.

If you are interested in a career as a police officer in Canada, you will have to pass a series of prerequisites, eligibility requirements, and tests. Once you have completed the test prerequisites, you have to prove yourself in the fitness, behavioural and procedural exams. Whether you are testing to be police, border services, and corrections tests, you will have to study for its own test.

Police Test Tutor offers study material for many law enforcement exams, including:

Ontario Police - Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) Certificate and the Sigma Survey for Police Officers (SSPO)
Alberta Police - Alberta Communication Test (ACT) and Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Test (APCAT)

The standards and requirements for each law enforcement agency vary. However, once you have been verified as meeting the force's needs, you will move on to complete the rest of the extensive hiring process.

The Basics

The basic requirements to become a police officer in Canada are pretty straightforward. You must:

Be at least eighteen years of age for most police forces, but some require a minimum age of nineteen
Be a Canadian citizen, landed immigrant, or permanent resident
Be able to speak English or French fluently (dependent on the police force)
Be a high school graduate— a secondary school program or its equivalent
Pass psychological and health standards
Be of strong ethical and moral character
Be free of criminal convictions or pending convictions
Possess a valid driver's license with no more than six demerit points for any offences
Pass additional requirements, as dictated by the police force

Some Canadian police forces require hires to have a college diploma or university degree. Some police forces are only able to hire when their city or region gets funding. When this happens, there is usually an onslaught of applicants. A university degree or college diploma may give you the upper hand in competitive applications.

It is important to note that police officers are given a tremendous amount of responsibility, so hiring police forces ensures your trustworthiness. Some police departments even solidify this with a lie detector test.

The hiring police force is looking for someone who will work with a good attitude and without prejudice. You will need to arrive at work as scheduled and work as part of a team to complete the task at hand.

Get in Shape

For consideration as a candidate for a police job, you must be in good physical condition. Most, if not all, police forces across Canada will require that you complete a fitness test to determine whether you are in good shape. Some fitness tests include a 2.4 km run, a swim, and some other physical tests.

If you would like to prepare yourself for the physical portion of the entrance exam (and for your future job duties!), you must begin a workout regimen well before your expected testing period. Ensure your workout regime includes weight training, swimming, timed sprints, and aerobic exercise.

If you have poor sleep habits, now is the time to try and correct them. Go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning.

And while you are working on your physical fitness and sleep habits, take a look at your diet. Ensure you are getting sufficient fruits and vegetables, limit your intake of processed foods, eat plenty of lean protein, and drink lots of water.

Get Certified

Though not always necessary, getting certified in first aid, rescue breathing, and CPR can improve your chances of being hired on as a police officer. You can sign up at your local St. John Ambulance or Canadian Red Cross, which regularly holds certifications courses.

Adding certifications to your resume will improve your chances of landing an interview. Certificates will also give you more knowledge and insight for the police test. If you need help with a resume and cover letter, Police Test Tutor can provide both, written specifically for law enforcement.

Preparation for the Exams

Once you have determined that you have all of the prerequisites for becoming a police officer in Canada, you will need to prepare for any written exams required for your police service of choice.

Typically, the tests cover a range of subjects from math to reading comprehension and problem-solving. You will find questions in multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, true or false, and open-ended formats.

The exams are designed to assess your math proficiency, logic, written skills, and some basic comprehension to ensure that you possess the skills needed to become a police officer. There will be no law questions; instructors will teach those skills once you reach the police academy.

The exam will cover the following:

Basic math (addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, fractions, and percentages)
Directional and spatial reasoning
Situational judgment
Decision making
Problem-solving
Reading comprehension
Memory recall
Basic grammar, spelling, and vocabulary

Preparing for these exams can help you move forward through the hiring process.

If you are unsure of where to get started or even how to study for the police exam, there are some great online resources. Since you often have one shot at the police test, you want to get it right. Hiring a police tutor will give you knowledge and confidence and improve your chances of passing the police test.

Consider Police Test Tutor to Get Ahead

Police Test Tutor offers packages that provide you with everything you need to pass your police examination. The test packages contain over a thousand practice questions and are available so you can study at your own pace, remotely.

Upon signing up, you have instant access to the materials. You’ll find that these resources have information not found anywhere else. The study material is prepared by a team of specialists with experience in policing, border services, municipal law enforcement, and adult education. They know what the Canadian police test requires. We’ve even sourced Ontario Certified Teachers to develop the math material.

Police Test Tutor is continually updating information and practice questions, and there are ten full-length tests so you can practice realistically. Are you ready to work towards your dream of becoming a police officer? Contact Police Test Tutor today to start preparing for your future.