Day One

0800 hours – Arrive and welcome

0830 hours – Standard Entrance Test (SET)
The Standard Entrance Test consists of 3 x 30 minute test papers and results will be given after a further 30 minutes. It is designed to test applicant’s English language comprehension along with the ability to interpret numerical information. Potential transferees from other forces are exempt from this test. The specimen SET question and answer papers are available on this web site from the downloads section.

Reasonable adjustments can be made to the SET for those requiring further assistance, only if the recruitment team are made aware prior to the test being taken.

1100 hours – Fitness Assessment
The Fitness Assessment is a national requirement throughout the recruitment and selection process. In order to fully prepare, the required standards are as per the details diven on the ACPOS website which you can visit by clicking on this link.

Candidates who are successful at the Standard Entrance Test are then required to sit the Fitness Assessment. This assessment is physically demanding and applicants are advised to commence training at the earliest possible opportunity. The assessment contains 2 elements.

• A push / pull machine which will be used to measure upper body strength.
• Timed 1½ mile run.  (A bleep test may be used in adverse weather conditions)

A training programme for the fitness assessment can be found in the downloads section.

Unsuccessful candidates will be informed of the section(s), which they have failed.  Those applicants may be given an opportunity to re-sit the fitness assessment at a later date.

1430 hours – Critical Thinking Test / Assessment Interviews
As part of the recruitment process you will be asked to undertake a Critical Thinking Test (CTT). The success of your application depends on a range of information, including results from the CTT. 

The CTT contains written, illustrated Police-based scenarios, but it is not a test of prior police knowledge. As a Police Officer you will have to make decisions in the community on a day-to-day basis, and the CTT aims to test various aspects of decision making.
You will be given full instructions on the day, including:

• take your time - you have 30 minutes to complete the test
• read each question carefully and make sure to answer every question
• progress simply from one page to the next, do not attempt to skip forward or back
• be as honest as possible when responding – this is not a test of Police knowledge, and there are no trick questions.

Reasonable adjustments can be made to the CTT for those requiring further assistance, only if the recruitment team are made aware prior to the test being taken.

Your final scores on the CTT are calculated from the range of possible answers given by applicants. The information you provide will be treated as sensitive data under the Data Protection Act 1998.

You will not receive the results on the day of the test. At a later date you will be notified by a member of the recruitment team advising whether or not you have passed the test. PLEASE REMEMBER: it is vital that you answer every question – if you fail to do so you will fail the test.

If you fail the test, your application will not be progressed any further. You will not be prohibited from applying to the Police in the future, however no application will be considered within a 6 month period.

If you fail the CTT, you should consider the tasks and responsibilities that you are likely to be involved in as a serving Police Officer. As a Police Officer you will have to deal with all members of the community on a day-to-day basis. Individuals have to consider how their own critical thinking, decision making and judgments affect their interaction with these different communities.

The critical thinking required for the test is:

• Firstly to make a clear assessment of the relevant information provided;
• Secondly to focus the decision-making, based on rational and logical progression throughout the scenarios. 

You will not be given any more feedback beyond what is given here, and what you are told on the day prior to taking the test.

Assessment Interview
On successful completion of the fitness assessment you will then have an assessment interview. This interview will last no longer than 45 minutes and is designed to test your social awareness, interpersonal and self-motivational skills.

1800 hours – Familiarisation Event
The Familiarisation Event forms a compulsory stage in the process and take place within the Scottish Police College. It is designed to give candidates a realistic impression of what can be expected from a career in the Scottish Police Service, including the recruitment and selection process, probationary training and career development. There will be an opportunity to speak to operational officers and the evening will conclude with a question and answer session.  Following the Familiarisation Event, there will be an opportunity to speak to staff in a more informal setting.

Accommodation at the Scottish Police College at the end of day one and all meals will be provided to candidates.

Day Two

0900 hours – A series of assessment exercises will be undertaken by candidates which will assess their abilities in relation to the following competencies: Effective Communication, Problem Solving, Teamworking, Personal Awarness and Effectiveness and Respect for Diversity.

Substance Misuse Testing
In line with many other organisations and the requirements of Police Regulations, the Scottish Police Service have now introduced pre-employment substance misuse testing.

The purpose of the testing is to protect the integrity of the force and ensure that staff are fully capable of meeting the standards expected within the role and ensuring that colleagues and public are not placed at undue risk.

Police Constable applicants will be required to undertake a substance misuse test before any offer of employment is made. Samples will be collected from candidates at a suitable point during Assessment Day Two. The provision of the sample is entirely voluntary, but all applicants should be aware that failure to agree to the provision of a sample would mean that the application could not be progressed. Applicants would therefore be unsuccessful.  Any concerns can be raised with a member of the Recruitment Team.

Day Two will finish at approximately 3pm.

The full results from the Assessment Centre will be available 7 days from the day of the assessment and candidates will then be contacted in writing to advise them of whether or not they have been successful.  Medical forms will be issued to candidates at this stage and must be returned completed within 2 weeks to the Recruitment Team.