Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

I figured the physical fitness tests for policing would be very hard but after reading some threads one in particular being that you had to do 18 push ups with no time limit made me laugh my *** , considering the pass grade 9 gym push up test you need 20.

How hard are the tests in general?

^ Sorry thought this forum was about just police fitness tests, don't know if this should be in ask a cop.

Actually, the tests can vary from department to department.
Click on the following link for the standards for my agency (which tend to follow the Cooper Institute's guidelines as do many agencies/departments):
http://usmarshals.gov/careers/fitness.htm

Now, with that out of the way, you need to understand that (as in all phases of the hiring) it is not about passing the minimums. You will NEVER get hired without standing out from the MANY other applicants.

...and I would venture a guess to say that my old @$$ (at 36) would smoke most applicants (to probably include you). :D Cockiness will bring you down faster than anything in this line of work. I know you may regard my my above comment as being cocky, but I am actually in a position to know. I regularly adminster the fit tests for hiring new applicants for my agency. :)

Oh no I'm defiantly not cocky, I'm one of the guys that will never say anything about what I can do in the gym unless asked. I merely found it ridiculous for someone to be considered if they can do 18.

After looking at your link those seem MUCH more reasonable.

Every aspect of test will not only vary from State to State, but sometimes even Dept to Dept. Some are very tough and demanding, while others just seem to give a badge away to anyone who can breathe and pass the other portions of the test.
What is performed for the test also varies, some do all of the below, others just may do a couple, others may have additional, but mostly I've seen
Bench Press (varying % of your weight for various # reps)
Push Ups (various number with 1min to NO timelimit)
Sit ups (various number with most 1min limit)
Sit n Reach (varies)
Vertical Leap (Varies)
Obstacle (time and obstacles vary)
1.5 Mile Run (varies)
1 Mile run (varies)
300 Meter run (varies)
60yd Dash (varies)
shuttle run (varies)
bend n twist
etc
etc
etc

Just check with the depts your interested at, and you will probably see a big difference

Holy crap!!!
Less than 8.4 minutes for a 1.5mile run.. I feel booking it in 10-11minutes was quick as heck.. forget that....lol

One other thing that bugs me too that you may or may not feel applies:
Some departments have one standard regardless of age or gender
Some no age, but seperate gender
Some have seperate regs for both gender and age
I hope to end up somewhere where everyone can pass the same test regardless of age or gender, Cause if I hop a 6' fence to get to a perp, and my backup only had to do a 4' fence and can't get over to help me, if I live, I will be pissed.
Also I don't know about any other states, but in IL regardless of dept, once you pass your physical at the academy, you never again have to take a physical test. I am sickened by the fact that they require and get people into the best (for some of them) shape of their lives, and then after graduation can get as fat/out of shape and lazy as they can and nothing is ever said or done. I have heard of some depts that offer bonus's to stay in shape, but none around here, as an average citizen could tell just by looking at the majority of officers...

When I first told everyone that I was becoming a police officer, I got alot of mixed emotions. For my family who always knew when I was little girl that is what I always wanted to do, they were happy that I was doing this.( I grew up thinking Angie Dickenson, Police Woman was the greatest , yes that was in the seventies! ) Others especially some that were male friends of mine kinda laughed. One advantage a male friend of mine said, is that the physical test will not be as hard because you are a woman. This is false. My law professor is a retired state trooper and before I even considered this position he told me all the stuff I needed to know. The way I see it, if I can't pass the physical part like everyone else regardless of gender, then I don't or shouldn't be a police officer. I realize that you need to be in great shape to not only help or even save your partners life, but to chase down the bad guys. I wouldn't want my partner to be in so so shape simply because of their gender.

So far here in Indiana, all of the departments I have applied to have had the same requirements, though some were administered a little differently.

29 Sit ups in 1 min
25 Push ups / no time limit
16" vertical jump
300m in 71 seconds
1.5 mi in 16:28

So far one departmet was a pass fail, and they only recorded if you passed each event. Another one recorded your results.

From my understanding, most departments in Indiana set their requirements on the exit exam requirements set for graduation from the acadamey. These requirements are the same regardless of age or gender.

When I first told everyone that I was becoming a police officer, I got alot of mixed emotions. For my family who always knew when I was little girl that is what I always wanted to do, they were happy that I was doing this.( I grew up thinking Angie Dickenson, Police Woman was the greatest , yes that was in the seventies! ) Others especially some that were male friends of mine kinda laughed. One advantage a male friend of mine said, is that the physical test will not be as hard because you are a woman. This is false. My law professor is a retired state trooper and before I even considered this position he told me all the stuff I needed to know. The way I see it, if I can't pass the physical part like everyone else regardless of gender, then I don't or shouldn't be a police officer. I realize that you need to be in great shape to not only help or even save your partners life, but to chase down the bad guys. I wouldn't want my partner to be in so so shape simply because of their gender.


Actually, with most fitness assessments there ARE separate standards for females, just as it gets easier with age. While you may not consider this easier, they are lower standards. It's the nature of the beast.

We all know that a bandit will not run as fast or fight as hard when you are a woman or 50 years old. :rolleyes: THAT is why I love the fact that most SWAT/tactical teams have a SINGLE standard... usually being the 20-29 aged male requirements. The job is the same regardless of yrou age/sex.

Now, I have no issue with relaxed standards for supervisors or other type of positions where you are on the street a lot less. However, the fact of the matter is that very few agencies/departments have fit standards for those already on the job. A sad, pathetic truth. We (the U.S. Marshals Service) are a rare find, having a mandatory fit test for current, operational employees. The thing is, you do not have to pass it... only participate. :rolleyes:

Actually, with most fitness assessments there ARE separate standards for females, just as it gets easier with age. While you may not consider this easier, they are lower standards. It's the nature of the beast.

We all know that a bandit will not run as fast or fight as hard when you are a woman or 50 years old. :rolleyes: THAT is why I love the fact that most SWAT/tactical teams have a SINGLE standard... usually being the 20-29 aged male requirements. The job is the same regardless of yrou age/sex.

I must admit I do not agree with the comment that I would not run as fast or fight as hard,( and I am sure there are plenty of women that are more fit than men and vis versa) because I know personally I would. As far as SWAT, I don't know about the age thing, I do believe however, they should be the most fit and most qualified. Then again that is what makes our country so wonderful, freedom of one's opinion.:)

I have to agree that there should be a set standard, whatever it is. Where I am trying to get hired there was one standard for men and women and people of all ages had the same standard. But other departments near where I applied (I live in the Phoenix Metro Area) have different standards for women and people over 30. I want to have a partner that can help save my butt, not someone that barely passed a lower standard than I did. That being said, I don't care if I had a partner that was a woman or an older guy if they passed the requirements that I did.
I feel like the physical test is not always a great indication of how an officer would perform. I think that self defense and tactics on how to take a suspect down should be more emphasized. Additionally, firearm training and other less than lethal weapons training should be emphasized more than how many pushups I can do, at least in my opinion.

I must admit I do not agree with the comment that I would not run as fast or fight as hard,( and I am sure there are plenty of women that are more fit than men and vis versa) because I know personally I would. As far as SWAT, I don't know about the age thing, I do believe however, they should be the most fit and most qualified. Then again that is what makes our country so wonderful, freedom of one's opinion.:)

Well, I hate to break it to you, but your agreeing with my comment does not negate the truthfulness of it. I am actually basing it on experience on the street, experience administering my agency fit test (to applicants and current employees), as well as a little good ol' common sense.

I never questioned your effort. However, it's a fact of life, most woman are slower than men. Most women do have weaker upper body strength. The top 10% of women in a given class (in terms of strength and speed) tend to sit right about the middle of the male classmates' abilities.

While those abilities are a small part of our job, there are obviously set standards determined to be necessary to perform our duties. EXPLAIN TO ME WHY A WOMAN OR OLDER INDIVIDUAL WOULD NEED NOT BE AS FAST OR AS STRONG AS A 26 YEAR OLD MALE TO DO THE SAME JOB? Like I said above, is the bandit going to NOT run as fast to get away or NOT fight as hard?

IF it is believed that a 31 year old woman can do the job with 14 push ups, 27 sit ups and running 1.5 mile in 15:26, then why does a 26 year old male have to do 33, 40 and 12:18, respectively? Will the bandit hold back for the woman?????? PLEASE!!!! There should be set standards to perform the duties and ALL applicants should meet those standards that are determined to be needed to for successful performance.

Trust me, I appreciate your spunk.... your "heart". However, one's desire is not enough if you are starting off with a handicap of lower expectations.


...also, SWAT is not necessarily about having the most fit (thought that is often a result of having several applicants meeting/exceeding the requirements for the team). SWAT usually has separate, elevated requirements because the job is determined to be more demanding (physically & mentally). Most often, these requirements are done like the hiring requirements SHOULD be done. They are established, not based on someone's age/sex, but on those standards determined to be NECESSARY for safe, successful mission accomplishment. PERIOD.

We all know that a bandit will not run as fast or fight as hard when you are a woman or 50 years old. :rolleyes:


I must admit I do not agree with the comment that I would not run as fast or fight as hard,( and I am sure there are plenty of women that are more fit than men and vis versa) because I know personally I would. As far as SWAT, I don't know about the age thing, I do believe however, they should be the most fit and most qualified. Then again that is what makes our country so wonderful, freedom of one's opinion.:)

Maybe you should consider re-reading what Switch posted and note the smiley at the end of his comment -aka sarcasm.

I do not agree with a separate standard for men and women, nor do I fully agree with the standards getting easier with age. The individuals you wrestle with are not going to be easier on you just because you are a woman or because you are older (and in plain English, this is what Switch was telling you). Like it or not men are naturally strong and faster than women, it's simply the way we are built. On the flip side, we can do more sit-ups because our center of gravity is lower (yea, :rolleyes: that's an even trade). As a female officer, you will always have to work hard to compete with the men. Like it or not, it's simply the way it is. Yes, there are plenty of women who are more fit then men. Usually that because we simply take the time out of our busy lives to spend time in the gym. However, taken the same workouts and the same time in the gym a man will be in better shape to handle this job than a woman. If you don't like that fact of life, than maybe your ego cannot handle this job.

-blue
:cool:

Wow, I was just responding based on my feelings about things, I wasn't mad or upset. I do not have a big ego either. Thanks for all your input, it has been noted. :)