Police Entrance Tests in Canada: Which One Applies to You?

The short answer: there is no single Canadian police entrance exam. Which written test and which fitness test you face depends on the police service you apply to, and the same test can go by different names. This page maps the tests that the services below publish, links each one to its own source, and says plainly where ETHOS Prep has a guide and where it does not.

Which test applies where?

British Columbia municipal services: ETHOS and POPAT

Vancouver, Surrey, Delta, West Vancouver, Victoria and Transit Police name the ETHOS written exam in their recruiting materials, and the physical test most of them name is the POPAT. Abbotsford and New Westminster describe a four-module written exam with the same module structure, but do not use the name ETHOS on the pages we read. Vancouver Police states a successful POPAT time of 4:15 or under and a 60% ETHOS pass mark; other agencies publish their own marks and windows. Start with what is on the ETHOS exam and how it is marked, then how scores and retakes work between departments and the POPAT guide. Source: Vancouver Police recruiting process.

RCMP: online entrance assessment, then the PFA

The RCMP’s national application page lists an online career presentation and entrance assessment (step 2 of 7), then a Police Fitness Assessment Field test and an Attribute Evaluation interview (step 3). The RCMP’s own announcement says the PFA replaced the former PARE, so PARE-based advice you find online may be out of date. See the Online Entrance Assessment guide, the Police Fitness Assessment guide and the full RCMP process. Source: RCMP application process.

Alberta: APCAT and A-PREP

Calgary Police Service says anyone interested in a policing career must write the Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Test (APCAT), and describes A-PREP as the physical abilities test used by all municipal police agencies in Alberta. Edmonton Police Service says Alberta residents must write and pass the APCAT before submitting an application, that passing scores are valid for five years, and that an A-PREP pass is valid for six months. Edmonton also lists a Behavioural Descriptive Interview built around six competencies. See the APCAT guide. Sources: Calgary Police Service, the process; Edmonton Police Service, how to apply.

Ontario: the OACP Certificate and PREP

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police administers the OACP Certificate, which it describes as a standardized pre-screening tool. The OACP says many services in Ontario require it before you can apply, but not all, so check the service you want. Its FAQ states a fee of $250 CAD plus tax. Separately, it says the fitness test that all recruits must pass is the PREP (Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police), taken at the Ontario Police College; we have not verified whether individual services ask for a PREP result before hiring. The OACP’s own sites disagree on how long the certificate is valid; our OACP Certificate guide shows both. Source: OACP careers FAQ.

Saskatoon: the SIGMA

Saskatoon Police Service describes the SIGMA as a 74-question general knowledge questionnaire that can be written free of charge, with information sessions usually held near SIGMA and POPAT testing dates. ETHOS Prep does not have a SIGMA guide. Source: Saskatoon Police Service FAQ.

Services this page does not cover

Manitoba, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces and many individual services elsewhere use their own tests. ETHOS Prep has not mapped them, so go to the service’s own recruiting page and read its testing section in full.

The fitness-test names, side by side

• POPAT (Peace Officer Physical Abilities Test): the name B.C. municipal services and Saskatoon use.
• PFA (Police Fitness Assessment): the RCMP’s test, which replaced the PARE.
• A-PREP (Alberta Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police): Alberta municipal services.
• PREP (Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police): Ontario, at the Ontario Police College.

Standards and validity windows differ by test and by service, so do not train to one number until you have read your own service’s page. Some tests also include scenario-based judgement questions; see the situational judgement test guide.

Where ETHOS Prep can help, and where it cannot

ETHOS Prep’s original practice is built around the B.C. ETHOS exam’s structure and includes an RCMP-style mock; it does not offer APCAT, OACP or SIGMA practice, and none of it is official test content. You can try a free sample without an account, take the Readiness Snapshot, or compare basic requirements before you choose where to apply. For how to research the agency itself, see how to research a target agency.