NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR POLICE RECRUIT TRAINING. Deadline to apply is May 1, 2025. To learn more about the Medicine Hat advantage click here
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Candidates either do or do not possess the minimum requirements for employment in the Province of Alberta. The Solicitor General has set out expected minimum standards and there are no exceptions. They are enumerated as follows:
Age: At least 18 years old
Education: Alberta Grade 12 or equivalent (Certificate Required)
Citizenship: Proof of Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.
Driving History: Driver’s abstract dated within one month of application. More than five (5) demerit points disqualifies applicant.
Criminal History: Applicants shall not have a criminal record for which a pardon has not been granted (proof
of pardon required). Applicants shall not have any criminal charges before the courts.
Vision: Meet the minimum vision requirements approved by the Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security. Applicants must submit a vision report (Included in Employment application along with standards)
AB Supplemental Vision Forms
ALBERTA POLICE CONSTABLE /ENTRY LEVEL COMPETENCIES
The following ten competencies are those the applicant must possess and bring to the job.
Adaptability/Decisiveness
Ability and confidence to vary between being flexible and holding firm on a decision, depending on what the situation requires; showing leadership by adjusting one’s approach to the demands of a particular task or by taking and maintaining a position in a self-assured manner.
Conscientiousness
The degree to which someone is honest; has integrity; accepts responsibility for their actions; has high ethical standards; earns the trust of others by consistently demonstrating sound moral principles; does the right thing; reliably fulfills commitments through self-discipline and sense of duty.
Initiative/ Perseverance
Willingness to take action to address needs without being requested to do so; staying on task to completion, particularly in the face of obstacles or other trying circumstances.
Interpersonal Skills
Ability to work effectively with different people and teams of people, by putting others at ease, acknowledging diverse opinions, addressing relevant concerns, minimizing conflict, promoting harmony, cooperating with others, and working toward consensual solutions to achieve group objectives.
Judgment/ Problem Solving
Ability to assess situations and problems; identify possible actions/solutions; and make sound decisions based on facts, logic, and probable outcomes.
Learning-Memory-Recall
Ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills on the job; to observe, remember, and recall significant information and events (e.g., people, vehicles, facts, suspicious behavior, environmental details, etc.)
Organization Skills
Ability to identify and set priorities; to plan and effectively allocate resources; to attend to details so that relevant issues are addressed and high quality outcomes result.
Stress Management
Ability to work well under pressure; maintaining effectiveness and self-control in the midst of any one or combination of stressors, including emotional strain, ambiguity, risk to self, and fatigue.
Valuing Service & Diversity
Sensitivity to client and community needs and perceptions by providing prompt, efficient and equitable service; involving clients and community in the resolution of problems that affect them.
Verbal & Written Communication Skills
Ability to communicate in both oral and written form, including giving (speaking and writing) and receiving (listening and reading) information, in a way that ensures messages are understood.
SELECTION PROCESS
In Alberta the recruiting process is an eight step process which tests an applicant’s suitability for employment as a police officer. As such, testing for the required competencies is completed in the form of psychological testing, academic testing, medical and fitness testing.
STAGE 1 – Application Process
Completed Application Form and Personal Disclosure Form (PDF) submitted and screened to confirm all
documents present and minimum criteria met. Applications that are not complete will not be accepted.
Applications can be submitted online via this link Police Employment Application
STAGE 2 – Pre-Interview Assessment
Alberta Police Cognitive Abilities Test (APCAT), the Alberta Communications Test (ACT) and the Physical Fitness Evaluation are conducted during this stage. The APCAT and ACT are written in one day. Applicants meeting the cut score on the APCAT (84 out of 120) and the ACT (73 out of 134) proceed to the Alberta Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (A-PREP). Correspondence setting out the date, time and location of the written tests as well as the separate date of the Physical Fitness Evaluation are sent out to applicants passing the criteria of Stage One.
A.P.C.A.T.
The Alberta Police Cognitive Abilities Test is a job-related written examination. Applicants are given a Pre-test booklet during the examination and are allowed to study it for 30 minutes. The Pre-test booklet is then removed and the test is administered over the next two hours and fifteen minutes. The result of this test is valid for
five years. Retest Waiting Period – Candidates may rewrite the APCAT if they did not achieve the cut-score one month (30 days) from the last previous test attempt. For further information about the APCAT, sample test questions, test writing tips and techniques, please open the PDF document below.
A.C.T.
The Alberta Communications Test uses portions of the Canadian Adult Achievement Test to assess reading, vocabulary, spelling and English. The total amount of time required, including instructions and a break is one hour and thirty five minutes. The result of this test is valid for five years.
Retest Waiting Period – After writing the ACT for the first time, candidates must wait at least 1 month (30 days) from the date of writing before they may attempt the ACT a second time. After writing the ACT for the second time, candidates must wait at least 6 months (i.e. 180 days) from the date they last wrote the test before they may attempt the ACT a third time. After writing the ACT for a third time, candidates must wait at least twelve months (i.e. 365 days) from the date they last wrote before they attempt the ACT a fourth time. Thereafter, candidates may continue to rewrite the ACT as often as they wish. However, each time, the waiting period doubles from the previous waiting period.
Candidate Brochure for ACT.pdf
Alberta Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (A-PREP)
Effective January 1, 2010, all municipal police agencies in the Province of Alberta will require police applicants to successfully complete the Alberta Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (A-PREP) test.
The A-PREP has three separate components: 1) a screening component to ensure the applicant is medically suitable to undergo the test; 2) a series of job simulation tasks arranged in a Pursuit/Restraint Circuit; and 3) an assessment of aerobic fitness (the Aerobic Shuttle Run).
Before attempting the A-PREP, you will be required to complete the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) found in the application package. This inventory identifies medical conditions that could pose a risk during exercise and which need to be cleared by a physician.
The A-PREP test can only be administered by or on behalf of one of the four agencies licensed to conduct testing. The four licensed agencies are the Calgary Police Service, the Edmonton Police Service, the Lethbridge Regional Police Service and the Medicine Hat Police Service. The Medicine Hat Police Service will accept the results of the A-PREP test conducted by any of the above agencies.
The A-PREP results are valid for six (6) months.
Retesting – Applicants can make arrangements to retake the test immediately. If an applicant fails on the second test there is a two (2) month waiting period before the A-PREP can be attempted again and then a two (2) month waiting period for each successive fail.
APREP Fit to Serve.pdf
Stage Three – Competency Specific Testing
Candidates who successfully complete the physical fitness appraisal will continue to the interview stage. There are two separate interviews, each with members of the recruit selection team.
Personal Disclosure Interview (PDI)
All municipal police services in the Province of Alberta conduct a Personal Disclosure Interview for the purposes of assessing the applicant’s overall competitiveness, organizational fit, and to assess the accuracy and completeness of disclosures supplied by an applicant in the Application and Personal Disclosure forms.
Though a police service may compare the results of the PDI conducted by another Provincial police service, they are not obligated to accept those results. Nothing prohibits a police service from conducting additional interviews as deemed necessary.
Candidates may be removed from the selection process based on disclosures made during this assessment, or if the agency believes the applicant simply does not meet the organizational needs, or if the agency believes the applicant is simply not competitive with other applications.
Behavior Descriptive Interview
The second interview is a behavioral-based interview that is designed to explore the candidate’s competencies, including:
1. Adaptability/Decisiveness
The ability and confidence to vary between being flexible and holding firm on a decision, depending on what the situation requires, showing leadership by adjusting one’s approach to the demands of a particular task or by taking and maintaining a position in a self-assured manner.
2. Initiative/Perseverance
The ability to be willing to take action to address needs without being requested to do so, staying on task to completion, particularly in the face of obstacles or other trying circumstances.
3. Interpersonal Skills
The ability to work effectively with different people and teams of people by putting others at ease, acknowledging diverse opinions, addressing relevant concerns, minimizing conflict, promoting harmony, cooperating with others and working toward consensual solutions to achieve the group’s objectives.
4. Organizational Skills
The ability to identify and set priorities, to plan and effectively allocate appropriate resources, to attend to detail so that relevant issues are addressed and high quality outcomes result.
5. Stress Management
The ability to work well under pressure or opposition, while maintaining effectiveness and self- control in the midst of any one or combination of stressors, including emotional strain, ambiguity, risk to self and fatigue.
6. Valuing Service and Diversity
The ability to be sensitive to client and community needs and perceptions by providing prompt, efficient and equitable service and involving clients and community in the resolution of problems that affect them.
* Responses to questions during the Behavior Descriptive Interview are to be in the STAR format. (Situation or Task, Action and Result)
Stage Four – Integrity and Psychometric Testing
The Medicine Hat Police Service uses the polygraph for the purpose of information verification to check the accuracy and completeness of disclosures supplied by an applicant.
All Municipal Police Services in the Province of Alberta use the following psychometric evaluations. A qualified Chartered Psychologist administers and interprets the results of the tests.
Minnesota Multiphasic Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III)16 Personality Factors Questionnaire (16 PF)
Candidates reaching this stage are required to produce the following documents prior to the background stage.
1. Resume
2. Three to Five reference letters (to be obtained from reputable adults who can attest to the candidate’s character)
3. Copy of operator’s license and documentation of special qualifications (Driver training, self defense, life
saving, etc.)
Stage Five – Background – Security Investigation
A comprehensive background investigation will be conducted on applicants who continue in the process. The background investigation includes, but is not limited to:
Criminal history and Police Information checks
Reference checks
Credit checks
Stage Six – Selection – Hiring Decision
All information collected in the previous stages of the selection process is reviewed and compared to the selection criteria. A summary report on the candidates is submitted to the Office of the Chief of Police for final selection. A conditional offer of employment may be made at this stage. The offer is conditional on medical clearance.
Stage Seven – Pre-Employment Medical
A Pre-Employment medical examination conducted by a qualified physician is conducted during the final stage of the process. The physician provides an opinion on the capability of the candidate to perform the duties of a front line Police Constable. This opinion determines the acceptance or disqualification of the candidate for employment and will conduct police employment specific medical and laboratory testing in compliance with the Alberta Solicitor General guidelines.
Application and Deferrals
Applications are valid for one year from the date of submission. Applicants who have been out of the selection
process beyond the one year mandate of their application are required to submit a new application.
Three unsuccessful attempts at any point from the interview, polygraph, psychological, or background components of the selection process, inclusive of all application incidents, precludes reapplication to the
Medicine Hat Police Service. Candidate may be deferred, without appeal at any stage of the selection process, based on competitiveness. In some cases, permanent disqualification from reapplication may occur irrespective of deferral policy.
Contact the Recruiting Team: recruiting@mhps.ca