The Selection Process

Stage 1 – Application Package

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.

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, ACT and an autobiography 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.  Candidates may attempt the test a maximum of three (3) times.

For further information about the APCAT, sample test questions, test writing tips and techniques, please open the PDF document below.

• APCAT Brochure

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.

• Alberta Communication Test Candidate Brochure

Stage 3 – 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.

Behaviour Descriptive Interview

The second interview is a behavioral-based interview that is designed to explore the candidates 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 Behaviour Descriptive Interview are to be in the STAR format. (Situation or Task, Action and Result)

Stage 4 – Integrity and Psychometric Testing

The Camrose Police Service uses the Computer Voice Stress Analysis (CVSA) 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.

• Inwald Personality Inventory – 2 (IPI-2)
• 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire (16 PF)

Candidates reaching this stage are required to produce the following documents prior to the background stage.

• Resume
• Three to Five reference letters (to be obtained from reputable adults who can attest to the candidate’s character)
• Copy of operator’s license and documentation of special qualifications (Driver training, self defense, life saving, etc.)

Stage 5 – 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

The Camrose Police Service also has a senior member conduct a road test with the candidate.  The road test is not utilized as a selection mechanism per se and will therefore not be grounds for rejection.  The road test permits the member to see how the candidate handles a vehicle and permits casual observation of qualities such as confidence.

Stage 6 – 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 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 7 – Pre-Employment Medical

A Pre-Employment medical examination conducted by a Physician selected by the Camrose Police Service is the final stage in 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.

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