The PEMS assessment of mental fitness certifies that an applicant meets the minimum mental fitness requirements of a police officer including recruit training. Whereas the Recruit Psychological Assessment is a specific and comprehensive assessment of your current psychological suitability for policing. It involves additional psychological testing, and if deemed necessary by an Occupational Psychologist, a psychological interview.

Online written psychological test and psychological interview appointments are conducted during business hours Monday to Friday, AEST. You will be offered a range of times to choose from to book your written psychological test or psychological interview (if required). Please advise when booking if the times offered are unsuitable and we will attempt to accommodate your request.

On completion of the Recruit Psychological Assessment, the Psychological Assessment Unit provides a recommendation of an applicant’s current psychological suitability for policing to Recruiting. This recommendation is taken into consideration during shortlisting for progression in the recruit application process.

The Recruit Psychological Assessment outcome is valid for 12 months. If you are unsuccessful, you may reapply after this time.

Participating in mental health related treatment does not automatically lead to an unfavourable Recruit Psychological Assessment outcome. After the PEMS Occupational Physician certifies that you meet the minimum mental fitness requirements of a police officer as per the QPS Health Standards, and you have met all other requirements, you will progress to the Recruit Psychological Assessment stage. At this point, a QPS Occupational Psychologist will assess your current psychological suitability for policing.

A condition of your participation in the Recruit Psychological Assessment process is that you will not be provided with any individual feedback. Feedback cannot be provided due to contractual obligations with the test developers, and the need to maintain the integrity of the assessment process.

There is no preferential treatment granted to applicants based on familial connections. The Recruit Psychological Assessment process is designed to be fair and impartial. Each applicant is evaluated on their individual merits.

Individuals not shortlisted based on the Recruit Psychological Assessment are assessed as not currently meeting the inherent occupational requirements of policing. This decision does not imply any intrinsic psychological problems, and these applicants may reapply after 12 months.

Applicants who are unsuccessful may reapply after 12 months.

You can appeal if you are unsuccessful. However, you are encouraged to first reflect on your personal circumstances and then explain in your appeal why it is necessary for your Recruit Psychological Assessment to be re-evaluated.

All psychological assessment data will remain strictly confidential unless duty-of-care or legal requirements override confidentiality. Accordingly, all assessment data will be securely retained (in both electronic and hard-copy formats) as part of QPS personnel records. All assessment data is used by the QPS to inform initial selection decisions, and in the case of successful applicants, may be used for future training, development and human resource management decisions. Anonymous and fully de-identified psychological assessment data may also be used for research, training, or reporting purposes.

As per ethical guidelines and QPS policy, your psychological assessment records will be retained for a minimum of seven years. For successful applicants who are appointed as QPS employees, results will be retained for a minimum of 80 years from the employee’s date of birth or seven years from the date of separation, whichever is later. In some cases, depending on the employee’s classification and/or if results have long-term historical, legal, or high administrative value, records may be classified as permanent and will be preserved permanently.

Prospective recruits are invited to participate in psychological testing which involves completing two personality tests. The assessments are conducted at a supervised testing session held in Brisbane or Townsville. For those applicants unable to attend a testing session in person, they can complete their psychological testing online via remote video supervision under standardised examination conditions. Regardless of the testing location or method, all applicants undergo testing under standardised conditions, ensuring the reliability and validity of the results.

The psychological testing is untimed. However, most applicants complete testing in under two hours.

The psychological tests have a minimum requirement of Grade 6 reading level. In addition, they are designed to avoid cultural, age and gender biases.

The best way to prepare for the psychological assessment is to be well-rested. If you are completing your psychological testing in-person, we recommend that you allow ample time for travel and arrive at the testing venue ahead of time. If you are completing your psychological testing online, we recommend that you ensure that your computer setup and testing room meet the requirements outlined in the invitation email.

People generally perform at their best when they are feeling physically and mentally well. We recommend that you complete the psychological tests when you feel well. Psychological testing sessions are run typically on a fortnightly basis, and you will not be disadvantaged by delaying your testing due to ill health.

You have been asked to re-complete a psychological test because your results from the initial test were not interpretable for the purposes of the QPS selection process. Additional testing is therefore required to ensure that your results can be interpreted accurately and appropriately. While uninterpretable results may be due to a variety of causes, it suggests that a test-taker may have answered the test in a manner that presents an inaccurate, non-representative, and/or unrealistic impression. You have been provided with the opportunity to re-complete the test and provide an interpretable result. Should your result be uninterpretable again, your application may be considerably delayed or ceased.

Psychological tests are not something you “pass” or “fail”. While there are no "right" or "wrong" answers, it is essential not to overthink your responses or tailor them to what you believe is the “right” answer, as this could produce an uninterpretable or inaccurate result.

A psychological interview with an Occupational Psychologist may be required when additional information is needed. No preparation is required. The psychological interview is entirely voluntary, however, your application may be considerably delayed or ceased should you decline to participate.

There is no specific time limit but interviews typically take between 1-2 hours.

There is no need to prepare for a psychological interview, but it is important to be open and honest with the assessing Occupational Psychologist. 

Understandably, you may feel uncomfortable to talk to an Occupational Psychologist. Occupational Psychologists are qualified Health Practitioners and are skilled at conducting psychological interviews. As participation in the psychological interview is completely voluntary, you may choose to opt out of participation or choose to withdraw from the Recruit Psychological Assessment process at any time. However, your application may be considerably delayed or ceased should you decline to participate.

It is not possible to request a psychological interview with an Occupational Psychologist. Psychological interviews are conducted as deemed necessary by the assessing Occupational Psychologist.

In some instances, the assessing Occupational Psychologist may seek additional medical information or records from your treatment provider/s (e.g., GP, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Counsellor) or a third-party. This practice is to better inform a comprehensive assessment of your current psychological suitability for policing, and would only occur with your written consent. Applicants are responsible for any additional costs incurred.