Applicant fitness test and attribute interview
Once you have successfully completed the Online Career Presentation and Entrance Assessment, you will be contacted by a Proactive Recruiter to schedule:
- your Police Fitness Assessment (PFA) Field version
- your Attribute Evaluation (AE) Interview
The proactive recruiter will provide you with additional information about the scheduling process, preparation requirements, and next steps.
The PFA Field test and the AE Interview occur early in the application process. We encourage applicants to begin preparing for both the physical and interview components as early as possible. Taking the time to train, review the requirements, and reflect on your experiences will help you approach these important stages with confidence.
The PFA Field test and AE Interview are key steps toward achieving your goal of becoming an RCMP police officer. We look forward to supporting you throughout the recruitment process.
Police Fitness Assessment Field test
The Police Fitness Assessment Field test is a predictive version of the PFA that can be delivered with less equipment while still measuring an applicant’s readiness for the RCMP Academy.
Applicants must successfully meet test benchmarks to move forward to the interview stages.
New requirement
The PFA Field test is a new requirement in the Regular Member application process. Applicants who apply on or after September 15, 2026, must successfully complete the PFA Field test to continue in the recruitment process.
Preparing for the PFA Field Test
To help applicants prepare, the RCMP offers Police Fitness Assessment Workshops.
These workshops provide:
- information about the PFA field test and its requirements
- training tips and fitness guidance
- the opportunity to try the PFA field test
- a chance to ask questions and speak directly with PFA trainers
- greater confidence and familiarity with the assessment process
We strongly encourage applicants to begin their fitness preparation early. Regular cardiovascular training, strength training, and functional fitness activities can help you arrive prepared and confident on assessment day.
Visit the Recruiting Events page to register for an upcoming PFA Workshop and take the next step toward your future career with the RCMP.
Attribute Evaluation Interview
The Attribute Evaluation Interview is designed to assess the personal qualities and attributes that are important for success as an RCMP police officer. During the interview, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate how your experiences, skills, and behaviours align with the competencies required for policing.
Preparing for the Attribute Evaluation Interview
We carried out a careful analysis of the functions and duties of an RCMP constable to identify the qualities required to do this job well. The Attribute Evaluation (AE) Interview questions were developed based on this analysis. The goal of the interview is to determine if you possess the qualities that have been identified as necessary to perform successfully as an RCMP constable. The Attribute Evaluation uses behavioural type questions. Behavioural questions are framed to draw out examples of how you performed in different situations in the past. These questions are fairly general so that applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds can relate to and describe pertinent experiences.
The AE Interview assesses five competencies (qualities) considered essential to perform successfully as an RCMP constable. The goal of this portion of the Suitability Interview is to assess the extent to which you demonstrate these competencies. Each competency is defined below:
- Problem solving
- Systematically analyzes and breaks down problems, risks, opportunities and issues into component parts. Identifies appropriate solutions and makes timely decisions and actions. Understands cause-and-effect chains and relationships.
- Teamwork
- Achieves common goals by working cooperatively with others and developing a positive work climate. Acts to facilitate the operation of teams of which they are a member.
- Communication
- Effectively receives and conveys ideas and information in a way that increases the understanding of the target audience. Can communicate effectively and interactively with others.
- Self-control and composure
- Keeps emotions under control and restrains negative actions when provoked or faced with opposition or hostility from others, or when working under increasing levels of stress. Maintains stamina and concentration under continuing stress. Refrains from acting on strong emotions such as anger. Can stay effective when faced with heavy or long-term stresses or challenges.
- Courage of convictions
- Demonstrates a belief in one’s own capability to accomplish a task and to make difficult decisions and takeappropriate actions that may not be popular but are in the best interest of others. Trusts their own abilities and takes on risky tasks or challenges.
Behavioural questions
Behavioural questions focus on how you handled various situations in your past. This gives insight on what you might do in the future. When providing answers to behavioural questions, it's important to use specific examples instead of speaking in general terms.
Here is an example of a behavioural type of question (not an actual question from the Attribute Evaluation):
- Describe a specific time when you had to persevere to overcome an obstacle.
When you respond to behavioural questions, you'll need to use the STAR technique, as it provides a reliable structure to help you organize your thoughts. There are four steps to answering questions using the STAR technique:
- (S) Situation
- Describe the situation in which the event took place.
- (T) Task
- Describe the task you were asked to complete. If there was a particular problem or issue you were trying to solve, describe it here.
- (A) Action
- Explain what action you took to complete the task and/or solve the problem.
- (R) Results
- Explain the result of your actions. For example, explain if your actions resulted in completing a task, resolving a conflict, improving a situation, etc. Try to focus on how your actions resulted in success.
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