The PSNI recruitment process step by step

The PSNI recruits police officers in campaigns, and every candidate goes through eight stages: online application, the Initial Selection Test, an assessment centre, vetting, a Physical Competence Assessment, online learning, a health assessment and a substance misuse test. You have to pass all eight before you are invited to induction. Applications open only in advertised windows, and you can submit one application per campaign.

Who can apply

The basic requirements are set out on the Join PSNI site:

• Age: you can apply from 17, and you must be at least 18 on appointment. You must be no more than 57 by the end of the application window.
• Right to work: you must be able to work permanently in the UK. UK and Irish nationals meet this, but still have to show evidence.
• Education: five GCSEs (or equivalent) at grades A* to C, including English Language. The PSNI considers alternative qualifications if you do not have GCSEs.
• Computer literacy: tested at several stages, with no formal IT qualification needed.
• Integrity: assessed throughout.

There are also standards for physical fitness, medical conditions and vetting, which covers criminal record, finances and tattoos. Being from outside the UK or the Republic of Ireland does not stop you applying, provided you can show the right to work permanently in the UK.

Stage 1 and 2: application and test

The application is online, and the PSNI says to expect an acknowledgement within ten working days. You can declare any reasonable adjustment you need here. See asking for reasonable adjustments in recruitment.

The Initial Selection Test has two parts, a deductive reasoning test and the Global Skills Assessment. You must attempt both, and the scores are combined against a pass mark. The PSNI states that there is only one opportunity to attempt and pass the test per campaign, so prepare before you sit it. If you pass, you upload evidence of your qualifications and right to work through an online evidence uploader.

Stage 3: assessment centre

Held in and around Belfast, mostly on weekdays, the centre includes written exercises and role plays set in a policing context. It assesses you against the Competency and Values Framework. You can be asked to retake the Initial Selection Test for verification.

Stage 4: vetting

You have to provide a checkable three-year history and answer every question fully and honestly. If you have lived outside the UK and the Republic of Ireland in the last three years, you may need overseas criminal record certificates. If the checks cannot be completed, your application may not go further.

Stage 5: Physical Competence Assessment

This is an obstacle course that you complete three times in 4 minutes 30 seconds. If you fail, you get one re-test 12 weeks later, with five support sessions beforehand. It is a pass or fail test, and you must pass it before entering the Police College.

Stages 6 to 8: online learning, health and substance misuse

• Online learning: about 16 hours of eLearning to finish within 4 weeks, in four modules covering observation and experience, community relationships, communicating in your community, and problem solving and decision making.
• Health assessment: an occupational health nursing adviser assesses your fitness for training and the role, and a medical adviser may be involved. Vision and hearing standards apply, and disabilities are assessed individually for reasonable adjustments.
• Substance misuse test: a hair test using two samples. If the first is positive, you have seven calendar days to ask for the second to be tested independently, at your own cost. If it is confirmed, the application ends. If you are not appointed within 12 months, you have to take the test again.

After you pass

The PSNI runs a one-day induction at the Police College, where you are told your policing district. That is normally not the district where you live. You then complete a Pre-Entry Knowledge Course of about 20 hours of study before training starts. Training is the 22-week Student Officer Development Programme at the Police College in Belfast, which is university-accredited and leads to an Advanced Diploma in Policing, and then attestation as a Probationary Constable. See how to become a police officer in the PSNI for what the job and training involve, and PSNI police pay for the salary.

For how the process compares with England and Wales, see the police application process step by step.