Selection process and helpful information
The Special Constable assessment process gives candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their potential to be a Special Constable within Police Scotland.
The process has been designed to assess candidates against the Competencies and Values Framework (CVF), which is the national framework used to set clear expectations of everyone working in policing. We recommend familiarising yourself with this prior to undertaking the assessment process.
The selection process can be broken up into the following stages:
Application Form
The application form is designed to assess your skills, prior experiences and values along with your personal motivations and expectations regarding the role. Additionally, your responses to the questions will be assessed and checked to determine if you meet the essential criteria for the role.
Police Scotland Entrance Test (PSET)
The Police Scotland Entrance Test is a 60-minute exam paper in which you are required to answer 49 questions on the following three elements:
- Numeracy
- Literacy
- Information Handling
You must pass all three elements to pass the PSET.
Fitness Assessment
As a Special Constable you are required to be physically active and maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle. The Fitness assessment aims to determine whether you are fit for the job and are ready for Officer Safety Training, where you learn to protect yourself and others.
The test involves running up and down (a shuttle run) on a 15-metre track. It is timed against a series of audio beeps and the participant must 'beat the bleep' and complete the shuttle before they hear the sound.
At the end of each level, the time between beeps gets shorter, meaning the participant has to run faster.
The standard needed for a police officer applicant is level 5.4 which means running at least in time with the bleeps for four shuttles at level 5.
Joining Police Scotland is a highly competitive recruitment journey so candidates require to give the very best account of themselves to progress further.
Assessment Centre
Through the course of the day, you will undertake two exercises which are specifically designed to allow you to showcase your strengths and demonstrate your potential to be a special constable in Police Scotland:
- Individual Situational Judgement Questions (you will be presented with 4 situational challenges and asked about your considerations and intended course of action, assessing the competencies and values contained within the CVF)
- Formal Competency-based Interview (3 questions, assessing the competencies contained within the CVF)
Final Stages
- Medical assessment with our Health Provider
- Substance Misuse Testing
- Employer references
- Full vetting checks
Please note, if you require reasonable adjustments and want to request specific arrangements at any point in the selection process you can request these through our standard process and we will be happy to discuss this further with you.
