The RCMP enforces federal laws, and provides contract police services in many provinces, municipalities and First Nations communities across Canada. The RCMP also participate in international peacekeeping.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: 6 to 18 months
Here's How:
- Be a Canadian citizen, be of good character, be proficient in either English or French, and be at least 18 years old when you apply.
- Get a Grade 12 diploma or equivalent, a valid Canadian driver's licence, and be ready to meet RCMP physical and medical requirements.
- The RCMP recommends that you attend a Career Presentation to learn about the policing services provided by the RCMP and to determine if a career in the RCMP is right for you.
- Write and pass the RCMP Police Aptitude Battery (RPAB). This is two separate tests. The RCMP Police Aptitude Test (RPAT) measures composition (spelling, grammar, and vocabulary), comprehension, memory, judgement, observation, logic, and computation. The Six Factor Personality Questionnaire (SFPQ) measures an applicants’s conscientiousness and deals with concepts such as honesty, integrity and commitment.
- If you pass the RPAB your name will be placed on a list. Those with the most competitive scores advance and will be mailed a selection package of documents to complete by a certain time. The documents include a personal information form, a pre-employment polygraph questionnaire, medical forms, and a vision examination to be completed by your optometrist.
- Take and pass the Physical Ability Requirement Evaluation, a physical ability test designed to simulate a critical incident where a police officer chases, controls and apprehends a suspect.
- Succeed in the Regular Member Selection Interview.
- Take a pre-employment polygraph examination.
- Pass a background investigation of your suitability
- Pass medical, dental, visual, and psychological exams.
- Before you can enrol in cadet training, you must show proof of a typing certificate from an educational institution, and a valid standard first aid certificate from an organization approved under the Canada Occupational Safety and Health Regulations, Canada Labour Code.
- Enrol as a Cadet, and go through 24 weeks of an intensive academic and physical program at the RCMP Training Academy in Regina, Saskatchewan.
- On graduation you will normally be hired as a regular member of the RCMP. You will be assigned to general policing duties in contract divisions at a specific detachment for a minimum of three years. You will be assigned to one of more than 750 detachments across Canada. New RCMP officers are not normally posted to Ontario or Quebec.
- As you gain experience, more opportunities in specialized areas such as economic crime, foreign missions, marine services, and forensic services will become available to you.
Tips:
- Before you apply to join the RCMP, read the detailed information and manuals and watch the videos provided on the RCMP Recruiting site.
- If you have specialized technical, scientific or administrative skills, you could become a civilian member of the RCMP.
