There is no one key attribute, skill or experience that we look for in candidates. Instead, it’s your overall suitability for the protective services officer role that will improve your competitiveness.
The recruitment process can take more than 12 months to complete. We assess key competencies, including:
- intellect
- psychological make-up
- general fitness
- work history
- community involvement
- medical history, and
- prior offence history.
Recruitment process
You will submit your application online.
It will be thoroughly assessed and may be rejected if deemed not suitable.
Make sure you use correct spelling and grammar and that you answer all questions in full.
The application form will consist of:
- personal details
- employment history
- education history, and
- history of prior offences and police dealings.
After your initial application
Once you complete your online application, you may be contacted by our Recruiting Services Branch. They will then email you to ask you to complete the Victoria Police Entrance Examination.
You will need to cover all costs associated with travel to and from assessment venues/stages. This includes:
- costs to sit the entrance exam
- medical appointments and
- first aid certification.
Before you submit your application make sure you are familiar with the recruitment process.
To learn more about the recruitment process, watch the Victoria Police recruitment process videos below:
- Recruitment process - Be informed(opens in a new window)
- Recruitment process - Disclosure(opens in a new window)
- Recruitment process - Tips for success(opens in a new window)
Uniform and appearance standards
Victoria Police employees are required to project an image that is consistent with a professional and disciplined law enforcement agency.
Employee clothing, grooming and personal accessories must project a favourable image. They must not be extreme or detract from the need to present as employees of a professional and disciplined organisation.
Head, face, neck, or hand tattoos
If you have tattoos or body art on your head, face, neck or hands you should contact our Recruitment Team before you apply.
You can do this by:
- emailing POLICECAREERS-MGR@police.vic.gov.au, or
- calling (03) 8335 5003 (8am-4pm, Monday to Friday).
They will assess your eligibility before you submit an application.
Jewellery
Members are permitted to wear the following items of jewellery:
- wristwatches
- minimal rings of conservative style and
- emergency medical alert bracelets or pendants.
Wearing of other jewellery, ornaments, adornments or accessories is not permitted.
This includes:
- earrings
- spacers
- any facial/body piercing
- plugs
- tunnels
- bars
- chains
- dental grills
- or similar.
Our recruitment team will review your application to determine your eligibility and suitability to become a protective services officer.
This includes assessing your:
- driving history
- criminal history and
- responses to motivational and behavioural based questions.
The role of a protective services officer is a highly sought after position.
The recruitment process is highly competitive.
Not all applications will progress past this initial stage of the process.
You will need to sit an entrance exam.
You must successfully pass all components of the entrance exam before you progress to the next phase of the selection process.
Exemptions
All exemptions are approved at the discretion of our Recruitment Team.
Those who have obtained a relevant Australian university bachelor degree within the past five years may be exempt from sitting the exam.
Relevant degrees are:
- Arts
- Science
- Humanities (business)
- Law.
You may also be exempt if you:
- have prior policing experience in the past five years in Australian, New Zealand or United Kingdom policing jurisdictions, or
- are currently employed in those jurisdictions.
Preparation materials
If you are sitting the exam, you can use the following guides to prepare:
For additional practise questions, you can purchase:
- Entrance exam 'Practise Now' resource(opens in a new window)
- Entrance exam online practice tests - (available following exam registration only)
Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is the examination authority for Victoria Police.
Applicants will need to refer to the updated study material provided above or from ACER website.
ACER is the examination authority for Victoria Police.
The Victoria Police entrance exam is made up of eight sections:
- verbal reasoning assessment
- numeracy skills assessment
- abstract reasoning assessment
- literacy skills assessment
- summary writing assessment
- extended writing assessment
- oral communications assessment
- digital literacy assessment.
Victoria Police entrance exam: verbal reasoning tutorial
This tutorial explains in detail what’s involved in the verbal reasoning component to help applicants better prepare.
Victoria Police entrance exam: Numeracy tutorial
This tutorial explains in detail what’s involved in the numeracy component to help applicants better prepare.
Victoria Police entrance exam: abstract reasoning tutorial
This tutorial explains in detail what’s involved in the abstract reasoning component to help applicants better prepare.
Victoria Police entrance exam: literacy skills tutorial
This tutorial explains in detail what’s involved in the literacy skills component to help applicants better prepare.
Victoria Police entrance exam: summary writing tutorial
This tutorial explains in detail what’s involved in the summary writing component to help applicants better prepare.
Victoria Police entrance exam: extended writing tutorial
This tutorial explains in detail what’s involved in the extended writing component to help applicants better prepare.
Victoria Police entrance exam: oral communication tutorial
This tutorial explains in detail what’s involved in the oral communication component to help applicants better prepare.
Victoria Police entrance exam: digital literacy tutorial
This tutorial explains in detail what’s involved in the digital literacy component to help applicants better prepare.
You will be responsible for all examination costs. This includes the initial exam ($220) and any subsequent re-sits.
You will have two months to sit your exam. If you are unsuccessful on any component, you will be able to re-sit it. If you are unsuccessful on your re-sit, an exclusion period will apply. This is why you need to be ready to pass the entrance examination before you apply.
After booking your exam, you will receive email instructions to download an electronic ticket seven days prior to sitting date. You will not be able to change the session date and time beyond this point.
You must bring a printed copy of your electronic ticket to your exam sitting. Failure to do so will result in you not being allowed entry into the exam.
If you do not arrive at the venue at the time stated on your ticket and/or if you are not able to present a printed ticket, you will not be permitted to sit the exam. However, you may apply to ACER for an exemption in order to re-book for a future date.
The dress code for the entrance exam is tidy, casual attire.
After successful completion of the Victoria Police entrance examination, our Recruitment Team will conduct a preliminary check of your previous history to determine your eligibility and suitability for the role.
To facilitate the background checks, you will be sent a document pack.
These documents require you to tell us about various aspects of your background, including:
- employment
- family associations
- education
- and travel.
You must complete these documents accurately. This is an assessable component of the recruitment process.
Missing or incomplete information will result in your application being delayed.
Fingerprinting
As part of the identity check process, all PSO applicants must have a set of fingerprints taken. There is no fee for this as it is part of the recruitment process.
Applicants must contact their local police station to make a booking to have their fingerprints taken.
You must bring a photo ID and other identification documentation to confirm your identity.
The Victoria Police Recruiting Applicant Pack explains the documentation required under the Police Applicant Schedule of Requirements.
A member of the station will take your fingerprints and sight your documents.
Do not make an online appointment directly with a Victoria Police Fingerprint Facility.
Interstate applicants
Interstate applicants need a fingerprint card to take with them to their appointment. The staff there will have your ink prints sent to our Victorian Fingerprint Unit.
To get your fingerprint card, email us at rsb-springboard-mgr@police.vic.gov.au.
Code of conduct and prior behaviour
All Victoria Police employees follow a code of conduct, regardless of rank, position or title.
Victoria Police conducts extensive background checks during the selection process.
You must align with the code of conduct expected of our employees. That means the application process involves a thorough assessment to identify any:
- prior misconduct
- corruption
- or any form of improper conduct.
The ongoing expectation is that you understand and avoid misconduct, and immediately report it should you become aware of it in others.
This helps keep Victoria Police an ethical organisation for our employees and the community we serve.
Your previous history will be assessed at this stage and throughout the entire selection process. This includes your:
- traffic history
- criminal history
- employment history.
Prior offences and Voluntary Disclosure Form (VDF)
Check the prior history guidelines to assess if a prior offence will affect your application to Victoria Police.
Check the prior history guidelines
If you have a previous offence, we recommend that you submit a Voluntary Disclosure Form (VDF) prior to submitting your application.
If you have any contact with police during the selection process, you must inform the Recruiting Services Branch immediately on recruitingservices@police.vic.gov.au.
You will receive a link via email to complete the video interview. You will have seven days to complete your video interview.
You will be given a set amount of time to record your answers.
You must complete the interview using any electronic device with a camera, such as a mobile, laptop, PC or tablet.
The video interview has been designed to find out more about you, including:
- your ability to communicate effectively
- your understanding of the role and
- why you have applied for Victoria Police.
The questions have a number of themes, including:
- role requirements
- organisational requirements
- our organisational values and behaviours and
- your ability to reflect our values and behaviours.
To prepare for the interview, make sure you have relevant examples that you can explain. You will have two minutes per question.
You will also need a good understanding of the Victoria Police values:
- safety
- integrity
- leadership
- flexibility
- respect
- support
- professionalism.
As a protective services officer, you must maintain a healthy level of fitness.
As part of the application process, you will be required to undertake a fitness test designed to test your level of cardio fitness and physical strength.
You may be invited to attend the fitness testing as soon as 1-4 weeks after passing the Video Interview stage. You can use the POLICE FIT app to help prepare for the fitness test.
Download the free app before you apply and improve your chances of success.
Download the Police Fit app on Google Play
Download the Police Fit app on App Store
The fitness tests are normally conducted at the Victoria Police Academy on a Sunday. They are followed by a psychometric assessment. Please allow a five-hour period on this day of testing.
The fitness test includes the following components:
- beep test (5.01)
- grip test (30kg in each hand)
- Illinois agility run (20 seconds or less)
- push-ups (five successive push-ups on toes)
- prone bridge (hold for 60 seconds).
As the protective services officer role can be psychologically demanding, all applicants must complete psychological testing during the recruitment process.
Victoria Police utilise a suite of psychological tests to assess candidates' psychological suitability. The results of the tests are interpreted by Psychologists from the Victoria Police Psychology Unit who provide recommendations to our Recruitment Team.
Following the test, all applicants must attend a one-on-one interview with a psychologist to further assess their suitability for the protective services officer role. This is a normal part of the process. The purpose is to obtain further information to assist in the interpretation of the test results.
You will be provided with your medical booklet at fitness testing day. This document is designed to assess your current health status as well as your medical and surgical history.
As part of this medical assessment process, you will be required to:
- complete a self-assessment questionnaire
- undergo an examination by a GP
- have your hearing tested by an audiologist or audiometrist and
- have your vision tested by an ophthalmologist or optometrist.
You will have to pay all costs associated with this stage.
Failure to disclose information may result in the cancellation of your application.
Check our Medical guidelines if you have questions about your medical history.
As your application progresses through the recruitment process, you will be assessed against Victoria Police’s values and code of ethics.
It is during the comprehensive checks stage of the process that we will look further into your employment history, associations, social media and any police involvements.
It is essential that you fully disclose all information to Victoria Police throughout the recruitment process. This means declaring all associations including family members, those living with you and any person you associate with, or have associated with in the past, whom you suspect to have a criminal conviction or Victoria Police would consider being of poor character and reputation. This allows us to assess the risk of different associations to yourself, your colleagues and the organisation.
Failure to declare any information as part of your application process will raise concerns regarding your integrity, character and suitability for the role within Victoria Police.
The interview is usually the final step in your recruitment process.
The interview will usually be conducted at the Victoria Police Centre, Spencer Street, Melbourne and attended by two trained members of Victoria Police.
It will consist of behavioural and scenario-based questions.
Not all applicants will be deemed suitable for induction into the Victoria Police Academy.
Tips for interview preparation(opens in a new window)PDF 32.82 KBIf successful, you will go into the candidate pool, awaiting invitation to start your training at the Victoria Police Academy.
We aim to provide you with six weeks' notice before starting at the Academy.
Updated
