How to Join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Photo by the RCMP
There are three types of employees at the RCMP: Regular Members (police officers), Civilian Members and Public Service Employees.
A. Regular Members
The police officers of the RCMP are known as Regular Members. They usually serve at least 3 years doing patrol (general duty) before being eligible to apply for a specialization. The RCMP offers over 150 different specializations that are challenging and rewarding.
The Regular Member selection process has several steps:
1. Career Presentation: Before applying to the RCMP, it is highly recommended that you attend a career presentation. An RCMP police officer leads this informative session and talks about his or her own experience in the Force. You can also take this opportunity to ask any questions related to the RCMP and the selection process. To register for a career presentation in your city, click here.
2. Application and RCMP Police Aptitude Battery (RPAB): The RPAB is made up of two separate tests including the Regular Member Aptitude Test (RPAT) and the Six Factor Personality Questionnaire (SFPQ). The RPAT contains 114 multiple-choice question measuring seven skills that are essential when becoming a police officer: composition, comprehension, memory, judgment, observation, logic and computation. The pass mark is 3.2 out of 5.0. Meanwhile, the SFPQ measures an applicants’ personality which is not measured by the RPAT and is not included in your test results. Applicants who pass the RPAT will be ranked by score on the Initial Rank List (IRL). For more information, please click here.
3. Selection Package: Applicants with the most competitive scores on the RPAT will be selected for the next stage of the recruiting process. The chosen applicants will receive a selection package in the mail that contains several application forms that you will need to complete. You must accurately complete the forms and return them in order to continue with your application.
4. Regular Member Applicant Questionnaire (RMAQ): Among the forms provided in the selection package, this questionnaire explores past behavior in several key areas, such as at school and at work, driving history, use of alcohol, drugs, with technology, and criminality. The questions aim at looking at your honesty, integrity, and sense of ethics as well as to make sure you reflect the core values of the RCMP.
5. Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation (PARE): This is a test to assess your ability to perform the physical demands of police work. It includes an obstacle course and a push/pull section. The PARE must be completed in less than 4 minutes 45 seconds. All information on the PARE can be found here.
6. Regular Member Selection Interview (RMSI): The goal of this interview is to evaluate skills such as problem solving, teamwork, reliability, flexibility, etc. Click here if you want to see the list of skills being evaluated in this interview.
7. Pre-Employment Polygraph (PEP): The Pre-Employment Polygraph (PEP) Interview and Examination is one more tool used to help confirm that you are who you have claimed to be during the recruitment process. Though popularly known as a “lie detector”, recruiting does not use the polygraph in that manner. The PEP consists of a face-to-face review of the Regular Member Applicant Questionnaire and a short polygraph examination using some of the questions from that form.
8. Field Investigation and Security Clearance: After the polygraph interview, there is a background investigation (which examines previous employment, education, character references, personal finances, etc.). This stage of the process verifies your suitability, reliability and security. For more information, click here.
9. Health Assessment: Before being accepted into the RCMP Training Academy (“Depot”) in Regina, Saskatchewan, you must pass a medical exam (physical, dental, psychological) conducted by a medical doctor. For vision and hearing requirements click here.
10. Prerequisites and Enrollment: If you successfully complete all of these steps and are accepted into the RCMP, you will attend the RCMP Training Academy (“Depot”) in Regina, Saskatchewan. You will be placed in a troop and undergo a 24-week training program with other cadets. Before leaving for Depot, you must obtain a valid standard first aid certificate. For more information you can click here.
B. Civilian Members
Civilian Members are RCMP employees who provide support and assistance to law-enforcement activities. Ranging from scientists to computer programmers, the RCMP offers a wide choice of careers for non-police officers. There are a number of requirements to become a Civilian Member.
Basic requirements:
- Be a Canadian citizen (if you were born outside of Canada, you must become a Canadian citizen before applying to the RCMP);
- Be of good character. You must possess integrity, honesty, professionalism, compassion, respect and accountability, which will be assessed through the suitability interview;
- Meet the position’s education / experience criteria;
- Meet the position’s linguistic requirements; and
- Meet the physical and medical requirements of your particular employment category.
Click here for more information on the basic requirements for Civilian Members.
(Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
There are many career specializations available for civilian members:
- Air and Marine Operations
- Community and Cultural Affairs
- Criminal Intelligence
- Engineering
- Forensics
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Law
- Public Affairs and Communications
- Research and Analysis
- Technicians and Technologists
- Telecommunications Operator
- Wellness & Safety
(Royal Canadian Mounted Police)
C. Public Service Employees
Public Service Employees are the third category of RCMP employees. The organization hires specialists in areas such as finance, information technology, communication and human resources management. Please visit the Public Service Careers webpage for more information.
Joining the RCMP is a really amazing experience for those who want to have a career in policing. The RCMP is a dynamic and interesting place to work where you can develop new skills every day. Keep in mind that it is important to choose a career you will love, and if that is the RCMP, then so be it!