Physical Ability Test (PAT) for Police Officers

The Police Officer Physical Ability Test (PAT) is a validated, job-related assessment that goes far beyond generic fitness measures like pushups, sit-ups, or timed runs. Instead, it is built on eight critical and physically demanding tasks that real officers identified as essential for performing the job safely and effectively.

Unlike one-size-fits-all fitness screens, the PAT is a work-sample test grounded in job analysis surveys completed by police officers, sergeants, and lieutenants. This process ensures the PAT reflects the true physical demands of law enforcement while still allowing for customization to match each agency’s equipment, SOPs, and performance standards. Departments benefit from a validated and defensible assessment that can be tailored in terms of events, distances, equipment, and passing scores.

Key Benefits:

• Validity: Backed by comprehensive job analyses and critical event surveys from a large sample of police subject matter experts.
• Customization: Tailored to your department’s equipment and procedures while anchored in FPSI’s extensive validity database.
• Pretesting: Conducted with your own officers to fine-tune events and establish agency-specific cutoff scores.
• Support: Includes consultation, job analysis tools, and a complete administration manual.

The PAT is also designed for flexibility—it can be used not only in entry-level hiring but also as a maintenance test for incumbents. By applying different cutoff scores for each group, departments can ensure both new recruits and current officers meet the physical standards required for duty.

Incumbent Maintenance Physical Ability Testing

Police and human resources departments across the U.S. spend an inordinate amount of time and money ensuring that their police officer recruitment process includes a job-related and validated physical ability test (PAT) for new hires. However, there currently is no standardized PAT used as a maintenance test to ensure that police department personnel remain physically fit to perform the critical, physical parts of the job once they are hired.

We are delighted to share our Police Officer Physical Ability Test (PAT) video with you courtesy of the Glendale Police Department!

Click here: FPSI’s PAT at Glendale Police Department

Implementation

Implementation of the PAT is carefully planned to ensure validity and to meet your needs. To begin the process or for further information, please call FPSI at (916) 294-4242 or send an e-mail message to info@fpsi.com.