CHP Hiring Process: Officer Steps, Cadet Pay, Interview

As of 2025, the official California Highway Patrol (CHP) Careers FAQ lists six steps in the CHP hiring process: application acceptance, the Physical Ability Test (PAT), the POST PELLET-B written exam, a background investigation with a voice stress analyzer, a medical evaluation, and a psychological evaluation. The process takes about 6 to 12 months before you enter the 26-week live-in Academy in West Sacramento as a paid cadet earning $6,902 to $8,847 per month, and graduates promote to officer at a $128,000 base salary.

Last checked Nov 4, 2026.

Minimum Qualifications to Apply for CHP

Before you submit an electronic application, verify that you meet the baseline legal, age, and medical standards set by state law and the California Highway Patrol. You do not need prior law enforcement experience, and the CHP does not accept lateral transfers from other police departments. Every new hire completes the same cadet training process.

If you are concerned about whether a past traffic citation, at-fault collision, arrest, or prior illegal drug use could trigger an automatic disqualification, the CHP recommends calling the Cadet Hiring Unit at (916) 843-3760 Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time before you apply. While investigators cannot disclose the exact disqualification thresholds, they will talk through your history with you. If you are preparing for your upcoming investigator interviews or California peace officer panels, you can Start a police mock board to practice answering out loud.

Age 20 to 35: You can apply at age 20, must be at least 21 years old at the time of appointment per California Vehicle Code section 2256, and must be 35 or younger on the final filing date of the examination cycle.
Education: A high school diploma, GED, or passage of the California High School Proficiency Examination.
Work Authorization: You do not have to be a US citizen, but you must be legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law before you are accepted into the Academy.
Driver License: You must hold a valid California Class C driver license prior to appointment. You can take the initial exams before getting the license.
Criminal Record and Conduct: No felony convictions. Misdemeanor convictions and traffic violations are evaluated by severity, recency, frequency, and specific circumstances.
Vision: If you wear glasses, your uncorrected vision can be no worse than 20/40 in each eye and with both eyes, corrected to 20/20. If your uncorrected vision is worse than 20/40, you must use soft contact lenses with a 30-day stabilization period. Hard and semirigid lenses are not permitted. You must also pass the Ishihara color vision test without X-Chrom or color-correcting lenses.
Tattoos and Body Art: Cadets and uniformed officers cannot display any visible tattoos, body art, brands, or intentional scarring while on duty. Existing visible tattoos must be covered with a long-sleeve uniform shirt, uniform trousers, a skin-tone patch, or makeup, or be removed at your own expense. Dental ornamentation (gold, silver, platinum, or jeweled caps or veneers) and stretched earlobes or split tongues that cannot be concealed are prohibited.

The 6 Steps of the CHP Hiring Process and Timeline

Depending on which official CHP page you read, the typical hiring timeline from application to Academy appointment is listed as 6 to 9 months (CHP Careers FAQ), 6 to 12 months (CHP Officer Careers page), or 12 or more months (Why Become a CHP Officer page). Testing takes place across eight geographical CHP Divisions: Northern (Redding), Valley (Sacramento), Golden Gate (Vallejo), Central (Fresno), Southern (Los Angeles), Border (San Diego), Coastal (San Luis Obispo), and Inland (San Bernardino).

You can apply to only one Division per filing period using a desktop browser. The Division you pick is strictly for testing convenience and has no bearing on where you will be stationed after graduating from the Academy. Once submitted, an application cannot be withdrawn online, though missing the physical test marks you as a no-show without penalty and clears your name about 30 days after the written test. Once you pass the physical and written tests, your file transfers to a background investigator nearest your home address.

Phase	What Happens	Key Rule or Standard
1. Application	Create online profile and select one of the 8 CHP Divisions	Must be age 20 to 35 on the final filing date
2. Physical Ability Test (PAT)	Push-ups, sit-ups, 300m sprint, 1.5-mile run	Failing any component ends your current exam cycle
3. Written Exam (PELLET-B)	2.5-hour paper-and-pencil English and reading test	Outside agency scores not accepted, 30-day retest wait
4. Background Investigation	Online eSOPH profile, document upload, voice stress analyzer	Takes 3 to 5 months once assigned to an investigator
5. Medical & Psychological	Vision, drug test, back x-rays, written inventory, psych interview	Conducted after clearing the background phase
6. Academy Invitation	26-week live-in training in West Sacramento	Official job offer as a paid cadet ($6,902 to $8,847/mo)

Physical Ability Test (PAT) Standards and Pacing

You must pass all four components of the Physical Ability Test (PAT) on test day to move forward to the written exam. Failing any single exercise results in automatic disqualification for that examination cycle, meaning you must wait and reapply in the next cycle. Each CHP Division runs a free Applicant Preparation Program (APP) with seminars and practice workouts to help you prepare.

Push-Ups: 19 full push-ups in 1 minute.
Sit-Ups: 25 full sit-ups in 1 minute.
300-Meter Sprint: Complete a 300-meter run in 70 seconds or less.
1.5-Mile Run: Complete a 1.5-mile run in 15 minutes or less.

Written Exam: POST PELLET-B Rules and Format Update

Once you pass the PAT, you take the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery, known as the PELLET-B. This is a 2.5-hour paper-and-pencil test of English reading and writing ability, not a test of police codes or law enforcement terminology.

The CHP does not accept PELLET-B scores from other law enforcement agencies, nor do they carry over past scores. You must take the written exam directly with the CHP every time you apply. In addition, POST enforces a 30-calendar-day waiting period between exams across all California agencies. If you take the PELLET-B on October 31 with a local city department, the earliest you can take it with the CHP is December 1. Testing inside that 30-day window invalidates your score.

According to the POST PELLET-B Applicant FAQs, effective January 1, 2025, POST removed the CLOZE fill-in-the-blank sub-test from the exam. The remaining sections test Spelling, Vocabulary, Clarity (choosing the most clearly written sentence from a pair), and Reading Comprehension. Raw scores are converted into a standardized T-score where 50 is the average and 10 is the standard deviation. POST notes that the likelihood of completing the academy increases for every point you score above 42, and agencies provide results within 30 days.

How CHP Interviews Work (and What Happened to the QAP Oral Board)

If you have seen an older Cadet Applicant Study Guide mentioning a CHP Qualifications Appraisal Panel (QAP) oral board, here is how the current official rules stand. The current official CHP Careers FAQ (dated 2025) explicitly defines the cadet selection process as six steps: application acceptance, the PAT, the written exam, the background investigation with a voice stress analyzer, the medical evaluation, and the psychological evaluation, and does not include a QAP or oral board panel step. Confirm the exact steps listed on your examination bulletin and invitation emails when you apply.

At the statewide level, California POST Commission Regulation 1952 requires peace officer candidates to be evaluated in an interview prior to a conditional offer of employment across six mandated factors: Experience, Problem Solving, Communication Skills, Interest/Motivation, Interpersonal Skills, and Community Involvement/Awareness. You can read how these six dimensions work in our guide to the California POST oral interview. If you are also applying to California city police or county sheriff departments that run a traditional panel, see our breakdown of what an oral board interview is and how oral boards are scored.

Within the CHP process itself, you will sit for two high-stakes one-on-one interviews: your background investigation interviews (including the voice stress analyzer) and your clinical verbal interview with a State of California contracted psychologist. Practicing how you explain your work history, decision-making, and driving or conduct record out loud will prepare you for both.

Background Investigation, Medical, and Psych Evaluations

After passing the PAT and the PELLET-B, you will receive an email invitation to set up an online background profile in the eSOPH system. Once your file is assigned to a background investigator in the Division nearest your home, the investigation takes 3 to 5 months. Your timeline can run longer if you have lived or worked in multiple areas or out of state, served in the military, applied to numerous law enforcement agencies, have an extensive driving or criminal history, or leave out contact details for critical contacts.

Effective July 1, 2024, California POST Regulation 1953(c) requires agencies to use the Personal History Statement (POST 2-251) or an exact electronic equivalent, covering 10 background dimensions and the POST Bias Assessment Framework. Once you clear backgrounds, you complete the medical evaluation (visual acuity test, color vision test, drug test, and a full set of back x-rays) and the psychological evaluation (a written inventory of hundreds of yes-or-no questions and a verbal interview with a state-contracted psychologist). Gather the records below before your eSOPH deadline.

High School Diploma and Official Transcripts: Both are required in eSOPH. If you cannot locate your diploma, notify your investigator ahead of time. If official transcripts arrive after your deadline, your investigator can temporarily unlock your profile so you can upload them.
Official Birth Certificate: Issued by a city, county, or state registrar of vital statistics (hospital or baptismal certificates are not accepted under POST rules).
Official DMV Driving Record: Requested via form INF 1125 at a DMV office or by mail, dated within one year. DMV kiosk printouts and online printouts are not accepted.
Employment and Residential History: Prepare at least 10 years of employment history and complete residential history, including supervisor, landlord, and neighbor contact information. If a coworker is also your housemate, list them in both sections of eSOPH despite the advisory warning. All neighbors are generally contacted.
Military and Marital Records (if applicable): Your DD-214 long form or reserve separation documents, Selective Service verification, and final divorce or dissolution decrees.
CHP Background and Medical Forms: Standard State Application (STD 678, Rev 6/24), Cadet Arrest and Citation Questionnaire (CHP 446F, completed by hand), Authorization to Release Information (CHP 446B), Waiver (CHP 447), Physical Fitness Training Program (CHP 73H), Applicant Health Questionnaire, Physical Performance Test (CHP 73C), and Authorization to Release Medical Information (CHP 446D).

Cadet Pay, the 26-Week Academy, and Officer Salary

Clearing the background, medical, and psychological evaluations places you on the list for an invitation to the CHP Academy in West Sacramento. That invitation is your official offer of employment as a cadet. The Academy is a 26-week live-in training program where room and board are provided free of charge. While cadets have most weekends off, studying takes up significant time and a few weekends require mandatory training.

Upon graduation, cadets promote to CHP officer at a base salary of $128,000 per year, with health, dental, and vision coverage for officers and their dependents. By our calculation from the CHP Careers homepage and Salary and Benefits page, adding the two universal officer pay differentials (the 3.5% pre- and post-shift stipend and the 6.25% 8 1/2 Hour Workday Pay, totaling 9.75% of base pay) adds $12,480 per year to the $128,000 base salary, bringing a new graduate's baseline pay to $140,480 before overtime, physical performance pay, or specialty incentives.

Cadet Monthly Salary: $6,902 to $8,847 per month during the 26-week Academy, plus monthly overtime compensation, CAHP union benefits, and full health and dental coverage starting the first month after reporting.
Uniform Loan and Allowance: Cadets receive an interest-free loan to buy their first set of uniforms, repaid over the first 12 months of their career. Officers receive a $920 annual uniform allowance.
Universal Pay Differentials: All officers receive a 3.5% base pay stipend for pre- and post-shift activities, plus 6.25% of base pay for 8 1/2 Hour Workday Pay (about $8,599 annually at the top step).
Physical Performance, Shift, and Education Pay: $65 per month Physical Performance Pay during your first five years ($130 per month after year five), $1.00 per hour for swing shift, $1.50 per hour for graveyard shift, and 2.5% to 5% of base pay for an Associate or Bachelor's degree or Intermediate or Advanced POST Certificate.

First Field Assignments (Dream Sheet) and Military Rules

Between weeks 19 and 21 of the Academy, cadets receive a Dream Sheet listing the CHP Area offices that have openings for new officers. Nearly all new officers start in high-vacancy areas such as Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley, or desert commands. After 12 months on the job as a probationary officer, you can request a transfer based on seniority and vacancies. Initial assignments are prioritized in four tiers: 1) Needs of the Department, 2) Hardship occurring after Academy appointment, 3) Residency within 70 miles established before the Academy (requires photocopies of two proofs: utility bill, deed of trust, rental agreement, vehicle registration or lease, insurance document, or California driver license), and 4) Academy Merit Scores weighted as 60% POST Academic tests, 20% POST Physical Agility tests, and 20% POST Weapons (Firearms) scores.

If you serve in the US Armed Forces, the CHP provides two major hiring advantages. First, qualified veterans under Government Code section 18540 who are approved for Veterans' Preference by the California Department of Human Resources and pass the PELLET-B written exam are placed in Rank 1 at the top of the eligibility list regardless of their exact passing score. Second, active-duty service members who are 35 or younger on the final filing date can pass the PAT and written exam, then notify the Cadet Hiring Unit to freeze their application for up to 8 years pending military separation. Re-contact Cadet Hiring about one year before separation to finish your background, medical, and psychological evaluations before the certification list expires. Reserve or National Guard members must coordinate with their unit during the 26-week Academy, as POST rules prohibit missing mandatory Academy training hours.

How to Prepare for Your CHP Interviews

Even without a traditional oral board panel listed in the current CHP steps, your verbal interviews with your background investigator and the state-contracted psychologist require clear, consistent communication. Both evaluators cross-check your spoken answers against your Personal History Statement and background narrative report. If you are also testing with municipal police or county sheriff departments in California, you will face a formal oral board graded on the six POST factors.

Review our 29 police oral board questions and follow our 4-week police oral board preparation plan to structure your examples.

Practice question

Why do you want to join the California Highway Patrol specifically, and how have you prepared your family for the 26-week live-in Academy in West Sacramento and the likelihood of relocating anywhere in the state for your first year?

Example answer (written by Ten-Four as a model, not from a real candidate): I want to join the California Highway Patrol because traffic enforcement and collision response are where I can have the most direct impact on saving lives every shift. For the past four years, I have worked as a commercial delivery dispatcher and volunteered with our local community emergency response team. Seeing how a single impaired or distracted driver affects families on our highways motivated me to pursue statewide road patrol rather than municipal policing. My spouse and I sat down with the CHP hiring requirements before I submitted my application. We budgeted our household expenses around the cadet pay scale and set up a weekly schedule so my spouse has family support nearby while I am living at the West Sacramento Academy for 26 weeks. We also talked through the Dream Sheet reality that most new officers start in high-vacancy areas like the Bay Area, Los Angeles, or the Central Valley. Our lease is month-to-month, and we are ready to relocate wherever the department needs us for my probationary year and beyond.

This answer directly addresses POST's Interest/Motivation factor and two of the exact self-assessment questions published on the CHP 'Why Become a CHP Officer' page: committing to the 6-month live-in Academy in West Sacramento and relocating anywhere in California for the first year of assignment.

Practice this out loud. Ten-Four is AI oral board practice: its panel asks you these questions out loud and follows up on what you missed. You get a 1 to 5 score with the points you made and missed, and a dated plan up to your board. 7 days free. Start a police mock board

FAQ

How long does the CHP hiring process take?

Depending on the official CHP page, the hiring process from initial application to Academy appointment takes about 6 to 9 months (CHP Careers FAQ) or 6 to 12 months (CHP Officer Careers page). The background investigation alone takes 3 to 5 months once your file is assigned to an investigator.

What are the requirements to pass the CHP Physical Ability Test (PAT)?

You must complete 19 push-ups in 1 minute, 25 sit-ups in 1 minute, a 300-meter sprint in 70 seconds or less, and a 1.5-mile run in 15 minutes or less. Failing any one of the four events results in automatic disqualification for that exam cycle.

How much do CHP cadets get paid in the Academy?

CHP cadets earn $6,902 to $8,847 per month during the 26-week live-in Academy in West Sacramento, along with overtime pay, free room and board, and health and dental coverage. Upon graduation, cadets promote to CHP officer with a base salary of $128,000 per year.

Does the CHP accept lateral transfers or PELLET-B scores from other police departments?

No. The CHP does not accept lateral transfers from other law enforcement agencies, and every applicant must graduate from the 26-week CHP Academy. You must also take the PELLET-B written exam directly with the CHP each time you apply, while observing the mandatory 30-calendar-day waiting period between tests.

Do you have to be a US citizen or have a California driver license to apply to the CHP?

Full US citizenship is not required, but you must show proof that you are legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law before being accepted into the Academy. Similarly, you can take the entrance exam without a California Class C driver license, but you must obtain one prior to Academy appointment.

What is the CHP tattoo policy for cadets and officers?

Uniformed officers and cadets are prohibited from displaying any visible tattoos, brands, body art, or dental ornamentation while on duty. Visible tattoos must be covered using a long-sleeve uniform shirt, uniform trousers, a skin-tone patch, or makeup, or be removed at the employee's expense.

Related guides

Official sources

Ten-Four is not affiliated with any police or fire department, civil service commission, POST, or testing company.

CHP Hiring Process: Officer Steps, Cadet Pay, and Interview