RCMP Hiring Process: Every Step From Application to Depot

As of September 2026, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) lists 7 steps in its Regular Member police officer hiring process on rcmp.ca. You start on the Government of Canada's GC Jobs portal, complete an online career presentation and the 6-section RCMP Online Entrance Assessment within 14 days, and then pass the Police Fitness Assessment (PFA) Field test and Attribute Evaluation (AE) Interview. Next, you submit 5 required forms within 14 days, complete a suitability interview covering the Regular Member Applicant Questionnaire (RMAQ), pass psychological and medical screenings, and clear a 10-year background investigation to enter the Cadet Training Program at Depot.

Last checked Nov 3, 2026.

The 7 steps of the RCMP application process at a glance

The RCMP police officer application process moves through 7 official stages before you arrive at Depot, the RCMP training academy. Two of the biggest tripwires for applicants are tight 14-day submission windows and 2 separate interview stages that test different parts of your history.

If you want to start practicing spoken behavioral answers right now, you can Start an RCMP mock interview on Ten-Four to rehearse your interview stories out loud.

Step	What you do	Key deadline or rule
1. Online application	Create an account and apply on the GC Jobs portal.	3-month wait to re-apply if screened out.
2. Presentation and entrance assessment	Attend the virtual career presentation and complete the 6-section RCMP Online Entrance Assessment.	14 days from receiving the email link to finish the assessment (55 to 70 minutes).
3. Fitness test and attribute interview	Complete the Police Fitness Assessment (PFA) Field test and the Attribute Evaluation (AE) Interview.	PFA Field test is mandatory for all applications on or after September 15, 2026.
4. Required forms and documents	Upload 5 RCMP forms, the Security Screening Application, and scans of original documents via the secure screening portal.	14 days from contact by a recruiting analyst.
5. Suitability interview	Answer behavioral questions and review your Regular Member Applicant Questionnaire (RMAQ), followed by reference checks and a possible polygraph.	False information can result in termination of your application.
6. Psychological and medical assessments	Pass Psychological Suitability Screening (PSS) first, then the Medical Screening Process (MSP), plus immunizations and TB testing.	Basic assessments are paid for by the RCMP. Two-step Mantoux TB test requires 4 appointments.
7. Field investigation and security assessment	Complete a 10-year background investigation to receive your security clearance and advance to Depot.	Must detail activities outside Canada if away for more than 6 months in a row during the past 10 years.

Steps 1 and 2: GC Jobs application and the RCMP Online Entrance Assessment

You begin Step 1 by creating an account on the Government of Canada's GC Jobs online portal. During the application, you answer screening questions based on the RCMP Basic Requirements. Answer carefully and honestly. If your application is screened out at this step, you must wait 3 months before re-applying. If you are a returning applicant who applied in the past, you can re-apply once the deferral period in your closure letter has passed, or 3 months from the date your file was concluded if no date was given.

Once you are screened in, Step 2 starts with an email invitation to attend an online career presentation. That same email includes your link to the RCMP Online Entrance Assessment. You have 14 days from the date you receive the link to complete the assessment.

The RCMP states that the Online Entrance Assessment is not an exam. It is an assessment of your personality, behavior, and cognitive ability across 6 sections. You should schedule about 55 to 70 minutes to finish it in one session. Some sections are timed, though there is no overall time limit.

Passing the assessment places your application in retained status, meaning you continue with your application and will have your Basic Requirements verified once selected. If you are unsuccessful on the assessment, you can re-apply after a 3-month waiting period.

Section 1: Workstyle preference
Section 2: Language comprehension
Section 3: Numerical skills
Section 4: Spatial skills
Section 5: Memory quotient
Section 6: Business reasoning

Step 3: Police Fitness Assessment Field test and Attribute Evaluation Interview

After you complete the online presentation and entrance assessment, a Proactive Recruiter contacts you to schedule 2 early milestones: your Police Fitness Assessment (PFA) Field version and your Attribute Evaluation (AE) Interview.

The PFA Field test is a predictive version of the PFA that uses less equipment while measuring your readiness for the RCMP Academy. Every Regular Member applicant who applies on or after September 15, 2026 must pass the PFA Field test benchmarks to move forward to the interview stages. To help you prepare, the RCMP runs Police Fitness Assessment Workshops where you can learn the requirements, get training tips, speak directly with PFA trainers, and try the PFA field test yourself.

The Attribute Evaluation Interview measures whether you demonstrate the qualities needed to perform as an RCMP constable. It uses behavioral questions that ask for specific examples of how you handled situations in your past. If you are new to structured police interviews, read our guide on what an oral board interview is and how behavioral panels work.

The RCMP requires you to use the STAR technique to organize your answers during the Attribute Evaluation Interview: Situation (describe the event), Task (describe the task or problem you had to solve), Action (explain what you did), and Results (explain how your actions resolved the problem or succeeded). The interview evaluates 5 specific constable competencies.

Problem solving: Systematically breaks down problems, risks, opportunities, and issues into parts, identifies solutions, makes timely decisions, and understands cause-and-effect relationships.
Teamwork: Achieves common goals by working cooperatively with others, builds a positive work climate, and helps teams operate smoothly.
Communication: Receives and conveys ideas and information in a way that increases the target audience's understanding, and communicates interactively with others.
Self-control and composure: Keeps emotions under control and restrains negative actions when provoked, facing hostility, or working under rising stress. Maintains stamina and concentration under continuing stress and refrains from acting on anger.
Courage of convictions: Shows belief in your own capability to finish a task, makes difficult or unpopular decisions that are in the best interest of others, and takes on risky tasks or challenges.

Practice questions for the 5 Attribute Evaluation competencies

On its official page, the RCMP gives one sample behavioral prompt (which it notes is not an actual question from the Attribute Evaluation): "Describe a specific time when you had to persevere to overcome an obstacle." To help you build your STAR stories for all 5 competencies, our team wrote 5 practice questions in this style mapped to the official RCMP definitions. You can also browse our broader list of police interview questions for more behavioral prompts.

When you build your stories, notice how evaluators grade completeness across all 4 parts of STAR. See our breakdown of how oral boards are scored to understand why vague or incomplete answers lose points.

Problem solving (Practice question written by Ten-Four): Tell me about a time when you faced a complex problem with multiple causes and had to make a timely decision. How did you break the issue down, what action did you take, and what was the outcome?
Teamwork: Describe a specific situation where a group or team you belonged to was struggling to work together toward a shared goal. What did you do to improve the work climate and help the team succeed?
Communication: Give an example of a time when you had to explain complicated or sensitive information to someone who was confused or had a very different background from yours. How did you make sure they understood?
Self-control and composure: Describe a time when someone provoked you, acted with hostility, or put you under heavy ongoing stress. How did you keep your emotions in check and stay focused on your task?
Courage of convictions: Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision or take an action that was unpopular with peers or coworkers because it was in the best interest of others.

Step 4: The 14-day forms and original documents checklist

When a recruiting analyst contacts you for Step 4, you have 14 days to complete all required forms and documents, including the Security Screening Application, and upload them through the secure screening portal. Because 14 days passes quickly if you need an eye exam, a hearing test, or provincial driving abstracts, gather your personal records early.

By our count from the RCMP required documents page, you must submit 5 specific numbered RCMP PDF forms along with scans of your original personal documents. The RCMP does not accept scans of copies. You must scan the original documents themselves.

Regular Member Applicant Hearing Examination Report (RCMP 6509)
Vision Examination of Applicant (RCMP 2180)
Regular Member Applicant Questionnaire (RCMP 5096)
Suitability Screening Form (RCMP 1980)
Acknowledgement of Professional Responsibilities in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP 6465)
Birth or citizenship proof: Canadian birth certificate (front and back) if born in Canada, or Canadian Citizenship / permanent resident card and Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292), if applicable, if born outside Canada
Social insurance number
Marriage, divorce, separation, or name change certificate, and custody agreement, if applicable
Recent photo of yourself from the shoulders up
Proof of education: Canadian high school transcript showing graduation, or equivalency assessment
Valid Canadian driver's license (front and back) and driving record from every province or territory you have lived in for the last 3 years
Provincial health card (front and back)
Valid standard first aid certificate, including Level C CPR for infant, child, and adult (must remain valid for the entire duration of your Cadet Training Program)

Step 5: The Suitability Interview, RMAQ review, and polygraph

Step 5 is your second interview stage: the Suitability Interview. Here the RCMP evaluates whether you have the qualities, core values, and traits to be an RCMP police officer. Like the Attribute Evaluation Interview, the Suitability Interview includes behavioral questions that assess your existing knowledge, skills, and abilities.

In addition to behavioral questions, every Suitability Interview includes a detailed review of your Regular Member Applicant Questionnaire (RMAQ, form RCMP 5096). The purpose of the RMAQ review is to understand whether any past actions or behaviors may affect your ability to serve as a police officer.

The RMAQ focuses on honesty. During the RMAQ interview, you will be asked to make statements about your life, which the RCMP follows up on during your background check. The RCMP emphasizes that if you are unsure or worry an answer does not look perfect, honesty is what matters most. Giving false information can result in the termination of your application.

After the Suitability Interview, your past and current employers and references will be contacted to confirm your answers are accurate and consistent. You could also be asked about the honesty of your answers through a pre-employment polygraph test. To structure your preparation across both interview stages, see our police interview preparation plan.

Step 6: Psychological and medical suitability assessments

Once you complete the Suitability Interview, you meet with RCMP-designated psychologists and physicians for Step 6. This stage is split into 2 sequential parts: the Psychological Suitability Screening (PSS) first, and the Medical Screening Process (MSP) second. You must complete all steps of the PSS and be deemed psychologically qualified before you can move on to the medical screening. The RCMP covers the cost of these basic assessments.

Both screenings evaluate whether you can safely handle 4 key demands of operational policing: operational driving, use of firearms and other intervention equipment, physical confrontation and use of force, and operational decision-making.

For the Psychological Suitability Screening, you first complete a pre-interview questionnaire listing any past or current psychological conditions or concerns. Significant gaps, missing details, or incorrect information can cause your application to be rejected. Before testing begins, you must sign a consent form agreeing that you will not have access to any reports, test results, or feedback from your PSS. The evaluation includes standardized psychological testing, an interview, and a review of collateral information from earlier steps (such as your suitability interview, polygraph, reference checks, or prior assessments). Having a history of psychological difficulties does not automatically reject your application, though you may need to provide documentation showing how your difficulties were resolved and how you have functioned over time.

The Medical Screening Process is a fitness for duty assessment that includes a clinical health history, a physical examination, and lab tests. An RCMP Health Services Officer may also request copies of medical records, specialist consultations, or further testing from your doctor. In addition, the RCMP recommends getting required immunizations and tuberculosis screening prior to applying, and you must submit a completed RCMP Applicant Immunization and Tuberculosis Test Record form before starting cadet training at Depot.

Up-to-date adult immunizations required before Depot: tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap), measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), and the hepatitis B series.
Tuberculosis test required before Depot: a two-step tuberculin skin test (Mantoux) showing the date, results in millimeters, and provider signature, which requires 4 separate appointments.
Chest x-ray: required only if you have a positive Mantoux result at 10 millimeters or greater.

Step 7: Field investigation, 10-year security clearance, and Depot

The final step before Depot is a field investigation and security assessment. The RCMP conducts an investigation into your background and activities over the past 10 years to verify your reliability and suitability for security clearance.

If you are a Canadian citizen and have spent more than 6 months in a row outside of Canada during the past 10 years, you must provide details of your activities while abroad (and in some cases, the RCMP may ask for details even for trips under 6 months). Supporting documents can include letters of reference from foreign or Canadian embassies and missions, security screening information from partner countries, police clearance certificates from foreign law enforcement agencies, foreign credit summaries, or letters from foreign universities. If you were outside Canada working for the Government of Canada or the Canadian Armed Forces, you may not need to account for those activities.

Once you pass the field investigation and receive your security clearance, your application process is complete and you are ready to enter the RCMP Cadet Training Program at Depot.

10-year field investigation focus areas: previous employment, education, personal references, and personal finances.
Conduct and lifestyle checks: drug and alcohol use, online activities, criminal activities, and associations.
Character and allegiance checks: integrity, personal behavior, and loyalty to Canada.

Practice question and example STAR answer

Question: Describe a specific time when someone acted with hostility toward you or tried to provoke you while you were under heavy stress. How did you maintain self-control and composure, and what was the result?

Example answer (written by Ten-Four as a model, not from a real candidate). The applicant is invented. Last winter, I was working the night shift as a hospital security supervisor when a snowstorm delayed the incoming relief crew by 2 hours. I was already 10 hours into a busy shift. A visitor in the emergency waiting room became angry about triage wait times and started shouting insults inches from my face, demanding that I force the nurses to see his brother immediately. My task was to de-escalate the visitor and keep the waiting room safe without disrupting patient care or reacting to his personal insults. I consciously slowed my breathing, kept my hands visible and relaxed at my sides, and lowered the volume of my voice. Instead of arguing about his insults, I acknowledged his frustration over his brother's pain, asked him to step into a quieter hallway with me so we could talk without an audience, and explained how triage priority worked. Once he was away from the crowd, I asked the charge nurse to give him a quick 2-minute status update. Within 5 minutes, the visitor lowered his voice, apologized for yelling at me, and sat quietly until his brother was called back.

Why this works: This answer follows the RCMP's required STAR structure (Situation, Task, Action, Results) and directly hits the official definition of Self-control and composure: restraining negative actions when provoked during continuing stress, keeping emotions under control, and resolving the problem calmly.

Practice this out loud. Ten-Four is AI oral board practice: its panel asks you RCMP interview 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 interview. 7 days free. Start an RCMP mock interview

FAQ

Does the RCMP still use the PARE test in the early application stages?

For Regular Member applicants who apply on or after September 15, 2026, the RCMP requires the Police Fitness Assessment (PFA) Field test early in the recruitment process. You must meet the PFA Field test benchmarks to advance to the interview stages.

Is there an RCMP entrance exam?

The RCMP uses the RCMP Online Entrance Assessment, which it states is not an exam. It is a 6-section assessment of your personality, behavior, and cognitive ability that takes about 55 to 70 minutes to complete.

How long do I have to complete the RCMP Online Entrance Assessment and the required forms?

You have 14 days from the date you receive the email link to finish the RCMP Online Entrance Assessment. Later in Step 4, you also have 14 days from when a recruiting analyst contacts you to submit your 5 required forms and scanned original documents.

What are the five competencies in the RCMP Attribute Evaluation Interview?

The Attribute Evaluation Interview assesses Problem solving, Teamwork, Communication, Self-control and composure, and Courage of convictions. You must answer behavioral questions using the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Results).

Who pays for the RCMP psychological and medical suitability assessments?

The RCMP covers the cost of the basic Psychological Suitability Screening (PSS) and Medical Screening Process (MSP) assessments with RCMP-designated psychologists and physicians.

How long do I have to wait to re-apply if I am screened out or fail the online assessment?

If you are screened out on the initial GC Jobs application or are unsuccessful on the RCMP Online Entrance Assessment, you must wait 3 months before re-applying.

Related guides

Official sources

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