RCMP

[YYC]

Hi:

Congratulations to all on moving forward so fast with your applications!

Myself, I have my final medical and dental tomorrow. Fingers are crossed.

Re: The security interview, just tell the truth the whole time. Dont omit anything either. Keep in mind your interviewer is a very seasoned investigator - he was picking up lies from seasoned bad guys for thirty years before he met us nervous folks...

Also, for those writing or awaiting packages, I would suggest downloading the forms from www.calgarypolice.ca and getting your data collected now.

With mine, I recieved it in the mail on Feb. 07 03 and had it in the courier to Edmonton within two days. They took one week to open it. A buddy of mine who recieved it at the same time (mass mailing) waiting until the end to send it in and he hasnt even been called for an interview and I am at the medical portion - basically collect the info using Calgary's from online and your set when the RCMP sends theirs.

Peace,
From Calgary
YYC

[Rexina]

dalex, I am of the same mind re: the PARE. (See recent post) I found that in this instance, knowledge WASN'T power; I was more intimidated and anxious knowing what to expect the second time around! I know you'll do fine though, you're absolutely right about the first few laps, and pacing yourself. You'll see a significant improvement I'm sure.

Rebel, congrats on getting an Interview date! The ball rolls again....

On another note, I took the drive to the next town tonight to sit in on an Info Session, just to see what's new since I went last year. There are definitely a few significant changes. The top-level constable salary has gone up slightly, but so has the "official" estimated cost for Depot ($4000-$6000). I hadn't heard anything about this, but Depot training is going from 22 weeks duration to 26, based on feedback from recent graduates. Apparently there is so much to absorb that they feel it would be more easily retained if it were spread over a slightly longer period of time. No word on when that will go into effect. The polygraph issue was treated as just another step in the application process, interestingly; no mention was made of it being just recently implemented. There is an ADDITIONAL written test to be completed after successfully passing the RPAT. It measures conscientiousness(sp?!), productivity, efficiency, work ethic, etc., and there is NO WAY to study for it. It's a 45 minute test. The mandatory deferral after the RMSIG is still two years. (Cdncop2be, if you only got a year maybe it's a lucky sign - stick with it!) On average, 2.5 people per troop are lost due to injury, failure to meet required benchmarks or dismissal. "E" Division HQ has made the trip to Regina twice in the past 3 months to remove a cadet from training. One for failing to disclose a minor transgression in the interview. It wasn't significant enough that he would have failed the interview, but he was yanked for reasons of "Integrity" - essentially, for lying. The recruiter didn't go into the reasons for the second example, but he did say that he was ONE WEEK away from graduation, with his family already having flown in and comfortably esconced in hotel waiting for the Passout ceremony. Yikes. I can't imagine....suddenly being deferred for two years doesn't seem so bad after all!

That's all I can remember for now, with the info and the drive my brain is fried. I'll post any add-ons tomorrow.

Best of luck to Dragon on his Interview tomorrow...although I know he's already gone and won't be able to read our good wishes. He can see them when he returns to post his SUCCESS!

Rexina

[Impy]

Dalex - where did you run your practice PARE and how did you arrange it?

[journey2cps-redux]

Dalex,

Technically, the PARE results should go in with the package, however I was having a hard time getting in to run it before my hand in deadline (Mar 7th) but it says in the package that if you are unable to obtain the PARE test before your deadline, then you are asked to submit proof of when you will be running (Send in your receipt) and then send the cert as soon as possible.

Rexina,
glad you went to an info session and got the updated info. Interesting changes in some areas...I wanted to go to another info session, but I thought the recruiter might look at me strangely, since I've already passed the interview...
I've also heard of people being removed for omissions/lying, but it doesn't happen very often. They really cracked down on the field investigators years ago, since there were more than a few cadets with "questionable" backgrounds...one was an active prostitute WHILE attending depot!! This was also the reason they moved the swearing in ceremony to the last thing you do. It's easier to kick out a cadet, than it is to fire a member...

YYC, did you complete your dental and phsycological at the same time as your medical? Just curious if I will get it all in one package, or if it will all be seperate

[Maverick]

The RCMP have updated the web site to include info on the new test, I have pasted it below.

Conscientiousness test

The RCMP has started using the Six Factor Personality Questionnaire (SPFQ) to measure an applicants’s conscientiousness, a concept not measured by the RPAT. This measure is being introduced due to its close relationship with concepts such as honesty, integrity and commitment. Conscientiousness is defined as behaviour governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience; principled.

The SFPQ has 108 questions and takes approximately 45 minutes to administer. Each question is written as a statement and you are asked to what extent you agree or disagree with each. There is no preparation required for this test. The most effective strategy is to answer the questions honestly.

Currently, test scores for conscientiousness are NOT being used as part of the screening process - additional research on the measure is ongoing. We anticipate using the conscientiousness test in conjunction with the RPAT in the near future to help rank applicants during the recruiting process.

[macguy9]

You know, it's funny... when I went to the YMCA to run my PARE, they said that they sent my results off on my behalf and I didn't have to worry about it. They were quite insistent on this point, in fact.... at the time I thought it was odd.

But then, I guess they must have sent recruiting the PARE certificate, because they (recruiting) have called me up twice now, and neither time did they mention not having the certificate! ;D

[Guest]

Ok, I have been reading this string for a while now and I have a question. I have been getting a different answer from everyone I ask.......(This contains a lot of "what if's")

If/when I complete depot I volunteer for an isolated posting does this "guarantee" your next posting is a posting of your choice? I know there are no absolute answers from anyone other than the RCMP but what have people heard?

[Guest]

I thought that you could move back to your home town after serving 3 or 5 years.

[YYC]

Hi J2D: When you get your medical package, should be soon, there will be a.) a questionarre b.) Contact info. At that time you call the psychologist to go in and write, then make a dental and medical appt. at the respective offices. When you make your medical appt, the nurse will mail to you a lab req., radiology req and audiogram slip. Then you go get these done minumum one week prior to meeting with the MD. So, count on five to six appt's minimum.

Myself, I had my medical today. Everything went well. I just have to clear up some fluid behind the ears which was effecting the audiogram but the doc gave me a script so no worries.

Also, for those of us with prostates, relax, no gloved finger. At least not for me.

Guest - Your question raises an interesting point. I have heard that if you volunteer for an LDP (Limited Duration Posting - ie Native community) then you can have your pick and be left alone. This is what my wife would love to think because she is willing to go to tuck-te-yuck-tuck if it means we can settle in say Kelowna or somewere and raise a family.

In Peace,
YYC

[Guest]

COPIED FROM THE RCMP WEB PAGE......NEW!

RCMP POLICE APTITUDE TEST (RPAT)

Q: Where is my raw RPAT score? Why is my score reported on a scale from 0 to 5?

A: Consider the following scenario. A person writes a selection exam called the Celsius. The person obtains a raw score of 20. A second person writes a second exam measuring the same concepts, but this one is called the Fahrenheit. The second individual obtains a raw score of 68. When comparing these two individuals’ raw scores, it would appear that the second individual did much better than the first. This conclusion would in fact be wrong. The scales used for the two scores are different, and so the scores are not comparable. You must convert the scores to a common scale before any two scores can be compared. If this transformation was done in our example, it would be concluded that the two individuals actually performed equally well: to convert the Fahrenheit to the scale used in the Celsius, subtract 32 and multiply by 5/9. In that there are several different forms of the RPAT, this scenario exemplifies why the RCMP has chosen to report RPAT scores in a standardized format.

Every exam has a unique scale. This unique scale is defined by the questions on the exam. Change a question on the exam, and you have changed the scale. Characteristics of the exams such as the difficulty of the questions, the number of options available in each question, and the number of questions all play a role in defining an exam’s scale.

If you want to compare scores from various versions of the exam, you must place every one of the exams to be compared on a common scale. In the case of the RPAT, there are several versions (forms) of the test such that a common scale was required. We must be able to make identical conclusions regardless of what form you have written, and this can only be accomplished with a common scale. The scale chosen is one modeled after the grade point average used by many universities, except that our scale ranges from 0.00 to 5.00 rather than 0.00 to 4.00. The pass mark for the RPAT is set at 3.20. This scale can be applied to every version of the RPAT. In that the raw scores on their own are not interpretable, they will no longer be included in any subsequent feedback regarding RPAT performances. By the way, if you divide your obtained RPAT score by 5, you will get a rough estimate of the percentage obtained of the total possible points available (e.g., you need roughly 64% -- 3.2 divided by 5 -- to pass the RPAT).

Q: What do my component scores mean?

A: When you think about it, all components are miniature tests within the overall test. This means that each of these mini-tests has its own scale. Just as the raw score for the overall test are not interpretable on their own, the raw scores for each mini-test are not interpretable on their own. To make them interchangeable with various forms of the RPAT, each mini-test has to be put on a common scale. In addition, to be able make a conclusion such as, “I’m strong in memory but weak in logic”, the mini-tests within each form must be on the same scale. For the RPAT components, the scale chosen is one that has an average score of 2.50. This means if you obtained a component score of less than 2.50, you have demonstrated below average performance for that particular component. If your score is above 2.50, you have demonstrated an above average performance for that particular component. The higher your score, the better you did. With this scaling in place, you can compare component scores obtained by different people even if they wrote different versions of the RPAT. In addition, you can compare your scores over administrations, even if you wrote different versions of the RPAT.

It must be pointed out that the scale chosen for the components (i.e., the mini-tests) is not the same as the scale chosen for the total RPAT score (i.e., the overall test). This was done intentionally to emphasize the different purposes of the two sets of scores (i.e., for decision making for the total RPAT score, and for feedback to candidates for the component scores). You cannot average out the component scores and arrive at the total scores. You would need to take into account several factors such as how difficult each component is, how many questions each component had, and how many points were the component question’s worth. The important item to keep in mind is that increases in any component score will directly lead to an increase in the total score; similarly, decreases in a component score will lead to a decrease in the total score. Therefore, if you intend on improving your performance, all you need to do is improve upon the identified weaknesses (i.e., any component score that is less than 2.50) and maintain your identified strengths. This improvement will reflect itself in the total score

[Jamjam]

The RCMP have updated the web site to include info on the new test, I have pasted it below.

Conscientiousness test

The RCMP has started using the Six Factor Personality Questionnaire (SPFQ) to measure an applicants’s conscientiousness, a concept not measured by the RPAT. This measure is being introduced due to its close relationship with concepts such as honesty, integrity and commitment. Conscientiousness is defined as behaviour governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience; principled.

The SFPQ has 108 questions and takes approximately 45 minutes to administer. Each question is written as a statement and you are asked to what extent you agree or disagree with each. There is no preparation required for this test. The most effective strategy is to answer the questions honestly.

Currently, test scores for conscientiousness are NOT being used as part of the screening process - additional research on the measure is ongoing. We anticipate using the conscientiousness test in conjunction with the RPAT in the near future to help rank applicants during the recruiting process.
[/quote]



Mav,

I wrote the RPAT and the second test last month. I was informed by the recruitment officer that the RPAT is worth 60% of your overall score, and the conscientousness test is worth 40% of your overall score.

I have heard of times when someone's overall score was dramatically increased due to their score on the conscientousness test.

It is basically all common sense stuff. Answer it all honestly, and it isn't too bad.

[Jas]

Guest from AB

Where are you ? give us an up-date..

Jas

[ace13]

Congrats to those who passed their interview, PARE, RPAT etc .... It's hard to keep up with this site, it's so busy!!

With regards to limited duration postings, . . . my understanding is that if you take an LDP, you get the post of your choice after ... as long as there is a spot open for you there.

About the PARE/Height Requirements ... there are no longer any height requirements and yes ... I'm 5'2 about 110lbs these days. The push part of the PARE was the most challenging but I went from failing my first PARE at depot because of the push to obtaining a female cadet-in-training record for the PARE at the end and benching 100% of my bodyweight. So it only takes practice and you get better at it. Plus the amount of push ups you do at depot, increases your strength.

With regards to interviews/background checks etc .... the main thing is to be HONEST ... that way you don't have the fear of it coming back to haunt you.

Good luck to all and congrats to those heading off to depot soon. My advice during depot is to work hard and it will pay off in the end!

Ace13

[journey2cps-redux]

Ace said it best for the LDP's IF you can get up north, I believe there is at least a one year waiting list (maybe two?), then you are only up there for 2 years, and then you get to pick your next posting...HOWEVER, the det you want has to have an open slot or your s.o.l.

If you really want to do a LDP, I would wait until after your 3rd year, since that way you have maxed your salary, and it will make the cost of living ALOT more bearable up north. Don't quote me, but I think I heard someone say that your salary almost doubles with an LDP, and if you max out at $68,000 after 3 years...well you do the math. ;D
If your really pumped about doing a LDP I have a funny story that might change your mind. I'll post it tomorrow for everyones reading pleasure.

[Bas]

I looked at the personal disclosure form of CPS and it's pretty intense... man it's going to be an uphill battle for me and I haven't even started.

Hey J2D, tell the tale already would ya? The suspense is killing me. ;D

Bas