Connecticut Police Chiefs Association

PoliceApp has partnered with the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association (CPCA) to offer regionalized testing and recruitment.

How It Works

Pay one fee + Take one exam = Valid test results for six months

Your six-month application eligibility period begins on the date you take the written exam. During this 6-month period, you may apply for any position advertised by a department participating in the CPCA program, provided you meet that department’s minimum score requirements, as well as any other department-specific prerequisites.

The C.H.I.P. Physical Agility Test is not a requirement to take the CPCA exam!  For information about C.H.I.P. Test go to: www.CertifyFit.com

Value

A single application fee of $95 covers your fee for a standardized written exam and all PoliceApp processing fees when you submit an application to a participating department (i.e., PoliceApp will waive your $25 processing fee if you apply to any department participating in this program) for a period of six months.

Please note that only processing fees will be covered through the CPCA Consortium. Some departments may choose to charge additional application fees, which the candidate will be responsible for.

Disclaimer

Neither CPCA nor PoliceApp can control how many departments will recruit over the course of any given six-month period. A minimum number of open positions cannot be guaranteed. Each department is responsible for its own hiring standards, prerequisites, and hiring timeline. Departments may choose to charge an application fee in addition to the $95 test fee. No additional charges will be assessed by PoliceApp during the six-month eligibility period.   The $95.00 Fee is Non-Refundable under any circumstances.  

ALL EXAMINATIONS WILL NOW BE OFFERED ONLINE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!

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What is the CPCA Police Officer Exam?

Some of the Connecticut Chiefs of Police have joined together to enter into a consortium and administer one entry level examination to create a list of qualified police officer candidates. Any city or town department can select qualified candidates from this list to move forward in the recruitment process. After taking the CPCA police officer exam, highly qualified candidates may be selected to move forward into a multi-tiered process consisting of a CHIP test, polygraph, background investigation, psychological examination, and oral examination. Your CPCA score is valid for six months and then expires.

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What can I do to prepare myself for the CPCA Police Officer Exam?

At the very least, entry level police tests examine your critical thinking ability, reasoning, ethics, basic math skills, ability to separate the important from the unimportant, common sense, grammar, and reading comprehension.

Ways to prepare to become a police officer:

• Attend college and enroll in a Criminal Justice program. Among other things, this will help you with your test-taking skills.
• Complete an internship with a police department.
• Volunteer your time with a police explorer or similar program.
• Become bilingual.
• Purchase textbooks which offer entry-level examinations and an analysis of what the correct answers are and why.
• Become an avid reader to increase your reading comprehension skills.
• Join a gym and get in top physical and cardiovascular condition.
• Get CPR certified.
• Practice your oral and written communication skills.

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Is a CHIP card required before I can take the CPCA exam?

No. Individual depts may require the CHIP, but it is not a pre-requsite for the CPCA Police Officer Exam.

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Do I need a high school diploma or GED to take the CPCA exam?

A high school diploma is not required to take the CPCA exam, but must be obtained before you can be hired by any police department in Connecticut.

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How old do I need to be to take the CPCA exam?

There is no minimum age to take the CPCA exam. However, you must be at least 21 years of age before you can be hired by any police department in Connecticut.

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Do I need to be a U.S. citizen to take the CPCA exam?

U.S. citizenship is not required to take the CPCA exam, but must be obtained before you can be hired by any police department in Connecticut.

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Do I need a valid driver's license to take the CPCA exam?

A valid driver's license is not required to take the CPCA exam, but must be obtained before you can be hired by any police department in Connecticut.

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Can I take the CPCA exam if I have a criminal record?

Yes, you can still take the CPCA exam if you have a criminal record. However, a felony or Class A or B misdemeanor conviction will automatically disqualify you from becoming a police officer in Connecticut.

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When and how can I get my exam results?

You will receive your results as soon as possible – generally results are available within a few days of the test. When available, you can find your score on the PoliceApp Dashboard upon logging in to the site.

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I'm not happy with my score. Do I have to wait the duration of the six months for my score to expire, or or can I retake the exam at any time?

You can retake the CPCA police officer exam at any time. However, the $95 exam fee is applicable even if your current score has not yet expired.

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If I take a second CPCA exam and I score higher than on my first exam, will my higher score replace my lower score?

After you take your second exam, your higher score will replace your lower score going forward.

If a position you applied to before taking a second test is still open, PoliceApp will update the hiring department with your new, higher score.

However, depending on where the department is in the hiring process, you may have already been ruled out on the basis of your first exam score. Departments are not obligated to re-consider you in this situation. Should you apply to the same department again in the future, only your highest exam score will be considered.

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Can I renew my CPCA application after my six-month eligibility period ends?

After your application eligibility period has ended, you may renew your eligibility by taking the written exam again and paying a full $95 application fee. Your eligibility will not be automatically renewed.

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What is considered a “high” score on the CPCA police officer exam?

You are competing against everyone else taking the examination and/or those who have taken the test in the last six months. We recently administered an examination for 286 applicants, of which only six candidates scored >90%, and 69 candidates scored >80%. However, a large number of candidates are eliminated during the CHIP testing and background investigations. Therefore it is not unusual for a department to move substantially down the list to find a qualified candidate.

Remember, the written examination can’t test for the intrinsic qualities we are seeking – honesty, good character, an outstanding work ethic, and excellent written and oral communication skills. Policing is not for everyone. It is not a job or a career; it’s a “calling.” We are looking for people who wish to live a life of service to their community. People who have these qualities are difficult to find, which is one of the reasons the selection process is multi-tiered.

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Why can’t I review my test results to find out which questions I got wrong?

It is not our role to prepare you for future tests, nor to provide you with a test analysis. There are many resources available on the web to help prepare you to excel in entry-level police exams. Many of the books available have hundreds of practice test questions which offer a detailed analysis of each multiple choice question and why a specific answer is the correct answer. At the very least, entry level police tests examine your critical thinking ability, reasoning, ethics, basic math skills, ability to separate the important from the unimportant, common sense, grammar, and reading comprehension.