Can You Apply to Be Police Again if You Fail the Psych
While information technology'south unlikely you're going to savour the examination, at that place are some things you tin can do to assist information technology go as smoothly as possible
Q: I've been a law officer at a small department for about 5 years and I recently applied to a larger bureau that requires a pre-employment psych screening as part of their intake package. I've heard horror stories about perfectly normal guys and gals getting burned on these exams and denied employment or branded as psychos for no expert reason. I'grand non request you to requite away any professional secrets, just is there some communication you tin give this poor, hardworking police bidder so I don't feel like the mental deck is stacked against me from the become-go?
A: I've heard the horror stories, too, and it's a damn shame because a pre-employment psych screening shouldn't be more mysterious or intimidating than any other attribute of the application process. Hell, if it were me, I'd be more scared of the groundwork check. So I'm going to offer some full general recommendations for keeping your sanity while having your head examined and to help you requite the nearly accurate representation of your abilities and personality during the exam. And I'grand not going to teach y'all whatever muddied tricks or violate any merchandise secrets to practice it.
Why do a psych screening?
Constabulary enforcement is a high-stress, people-intensive profession. Before a department invests the time and resource in hiring, training and fielding an officer, it wants to exist reasonably sure that officer volition be able to perform his or her job, volition not pose a run a risk or danger to the public, and – often what drives the potentially contentious nature of the evaluation process – won't create a liability for the section. Sometimes, yet, over-zealousness can lead to unfortunate misinterpretations and misapplications of the exam results.
An added complication involves quality control of evaluators. Contracts are typically awarded to examining psychologists on a low-bid basis, so y'all accept the pleasure of knowing that the evaluator who's making a career-altering decision virtually your fate got his or her job, not because of whatsoever special credentials or qualifications, but considering he or she was the cheapest bargain on the block.
Having said that, I know a lot of very competent, very professional psychologists who do pre-employment screenings (and usually other types of police psychological piece of work as well), who I would refer an officer to in a heartbeat. Sadly, however, I've come across too many assessment mills that make their margin on volume and for which the quality of the evaluation is often…well, permit's just say, not tops. But you have to deal with the examiner you lot're dealt.
What is beingness evaluated?
When you have your pre-employment physical, the doctor typically takes a brief medical history, conducts a basic physical exam, measures blood force per unit area, conducts lab work, possibly a drug test and sends you on your style. This is a medical screening, designed to assess if you meet the minimal physical requirements for work as a police officer, non to evaluate you lot for every syndrome and diagnosis known to medical science or to certify yous every bit a paragon of physical fettle.
In the same way, the psych screening is designed to dominion-out meaning mental disturbance or personality disorder that would be incompatible with the role of a police officer. The purpose is not to appoint in an in-depth probe of the deepest reaches of your psyche to certify you as a paragon of mental health. This betoken is important because, as I'll emphasize below, the most common mistake police force applicants make that end up blowing their exams is trying to be likewise perfect and thereby straining credibility, leading the evaluator to suspect you lot're lying. Then call up, we just want to know you're normal, not perfect.
What questions are asked?
The exact content and procedure of pre-employment screenings can vary widely, merely typically consist of two chief components: a clinical interview and standardized psychological tests. During the interview, the psychologist volition enquire you a range of questions about your background, work history, current lifestyle, whatsoever symptoms or problems you may be experiencing and what your expectations are near the job.
A properly conducted psychological interview should not feel similar an interrogation. In fact, information technology shouldn't be any more of an adversarial process than any other kind of task interview. Bottom line, I want you to exist straight with me. I want you to help me detect out as much virtually you as I need to know to professionally appraise your fitness to practice this job, but I'1000 not out to fob you or trap you. What would be the point? The more prickly and defensive I make you feel, the less accurate volition be the data I get from you.
The number of psychological tests employed may range from one to a dozen, but typically, between two and four well-standardized measures will be administered. You'll likely spend most of your psych eval fourth dimension hunched over a tabular array with a pencil in your hand, darkening in piddling boxes and circles on multiple pages. Do your all-time on each exam; this information is important. The evaluator will put the results of these tests together with his or her impressions from the clinical interview to decide your fitness for the job.
How should I act at the interview?
Allow'southward confront it, there is ane big deviation between a regular job interview and a pre-employment psych screening: the latter asks a lot more than personal questions which, for nigh people, is naturally uncomfortable. While it'southward unlikely you lot're going to enjoy the exam, there are some things y'all tin do to assist it get as smoothly equally possible and for the results to exist an authentic a representation of your abilities.
Don't presume the worst
The psychologist is not your enemy. For that matter, he or she is not your friend, either. This person's only chore should to objectively evaluate your mental status and relate it to the specific referral requirements of your chore description equally a police officeholder.
Come prepared
Testify up on fourth dimension. Bring any records or other materials that were requested. Other commonsense recommendations include bringing reading glasses and having a good lunch prior to an early afternoon examination. Accordingly, the examiner should brand sure that he or she is ready at the appointed time and is prepared to conduct the evaluation.
Don't be afraid to ask questions
If you have a question about something the examiner asks or a test that's existence given, let him or her know. A reasonable examiner won't object to reasonable questions. Bear in heed, however, that the examiner may not be able to respond many of the questions at the time of the evaluation. The reason being is that any answer could possibly compromise the validity of the test or because the actual results of the examination are owned by the section doing the intake. If the examiner can't answer a item question, he or she volition tell you and so, but there should be no harm in asking.
Be honest and do your all-time
The entire validity of the evaluation hinges on the accuracy of the information obtained. To put it plainly, if I think you lot're trying to deceive me, how do you lot think that's going to expect on the report? Remember the point I fabricated earlier almost healthy people can accept not beingness perfect, but if you unrealistically try to oversell yourself, it will probably backfire. Just tell it like it is.
Expect to be treated courteously
As I mentioned above, even though the examiner may accept to enquire you lot some personal questions, yous should never exist made to feel gratuitously demeaned or humiliated or treated like a criminal suspect. Indeed, there is zero to gain by making you squirm considering the more than comfy and less defensive y'all experience during the examination, the more accurate volition be the information you provide. Besides, you're expected to acquit with reasonable respect and decorum. Both examiner and subject area should keep in mind that they are each professionals who are each here to do a job.
Test scoring analysis
They're not lie detectors like some Hollywood polygraph buzzer that goes makes a sound when y'all requite a dishonest response. What virtually applicants don't realize is that the psychologist doesn't individually get over the answer to each one of those questions, rather the scoring procedure is designed to pick up amass trends and patterns that, in turn, translate into the validity and clinical scales.
So, what the lie scales really pull for are two things. The first is inconsistency. Answering 1 question ane style and then a very similar question the contrary way. If this presents a pattern, it may indicate either an disability to empathize the test or an endeavor to manipulate the answers. The second red flag is polishing. If you consistently endorse answers like, "I have never told a lie in my life," the exam is going to flag this as suspicious.
Granted, almost of the questions are more subtle than this, merely the basic advice is always to exist honest. In exam protocols I've reviewed for legal cases, far more than worthy police applicants have unintentionally smoked themselves because of attempted polishing than considering of whatever grossly abnormal findings on the clinical scales.
Evaluation of results
Usually, the examiner volition counterbalance the clinical interview impressions, the psychometric test results and his or her review of the officer bidder's by medical, employment, and other records. These factors are then placed into a rough sort of formula that yields one of several determinations, ofttimes expressed in terms of risk — that is, this applicant fits a depression-gamble, medium-gamble or high-risk officer candidate profile in terms of projected future operation for the section. Some basis for this conclusion is provided in the text and the report is shipped off to the department hiring commission for them to pour into the hopper with all their other awarding materials and allow you know the good or bad news.
The reason this formula is a crude 1 is that, ideally, dissimilar components of the evaluation should get somewhat different weightings, depending on the nature of the applicant. For example, a deadline suspicious examination finding in a 20-year-erstwhile, green recruit correct out the university may be weighted more heavily than the same finding in a sergeant with 10 years of good (retrieve, it doesn't have to be perfect) service nether his or her chugalug who'due south just looking to change departments. That's because, all things beingness equal, the all-time predictor of time to come behavior is past behavior, and 10 years of being a good cop should count for something confronting an iffy test score.
On the other hand, virtually all I accept to go along with the young kid is his test results and his grinning face, and then I'm likely to weight the psychometrics and clinical interview more than heavily.
This is all about professional judgment that all doctors, lawyers, psychologists, detectives and other critical conclusion makers engage in as they put together their cases. Ironically, smaller departments may provide more leeway for individual discretion and judgment than larger ones which take to handle a high book of recruit selection.
What if I think my results are invalid?
Having said all that, it's still the case that, unlike an FFD which is more individualized and focused on a specific post-employment problem, the results of a pre-employment screening are typically more cutting-and-dried; that is, you either get in or you don't.
However, don't be afraid to ask about any kind of review or appeals procedure, particularly if you lot really feel your evaluation has been improperly carried out or the results misinterpreted. Although across the scope of this cavalcade, there are myriad of reasons – technical, professional, economic and political – why psych exams of many types tin be misconducted, misinterpreted or misused.
The lesser line is that, like anything in life, there are no guarantees. The reason there'south a selection process in the beginning identify is that not everyone is the correct friction match for police force enforcement piece of work and and then no corporeality of finessing is going to make you dance to the wrong music. In that case, notice what you're proficient at and have a productive and satisfying life. Just if you actually feel that being a cop is your skill and your passion and that y'all've been unfairly excluded by an invalidly conducted psych screening, notice out your rights and fight for what yous feel you've earned to correct to practice.
Disclaimer: This commodity is for educational purposes only and is not intended to provide specific clinical or legal advice.
This article, originally published July 2007, has been updated.
About the writer
Laurence Miller, PhD is a clinical, forensic and police psychologist based in Palm Beach Canton, Florida. Dr. Miller provides clinical and preparation services for local, regional and national law enforcement agencies. He is a forensic psychological examiner and serves every bit an contained adept witness in civil and criminal cases across North America. He is an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University and is the author of over 400 impress and online publications dealing with the brain, behavior, criminal justice, law enforcement, traumatic inability and workplace issues.
Dr. Miller has consulted and/or testified in a number of high-contour constabulary shooting cases in the United States and Canada. In February 2015, he was selected to be a panel fellow member testifying earlier the President's Task Strength on 21st Century Policing in Washington, DC. His latest volume is "The Psychology of Law Mortiferous Force Encounters."If you accept a question for this column, please email editor@policeone.com.
Source: https://www.police1.com/health-fitness/articles/how-to-pass-your-police-pre-employment-psych-screening-without-going-nuts-MH3NWjyArtkWaMgR/
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