OACP

Overview

The OACP Certificate is a pre-employment testing certificate run for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP). Ontario police services that use the Constable Selection System ask applicants for police constable roles to hold a valid certificate when they apply. The certificate is earned in three parts: Part A (documents and a vision and hearing medical examination), Part B (a timed aptitude test) and Part C (a personality assessment). Holding the certificate does not mean you have been hired; it lets you enter a police service's own selection process.

Who can apply

There are no education requirements to complete the OACP Certificate itself. To be hired as a police officer in Ontario under the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada

• be at least 18 years old

• be physically and mentally able to do the job

• be of good character

• complete the training prescribed by the Minister

Police services also set their own application standards. These include:

• a high school diploma or general education diploma

• a valid driver's licence giving full driving privileges in Ontario, with no more than six demerit points

• valid Standard First Aid and CPR Level C certification by the time an offer of employment is made

Exam pattern

Part A

You submit scanned copies of the signed forms by email. For the medical examination, a licensed audiologist or hearing instrument specialist checks your hearing and an eye care professional checks your vision against the Constable Selection System's minimum standards. Your Part B and Part C test codes are sent once your Part A documents are accepted.

Part B (SSPO)

The test is taken online, and applicants may be proctored through a webcam.

Part C (PRF-R for Policing)

You rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each statement, from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The OACP study guide says most applicants finish in about 20 to 30 minutes.

Marking and results

The SSPO deducts marks for wrong answers, so random guessing is not advised. Questions left blank are not penalised, and you can come back to them before time runs out. Results are shared with the police services you apply to.

Fees

For 2026, the OACP Certificate testing package costs $250.00 CAD plus tax. The Re-Testing package for returning applicants, which covers Part B and Part C only, is also$250.00 CAD plus tax. If you fail Part B, you get one free re-test. If you fail the second attempt too, you must buy the testing package again.

How to apply

1. Buy the OACP Certificate testing package on the official OACP Certificate Testing site.

2. Complete the Part A forms and the vision and hearing medical examination, then email the scanned documents as instructed.

3. Once your documents are accepted, use the test codes you receive to take Part B and then Part C online.

4. Your certificate is issued once all three parts are complete and any proctoring footage has been reviewed.

After the exam

The certificate is valid for one year, and that covers the Part A documents as well as the Part B and Part C results. You can re-test from ten months after your certificate was issued, so you can renew it before it expires. If you completed Part A before, you only need to retake Part B and Part C through the Re-Testing package.

With a valid certificate, you apply to individual police services. Each service runs its own steps under the Constable Selection System, such as interviews (including the Local Focus Interview and the Essential Competency Interview), a background investigation and other checks. Since September 2019, applicants who receive a pre-employment offer must pass the Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police (PREP) during Basic Constable Training at the Ontario Police College.

Preparation tips

Get the vision and hearing examination done early, since you cannot get your Part B and Part C test codes until your Part A documents are accepted. For Part B, practise spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation, and work through police problem-solving scenarios with a timer: 74 questions in 35 minutes leaves less than 30 seconds per question. Because wrong answers lose marks, skip questions you are unsure of and return to them if time allows. The official study guide includes sample questions for both Part B and Part C.