Police Assessment Centre Passed!

Hello all, I am new here however I have seen a couple of Police SEARCH Assessment centre threads, so I thought I would make one... feel free to ask me any questions!

However a question I would like to ask is how long till they get back to me for a fitness test? I've sent off my vetting & medical documents and they still have not got back to me :/

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Reply 1

adammdg01

Hi, congratulations on passing the assessment centre. I have mine next week and I just have a couple of questions.Are the roleplay scenarios hard? Or do they feel natural once you get into it, also what are the scenarios and how did you respond? Was the interview very formal or more of a conversation, what questions did they ask? This is more of a trivial question but was there a dress code, how did most people dress?

Reply 2

j4y3b

Thank you so much!

Are the role play scenarios hard?
They're not “hard”, when given the information before the scenario ensure that you read it fully and that you understand it, have questions prepared and solutions prepared (you will note these down), they feel very natural, respond to the situations like a police officer would for example: show them you understand the situation, show them how to tackle the issue then offer a solution. They’ll ask you things to keep the conversation flowing.

The interview?
It was formal they ask you questions about your life and different situations you may have to deal with, my advice is to respond to the questions with something that really shows your drive, passion and interest. For example they may ask a question such as “how could you benefit the community” so say something where it shows you relate the question i.e your community doesn’t offer “this” so you think “this” would benefit it, explain why and really show your passion.

Everything from the scenarios to the interview 100% you Will be able to Answer perfectly if you take your time to break down the scenario/question and give them a response that is easy to digest.

Dress to impress: its a formal gathering, you don’t need a full suit, i wore a shirt, tie, dress trousers, smart shoes & a long parka coat. I didn’t take any equipment, everything you need will be provided.

Also don’t be worried if you don’t socialise that’s not why you’re there they won’t assess you on anything other than the tasks/assessments.

Any other questions you’d want to ask let me know! :smile:

good luck! Revise on basic things that the assessment centre will require you to do and you will pass 100% (remember think like a police officer)

Reply 3

ls2296

I have mine in a few days and this has definitely settled my nerves! How did you prepare for the interview (this is the one I’m the most worried about), did you pre plan an example for each competency?

Reply 4

j4y3b

Original post by ls2296

This is going to sound like a humblebrag, but I actually (like a fool) didn't even go in with any knowledge on the fact that the interview will be competency-based. I literally thought of all answers and examples off the top of my head.

So what can you take from that you ask? DO NOT OVERTHINK, relax & take a deep breath. The questions they ask will allow them to gain an understanding of what kind of person you are and what qualities you possess. So they asked me a question like this:

What's a difficulty you faced in your life?
then they followed with a question like this:
How did this difficulty affect your friends and family or your personal life?
then:
What was your plan to tackle this difficulty
and finally:
How did you overcome the difficulty and what were the results?

NOW hilariously for me when my interviewer asked me "What difficulty did you face in your life?" I literally answered that question as well as the next questions without her even asking me, so when she did ask me the follow-up questions "How it affected me" and "My plan" I just relayed the same information I had already said.

My advice does not plan in terms of "I will say this and I will say that" as it may be the case where you're so focused on that and when you get to the interview they ask you something completely different so you look puzzled and your mind draws a blank. Since I went in with no revision or plan I'd recommend:

Looking at basic morales/ethics questions so that you can recollect scenarios where your bravery/teamwork/independence and perseverance really shined. Show them you're an individual with lots of experience and diversity.

Me personally I mentioned: University, boxing, sports, family, problems sometimes in one go which may or may not be a good idea as you could waffle a lot.

So long story short, don't sweat the interview it's not something where they're out to trick you or anything they're literally there to see what type of individual you are and if you are someone that will benefit their police force. GOOD LUCK if you feel like I haven't answered or helped enough please do not hesitate to re-phrase or ask more questions.

Reply 5

username4342424

I am nervously and anxiously awaiting the results.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 6

Jess.mary

Hey, I go for my assessment for West Yorkshire Police next week and I am more than nervous!

Any tips for calming nerves? I mainly wanted to ask if there was anything that happened that you weren't expecting?

Reply 7

corkhie

Congratulations on passing the assessment day! I have mine at the end of the month and I am way more concerned with the numerical ability test and verbal reasoning? Please give me an indication as to how hard the numerical one is?

Reply 8

Co1923

The numerical test is nothing massively difficult. You get a calculator and it’s multiple choice! Go online and find the official National College of Policing examples and keep going over them until you are getting them correct and quickly! I have recently passed the SEARCH centre for South Yorkshire and if you are a functioning adult then nothing will be difficult. It gets over hyped by those that either failed or are trying to make money out of those attempting it!

Reply 9

Co1923

Original post by corkhie

See my post above. Meant to quote/reply!!!!! 🙃

Reply 10

Ozzy7

Congratulations on passing the assessment centre. I've also recently passed.How long was it before they askes for vetting and medical forms?

Reply 11

Co1923

Original post by Ozzy7

Congratulations on passing the assessment centre. I've also recently passed.How long was it before they askes for vetting and medical forms?

That doesn’t come until after a SYP specific additional written assessment then a final force interview. If you’re successful at the interview they’ll let you know within 7 days and then all the medical, eye test, references paperwork and other bits and bobs get sent via email.

Reply 12

MissKellymay

I am going for my North Yorkshire police assessment centre at Wakefield next week and I am as nervous as you! Good luck! :smile:

Reply 13

Abigail_Gorton

I have my assessment day on Sunday and I’m beyond nervous! I’m trying to cram everything in. Is the interview pretty straight forward or do you need to know about all values/ code of ethics in detail? Or just the competencies?

Reply 14

Co1923

Original post by Abigail_Gorton

You don’t need to know anything in detail. A couple of my 4 questions were “explain why integrity is important as a police officer” and “tell me about a time you had to work to constantly changing deadlines”. Pretty straight forward stuff to be fair.