The New OACP: Check-in After One Year

Updated: January 2023 Two Years of the New OACP Certificate

UPDATED: Two Years into the New OACP Certificate - we are seeing exactly the same trends that this blog post outlines. Candidates are still wanting instant results and not preparing for the test properly, which ultimately slows down the journey by a year or more.

The same trends are happening with the interviews. Those who get one-on-one coaching are doing fine as long as their OACP scores were high enough. That, we can't control. But we are seeing a lot of people with little drive wanting to get into policing, and that's not what the services want. They want motivated individuals who are committed to their career and the community. That's a lifestyle, not just a tick box on a resume.

We can't stress that you must prepare for this testing and not just "try it" and "see how it goes". The police see all of your scores. You don't.

Our Thoughts on Why This is Happening

We think this is happening because with the prior testing, all candidates had to attend in person both the testing and the PREP test. In addition, the PATI was a pass-fail test, which meant that police services got candidates who already had their heads in the game and worked hard for their pass. The test was more analytical as well, which attracted a group of people who had mastered this way of thinking.

Seeing all of the competition in one place every six months really helped candidates realize how many applicants there were and that this was a scored process. Currently with everything online, candidates do not realize the scope of the process and are not fired up to succeed.

Two Years of the New OACP Certificate

The new OACP Certificate process celebrates its two-year birthday on January 1, 2022!

Not only did the police testing change, but the OACP testing also moved to an online format. TNT is the company who administers the testing. Moving online turned out to be an excellent move for police applicants during 2020 as COVID-19 changed the world. Police applicants could still obtain their police certification despite COVID-19.

Police services continued to hire throughout the year, moving to video interviewing. Our clients were pleased they used our programs to get through the process with high scores efficiently.

For those just starting to pursue a career change in policing, the OACP entirely changed the testing process at the beginning of 2020. For over a decade, the OACP used the PATI testing (Police Analytical Thinking Inventory, a WCT (Written Communications Test), and the PREP test for the physical requirements. The PATI was a pass-fail test with archaic booklets with poor graphics and questionable accuracy in its relevance to policing.

Firstly, on January 1, 2020, with the new OACP (Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police) being implemented, police services across Ontario stopped using the PATI test as part of their recruitment process. Instead, the PAF, a mental ability test, replaced the PATI. In addition to the PAF, the OACP introduced a second required test for the new OACP certificate called the ESQ2 (Personality Assessment).

Secondly, in August of 2020, the OACP Certificate changed again and dropped the PAF testing. The OACP Certificate is currently using SIGMA SSPO testing. The OACP Certificate continues to use the ESQ2 for personality assessment. As soon as the new OACP Certificate information became public, Cognitive Results revised our teaching and offerings to ensure we served our clients well. We did not recycle old material like other preparation services. Feedback from clients has been excellent. We appreciate our loyal clients who pay it forward while still being ethical.

The New OACP: Check-in

So what have we learned in two years of the new OACP Certificate police testing process? The new testing is difficult. At the beginning of the year, many went and wrote the test blindly. The problem with this is that only the police services see the OACP scores. Without good preparation, the candidates sat for the last year waiting for an invitation to proceed through to the next stage with the police services. And now that it has been a year since they last wrote, they are permitted to repeat the test.

For clients who wrote the OACP testing using our preparation program, the feedback was they were glad they prepared long enough. This process is not about setting a date to write the test and then preparing up to that date. It is not a quick in and out process. Instead, you will be ready when you are meeting the benchmarks on our practice tests.

 

Be Strategic with Your Police Career Change

From this point forward, be sure to take the time and energy to prepare properly with Cognitive Results. Our Police Test program covers all of the OACP tests, along with many other police tests. Cognitive Results teaching is extensive and thorough. Our clients proceed through the process as long as they meet the test benchmarks that we have set in our practice material. You will be in good hands - our clients must receive the right information to prepare properly. We pride ourselves on being the highest quality preparatory website for this purpose.

It may have been a while since you touched academics. Or, perhaps you never did that well in school. What you don't know is how long it will take you to get up to the benchmark. So don't get ahead of yourself and put pressure on yourself. Take the time to prepare to meet the benchmark. That benchmark ensures you will do well on the testing, increasing significantly the chances of getting called in for an interview. Remember, the police services are the only ones who can see your marks on the OACP Certificate.

Our Competition

What did our competition do during this time of the OACP testing changing not once, but twice? Not much. They reorganized their websites, threw a chaotic group of their old PATI tests in their Ontario prep programs, and relied on a bank of general questions. They certainly did not create any new material as we did.

Some of our competition even said there is no point in preparing for the testing!

How do we know this? Before finding us, most clients have purchased other preparation programs, and they are very vocal to us about how these programs are not right. They are angry. Unfortunately, our competition relies on heavy advertising and catchy business names to make you think you're getting a police officer telling you what you need to know. By contrast, we have the teaching credentials and know-how to teach you correctly and prepare you without sugar-coating the process.

More Insights

In general, we are seeing candidates who want instant results. Most of this is because they don't have the perspective developed from going through the old testing process. But the police interviewers have that perspective and want excellent scores before they consider moving a police candidate through the process. Once you can slow down and do this right, you will save yourself time in the long run. You may think you only have to write your OACP tests, and then you can apply to police services. Candidates have misconceptions around timeframes. It's not that easy. Policing is a very competitive field. Do everything you can to ace each stage and stand out from the crowd.

You literally can shorten your application process by a full year if you take this test seriously and get the right help from Cognitive Results.

Thank You!

Thank you to our clients and the police recruiters who keep referring clients our way. We don't advertise and rely on word-of-mouth. Our clients are very loyal, and we don't take them for granted ever.

COVID has been challenging, but policing has become more critical than ever.

Interested in knowing more about our programs? Click the link below to read more. We are here to help you.