North Wales Police Welsh Test, Aptitude Tests & Recruitment Process Preparation – 2024
There are three varieties of officers within the North Wales Police. Regular police officers or constables perform all law enforcement duties. Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) support regular officers; they focus on working with the public and raising the quality of life in their community. Finally, Special Constables are volunteers who have many of the same duties as police officers. They go out on patrol and respond to 999 calls, among other tasks.
The recruiting process for each type of officer is different, although there is overlap. All three will complete an interview that covers the following Leadership Behaviours:
- Public Service
- Openness to Change
- Service Delivery
- Professionalism
- Decision-Making
- Working with Others
All officers must complete the Welsh Test to demonstrate their Welsh language abilities. Police Constables and PCSOs need to show Level 2 skills, while Special Constables need Level 1.
What Is the North Wales Police Test?
There are different assessment processes for each of the three varieties of officers.
Police Officers
Police constables must complete the SEARCH Assessment Centre. It includes the below activities:
- Structured interview: the interview consists of four questions related to the Leadership Behaviours. It takes 20 minutes.
- Interactive exercises: there are four roleplay exercises that each take 10 minutes.
- Aptitude tests: there are two skill tests. The first covers numerical ability and takes 23 minutes, while the second covers verbal ability and takes 30 minutes.
- Written exercises: to demonstrate their written English abilities, applicants must complete two exercises that take 30 minutes each.
Police Community Support Officers
PCSOs take the Police Initial Recruitment Test (PIRT). It includes the following sections:
- Verbal logical reasoning: this section assesses your reading comprehension and logical thinking. Each question provides a description of a scenario. You must determine if statements about the scenario are true or false. You have 25 minutes to answer 31 questions.
- Numerical reasoning: this section includes maths problems. You will use basic functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You will have 12 minutes to complete 25 questions.
- Verbal usage: this section measures your understanding of grammar and word choice. You must choose words to fill in the blanks in various sentences. You have 12 minutes to answer 26 questions.
- Checking information: for this section, you will compare two lists of information and look for discrepancies. You have 8 minutes to complete 27 questions.
Special Constables
Special Constable candidates do not need to take skill tests. They do complete a Behavioural Style Questionnaire and a Situational Judgement Test (SJT). The SJT takes 65 minutes and includes 50 questions. It assesses your ability to make decisions in line with the Leadership Behaviours.
How to Prepare for the North Wales Police Tests?
First, determine the type of officer you want to apply to be. Doing so will help you correctly prepare for your test.
The best way to prepare for aptitude tests, as well as the Situational Judgement test for Special Constables, is through practice assessments. There are online practice tests explicitly designed to prepare you for the actual tests you will take.
Be sure to find a timed practice test, as the SEARCH aptitude tests and the PIRT are timed. Also, look for practice tests that explain the answers. The explanations help you learn from any items you miss.
Becoming a police officer, PCSO, or Special Constable in North Wales can lead to an exciting and rewarding career. There is, therefore, a lot of competition for open positions. By properly preparing for your exams, you’ll be one step ahead of the crowd.