The Candidate Physical Ability Test

The Candidate Physical Ability Test is the next step in the process for many fire departments some put this step first. You should expect to have a medical clearance, or at the very least sign a medical waiver stating that you are in good enough shape to undertake this stressful test, before you will be allowed to participate. The fire department wants to make sure that no one has a heart attack in the middle of the test. So, you can expect the test to be tough. 

Chapter 15 will give you a very detailed explanation of the Candidate Physical Ability Test. 

The exact events that make up the Candidate Physical Ability Test vary from place to place, but the tasks you have to perform are almost always job-related—they are a lot like the physical tasks you will actually have to perform as a firefighter. Some tests are set up as obstacle courses others consist of a group of stations. In some, you are timed from start to finish with no breaks others allow a break period between stations. The tests are timed. Your performance on the test is scored depending on that time. Often you have to wear full (heavy) protective gear, including an air pack, throughout these events. Here is an example of the events in a test that you would typically have ten minutes, 20 seconds to complete ... 

You can usually find out just what tasks are included in the Candidate Physical Ability Test from the exam announcement or related materials. 

The Candidate Physical Ability Test is one area where advance preparation is almost guaranteed to pay off. No matter how good the shape you are in, start an exercise program now. You can design your program... 

For more information on the physical ability test and how to prepare for it, see Chapter 15, The Candidate Physical Ability Test. ... 

Exercise. Physical activity helps calm your body down and focus your mind, and as you know, being in top shape physically will be important on the Candidate Physical Ability Test. Go for a run, lift weights, go swimming—and do it regularly. 

As odd as these activities may seem, these are examples of how firefighting candidates can prepare for the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). Fire departments around the country use the CPAT to determine whether candidates have the physical ability to be considered for the fire academy, which is where they learn firefighting tasks. Academy directors emphasize that all candidates must have high levels of strength and aerobic energy, or stamina. 

There is no doubt, the Candidate Physical Ability Test (also called Physical Agilities Test or Physical Performance Test) is a crucial step toward becoming a firefighter. Though the type of tests may vary somewhat from state to state and city to city, academy directors agree that the CPAT requires training, particularly for upper-body strength and stamina. 

The qualifying interview—also known as the screening interview—is the first, and sometimes the only, oral interview that fire departments use in their hiring process. By the time you are contacted to go through this interview, you will have completed your application form, you probably will have taken the written examination, and it is possible that you may have taken the Candidate Physical Ability Test. 

Now, to reach the standard of ability in required subjects for entry into a specific Oxford course via an entrance, scholarship examination, the candidates were restricted by their schools to subjects suitable for Oxford sub-faculty courses describable in terms of Higher School Certificate or Advanced school examinations (A-levels) as follows fundamental mathematics, with a physical science, only for mathematicians advanced mathematics and physics for physicists mathematics (at a lower level), physics and chemistry for chemists. All Arts subjects were virtually outside a science course from age 15 to 18 and no examination results in biological subjects were in general acceptable to these sub-faculties and so were excluded for aspiring school chemists. These restrictions are much less marked today but they characterised attitudes in the chemistry school for many a year. The requirement of having passed a national test in Latin was only removed in 1960. 

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