Do PCSOs and Special Constables Take the Police Fitness Test?

What the national guidance actually says

The fitness test most people mean is the job-related fitness test (JRFT): the 15-metre multi-stage shuttle run, better known as the bleep test. The College of Policing sets it as a requirement for police officer recruitment and for serving officers who do personal safety training. Its 2021 implementation guidance then deals with the two roles this page is about in two short sentences.

So for both roles the honest national answer is "it is up to the force". That is different from saying there is no test. Section 38(4) of the Police Reform Act says a chief officer must be satisfied that a PCSO is suitable, capable of carrying out the role and adequately trained before designating them. It does not mention fitness testing, but it leaves forces room to set their own entry checks, and several forces we checked use the officer test.

One piece of history explains why. The Winsor review's recommendation 33, which led to annual fitness testing, proposed a test "for all police officers and staff required to undertake personal safety training" at level 5:4 on a 15-metre shuttle run. PCSOs and some staff do take safety training. The College standard that followed was written for officers, but some forces apply the same test to PCSOs.

Who decides, role by role

The quickest way to see where the national rule stops and the force takes over.

Sources: College of Policing implementation guidance for fitness testing (2021), pages 6 to 8; Surrey Police PCSO guide (July 2024); Metropolitan Police PCSO pages; BTP Federation (secondary). All read 6 October 2026.

What forces say: examples checked on 6 October 2026

We read each force's own recruitment page or PDF. This is a sample, not a full list of the 43 forces in England and Wales, and we only include a force where its own page says something about fitness for these roles. Where a page is silent on attempts we say so rather than guess.

If your force uses the bleep test, this is what you run

It is the same test whether you are applying as a constable, a special or a PCSO. You run between two lines 15 metres apart and must reach the line before the next bleep. The gap between bleeps shortens at each new level, so the pace rises from about 7.9 km/h at level 1 to about 9.9 km/h at level 5. To pass at 5.4 you stop after the fourth shuttle of level 5.

Computed from the 15m protocol table the site uses. The College of Policing's own table rounds some times (it gives level 4 as 5.6 seconds), but both give 35 shuttles, 525 metres and about 3 minutes 35 seconds to 5.4. The full chart is on our bleep test levels page.

Special constables: what to expect

Specials are volunteer police officers, and most forces we checked treat them like officer recruits on fitness. The Met describes its 5.4 requirement for specials as the aerobic requirement of officer safety training. In the Met the fitness test sits in the health assessment stage with the medical, eyesight, hearing and blood pressure checks. In Hertfordshire it is one of the pre-appointment checks and you are asked to bring photo ID. In Thames Valley it is part of the medical checks, and the force says its dictation test is held at Sulhamstead on the day of the fitness test.

• Same test, less training time. If you volunteer around a day job, the realistic constraint is evenings and weekends. Three short sessions a week you can actually keep beats a plan you abandon.
• Taken early. The forces we checked put the test before training starts, so you need to be ready months before your first duty, not by the end of training.
• Repeat tests are a force choice. The College leaves annual testing of specials to the force. Ask whether your force retests specials who keep their safety training current.

More on the role itself, hours and powers: special constable explained.

PCSOs: what to expect

PCSOs are police staff, not officers, which is why the national officer standard does not automatically apply to them. Forces still have reasons to test: PCSOs patrol on foot, and the Met's PCSO page links the test to public and personal safety training. North Yorkshire Police puts it plainly: as PCSOs go out on patrol, it is important they are fit enough to do the job.

• When it happens. It varies. The Met puts it with the medical assessment, Surrey's guide lists it among the pre-employment checks after the interview, and North Yorkshire simply says every potential PCSO takes it during recruitment.
• How many tries. The forces that publish this give three attempts in total (Met, North Yorkshire, Surrey). Surrey says it rejects the application after the second retake is failed.
• After you are in post. Surrey repeats the test in initial training and annually. Other forces may not; BTP removed it for existing PCSOs in 2022.
• Medical and BMI. Fitness and the medical are separate checks. Surrey, for example, assesses body composition when a PCSO applicant's BMI is above 32 (above 30 for officers and specials).

For the rest of the process see how to become a PCSO, and for the move to constable later, the PCSO to police officer pathway.

What about other police staff roles?

Most staff roles (call handling, investigation support, admin, forensics) have no fitness test because there is no national staff standard and the job does not involve safety training. Some designated roles do. The Met lists detention officers (DDOs) with PCSOs and officers as roles that must pass the JRFT at entry. If the advert mentions personal safety training, expect a fitness test to come with it, and ask.

Fitness test and medical are two different checks

A force can have no fitness test for a role and still run a full medical, which is easy to confuse. The examples below are what each force's own page lists.

For the officer test, the College's guidance says every candidate must complete a medical screening questionnaire before the JRFT and a health declaration on the day. Its example questionnaire asks about pregnancy or giving birth in the last six months, injuries or conditions that could affect you, prescribed medication, and heart conditions; a yes leads to an occupational health referral to decide whether you can take the test. Expect something similar if your force tests PCSOs or specials, and answer it honestly: it exists to keep you safe.

How to prepare if your force tests you

Preparation is the same as for officer candidates, because the test is the same. Three things matter most: enough aerobic fitness to hold about 9.9 km/h in short bursts, turning on the line rather than past it, and not running the slow early levels too fast. The College's guidance notes that people with little experience of pacing tend to over-exert early in the test.

1. Find your level first. Run the free 15m simulator on a measured course, or get a rough estimate from the readiness calculator.
2. Give yourself time. joiningthepolice.co.uk recommends training for up to six weeks before the test. If you are starting from a low base, North Yorkshire Police suggests the NHS Couch to 5K programme first, which takes nine weeks or longer. See starting from zero.
3. Practise turning. Treadmills and road runs build fitness but no turns. Mark out 15 metres and practise braking and pushing off on the line. Our training guide covers the method.
4. Know the day. PT kit, grippy trainers, a warm-up the administrator may lead to the start of level 3. See the test day guide.

Three situations, worked through

Example situations to show how the local rules play out. They are illustrations, not real people or quotes.

Already serving as a special or PCSO?

The national annual retest applies to police officers who do personal safety training. For specials the College leaves it to the force, and for PCSOs there is no national standard at all. So whether you face a yearly bleep test depends entirely on your force's local policy, and on whether your role keeps safety training current.

If your force does retest you and you fail, ask for its written policy on support, retakes and occupational health referral. For regular officers the College says forces must offer support and at least two retakes; our annual fitness test guide covers that. Whether the same applies to specials or PCSOs is a local question, and your staff association or union can help.

Myths worth dropping

Questions to ask your force

Because the rules are local, five questions to the recruitment team settle almost everything. Get the answers in writing if your plans depend on them.

• 1.Is there a fitness test for this role, and is it the 15m shuttle run to 5.4?
• 2.At what stage is it, and is it on the same day as anything else (interview, medical, dictation test)?
• 3.How many attempts do I get, how far apart, and what happens after the last one?
• 4.Is the test repeated in training or every year once I am in post?
• 5.If I have an injury that affects turning, can you offer an alternative such as the treadmill test?

Sources (all accessed 6 October 2026)

• College of Policing: Implementation guidance for fitness testing (August 2021, PDF) p6: no fitness testing standard for police staff roles; testing specials who do PST is a local decision; specials are employees under the Police (Health and Safety) Act 1997. p7: no concessions for age or sex. p8: 5:4, 3m35s, 525 m. p25: Winsor recommendation 33 wording.
• College of Policing: Job-related fitness standards Read through the College's print mirror (the main site blocks automated reading). Recruitment requirement, page under review for the PPST curriculum, Chester treadmill alternative at force discretion.
• Metropolitan Police: PCSO, How to apply PCSOs and DDOs must pass the JRFT at point of entry; linked to public and personal safety training.
• Metropolitan Police: PCSO, Who we are looking for 15m bleep test, 3m35s, 525 m; can try twice more after a first fail.
• Metropolitan Police: Special constables, Recruitment process JRFT and medical; multi-stage shuttle run to level 5.4.
• North Yorkshire Police: Fitness tips for PCSO candidates Every potential PCSO takes the 15m bleep test to level 5.4; up to three attempts; suggests NHS Couch to 5K for beginners.
• Surrey Police: A guide to becoming a PCSO (PDF, July 2024) Pass level 5.4; two retakes then rejection; test repeated in initial training and annually; no upper age limit for PCSOs.
• Hertfordshire Constabulary: The application process to become a special constable Fitness test to level 5.4, 35 shuttles in 3m35s; bring photo ID.
• Thames Valley Police careers: Special constables Level 5.4 on a bleep test; no upper age limit; fitness test in the medical checks.
• Dorset Police and Devon and Cornwall Police recruitment: Fitness test Police officers and special constables: pass mark 5.4 on the 15m JRFT.
• Dorset Police recruitment: PCSO eligibility information and recruitment process No upper age limit; process steps listed without a fitness test.
• West Yorkshire Police: Police Community Support Officers No upper age limit for PCSOs. The page said the force was not recruiting PCSOs (update dated June 2024), so it is not used in the fitness table.
• BTP Federation: Chair's blog for February (28 February 2024) Secondary source. BTP removed the JRFT as a prerequisite for existing officers and PCSOs in August 2022; mandatory for new recruits and specialist roles.
• Police Reform Act 2002, section 38 (legislation.gov.uk) Chief officer designates a relevant employee as a community support officer; s38(4): suitable, capable and adequately trained.