Police Fitness Test
Pass Rates
There is no national pass rate for the police fitness test and anyone quoting one is guessing. Two forces have published real figures under the Freedom of Information Act. This page sets out exactly what they say, for recruits and serving officers, with every rate worked out from the published counts.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Most, on the only published figures. The Met recorded 13,069 passes and 88 fails for candidates in recruitment from April 2021 to March 2024 (99.3% passes). West Yorkshire Police recorded 313 officers not competent out of 14,935 tests in 2021 to 2023. These are one force's recorded outcomes each, not first-attempt or national rates.
Most recorded results are passes, but the figures cannot tell you about you. Run the free 15m bleep test simulator to level 5.4 with correctly timed beeps, or try the free readiness calculator if you cannot run a test yet.
Short of 5.4? The Fitness Pass Suite (£19.99, one payment) builds a plan for the weeks you have.
Met Police recruits, 2021 to 2024
The Met's disclosure 01.FOI.24.036931 (May 2024) gives pass and fail counts for "candidates who completed fitness during recruitment only", by financial year:
| Financial year | Pass | Fail | Pass rate (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2021 to March 2022 | 4,543 | 27 | 99.4% |
| April 2022 to March 2023 | 4,803 | 44 | 99.1% |
| April 2023 to March 2024 | 3,723 | 17 | 99.5% |
| Total | 13,069 | 88 | 99.3% |
The figures include every recruitment category the Met tested, from new constables to PCSOs and designated detention officers. The Met's own standard for those roles at the time was 5.4.
By sex
| Financial year | Men: pass / fail | Women: pass / fail | Fail rate, men | Fail rate, women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2021 to March 2022 | 2,663 / 3 | 1,844 / 23 | 0.1% | 1.2% |
| April 2022 to March 2023 | 3,062 / 5 | 1,688 / 37 | 0.2% | 2.1% |
| April 2023 to March 2024 | 2,292 / 4 | 1,178 / 13 | 0.2% | 1.1% |
Over the three years women accounted for 73 of the 88 recorded fails. The Met notes that sex and age are self-declared and not always completed. The College of Policing's guidance says making concessions to the standard by age or sex would be "inappropriate and illegal" and suggests forces offer support such as women-only sessions, pacers and mentoring. Our female police fitness guide covers training.
By recruitment category
| Category | 2021/22 pass / fail | 2022/23 pass / fail | 2023/24 pass / fail |
|---|---|---|---|
| New police constables | 1,874 / 9 | 2,457 / 18 | 1,284 / 6 |
| New detective constables | 1,483 / 10 | 752 / 3 | 677 / 2 |
| New special constables | 803 / 3 | 380 / 2 | 328 / 1 |
| New PCSOs | 92 / 0 | 470 / 12 | 699 / 7 |
| New designated detention officers | 212 / 4 | 307 / 8 | 255 / 1 |
| Police Now and direct entry | 61 / 1 | 110 / 1 | 318 / 0 |
| Transferees and rejoiners | 15 / 0 | 327 / 0 | 159 / 0 |
Met serving officers, 2020 to 2023
A separate disclosure (01.FOI.23.033431 (December 2023)) covers serving officers taking their annual job-related fitness test:
| Calendar year | Officers attended | Officers failed | Fail rate (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 20,921 | 341 | 1.6% |
| 2021 | 26,282 | 534 | 2.0% |
| 2022 | 25,448 | 428 | 1.7% |
| 2023 (to date) | 24,925 | 337 | 1.4% |
The Met said: "None were found in that time period where an officer was dismissed that related to a failed Fitness Test." The 2024 disclosure adds: "Since 2021, 25 Stage 1 UPPs have been issued, 6 of which were moved to Stage 2. There have been no dismissals."
West Yorkshire Police officers, 2021 to 2023
| Year | Competent | Not competent | Not competent, men | Not competent, women |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,885 | 111 | 35 (1.3%) | 53 (3.5%) |
| 2022 | 4,903 | 72 | 14 (0.5%) | 46 (2.9%) |
| 2023 | 4,834 | 130 | 18 (0.6%) | 92 (5.2%) |
- 273 officers took part in an alternative fitness test during 2021, 2022 and 2023.
- 2 officers are recorded as having been subject to formal action under the Unsatisfactory Performance Procedures in the last 3 years because they failed the fitness test, both of which were in 2023. There have been no officers dismissed in the last 3 years because they failed the fitness test.
- 5 officers are recorded currently as being on restricted duties / recuperative duties / limited duties due failing the fitness test.
The same response says that from the week commencing 1 April 2024 the level for officers was reduced to 3.7, while new students in their first year stay at 5.4. These figures are from before that change. See the 3.7 standard.
West Yorkshire by age and by rank
| Year | Under 25: not competent | 25 to 49: not competent | 50 to 65: not competent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9 of 253 (3.6%) | 70 of 3485 (2.0%) | 9 of 423 (2.1%) |
| 2022 | 11 of 497 (2.2%) | 44 of 3541 (1.2%) | 5 of 392 (1.3%) |
| 2023 | 30 of 743 (4.0%) | 73 of 3577 (2.0%) | 7 of 335 (2.1%) |
| Year | Constables: not competent | Sergeants: not competent | Special constables: not competent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 81 of 3,229 | 5 of 457 | 2 of 93 |
| 2022 | 54 of 3,519 | 6 of 438 | 5 of 92 |
| 2023 | 100 of 3,805 | 9 of 405 | 4 of 120 |
The disclosure also lists inspectors and above, almost all of whom were recorded as competent and "archived" rows for people who have since left or changed role, which we have not included. The youngest band had the highest share not competent in 2023, which may reflect new students meeting the test for the first time; the data cannot show why.
How to read FOI fitness data
Three checks before you quote any figure from a disclosure:
- What is being counted? The Met's recruitment table counts "candidates who completed fitness during recruitment"; its officer table counts officers who "attended" and who "failed". West Yorkshire counts results as "competent" or "not competent". These are not the same thing.
- Which standard? West Yorkshire moved serving officers to 3.7 from April 2024, so its 2021 to 2023 figures are at 5.4. The Met's specialist roles were tested at higher levels.
- Attempts or people? Neither disclosure says whether someone who failed and passed later is counted once or twice.
Worked example: the Met recorded 13,069 passes and 88 fails for recruits over three years. 88 divided by 13,157 is 0.7%. That is the share of recorded results that were fails, not the chance that a particular person fails on the day.
Myths and facts
| You may hear | What the published figures show |
|---|---|
| "Half of applicants fail the bleep test." | Not in the Met's data: 0.7% of recorded recruitment results were fails over three years. |
| "Nobody ever fails." | 88 recorded fails at the Met over three years and 1,640 serving officer fails across 2020 to 2023. |
| "Officers are sacked for failing." | The Met and West Yorkshire both reported no dismissals for failing the fitness test in the periods asked about. |
| "There is a national pass rate." | We found none. The College asks forces to audit passes and failures, but we did not find national figures published. |
| "Women get an easier standard." | No. The College says concessions by sex or age are inappropriate and illegal; it suggests support such as women-only sessions and mentoring. |
The College's guidance says forces should continue to audit passes and failures to understand how groups such as age, sex and officers with a disability are performing and that monitoring pass rates by protected characteristic is needed to use the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010.
What the figures mean for you
- Most recorded results are passes. In the Met's recruitment data, fails were well under 1 in 100 recorded results.
- That is not a reason to skip training. The counts cannot show how much training the people who passed did, or how many withdrew before the test. Your own result depends on your own preparation.
- A fail is usually not the end. Forces publish retakes (see the force rules finder) and for serving officers the College requires support and at least two retakes before formal procedures.
- Timing matters more since July 2026. A retake that moves your start date can push you outside the six-month vetting window. Check with the clearance clock.
Ask your own force
Anyone can ask a police force for recorded information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The force must normally respond within 20 working days. Look at the force's disclosure log first: many publish earlier answers, which is where both disclosures on this page came from.
A clear request is more likely to get a usable answer. Ask for, for each of the last three years:
- the fitness standard used for recruits and for serving officers;
- the number of recruitment fitness tests passed and failed and whether that counts attempts or people;
- the same for serving officers' annual tests;
- the number of alternative (treadmill) tests taken;
- the number of officers subject to unsatisfactory performance procedures, or dismissed, in connection with the fitness test.
Asking whether figures count attempts or people avoids the main gap in the two disclosures above.
Limits of the data
- Two forces only. We have not extended these figures to any other force or to England and Wales as a whole.
- Not first-attempt rates. The disclosures do not say whether someone who failed and then passed appears once or twice.
- Recorded outcomes only. People who withdrew before the test are not counted.
- Self-declared fields. The Met says sex and age are self-declared and not always completed.
- Formatting. The Met's alternative test table runs two columns together on the page, so we have not quoted it.
Any pass rate you see elsewhere that is not traced to a published disclosure is not one we could verify.
Other forces
Other forces have answered FOI requests on fitness testing, but we have only used disclosures we could read in full on the force's own site. If your force publishes figures, the FOI or "disclosure log" section of its website is the place to look.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the police fitness test pass rate?
There is no national figure. The Met's FOI disclosure for recruitment (April 2021 to March 2024) records 13,069 passes and 88 fails, so 99.3% of recorded results were passes. That is one force's recorded outcomes, not a national rate.
How many people fail the police bleep test?
In the Met's recruitment data, 88 fails were recorded over three financial years against 13,069 passes (0.7%). Among serving Met officers, 1,640 failed a fitness test across 2020 to 2023 against 97,576 attendances.
Do more women fail the police fitness test?
In the Met's recruitment figures women made up most of the recorded fails: 73 of 88 over three years (1.5% of results recorded for women, against 0.1% for men). The standard is the same for everyone: the College of Policing says concessions by sex are inappropriate and illegal and suggests support such as women-only sessions and mentoring.
Do police officers get sacked for failing the fitness test?
Rarely, on the published figures. The Met said no officer was dismissed relating to a failed fitness test in 2020 to 2023 and that since 2021, 25 Stage 1 unsatisfactory performance notices were issued, 6 moved to Stage 2 and there were no dismissals. West Yorkshire reported 2 officers subject to formal action in 2023 and no dismissals.
Is the police fitness test hard to pass?
Level 5.4 is 35 shuttles over 15 metres, about three and a half minutes of running. Most recruits whose results the Met recorded passed. That does not mean it is easy for you: train for it and practise with properly timed audio.
Are these figures for first attempts?
The disclosures do not say. The Met describes its recruitment figures as candidates who completed fitness during recruitment and its officer figures as officers who attended and officers who failed. A person who failed and later passed may appear in both columns. Treat the rates as recorded outcomes, not first-attempt pass rates.
Do older officers fail the fitness test more often?
In West Yorkshire's 2021 to 2023 figures, the under-25 band had the highest share not competent in 2023 (4.0%), against 2.1% for 50 to 65. One force's data cannot settle the question and the College says the standard cannot be adjusted for age.
How many PCSO applicants fail the police fitness test?
The Met's recruitment data lists new PCSOs separately: 92 passes and 0 fails in 2021/22, 470 and 12 in 2022/23 and 699 and 7 in 2023/24. The College sets no fitness standard for police staff, so testing PCSOs is a Met choice.
Do special constables fail the fitness test?
Rarely in the published figures. The Met recorded 803, 380 and 328 passes for new special constables over three years against 3, 2 and 1 fails. West Yorkshire recorded 2, 5 and 4 serving special constables not competent in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
How can I find my own force's fitness test pass rate?
Check the force's freedom of information disclosure log first. If nothing is published, you can make a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; public authorities must normally respond within 20 working days.
Does failing the test once stop my application?
Not usually. Forces that publish their rules allow a retake, most often up to three attempts in total. Our force fitness rules finder shows what each force publishes.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 21 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- Metropolitan Police FOI 01.FOI.24.036931 (May 2024): JRFT data April 2021 to March 2024 : recruitment pass and fail by financial year, sex, age and recruitment category; alternative tests; UPP and dismissals; the Met's specialist standards (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Metropolitan Police FOI 01.FOI.23.033431 (December 2023): police officer fitness tests : officers attending and failing by calendar year 2020 to 2023; no dismissals (accessed 21 October 2026)
- West Yorkshire Police FOI FOI 1994451-24 (April 2024): officer fitness test : competent and not competent by year, sex, age and rank 2021 to 2023; alternative tests; UPP; standard reduced to 3.7 from April 2024 for officers, 5.4 for first-year students (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Implementation guidance for fitness testing (August 2021, PDF) : the 5:4 standard; no concessions by age or sex; support such as women-only sessions, pacers and mentoring; in-service retakes; forces should audit passes and failures by group (p.24) and monitor pass rates for positive action (p.23) (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Freedom of Information Act 2000, section 10 (time for compliance) : a response promptly and in any event within 20 working days (accessed 21 October 2026)
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the College of Policing, the Home Office or any police force and it does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Recruitment standards, assessment formats and vetting decisions are set by the College of Policing and each force and change from time to time: check the force you are applying to before relying on anything here. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 21 October 2026.