Fitness Standards For Police Officers
As public servants, it is important for police officers to be physically fit. The physical capabilities of police officers go hand in hand with their safety and the safety of the community. Disqualification Appeals know that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) want to pick the fittest candidates.
In the hiring process, candidates are judged medically, psychologically, physically, and even by their character. If a candidate is discarded from consideration because of medical history, then our disqualification lawyers can help with the medical disqualification appeal process. To avoid it coming to that, we want to share the fitness standards for police officers.
Police Fitness Test for Candidates
A candidate’s physical ability is seen through the completion of the Physical Ability Test. This test consists of three subtests:
- Sit-ups
- Push-ups
- 1.5-Mile run
The performance score in each category of the police fitness test is marked as either pass or fail. There are minimum fitness norms for hiring, and as long as they exceed the minimum, then their score will count as a pass. There are also minimum fitness graduation norms that mean successfully completing the academy.
Sit-Ups
For this test, the candidate will start in a lying position with their knees bent, heels flat on the floor, and fingers interlaced and placed behind their heads. During the test, the starting position is laid down, and the candidate’s feet will be held down. For each sit-up to count, the person’s elbows must touch their knees, and their shoulder blades must return to fully touching the ground when in the lowered position. They will have one minute to complete as many sit-ups as they can. Below are the fitness norms.
50th Percentile (Men)
- Ages 20-29: 40 Sit-Ups
- Ages 30-39: 36 Sit-Ups
50th Percentile (Women)
- Ages 20-29: 35 Sit-Ups
- Ages 30-39: 27 Sit-Ups
70th Percentile (Men)
- Ages 20-29: 45 Sit-Ups
- Ages 30-39: 41 Sit-Ups
70th Percentile (Women)
- Ages 20-29: 41 Sit-Ups
- Ages 30-31: 32 Sit-Ups
Note: Candidates may only rest in the up position.
Push-Ups
For this portion of the test, a 4-inch measuring device will be held by a test administrator directly between and in line with the candidate’s hands and under them as they perform each push-up. They will begin in the “up” position and lower themselves to the measuring device below and back up with elbows fully extended. The fitness norms are found below.
50th Percentile (Men)
- Ages 20-29: 33 Push-ups
- Ages 30-39: 27 Push-ups
50th Percentile (Women)
- Ages 20-29: 18 Push-ups
- Ages 30-39: 14 Push-ups
70th Percentile (Men)
- Ages 20-29: 41 Push-ups
- Ages 30-39: 34 Push-ups
70th Percentile (Women)
- Ages 20-29: 24 Push-ups
- Ages 30-31: 18 Push-ups
Note: Candidates may only rest in the up position.
1.5-Mile Run
It is recommended that at least two hours before completing this portion of the test that candidates refrain from eating, drinking, or smoking. The test will require candidates to run 6 laps on a 440-yard (¼ mile) track to complete the 1.5 miles as fast as possible. The run must be completed in the required amount of time. Time for stretching and cooling down will also be available. Find the fitness norms below.
50th Percentile (Men)
- Ages 20-29 – 11:58
- Ages 30-39 – 12:25
50th Percentile (Women)
- Ages 20-29 – 14:07
- Ages 30-39 – 14:34
70th Percentile (Men)
- Ages 20-29 – 10:59
- Ages 30-39 – 11:22
70th Percentile (Women)
- Ages 20-29 – 12:53
- Ages 30-31 – 13:23
Before taking the physical exam, each candidate needs to bring a completed Medical Certification form signed by a licensed physician.
Contact Us
If you have questions about our other appeal services, you can contact us today. We are here to help the NYPD or NCPD candidates experiencing a disqualification.
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