6.2 HRD Medical Standards & the Police Physical Ability Test (PAT)
Key Takeaways
Category A medical conditions are disqualifying; Category B conditions disqualify only if severe enough to prevent safe performance of essential functions.
Vision: uncorrected distance vision worse than 20/100 in either eye is Category A, and corrected vision must meet 20/20 in the better eye or the 20/25 better-eye plus 20/20 binocular exception.
The police PAT has three events: obstacle course (163.4 s), separation event (12.8 s) and dummy drag (11.2 s).
PAT preview and actual tests are held in Hudson and scheduled by the hiring department after the medical exam; results arrive by email within 24 hours.
A failed PAT allows one additional opportunity per conditional offer, and § 61A allows reexamination within 16 weeks.
6.2 HRD Medical Standards & the Police Physical Ability Test (PAT)
After a conditional offer, two physical gates stand between you and the academy:
- a medical examination under HRD's Initial Hire Medical Standards; and
- HRD's Physical Ability Test (PAT).
HRD sets both under M.G.L. c. 31, § 61A, which calls for initial health and physical fitness standards for police officers, established by HRD with the Secretary of Public Safety and the Commissioner of Public Health.
The Medical Examination
HRD's medical standards for municipal police officers (effective December 1, 2014, in the 2018 edition of the Physician's Guide) sort conditions into two categories:
- Category A: conditions that would prevent a person from performing the essential job functions or pose a significant risk to the safety and health of that person or others. A physician may not certify a candidate with a Category A condition.
- Category B: conditions that may or may not be disqualifying depending on their severity or degree. A physician may not certify a candidate whose Category B condition is severe enough to prevent safe performance of the essential functions.
The evaluation must include at least:
- a full medical history;
- height, weight and vital signs;
- examination of the major body systems;
- audiometry (a hearing test);
- visual acuity, color vision and peripheral vision testing;
- spirometry (a lung function test);
- a review of hepatitis B immunization; and
- a tuberculosis test.
Vision and hearing standards
| Area | Category A (disqualifying) |
|---|---|
| Uncorrected distance vision | Worse than 20/100 in either eye |
| Corrected distance vision | Worse than 20/20 in the better eye, unless the better eye alone is at least 20/25 and both eyes together reach 20/20 |
| Peripheral vision | A screening failure (less than 70 degrees temporally or 45 degrees nasally) leads to formal testing; the binocular field must be 140 degrees, with at least 70 degrees temporally in each eye |
| Color vision | A deficit on Ishihara or Richmond plates; a candidate may be retested with the Farnsworth D-15, where two or more major crossover errors are disqualifying |
| Hearing | Average loss of 35 dB HL or worse in both ears at 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000 Hz, unless follow-up audiology shows the better ear below 35 dB HL and at least 80% speech discrimination |
Practical points from the standards:
- Contact lenses. They may not be used to meet the uncorrected vision standard. Remove them several hours before the eye test.
- Hearing aids. The first hearing test must be unaided. Aids may be used at the follow-up examination with a licensed audiologist.
- Vision surgery. Laser or other refractive surgery must be stable, with no lingering glare or halos, before you are certified.
The Physical Ability Test
HRD revalidated the police PAT with consultant PSI-EB Jacobs and police subject-matter experts. The revalidated standards took effect on December 24, 2019. The current police PAT has three timed events:
| Event | What you do | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| Obstacle course | Go through an open window, cross uneven terrain, climb over a wall, go up and down steps and weave through zigzag cones. Then pull a weighted bag on a pulley down to the ground, secure a moveable bag to the ground and read a statement. Finish at the "Power Station" handcuffing simulation, pulling two hand levers until the cable hits the stop. | 163.4 seconds |
| Separation event | Pull a hanging bag backward until it touches the ground across a marked line, twice. This simulates separating and controlling people. | 12.8 seconds |
| Dummy drag | Drag a dummy over a straight course. This simulates moving a victim or suspect. | 11.2 seconds |
How the PAT is scheduled and scored
- Location. Both the PAT and its preview take place at HRD's facility at 571A Main Street, Hudson.
- Medical first. Your hiring department schedules you by emailing HRD pages 1 and 8 of your completed medical examination form. Requests must arrive at least 48 hours before the preview date. Unscheduled candidates are turned away.
- Mandatory preview. You first take a timed but unscored practice run so you can learn each event against the cut scores.
- What to bring. Photo ID is required for both the preview and the actual test.
- Cancelling. Go through your hiring department at least 48 hours in advance.
- Results. Scores are emailed to you and the department within 24 hours, not given on site.
- Retests. If you fail, you get one additional opportunity per conditional offer. Section 61A also allows reexamination within 16 weeks of a failure.
- Fees. HRD's PAT page says there is no fee for the preview or the actual PAT. The 2026 exam posters say a department may charge a separate fee, so ask your department.
Training for the PAT
The events reward short, intense effort combined with pulling strength and grip. Build training around:
- Sprint intervals and agility. Short sprints with direction changes help with the cones and the overall pace of the obstacle course.
- Climbing and vaulting. Practice getting over a waist-to-chest-high wall and through a window-height opening, safely.
- Pulling and grip. Sled drags, rope or cable pulls, rows and farmer's carries help with the separation event, the dummy drag and the lever pulls.
- Recovery between efforts. The obstacle course chains several tasks, so practice working while breathing hard.
Use HRD's official PAT videos to see each event, and treat the preview as a rehearsal: note your time on each piece against the limit. Fitness also matters beyond the test, because academy training and the job are physically demanding.
Which three events make up HRD's current Police Officer Physical Ability Test?
Obstacle course, separation event and dummy drag
1.5-mile run, push-ups and sit-ups
Stair climb, ladder raise and hose drag
Trigger-pull test, low crawl and balance beam
Under HRD's police medical standards, which corrected-vision result is a Category A condition?
Corrected 20/20 in each eye
Uncorrected 20/80 in both eyes, correcting to 20/20
Corrected 20/30 in the better eye, with 20/30 using both eyes together
Corrected 20/25 in the better eye, with 20/20 using both eyes together
A candidate fails the actual PAT under a conditional offer. According to HRD's PAT guidance, what happens next?
The candidate is permanently barred from police work in Massachusetts
The candidate receives one additional opportunity per conditional offer
The candidate may retake it the same afternoon as often as needed
The candidate must retake the written exam first
How does a candidate get scheduled for the PAT preview and actual test?
By walking in to the Hudson PAT site on any weekday morning
By registering directly with HRD on the day written-exam scores are released
Through the MPTC recruit academy staff after the candidate graduates
Through the hiring department, which sends HRD pages 1 and 8 of the medical form
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.