1.3 Where the Test Sits in the 2027 Campaign

Where the Online Cognitive Ability Test sits in the 2027 campaign

Quick answer: The 2027 Firefighter Recruitment Campaign Calendar of Events (PDF posted May 2026) sequences applications May–June 2026, Beep Test July 2026, online assessments August–October 2026, OFAT November 2026, interviews January 2027, psychological assessments February 2027, final checks March–April 2027, and recruit courses 2027–2028. The calendar may change for operational reasons. On the live recruit page, cognitive is step 3 of ten.

The cognitive test is not the first gate and not the last. People who treat August as week one of recruitment are already behind: applications and Beep come first. People who treat Pearson as the whole job are equally wrong: OFAT, interview, psych, and state selection still sit downstream. Place the batteries on the map before you write a study calendar.

The May 2026 calendar (2027 campaign)

QFD published a one-page Calendar of Events for the campaign that will fill recruit courses scheduled for 2027–2028. Use it as the planning skeleton, then re-read your invitation emails when dates move.

The PDF itself warns that the calendar may be subject to change due to operational requirements. Cyclones, campaign volume, and department need can slide a block. When Pearson's public page and your invitation disagree, the invitation wins for your booking window.

Pearson's page updated 9 September 2026 narrowed the August–October online-assessment block into two registration windows for this campaign snapshot:

• Mechanical Reasoning: 20 August 2026 – 14 September 2026
• Core Abilities: 23 September 2026 – 13 October 2026

That is why a serious candidate studies mechanical diagrams through winter and keeps literacy, numeracy, sequences, and patterns warm into September. The two batteries are not one sitting on one afternoon unless your invite says so — the published snapshot is sequential windows.

The ten-step recruit-page order

The current recruit firefighter page (last updated 19 August 2026) lists the selection process in this order. Learn the numbers; they are how QFD will talk to you in email subject lines.

1. Submit application — Nexus, before the advertised close; no late applications.
2. Beep Test — shuttle run, pass/fail, Level 9.6, no merit. You are not asked to run past 9.6. Must be sat at an identified QFR assessment venue; other centres' Beep results are not accepted.
3. Online cognitive ability assessments — the two Pearson / OnVUE batteries this guide teaches.
4. OFAT — pass/fail physical sequence in Brisbane or Townsville; your travel costs.
5. State panel interview — merit; evidence of a paid Blue Card; multiple Queensland locations.
6. Psychological assessments — Brisbane only; QFD covers assessment fees, not your travel.
7. Criminal history and referee reports — QFD covers those checks; past offences are case by case.
8. State selection — merit against the current pool; completing earlier stages does not guarantee a job.
9. Medical assessment — after offer; your cost; QFD Medical Advisor decides against published Medical Standards.
10. Pre-course requirements — including first aid, advanced resuscitation, and manual MR licence, plus a current paid (P) Blue Card.

The pack adds that the whole recruitment and selection process may take 8–10 months before the 16-week recruit course. That matches a May 2026 application landing on a 2027 course, not a fortnight of tests.

Pass/fail stages, merit stages, and second attempts

Not every box is scored the same way. Mixing them up is how candidates waste energy sprinting past Beep Level 9.6 or racing OFAT as if fastest time won a job.

Beep Test: pass/fail, no merit. Target is Level 9.6. The 2024 pack still describes a second attempt only if the first attempt is at least Level 8.0, on another day inside the campaign Beep window. Anyone below 8.0 on the first attempt is not eligible for that second Beep. You also need medical clearance (Fitness and Indemnity form) before you run, and you pay your own attendance costs.

Online Assessments: supervised cognitive screen. QFD does not publish a percentage cut. There is no published in-campaign retake for a failed or missed cognitive sitting. The live recruit page also warns that if you miss or fail a stage there is no re-attempt for that campaign. Hold both statements: physical tests have pack-specific second-attempt language; the cognitive batteries do not come with a published second Pearson voucher. Read your invitation. Do not skip a booked OnVUE slot because you wanted a later Saturday.

OFAT: pass/fail, no merit for speed. Three parts: road-crash rescue equipment hold; six-station test; Case 1 high-pressure hose reel drag. Brisbane or Townsville only. The pack permits a second attempt within the assessment period if the first OFAT is unsuccessful. Technique failures fail you even if you are fast. Independent training programs QFD publishes are for the physical test, not for substituting this study guide for OFAT practice.

Panel interview: merit. Structured behavioural questions tied to QFD values. About 30–45 minutes, with perusal time. Interview results contribute to merit standing. This is where Blue Card evidence is collected on the recruit page's description of the interview step.

Psychological assessment: Brisbane only; online component plus face-to-face evaluation. Not described as a simple pass/fail tick, but QFD has a current profile you must meet. Results are valid 12 months; missing the profile can preclude you from campaigns for that year.

State selection: a panel chaired by a QFR Assistant Commissioner, including senior officers, station officers, firefighters, and a Queensland Professional Firefighters Union representative. QFD uses a blind method that strips name, age, and gender. You are compared on merit against the current pool each time the panel sits. The panel can sit more than once in a campaign. Finishing OFAT in November does not mean a January interview equals a March job. Offers consider organisational need and location, not only your preference form.

What this means for cognitive prep

Study Mechanical Reasoning so you can use the August–September window, then keep Core Abilities sharp for late September–October. Do not abandon running in August: you already passed Beep, but OFAT in November still needs strength and aerobic work. Do not ignore values examples while you drill gears; January interview is a merit stage. Do not treat a strong Pearson sitting as a contract — state selection still has to pick you from the pool for a 2027 or 2028 course at SFEST in Brisbane or the Northern Campus in Townsville.

Location honesty belongs here too. After psych you complete an employment location preference form. Initial tenure is four years in the appointed location; transfers are not automatic. If you only want one inner-Brisbane station, you may not like the offer you are later asked to accept or decline. Cognitive performance cannot rewrite geography, but a candidate who understands the ten-step map studies the right thing in the right month.

Independent OpenExamPrep practice for the two batteries sits beside QFD's own Beep and OFAT training PDFs, not in place of them. Use each tool for the stage it actually covers.