Section 1.1: About the Victoria Police Entrance Exam

Section 1.1: About the Victoria Police Entrance Exam

Introduction to the Entrance Examination

The Victoria Police Entrance Examination (VPOL) is the initial cognitive gateway in the Victoria Police recruitment process. Administered by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), this comprehensive assessment is designed to measure the core competencies required for both Police Officer and Protective Services Officer (PSO) roles. The exam ensures that candidates possess the cognitive capabilities, literacy, numeracy, and communication skills necessary to undertake the rigorous training program at the Victoria Police Academy and perform effectively in the field.

Aspiring recruits must understand that the entrance exam is not a general intelligence test; rather, it is a highly contextualized, time-pressured evaluation mapped directly to the professional demands of modern policing. From reading complex legislation and writing objective, accurate reports to calculating speed-distance-time relationships in traffic situations and operating digital databases, the daily duties of a police officer require a strong foundation in practical cognitive skills.

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Registration and Booking Process

Candidates can only sit the examination after submitting their initial application to Victoria Police Recruiting and receiving an invitation to do so. Once invited, the registration and booking process must be completed through the official ACER Victoria Police portal (vpol.acer.org).

The cost of the examination is $275 including GST, which must be paid by the candidate at the time of booking. During the registration process, candidates can select their preferred testing delivery method: either in-person at the ACER Melbourne office in Camberwell or via remote proctoring from their own home. It is crucial that candidates register using the exact same name and email address associated with their Victoria Police recruitment portal to prevent any administrative delays in data transmission.

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ACSF Level 3 Alignment and Scoring

The Victoria Police Entrance Examination is structured and evaluated in alignment with the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). The ACSF is a national benchmark used to assess and report on adult English language, literacy, and numeracy skills across five distinct levels, with Level 5 being the most advanced.

For the VPOL, candidates are required to meet a minimum standard equivalent to ACSF Level 3. In terms of the standardized scaled scoring system used by ACER, this minimum passing benchmark is represented by a score of 111 in both the Literacy and Numeracy components.

• Scale Scores vs. Raw Scores: ACER reports candidate results as scaled scores, which range from approximately 40 to 170. These scores are not simple percentages of correct answers. Instead, they are calculated using Item Response Theory (IRT), which accounts for the varying difficulty of individual questions.
• Passing Benchmark: To achieve a scaled score of 111, candidates must typically answer approximately 60% of the questions correctly on the literacy and numeracy tests (which equates to answering roughly 18 out of 30 questions correctly).
• Component Success: To pass the overall entrance exam, a candidate must pass every single required component. Failing even a single component requires a re-sit of that specific section.

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Detailed Structure of the Exam Components

The current ACER-administered Victoria Police Entrance Examination is made up of four components. Every section is completed online using a computer, and the four sections total roughly two hours of test time (plus onboarding and proctoring setup):

Detailed Descriptions of the Components

• Literacy: The literacy section tests your reading comprehension. You read approximately six different types of texts of varying difficulty — some including graphs, charts, diagrams, and maps — and answer questions about them. Most questions are multiple-choice, but some require you to answer 'true' or 'false', or 'yes' or 'no'.
• Numeracy: This section measures mathematical reasoning in context. It covers whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages, rates, ratios, measurement, geometry, and interpreting data from tables and graphs. An onscreen calculator is provided, so becoming fluent with it before test day is important.
• Abstract Reasoning: This visual, non-verbal test measures the ability to think clearly, solve problems, and quickly identify patterns and logical rules based on abstract visual patterns rather than numbers and words. With 45 questions in 20 minutes, it is the most time-pressured component.
• Report Writing: This is a single typed task. You are given multiple sources of information to read, and you must include the relevant parts in a clear, objective, and logically ordered written response of approximately 300–350 words (about three-quarters of a typed page). An onscreen word count is provided to assist you.

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How Scoring and Evaluation Work

The Literacy and Numeracy components are scored against the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). ACER reports these results as scaled scores rather than simple percentages, using Item Response Theory to account for the varying difficulty of individual questions. A scaled score of 111 corresponds to ACSF Exit Level 3 and is the required pass mark for each of these two components — roughly 60% of questions answered correctly (about 18 of 30).

The Abstract Reasoning component is a multiple-choice test graded automatically, and the Report Writing task is assessed against a standardized rubric covering selection of relevant information, clarity, logical order, paragraphing, sentence construction, spelling, and grammar. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers on the multiple-choice sections, so candidates should attempt every question. To progress in the recruitment process, a candidate must pass every component; failed components can be re-sat at a later sitting for a per-component fee.