The testing and evaluation process for the Corpus Christi Police Department is designed to select morally centered, intelligent, highly motivated and physically fit men and women to serve our community.  History has shown that those candidates that make the effort to prepare for this process perform better and score higher than those who do not.  Here are some tips to help you prime yourself for success. 

Get a good night’s rest and drink plenty of water before arriving.  Arrive early to find a parking spot near Police Headquarters and enter through the security entrance on the Chaparral Street side of the building (Municipal Court).  Give yourself some extra time to make it through security and to be screened for COVID-19.  

The first step of the testing process is the written examination.  The written exam consists of a two-part 100 question test that measures your general (not police specific) knowledge.  You may purchase study materials from the company that creates our written entrance exam here:

PURCHASE TEST PREPARATION MATERIALS HERE »

The Physical Efficiency Battery is a three-component physical fitness test designed to measure your agility, upper body strength and cardio/respiratory endurance. Unless you have already passed the PEB during one of our practice tests, the written exam and PEB are generally scheduled on the same day, so come prepared to challenge your mind and body. 

The PEB begins with the bench press.  This test measures your upper body strength for one repetition and is performed using free weights. You will be afforded as many attempts as you need, in five-pound increments, to work up to your required lift.  Men must bench 91.80% of their body weight, while women are required to lift 49.42% of their body weight.  If you have never performed a bench press using free weights, we recommend you practice first.  Bench presses, push-ups, and triceps exercises are great exercises to increase your bench press.  Since your required bench press weight will be based upon your body weight on test day, you may choose to lose some weight prior to testing.

The bench press is followed by the Illinois Agility Test.  This test is performed on an obstacle course and measures your ability to move your body from a prone position to a running stride as quickly as possible, run fast, stop quickly, and change directions.

The test begins with you lying prone on the ground. At the “go” command, you will rise quickly to your feet, sprint 30 feet out and back to the starting area, then negotiate 4 cones placed approximately ten feet apart, return through the cones, then conclude with another 30-foot sprint and return.  Men must complete the run in 17.79 seconds or less, while women are required to complete the run in 20.59 seconds or less.  

Tips for succeeding on this test:

• • Focus on getting to your feet as quickly as possible from the prone position.
  • Sprint as fast as you can on the straight-line portions, saving time for the weaving element.
  • This test lasts less than 30 seconds-no need to conserve energy. Give it 100% from start to finish.
  • Make sure you touch or put your foot over the lines at the top end of the course and stay well clear of the cones when weaving.
  • Sprint through the final two cones; don’t slow down until you have finished.

The final phase of the PEB is the 1.5-mile endurance run, which is intended to measure your cardio/respiratory fitness. The test is measured in minutes and seconds.  Men are required to complete the run in 13 minutes 33 seconds or less and women must complete the run in 17.15 minutes.  If you have never run 1.5 miles before, you can find many excellent detailed running plans on the internet describing how to prepare to meet your goal.  The common theme to these plans is to begin slowly, combine brisk walking, jogging, and running, until you reach 1.5 miles at your target pace.

There’s a sign that hangs in nearly every police academy in the country that reads,
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.  The passing scores on the Physical Efficiency Battery are based upon the 30th percentile for both male and female applicants, which means that you must only score within the top 70% of your respective group to pass the physical fitness tests. The time to prepare is now, whether that means joining a gym to work on your bench press, going to a nearby park and setting up the Illinois Agility Run to practice, or beginning a running program to improve your time on the 1.5 mile run.   If you are truly committed to a career in law enforcement, you can succeed.  Good luck.