City Police Fitness Prep
City Police Fitness Prep
City Police Fitness Prep (also known as the Alberta Physical Readiness Evaluation for Police Officers or A-PREP) is the provincial standard used to determine the physical suitability of applicants for both Edmonton and Calgary Police Services. The City Police Fitness Prep consists of a pursuit restraint circuit that simulates a foot chase and an aerobic shuttle run.
City Police Fitness Prep test results are valid for six months.
Job simulation tasks put applicants in demanding conditions often faced by police officers. It’s up to an applicant to prove they’re prepared for any situation.
City Police Fitness Prep has three parts:
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- a medical screening questionnaire
- a pursuit/restraint circuit that mimics tasks that may be performed on the job
- an aerobic shuttle run that tests overall fitness
The Aerobic Fitness Test of the City Police Fitness Prep requires the completion of the 20-meter Shuttle Run, which is designed to evaluate aerobic fitness and work capability during physically demanding policing tasks as well as everyday policing activities.
In this test, you run back and forth between two marked lines over a 20-meter course in time with taped audio signals. The time permitted at the beginning of the test to cover the 20-meter distance requires a slow jog. Thereafter, for each 20-metres, the time between audio signals lessens, requiring that you pick up your running pace. The audio signal informs you of the “stage” you are at as the test progresses.
In each leg of the shuttle run, warning lines, placed 2 meters before each of the 20-meter end lines, must be reached before the permitted time elapses and the audio signal sounds.
An examiner will caution you if you fail to cross a warning line in time. The test ends when you miss two consecutive warning lines.
To successfully complete the minimum requirement of the aerobic fitness test you must achieve Stage 7.0 in the 20-metre Shuttle Run.
Level seven (7) is the standard for the PREP
An acceptable score on the Aerobic Shuttle Run component requires approximately the same level of fitness as running 2.4 km (1.5 miles) in 11.5 minutes for a level 7.
Strategy for the Shuttle Run
While performing the shuttle run it is important to pace yourself at the beginning. The early stages of the test can be completed with a quick walk. It is best to pace yourself so that as you reach the opposite side, you can immediately turn around and return the other way. As the pace of the tones increases, increase the pace of your run. This will give your muscles a chance to warm up. It is a mistake to sprint in the early stages of the test and wait for the return signal. By practicing the Shuttle Run we encourage you to pace yourself to arrive at the 20m line at the sound of the audio signal.