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If you are serious about becoming a police officer or member of law enforcement, passing the CHIP physical ability assessment is a good place to start.
As with many things in life, when it comes to the CHIP test, being prepared is the key to success.
The truth is we want you to pass, but too many times we see candidates fail due to lack of preparation.
There is no excuse for this. The test standards are clearly posted on the Certify Fit website, so you can see a description of the test components, and the score you must achieve based on your age and gender in order to pass the test and receive your CHIP Card.
How to Prepare for the CHIP Test
We strongly suggest that anyone planning to register to take the CHIP assessment test themselves on their own well before the actual test date, to see how well they perform.
There is no special equipment needed for this test, and you can easily do a self-test using the standards posted here. If you have not been exercising regularly, check with your doctor prior to attempting the self-test. All candidates are required to get a medical waiver form signed before taking the CHIP test anyway, so you can accomplish both by checking in with your healthcare provider before your self-test.
If you are not currently exercising, it may be difficult for you to pass the test without preparing. An 8- to 12-week training program is usually enough to get you in shape to pass the test. This may seem like a major undertaking, but if becoming a police officer is your calling, it’s more than worth it. Not only will pre-test training make you a better candidate, it will make you a healthier person.
Training Tips
- Set a specific goal. Training is often easier when you have a specific event or date in mind. To give yourself extra motivation, register for a test date 2 or 3 months away, then start your training program.
- Get peer support. Need extra encouragement in your training goals? Have friends or family members sign up for the same test so you can train together and hold each other accountable for meeting your fitness objectives.
- Be specific about your exercises. Overall fitness is great, but be sure to include all the elements of the CHIP test in your training program, including sit-ups, push-ups, and running on a track. Practice both sprinting and distance running.
- Practice doing exercises in order. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you can do each group of exercises on the test separately that you are prepared to do them in order all at once. At the test, you’ll do sit-ups and push-ups followed by a 300-meter sprint and a 1.5-mile run, with a brief recovery period between events. Make sure you practice doing the exercise in succession to ensure that you can pass the test.
- Leave room for error. When preparing for the CHIP test, people often make the mistake of training just hard enough to be able to meet the minimum score for passing. Give yourself some breathing room by training to exceed the standards. If you have to complete 32 sit-ups, shoot for 40 during training. If you have to run the 1.5 mile run in 13:04, train to complete the run in 12 minutes. You’ve investing the time and effort into training—you don’t want to barely miss passing.