What is the AFP entrance exam?
The AFP doesn't run a sit-down written exam. Its entrance test is online testing for new recruits: a set of timed tests you complete on your own device. The AFP's fact sheet says they measure your cognitive ability and suitability for the role, and that there are three or four components depending on the role.
ACT and National Policing
4 tests
1 hr 26 min in total
Protective Service Officers
3 tests
1 hr 3 min in total
Time to complete
14 days
from your invitation
Cost
Free
tests and practice tests
The same online testing applies whether you're applying for National Policing, ACT Policing or Protective Service Officer roles; only the number of components changes. You'll need internet access and a quiet place, and the tests are timed once you start each one.
Components and timings, from the AFP's fact sheet
The AFP's March 2026 fact sheet sets out exactly which tests you'll sit and how long each takes. These are the most specific official figures any Australian force publishes for its online tests.
Personality questionnaire
- Time
- 25 minutes
- What you'll need
- Nothing extra
Deductive Reasoning
- Time
- 23 minutes
- What you'll need
- Pen and paper
Inductive Reasoning
- Time
- 23 minutes
- What you'll need
- Nothing extra
Numerical Calculation
- Time
- 15 minutes
- What you'll need
- Calculator, pen and paper
| ACT Policing and National Policing | Time | What you'll need |
|---|---|---|
| Personality questionnaire | 25 minutes | Nothing extra |
| Deductive Reasoning | 23 minutes | Pen and paper |
| Inductive Reasoning | 23 minutes | Nothing extra |
| Numerical Calculation | 15 minutes | Calculator, pen and paper |
Deductive Reasoning
- Time
- 23 minutes
- What you'll need
- Pen and paper
Numerical Calculation
- Time
- 15 minutes
- What you'll need
- Calculator, pen and paper
Personality questionnaire
- Time
- 25 minutes
- What you'll need
- Nothing extra
| Protective Service Officers | Time | What you'll need |
|---|---|---|
| Deductive Reasoning | 23 minutes | Pen and paper |
| Numerical Calculation | 15 minutes | Calculator, pen and paper |
| Personality questionnaire | 25 minutes | Nothing extra |
Source: AFP, Online testing for new recruits fact sheet (March 2026). Totals calculated by us.
Use the five warm-up questions
The AFP says candidates are encouraged to complete the five practice questions inside the testing platform before each live assessment. They appear once you've logged in. Don't skip them: they show you the exact screen layout.
Where online testing fits in the AFP process
The AFP lists eight stages. Online testing is the third, straight after you apply, so it's the first real hurdle. Steps can run at the same time or in a different order, and the AFP says the whole process can take as little as 6 months but is often up to 12.
- 1
Check eligibility and apply
Use the eligibility tool, then apply with your CV and choice of role and location.
- 2
Online testing
Personality, deductive, inductive and calculation tests within 14 days.
- 3
Fitness assessment (EPCA)
Plank, push-ups and beep test.
- 4
Employment Suitability Questionnaire
Character standards, traffic history, criminal background and associations.
- 5
Assessment centre (online)
Team activities, scenarios and an interview against six competencies.
- 6
Health and security
Medical and psychological assessment by external providers, then security vetting covering at least 10 years.
Online testing is the AFP's first filter, and it allows only three attempts. Prepare before you click 'apply'.
Deductive reasoning: drawing conclusions that must be true
The AFP describes deductive reasoning tests as measuring your ability to draw logical conclusions from the information provided and to complete scenarios using incomplete information. You'll typically get a set of facts or rules and be asked what must follow.
Works
- ✓Writing the facts down as a quick list or grid (pen and paper are allowed)
- ✓Asking 'must this be true?' rather than 'could it be true?'
- ✓Testing each option against every rule
- ✓Working through scheduling puzzles one constraint at a time
Costs marks
- ✕Bringing in real-world assumptions
- ✕Confusing 'all A are B' with 'all B are A'
- ✕Picking the most likely answer instead of the certain one
- ✕Doing it all in your head under time pressure
Twenty-three minutes goes quickly. If a question needs a grid, draw it fast and roughly. If it doesn't yield, choose your best answer and move on.
Inductive reasoning: finding the hidden rule
Inductive tests, the AFP says, assess your ability to identify underlying patterns in information and predict outcomes. On screen these are usually visual: a series of panels with shapes that change, and you pick the next panel. Only police applicants sit this test.
- 1
List the features
Shape, number of items, position, rotation, colour or shading, size.
- 2
Track one feature at a time
Across the panels, what does each feature do? Most items change two or three features, each by its own simple rule.
- 3
Predict, then match
Decide what the next panel must look like before you look at the options. Then find the match.
- 4
Eliminate
If you can't pin every rule, rule out options that break the ones you're sure of.
Numerical calculation: speed with a calculator
The calculation test asks you to add, subtract, divide and multiply quickly and accurately, according to the AFP. You're allowed a calculator, pen and paper, and you get 15 minutes. That makes it a test of speed and care more than mathematical knowledge.
Before the calculation test
- ✓ A basic calculator you know well, not your phone
- ✓ Scrap paper and two pens
- ✓ Practise estimating before you key in numbers
- ✓ Know how to work out percentages and averages
- ✓ Check the units in every question
- ✓ Do a 15-minute timed practice set first
Estimation catches most calculator slips. If you're working out 18% of 2,450 and the screen says 4,410, a quick 'about a fifth of 2,500 is 500' tells you you've pressed the wrong key.
The personality questionnaire: honest, consistent answers
The AFP's personality test asks a series of questions to identify competencies and key behaviours that lead to good performance at work. It's 25 minutes and there are no right answers in the usual sense, but it's still scored against what the role needs.
The common mistake is trying to look perfect. Answer as you are at work, with your real strengths and weaknesses. Consistency matters: similar ideas come up in different words, and a candidate who claims to be both highly flexible and someone who never deviates from a plan creates a contradiction. Our psychological assessment guide explains what forces look for.
Two different personality checks
The personality questionnaire in online testing is about work behaviour and fit. The psychological assessment later in the process is separate: it's done by an external provider, includes questionnaires and a face-to-face interview, and has strict mental-health stability rules.
Six original practice questions with worked answers
We wrote these questions to show what each AFP test measures. They are not AFP or SHL test items, and the real inductive test uses pictures rather than text.
Question 1
Deductive: syllogismAll members of the surveillance team hold a security clearance. Some people who hold a security clearance work in Canberra. Which conclusion must be true?
- ASome members of the surveillance team work in Canberra
- BEveryone who works in Canberra holds a clearance
- CNo conclusion about where the surveillance team works can be drawn from these facts
- DAll people with a clearance are on the surveillance team
Show the answer and working
Answer: C
The surveillance team is inside the 'clearance' group, and some of the clearance group works in Canberra, but the Canberra subset might not include anyone from the team. So A could be true but doesn't have to be. B and D reverse the relationships. Asking 'must?' rather than 'could?' is the whole skill.
Question 2
Deductive: schedulingThree investigators (Kim, Lou, Max) are each rostered one day: Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Kim doesn't work Monday. Lou works the day after Max. Who works Wednesday?
- AKim
- BLou
- CMax
- DCannot be determined
Show the answer and working
Answer: A (Kim)
Lou works the day after Max, so the pair is either Monday–Tuesday or Tuesday–Wednesday. If it were Tuesday–Wednesday, Kim would be left with Monday, which breaks the first rule. So Max works Monday, Lou Tuesday and Kim Wednesday. Lou (B) is the trap: it's the answer if you stop at 'Lou follows Max' without testing Kim's rule. Always check the final arrangement against every rule.
Question 3
Inductive: number patternFind the next number: 2, 6, 5, 15, 14, 42, ?
- A41
- B43
- C84
- D126
Show the answer and working
Answer: A (41)
Two operations alternate: ×3, then −1. 2×3 = 6, 6−1 = 5, 5×3 = 15, 15−1 = 14, 14×3 = 42, 42−1 = 41. Alternating rules are common in inductive items; if a single rule doesn't fit, test two that take turns.
Question 4
Inductive: pattern described in wordsIn a sequence of panels, a dot moves clockwise around the four corners of a square, one corner each step, starting top-left. A second dot moves anticlockwise, one corner each step, starting top-left too. After 3 steps, where are the dots?
- ABoth top-left
- BClockwise dot bottom-left, anticlockwise dot top-right
- CClockwise dot top-right, anticlockwise dot bottom-left
- DBoth bottom-right
Show the answer and working
Answer: B
Clockwise from top-left: top-right (1), bottom-right (2), bottom-left (3). Anticlockwise from top-left: bottom-left (1), bottom-right (2), top-right (3). So the clockwise dot is bottom-left and the anticlockwise dot is top-right. Track each moving element separately and count steps carefully: real items punish off-by-one errors.
Question 5
Numerical calculationAn operation's fuel budget is $2,450. 18% has been spent. How much is left?
- A$441
- B$1,960
- C$2,009
- D$2,032
Show the answer and working
Answer: C ($2,009)
18% of 2,450 = 0.18 × 2,450 = 441 spent. 2,450 − 441 = 2,009 left. Faster: 82% remains, and 0.82 × 2,450 = 2,009. A is the amount spent, which is the classic trap of answering a different question.
Question 6
Personality: forced choiceSome personality questionnaires ask you to choose which of several statements is most and least like you, for example: (a) I enjoy leading a group; (b) I check details carefully; (c) I stay calm under pressure. How should you answer?
Show the answer and working
Answer: pick what's genuinely most and least like you
All three are positive, so there's no 'right' answer to spot. Forced-choice formats exist partly to make faking harder. Choose honestly, quickly and consistently. Your profile is built from patterns across many items, not from any single choice.
More original reasoning practice, free every day
Generate fresh numeracy, verbal and logical reasoning sets with worked explanations. Use it alongside SHL's free practice tests, which show the AFP's real format. It isn't the AFP test.
Is there an AFP emotional intelligence test?
You'll find prep sites selling 'AFP emotional intelligence' practice. On the AFP's own application page and online testing fact sheet, which we read on 9 October 2026, there's no test described as emotional intelligence. The online components are personality, deductive, inductive and calculation.
The closest thing is the psychological assessment later in the process. The AFP says it looks at teamwork, emotional self-control, conflict resolution, decision-making under stress and your ability to understand other people's behaviour. Those overlap with what people mean by emotional intelligence, but you can't 'study' for them. You prepare by being honest and by being in a stable place before you apply.
Don't pay for what's free
The AFP says its online tests and practice tests are free, and its application page tells applicants plainly not to pay for practice tests. Start with SHL's free practice tests. If you want more volume, our practice tool has a free daily tier.
A 4-week plan for the AFP online tests
With three attempts and 12 months between them, it's worth preparing properly before you apply. About 30 to 45 minutes a day suits most people.
- 1
Week 1: official practice
45 min a dayDo SHL's free Deductive, Inductive, Calculation and Personality practice tests. Note which felt slowest. That's your priority.
- 2
Week 2: deductive and calculation
40 min a dayDaily logic and scheduling puzzles with pen and paper. A 15-minute timed calculation set every day with the calculator you'll use.
- 3
Week 3: inductive
40 min a dayPattern sets daily. For each mistake, name the rule you missed (rotation, count, position, alternation). Keep doing a short calculation set to stay sharp.
- 4
Week 4: rehearsal and set-up
90-min mockSit the four tests back to back as a mock, timed. Pick your room and time, and plan to sit them across two sessions if that keeps you fresh. Then apply.
Use your 14 days. There's no prize for finishing on day one, and the AFP allows you to complete the tests separately. Sit each one when you're rested.
Results, the 3-attempt limit and reapplying
The AFP publishes clear rules on results and retakes. They're stricter than most forces, so know them before you start.
Online testing
- Outcome timing
- 2 to 4 weeks (application page); within 4 weeks (fact sheet)
- If unsuccessful
- Reapply after 12 months; maximum 3 attempts
Assessment centre
- Outcome timing
- Within 2 weeks
- If unsuccessful
- Reapply after 12 months; feedback can be requested
Psychological assessment
- Outcome timing
- Results valid 12 months if circumstances don't change
- If unsuccessful
- Depends on the reason; stability rules apply
Character and security
- Outcome timing
- Not stated
- If unsuccessful
- No appeal and no feedback, per the AFP
| Stage | Outcome timing | If unsuccessful |
|---|---|---|
| Online testing | 2 to 4 weeks (application page); within 4 weeks (fact sheet) | Reapply after 12 months; maximum 3 attempts |
| Assessment centre | Within 2 weeks | Reapply after 12 months; feedback can be requested |
| Psychological assessment | Results valid 12 months if circumstances don't change | Depends on the reason; stability rules apply |
| Character and security | Not stated | No appeal and no feedback, per the AFP |
The fact sheet adds that if you don't pass, the recruitment team will advise wait times before you can try again. Take that letter as the authority for your own case.
What comes after: fitness, assessment centre and pay
Pass the tests and you move to the Entry Physical Competency Assessment. The standards are below; check your own numbers with our fitness test checker or build a plan with the fitness pass plan.
Plank
- Standard
- 60-second hold
Push-ups
- Standard
- 15 (male) / 8 (female) within 60 seconds
- Note
- Gender X assessed case by case.
Beep test
- Standard
- Level 6.5
- Note
- One attempt, maximum 2 warnings.
| EPCA test | Standard | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Plank | 60-second hold | |
| Push-ups | 15 (male) / 8 (female) within 60 seconds | Gender X assessed case by case. |
| Beep test | Level 6.5 | One attempt, maximum 2 warnings. |
The online assessment centre then assesses six competencies: deciding and initiating action; working with people; analysing; adhering to principles and values; coping with pressure and setbacks; and presenting and communicating information. Rehearse STAR examples for each with our AI mock interview. The AFP's health standards are among the most detailed in Australia; see our police medical requirements guide.
Pay while you train
Paid from day one. Police recruits: Band 2.3, $69,698 base from 9 Dec 2025, plus 15.4% super; the 22% composite appears not to be paid during training. PSO recruits: Band 2.1, $64,754. Free ensuite single room, main meals, mobile phone and laptop; travel to and from the College paid; recruits can ask to live off-site. Existing AFP employees keep their current band and pay point during recruit training.
See the full AFP salary guide and the AFP overview.
Free email alerts
Three attempts only. Get told when the AFP tests change
With a 12-month wait between attempts, you want to know the format before you sit. We track the AFP's online tests, assessment centre and recruit intakes and email you when anything changes.
- ✓Alerts when AFP test components or timings change
- ✓New original reasoning practice
Frequently asked questions
What tests are in the AFP entrance exam?
ACT Policing and National Policing applicants complete a personality questionnaire (25 minutes), deductive reasoning (23 minutes), inductive reasoning (23 minutes) and numerical calculation (15 minutes). Protective Service Officer applicants skip inductive reasoning. The AFP's fact sheet says the tests measure cognitive ability and suitability for the role.
Who runs the AFP online tests?
The AFP says you'll get an invitation from its assessment provider and doesn't name it in the fact sheet, but it points applicants to SHL's free practice tests. Our AFP data file records SHL as the provider. The practice tests to use are the Deductive, Inductive, Personality and Calculation tests on SHL's site.
Can I use a calculator in the AFP test?
Yes, for numerical calculation. The AFP fact sheet lists a calculator, pen and paper for that test, and pen and paper for deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning and the personality questionnaire list nothing extra. Have everything on the desk before you start.
How many times can you sit the AFP online tests?
A maximum of three attempts. If you don't pass, the AFP says you can reapply after 12 months. That makes each attempt valuable, so do the free practice tests and the five practice questions inside the platform before every live test.
Should I pay for AFP practice tests?
The AFP says its online tests, including practice tests, are free, and its application page advises against paying for practice tests. Start with SHL's free practice tests, which are what the AFP points to. Our own practice tool has a free daily tier if you want more original reasoning questions.
Does the AFP have an emotional intelligence test?
Not on the AFP pages we read. The online tests are personality, deductive, inductive and calculation. The psychological assessment later in the process looks at things like emotional self-control, conflict resolution and understanding other people's behaviour, which overlap with emotional intelligence, but the AFP doesn't call it an EI test.
How long do AFP test results take?
The AFP's application page says you'll get your outcome within 2 to 4 weeks, and the online testing fact sheet says within 4 weeks. If you pass, the recruitment team invites you to the next stages, starting with the fitness assessment.
Are your practice questions real AFP test questions?
No. Every question on this page is original, written by us to show the skill each test measures. The AFP and SHL don't publish live questions, and we don't reproduce their examples. Use SHL's free practice tests for the real on-screen format.
Evidence
Sources and how we checked them
Every figure on this page comes from the sources below, read on 9 October 2026. Pay rates and rules change when new agreements are made, so check the source for the date you're reading this. Where we couldn't confirm something from an official source, the page says so instead of guessing. Spotted an error? Read our corrections policy.
- AFP: Online testing for new recruits (fact sheet, March 2026) — components, timings, equipment, SHL practice tests, 4-week outcome
- AFP: Application process — 14 days, 2-4 weeks, 12 months and 3 attempts, assessment centre competencies, psychological assessment
- SHL Direct: practice tests — free practice tests the AFP points to
- AFP: New recruits pathway — eligibility and roles
Related guides
Joining the police
More in this series
General information, not advice. This guide explains published rules and rates. It doesn't consider your personal circumstances and isn't financial, legal, tax or credit advice. Confirm anything you rely on with your force, your police association, the ATO or a licensed professional.