What does Tasmania Police test instead of a written exam?
Tasmania Police calls its entrance testing online suitability testing. It's a set of psychometric assessments you complete online, not a sit-down literacy and numeracy exam like Victoria's. There is no test centre and no published fee for the testing.
Cognitive provider
Talogy
reasoning and reading
Psych inventory
PAI
by PAR Inc
Window
7 days
links then expire
Set-up
Webcam
random photos taken
Cognitive reasoning
- Supplier
- Talogy
- What it measures
- How quickly you learn and how readily you adapt (Tasmania Police's description)
- Pass or fail?
- Scored; cut-off not published
Reading comprehension
- Supplier
- Talogy
- What it measures
- Understanding written material
- Pass or fail?
- Scored; cut-off not published
Personality questionnaire
- Supplier
- Talogy
- What it measures
- Work style and behaviour; no right or wrong answers
- Pass or fail?
- No right answers
Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)
- Supplier
- PAR Inc
- What it measures
- Psychological screening, reviewed by department psychologists
- Pass or fail?
- No pass or fail
| Assessment | Supplier | What it measures | Pass or fail? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive reasoning | Talogy | How quickly you learn and how readily you adapt (Tasmania Police's description) | Scored; cut-off not published |
| Reading comprehension | Talogy | Understanding written material | Scored; cut-off not published |
| Personality questionnaire | Talogy | Work style and behaviour; no right or wrong answers | No right answers |
| Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) | PAR Inc | Psychological screening, reviewed by department psychologists | No pass or fail |
Tasmania Police also sets a formal education standard, so the testing isn't your only check on literacy. Education: left school after 2020, Year 12 or Certificate III; left before 2020, Year 10 with a C pass in Maths and English (Certificate II in General Education for Adults accepted).
Where the online tests fit in the Tasmania Police process
The testing comes early: it's paired with the fitness assessment at the third stage, after your expression of interest and background checks. Tasmania Police says things can move quickly, with invitations to progress possible within a couple of weeks of applying.
1. Expression of interest
- What happens
- Online, rolling intake.
2. Background checks
- What happens
- Integrity, criminal and traffic history (including juvenile) and social media. Prior History Offence Guidelines are published.
3. Fitness assessment and online suitability testing
- What happens
- Fitness test in Hobart, Launceston or Burnie (interstate applicants may submit video), and online suitability/psychometric testing completed within 7 days.
4. Full application
- What happens
- Within 14 days: application form, 2-page selection criteria statement, resume, ID, licence, TCE results and certificates.
5. Interview and assessment day
- What happens
- At the Academy, 8am-4pm: group exercise, individual police-incident scenario and a 3-member panel interview (behavioural, personal history, police scenarios). Interstate applicants via Teams.
6. Certificates
- What happens
- National Police Certificate, First Aid and swimming certificates, at the applicant's cost.
7. Medical
- What happens
- GP-completed medical package, audiologist hearing test and optometrist eye test at the applicant's cost; specialist reports may be requested. Hearing aids allowed if worn on duty; mental-health history assessed case by case; COVID vaccination no longer required. Blood pressure is taken by the GP.
8. Review and selection
- What happens
- By the Commander and Inspector, Recruiting Services. Offers usually go out about 4 weeks before the course starts; the process typically takes 8-12 weeks.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Expression of interest | Online, rolling intake. |
| 2. Background checks | Integrity, criminal and traffic history (including juvenile) and social media. Prior History Offence Guidelines are published. |
| 3. Fitness assessment and online suitability testing | Fitness test in Hobart, Launceston or Burnie (interstate applicants may submit video), and online suitability/psychometric testing completed within 7 days. |
| 4. Full application | Within 14 days: application form, 2-page selection criteria statement, resume, ID, licence, TCE results and certificates. |
| 5. Interview and assessment day | At the Academy, 8am-4pm: group exercise, individual police-incident scenario and a 3-member panel interview (behavioural, personal history, police scenarios). Interstate applicants via Teams. |
| 6. Certificates | National Police Certificate, First Aid and swimming certificates, at the applicant's cost. |
| 7. Medical | GP-completed medical package, audiologist hearing test and optometrist eye test at the applicant's cost; specialist reports may be requested. Hearing aids allowed if worn on duty; mental-health history assessed case by case; COVID vaccination no longer required. Blood pressure is taken by the GP. |
| 8. Review and selection | By the Commander and Inspector, Recruiting Services. Offers usually go out about 4 weeks before the course starts; the process typically takes 8-12 weeks. |
Seven days is short. Clear a few evenings before you submit your expression of interest.
The process typically takes 8 to 12 weeks from application to offer, and offers usually go out about four weeks before a course starts. That's fast compared with most forces, so being ready for the testing before you apply makes a real difference.
Cognitive reasoning: what it measures and how to get faster
Tasmania Police describes the cognitive reasoning test as measuring how quickly somebody can learn and how readily they can adapt. In practice, tests like this present short, timed problems: spotting a pattern, completing a sequence, or drawing a conclusion from a few facts. You don't need any police knowledge.
- 1
Learn the question types first
Do the free Cubiks cognitive practice test that Tasmania Police links to. Knowing the format means you spend the real test thinking, not working out the screen.
- 2
Practise under time pressure
Accuracy without speed won't get you far in a timed test. Do short sets with a timer and track how many you finish.
- 3
Use elimination
In pattern questions, check one feature at a time (shape, number, position, shading). Rule out any option that breaks a rule you've found.
- 4
Don't stall
If a question isn't yielding after a reasonable effort, make your best choice and move on. One stubborn item can cost you three easier ones.
Reasoning skills do improve with practice, mostly because familiarity frees up attention. Two or three weeks of short daily sessions is usually enough to see a difference.
Reading comprehension: reading like an investigator
The reading comprehension test checks that you understand written material accurately. Tasmania Police doesn't publish its length or format. Expect short passages followed by questions about what the text says, what it implies, and what it leaves open.
Habits that score
- ✓Reading the question before the passage
- ✓Finding the exact sentence that supports your answer
- ✓Noticing qualifiers: some, may, usually, only
- ✓Treating 'cannot tell' as a real option
Habits that cost marks
- ✕Using your own knowledge instead of the text
- ✕Choosing the answer that sounds most sensible
- ✕Skimming past hedges like 'researchers caution'
- ✕Rereading the whole passage for every question
Officers read legislation, policy and witness statements, where one word can change the meaning. The same care is what reading tests reward.
The personality questionnaire and the PAI
Two of the four assessments are about you rather than your reasoning. The Talogy personality questionnaire asks how you tend to behave at work; Tasmania Police says there are no right or wrong answers. The Personality Assessment Inventory, published by PAR Inc, is a psychological questionnaire that evaluates psychopathological syndromes, and Tasmania Police says you cannot pass or fail it.
Who reads your PAI
The PAI is reviewed by psychologists within the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management (DPFEM). Tasmania Police says they review it alongside all your other testing. On mental-health history, its FAQ says that depending on the condition there may be a set period during which you must have been stable and off medication; for specifics, it directs questions to recruiting@police.tas.gov.au.
Trying to present a flawless personality is the most common mistake. Psychological questionnaires generally include ways of noticing inconsistent or overly favourable answering, and an obviously polished profile can raise more questions than an honest one. Our guide to police psychological assessment explains what forces screen for and how to prepare legitimately.
Webcam rules, random photos and the 7-day window
Because you sit the tests at home, Tasmania Police sets conduct rules. Breaking them can invalidate your results, and missing the deadline withdraws your application.
Before you click the first link
- ✓ A computer or laptop with a working webcam
- ✓ A quiet room where you won't be disturbed
- ✓ Appropriate clothing: you'll be photographed
- ✓ Nobody helping you: assistance is not permitted
- ✓ Time blocked out within the 7-day window
- ✓ Your junk and spam folders checked for the invitation
Tasmania Police puts it bluntly: your email is your responsibility. Add the recruiting and testing addresses to your safe senders as soon as you apply. Photographs are taken at random intervals for audit and validation purposes, so a second person in the room or a phone in your hand could look like assistance.
Do the cognitive tests first
Tasmania Police doesn't set an order, so this is our suggestion: start with the cognitive and reading tests while you're fresh, then do the personality questionnaire and the PAI, which aren't timed in the same way and need honest reflection rather than speed.
Six original practice questions with worked answers
We wrote these questions to show the skills involved. They are not taken from Talogy, Cubiks, PAR or Tasmania Police, and the real tests look different on screen.
Question 1
Cognitive: number seriesWhat number comes next? 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, ?
- A94
- B126
- C127
- D128
Show the answer and working
Answer: C (127)
Each number is double the previous one, plus 1: 3×2+1 = 7, 7×2+1 = 15, and so on. 63×2+1 = 127. A useful check: the gaps (4, 8, 16, 32) double each time, so the next gap is 64, and 63 + 64 = 127.
Question 2
Cognitive: logicAll officers on the night shift completed first aid refresher training. Sam did not complete first aid refresher training. Which must be true?
- ASam is an officer on the day shift
- BSam is not on the night shift
- CSam is not an officer
- DNo officers on the day shift completed the training
Show the answer and working
Answer: B
If everyone on the night shift did the training and Sam didn't, Sam can't be on the night shift. We can't tell whether Sam is an officer at all, so A and C go beyond the facts. D is unsupported: the statement says nothing about the day shift.
Question 3
Cognitive: pattern ruleA sequence of letter pairs follows one rule: AZ, BY, CX, DW, ?
- AEV
- BEU
- CFV
- DDV
Show the answer and working
Answer: A (EV)
The first letter moves forward one place each time (A, B, C, D, E). The second moves back one place from the end of the alphabet (Z, Y, X, W, V). Splitting a pattern into its separate parts, then finding each part's rule, is the core skill in abstract reasoning too.
Questions 4 and 5 use this passage.
An invented passage: Community policing relies on trust. Residents who believe police will treat them fairly are more likely to report crime and to come forward as witnesses. That trust is built slowly, through many ordinary contacts, and can be damaged quickly by a single poor one. For this reason, some police services now train officers to explain the reasons for their decisions, even when the outcome cannot change. Early evaluations suggest people accept unwelcome decisions more readily when they understand how they were made, although researchers caution that the long-term effects are still being studied.
Question 4
Reading: inferenceAccording to the passage, why do some police services train officers to explain their decisions?
- ABecause it changes the outcome of the decision
- BBecause explaining decisions may help maintain trust
- CBecause researchers have proved it works long term
- DBecause residents demanded it
Show the answer and working
Answer: B
The passage links trust to ordinary contacts and says people accept decisions more readily when they understand them. A contradicts 'even when the outcome cannot change'. C contradicts the caution that long-term effects are still being studied. D isn't mentioned.
Question 5
Reading: qualifiersWhich statement best reflects the writer's view of the evidence?
- AThe approach is proven to work
- BThe approach has no effect
- CEarly results are encouraging but not conclusive
- DResearchers oppose the approach
Show the answer and working
Answer: C
'Early evaluations suggest' plus 'researchers caution that the long-term effects are still being studied' signals cautious optimism. Reading tests often hinge on hedging words like suggest, may and caution; picking A means you skipped them.
Question 6
Personality: answering consistentlyA questionnaire item reads: 'I never lose my temper, even when I'm treated unfairly.' Response options run from Strongly disagree to Strongly agree. How should you approach items like this?
Show the answer and working
Answer: answer honestly; absolute statements are rarely a 'strongly agree'
There's no scored right answer, but notice the absolute word never. Very few people never lose their temper. Agreeing strongly with many statements like this can read as an attempt to look perfect. The better approach is to answer how you actually behave, and to be consistent: if you later meet 'I sometimes get irritated with people', your two answers should fit together.
Build reasoning speed with daily practice
Fresh original numeracy, verbal and logical reasoning sets every day, with worked explanations. It's practice for the skills, not a copy of Talogy's tests.
The written application: no AI, and it's assessed
Once you're through fitness and testing, you have 14 days to lodge the full application: an application form, a two-page selection criteria statement, a resume, ID, licence, your TCE results and certificates. The selection criteria statement is the closest thing Tasmania Police has to a written exam, and it's written in your own time.
Tasmania Police bans AI-written answers
AI tools such as ChatGPT may not be used for written answers, and random checks apply. Write the statement yourself. Practising your writing beforehand is fine; submitting machine-written text is not.
- 1
List your examples
Write down eight to ten real situations from work, study, sport or volunteering where you showed integrity, teamwork, communication or resilience.
- 2
Match them to the criteria
Pick the strongest example for each criterion. Use each example only once if you can.
- 3
Write in STAR
Situation, Task, Action, Result. Spend most of your words on what you did.
- 4
Cut to two pages
Tight writing is part of the test. Remove background the reader doesn't need.
The same examples feed straight into the panel interview at the assessment day, so this work pays off twice. Our AI mock interview lets you rehearse them out loud.
A 4-week plan for the Tasmania Police online tests
Do most of this before you lodge your expression of interest, because the seven-day window can arrive quickly. About 30 minutes a day is enough for most people.
- 1
Week 1: meet the format
30 min a dayTake the free Cubiks cognitive and personality practice tests that Tasmania Police links to. Note which reasoning question types slowed you down.
- 2
Week 2: reasoning speed
30 min a dayDaily timed sets of number series, logic and pattern questions. Keep an error log: was it a misread, a wrong rule, or time pressure?
- 3
Week 3: reading accuracy
30 min a dayTwo short passages a day with questions. For each wrong answer, find the word in the passage that should have stopped you.
- 4
Week 4: set-up and rehearsal
45 min a dayTest your webcam and connection, pick your room, and do one full timed rehearsal. Draft your selection criteria examples so you're ready for the 14-day application window.
Don't 'practise' the PAI or rehearse personality answers. There's nothing to learn, and rehearsed answers are what these questionnaires are designed to notice.
Results, resits and what Tasmania Police doesn't publish
Tasmania Police publishes the testing rules but not the scoring. We couldn't find published cut-off scores for the Talogy tests, a resit waiting period, or a statement on whether you receive feedback. Here's what is and isn't on the record.
Cut-off scores for cognitive and reading tests
- What's published
- Not published
Can you fail the PAI?
- What's published
- No: Tasmania Police says it has no pass or fail
What if you don't finish in 7 days?
- What's published
- Your application is withdrawn
Resit or reapply waiting period
- What's published
- Not published on the testing or FAQ pages
Feedback on results
- What's published
- Not published
Cost of testing
- What's published
- No fee is mentioned
| Question | What's published |
|---|---|
| Cut-off scores for cognitive and reading tests | Not published |
| Can you fail the PAI? | No: Tasmania Police says it has no pass or fail |
| What if you don't finish in 7 days? | Your application is withdrawn |
| Resit or reapply waiting period | Not published on the testing or FAQ pages |
| Feedback on results | Not published |
| Cost of testing | No fee is mentioned |
If you're unsuccessful, ask Recruiting Services directly what the waiting period is before you can reapply and whether any feedback is available. Get the answer in writing.
What comes after testing, and what you'll earn
After the written application comes the assessment day at the Academy (8am to 4pm), with a group exercise, an individual police-incident scenario and a three-member panel interview. Then certificates, the medical (GP package, audiologist and optometrist, at your cost) and final review.
Tasmania Police's medical includes the Farnsworth D-15 colour vision test, and there's a known conflict between its BMI figures on two pages. We explain both in our police medical requirements guide. The fitness test uses a traffic-light system, which you can check against your own numbers with our fitness test checker.
Pay while you train
Trainee Constable rate: $61,801 a year (FFPPOOA 1 Dec 2025), rising to $63,655 from Dec 2026.
See the Tasmania Police salary guide for every level and the Tasmania Police overview for conditions. Entrance Exam Prep costs A$39.99 if you want unlimited practice sets.
Free email alerts
Get told when Tasmania Police opens its next course
Tasmania runs several recruit courses a year and testing moves fast once you apply. We'll email you when intake dates or the online testing change, plus new original reasoning practice.
- ✓Course start dates and testing changes for Tasmania
- ✓New original reasoning and reading practice
Frequently asked questions
Does Tasmania Police have an entrance exam?
Not a traditional sit-down exam. Tasmania Police uses online suitability testing instead: Talogy tests of cognitive reasoning and reading comprehension, a Talogy personality questionnaire, and the PAR Personality Assessment Inventory. You complete them at home on a computer with a webcam, usually within seven days.
What is Talogy?
Talogy is the assessment company that supplies Tasmania Police's cognitive reasoning, reading comprehension and personality tests. Tasmania Police points applicants to free Cubiks practice tests for the cognitive reasoning and personality questionnaire. Cubiks is a brand associated with Talogy's testing.
Can you fail the PAI?
Tasmania Police says you cannot pass or fail the Personality Assessment Inventory. It's a psychological questionnaire reviewed by the department's psychologists, who use it alongside the rest of your application. Answer honestly and consistently rather than trying to guess what they want.
How long do I have to complete the Tasmania Police online tests?
Tasmania Police says you generally have only seven days to complete the testing before the links expire, and that failing to complete it will see your application withdrawn. Check your junk and spam folders, because the invitation comes by email.
Do I need a webcam for the Tasmania Police tests?
Yes. You need a computer or laptop with a working webcam. Photographs are taken at random intervals during testing for audit and validation, so choose a quiet room, dress appropriately, and don't have anyone help you; assistance is not permitted.
Can I use ChatGPT for my Tasmania Police application?
No. Tasmania Police says AI tools such as ChatGPT may not be used for written answers in your application, and it runs random checks. Write your selection criteria statement yourself, from your own examples. Using practice tools to improve your skills beforehand is a different thing from submitting AI-written answers.
What education do I need to join Tasmania Police?
If you left school after 2020 you need Year 12 or a Certificate III. If you left before 2020, Year 10 with a C pass in Maths and English is accepted, and a Certificate II in General Education for Adults also counts. Check the entry requirements page for the current wording.
Are your practice questions from the real Tasmania Police tests?
No. The six questions on this page are original, written by us to show the kinds of reasoning and reading skills the tests measure. Talogy and Tasmania Police don't publish live questions, and we don't reproduce their material. Use the free Cubiks practice tests for the official 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.
- Tasmania Police Recruitment: Online Suitability Testing — Talogy tests, PAI, 7 days, webcam and photo rules, Cubiks practice tests; read 9 Oct 2026
- Tasmania Police Recruitment: Recruitment process — stages and order
- Tasmania Police Recruitment: Entry requirements — education and other eligibility rules
- Tasmania Police Recruitment: FAQs — timeframes and medical notes
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.