The Psychological Gateway
Hi I'm Tayla and I'm a psychologist at Victoria Police.
Victoria Police employees undertake a wide variety of roles, and can be exposed to a range of situations that can be psychologically demanding.
This is why we have Psychological testing as one of the gateways that determines an applicant’s suitability for the role they’re applying for. The Psychological Gateway will form part of the overall assessment.
It allows us to get a better understanding of your emotional and psychological skills.
How we test
The first phase of the Psychological Gateway is a psychological test, which is a personality test that tells us about your attributes, skills and preferences, as well as your personality style.
It is a valid, reliable and widely used test in law enforcement selection across Australia and the world.
It’s important to understand that results do not depend on one single answer to a question, but instead, look at overall patterns. This is why it’s best to answer honestly and try not to overthink or second guess the questions.
There is no benefit in trying to “beat” the test, or answer in ways you think you “should”, as the test will generally indicate if this is happening. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to answer, so the best advice is to take your time, and provide honest and measured responses.
Depending on the outcome of your psychological test, some applicants may be required to have a 1 on 1 meeting with a registered psychologist.
Don’t be alarmed if you’re asked to do this, as it’s common practice. It’s often related to quite normal responses, that we need to obtain more information about.
For those who do meet with a psychologist, expect to be asked questions of a personal nature, for example, your employment, family, mental health, previous experiences, as well as how you react and respond to certain situations.
The questions will follow a semi-structured format – this means that some questions will be consistent, while others may be tailored to you based on your test
answers and general background.
It’s important to note that the presence or absence of a mental health condition is not grounds for exclusion. If a condition is present, we want to know that is has been, or is being, treated appropriately, and has been resolved, or is in a stable condition.
Where required, the Medical Advisory unit may request further information from treaters of any conditions for further assessment.
Once the Psychologist has assessed your test information, as well as your 1 on 1 interview where relevant, they will provide a recommendation about your progress to the next gateway.
Preparing for your testing
Obviously by applying for the role of Police Officer, PSO or PCO, you are eager to enter the Victoria Police workforce.
One of the best ways you can prepare for the recruitment process, is to speak to someone who works in the role you’re applying for.
It’s also worth writing down why you actually want this role, and what draws you to this career path.
Knowing that these roles can, at times, be emotionally and mentally demanding, and considering how you are going to cope with this, and maintain your own wellbeing, is also important.
Have a think about the sorts of activities and tasks the role would undertake, as well as the people and situations you’d engage with. From there, really consider not just what you’d experience, but how you’d approach these situations.
Consider what psychological skills and qualities would be needed in order to be effective.
Next, write down some situations from your own life, where you have demonstrated some of the skills and characteristics you’ve recognised in the role you’re applying for. Identify what happened, and what you did, whilst also noting down how you identified and approached the situation at hand.
Having your own real-life examples at the ready will likely allow you to be clearer in your answers during the Psychological Gateway tests.
Understanding the process of the Psychological Gateway, what to expect, and how to prepare, will give you the best opportunity with your application.
If you don’t pass
We understand that it can be confusing and disappointing to be unsuccessful in the Psychological gateway.
It doesn’t mean any judgement has been made on your mental health. It just means that based on the Psychologists assessment, you have not satisfied the inherent emotional and mental requirements for the role you’ve applied for adequately.
This can be as a result of not providing enough detail in your answers, or not remaining focussed on the question being asked. It could also be that while you’ve been able to identify “what” you did, you struggled to identify “how” you did it in response to a scenario.
In these cases, the assessing psychologist cannot extract the level of information they need.
Understanding the process of the Psychological Gateway, what to expect, how to prepare, will give you the best opportunity with your application.
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