Chicago Police Department Police Officer Exam

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Get certified from your home or office

Take your Chicago Police Department (CPD) exam conveniently from home through OnVUE online proctoring. A live proctor will monitor you through the webcam on your workstation to provide a secure exam experience.

Watch the short video on the CPD online proctoring page to see how convenient it is to test from home or work. Be sure to run the system test before you sign in to register for an online proctored exam. Good luck!

Congratulations on your decision to become a Chicago Police Officer!

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is an equal opportunity employer that strives to hire a diverse workforce that reflects the broad cross section of Chicago’s communities. CPD is community-oriented organization that believes in the highest standards for the agency, as demonstrated by our CALEA (Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies) accreditation.

  • Joining the Chicago Police Department allows Chicagoans to make a difference in their community while providing a stable, well-paying job that can support their families.
  • Police officers have enormous pride in what we do. We are serving our families, our neighbors, and our communities every day, making the world better for those around us.
  • Our Officers receive a competitive starting salary of $54,672 that increases to $82,458 annually after just 18 months. Benefits include regularly scheduled salary increases, city-subsidized medical and dental insurance, holidays, tuition reimbursement, and retirement savings and pension plans.

Minimum Requirements- Must be met at time of hire:

  • Candidates cannot enter the Police Academy until they reach the age of 21 and may not enter after the age of 40.
  • 60 semester hours (90 quarter hours) from an accredited college or university; in lieu of educational requirements, applicants may have:
    • Served two (2) consecutive years (24 months) on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States and received an Honorable Discharge (Documentation Required), OR
    • Completed at least 30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) from an accredited college or university AND has served one (1) continuous year on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States (Documentation Required), OR
    • At least two (2) years of full-time employment as a peace officer, OR
    • At least three (3) years of full-time employment as a correctional officer within the last 4 years, OR
    • At least three (3) years of full-time employment as a detention officer within the last 4 years, OR
    • At least three (3) years of full-time employment as a licensed professional security or private security contractor within the last 4 years, OR
    • At least three (3) years of full-time employment working in the professional trade industry within the last 4 years, OR
    • At least three (3) years of full-time employment in the last four (4) years providing paraprofessional work experience to the public or community in one of the following fields: social services, health care services, and/or education
  • A valid Driver’s License
  • A valid FOID (Firearm Owners Identification) card
  • Actual Resident of the City of Chicago
  • Permanent resident of the United States (Citizenship is NOT required)

The selection process includes the following steps:

  • Police Officer exam
  • Processing and physical assessment
  • Background investigation
  • Medical examination
  • Psychological examination
  • Drug screen
  • Final Police Officer Wellness Evaluation Report (POWER) Test
  • Other pre-employment procedures as determined by the Chicago Police Department

The Police Officer Exam

Before scheduling an examination appointment, you must have already:

  • Completed an application for the Chicago Police Officer position; and received an Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE that will include your exam eligibility timeframe and instructions for how to schedule your exam.
  • The Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE will be sent to the email address provided on your police officer application. If the email address you originally provided on your police officer application is no longer accurate, you must resolve the discrepancy before you schedule an exam by contacting City of Chicago Department of Human Resources at police-application@cityofchicago.org.
  • Pearson VUE UserName & Password: First-time test takers will receive, via email, a username and password from Pearson VUE to use to log into the Person VUE website to schedule your exam. Appointments may be made up to one week prior to the exam date.
  • After you schedule your test, Pearson VUE will send a confirmation email that will include your test date, testing time, test center address, and directions to the test center.

Exam Delivery Methods

The Chicago Police Department currently supports exam delivery through two mechanisms:

  1. Test Center based delivery through Pearson VUE’s national network of testing centers.
  2. Online Proctoring (OP), known as OnVUE, allows you to sit the exam at your convenience at a suitable non-test center location, while being watched by a remote exam proctor through your webcam. Read more about OnVUE to learn about the process and decide if OP is right for you.
    • Note that writing utensils and paper are not allowed during OP exams, but you will have the option to use the inbuilt Online Proctored Whiteboard feature while taking the exam online.
    • If you are uncomfortable with any of the OP requirements, we recommend you schedule an in-person exam at a Pearson VUE Test Center.

Exam Security and Candidate Agreement

The Chicago Police Department and City of Chicago take the security of its certification exams seriously and requires all candidates to accept the terms of a Candidate Agreement. By accepting these agreements, candidates agree to the terms and conditions of the Chicago Police Department and City of Chicago, by maintaining the confidentiality of the content of all exams.

Last updated 2022-10-06