What the RCMP Online Entrance Assessment is
The RCMP Online Entrance Assessment is an early step for people applying to become an RCMP police officer. You receive a link and have 14 days to complete it. The RCMP describes it as an assessment of your personality, behaviour and cognitive ability rather than an exam, and asks you to set aside about 55 to 70 minutes and finish it in one sitting on a computer with a stable connection. Some sections are timed, but there is no overall time limit. If you are not successful, you can apply again after a 3-month waiting period.
The RCMP does not publish how many questions each section has or what score you need. Anyone who tells you an exact pass mark is guessing.
The six sections
| Section | What it involves | Timing | Practised here? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Workstyle preference | Statements you rate from strongly disagree to strongly agree, from a workplace point of view | Not stated | No: there are no right answers (tips below) |
| 2. Language comprehension | Part A word meanings (synonyms), Part B word relationships (analogies) | 5 minutes per part | Yes |
| 3. Numerical skills | Part A addition and multiplication, Part B mixed operations, no calculator | 3 minutes per part | Yes |
| 4. Spatial skills | Rotated shapes, 3D shapes, mechanical diagrams, folding cubes | 3 to 5 minutes per part | No: picture-based |
| 5. Memory quotient | View an image, list of numbers or text, then answer from memory | About 25 minutes | No: needs a timed display (tips below) |
| 6. Business reasoning | Verbal reasoning (word pairs, policy scenarios) and math word problems, no calculator | 20 to 25 minutes | Yes |
In the real assessment most questions have five choices, and one of them is "I don't know". The RCMP's guide says you may skip questions and that each correct answer earns 1 point. Our practice questions have four choices and no "I don't know" option, because the point here is to learn the method behind each answer.
What our question bank covers, and what it does not
We are honest about this: our bank covers only the text-based parts of the assessment, which are language comprehension, numerical skills and business reasoning. That is three of the six sections, split into five practice areas: word meanings, word relationships, numerical calculations, verbal reasoning and numerical reasoning.
We do not cover the spatial skills section, because it is built from pictures of shapes, cubes and mechanical diagrams and our site shows no images. We do not score the workstyle section, because it is a preference survey with no right or wrong answers. And we do not simulate the memory section, because it depends on a stimulus that disappears after a set time.
How to prepare for each section
Language comprehension
For word meanings, pick the option closest in meaning, not just a word that often appears near it. Watch for look-alike traps such as discreet (tactful) and discrete (separate). For word relationships, say the link out loud as a sentence ("a hammer drives a nail") and then test each option with the same sentence.
Numerical skills
With only 3 minutes per part and no calculator, speed with the basics matters. Practise times tables to 12, adding three-digit numbers in your head, and the order of operations: brackets first, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. Many wrong options are built from working strictly left to right.
Business reasoning
The verbal part includes policy scenarios: read every condition in the rule and check each one against each person. The numerical part uses everyday work problems such as discounts, rates, averages and percentages, and the RCMP's guide shows "None of the above" as one of the choices, so always finish your working instead of picking the nearest number.
Spatial skills (not in our bank)
Study the RCMP's own preparatory guide, which shows the item types. Away from the screen, practise with physical objects: rotate and flip a sheet of paper with a mark on one corner, build simple shapes from blocks, and fold paper cube nets to see which faces end up next to each other.
Memory quotient (not in our bank)
You get a short time to study an image, a list of numbers or a passage, then answer questions from memory. Practise by giving yourself one minute with a news photo or a short paragraph, covering it, and writing down colours, directions, numbers and names. Group numbers into chunks and say key details to yourself as you look.
Workstyle preference (not scored here)
The RCMP asks you to answer honestly and quickly from a workplace point of view, without overthinking. There is nothing to memorize. Trying to guess an "ideal" answer is more likely to make your answers inconsistent.
On the day
- Use a desktop or laptop in a quiet room, with a stable connection and power.
- Keep a pen and paper ready for working; calculators are not allowed.
- Plan to do the whole assessment in one session.
- Do not ask anyone for help: outside help is not permitted.
Aptitude Tests Canada is an independent practice platform. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the RCMP or the Government of Canada, and our questions are original practice items, not real assessment questions.
Three worked examples
One question from different sections of the full pack, with the answer and explanation.
Which word is closest in meaning to DILIGENT?
- light-hearted
- industrious
- suspicious
- forgetful
Choose the word that completes the relationship. HOT : COLD :: ANCIENT : ?
- warm
- old
- modern
- historic
Work out the answer without a calculator: 126 + 259 = ?
- 395
- 385
- 375
- 485