What happens if you fail?

[junebughunter]

What happens if you fail any part of the process?

The test I'm assuming you can retake but what about the QAP? What happens if you have a crappy interview? Or what if your BI finds something "minor" that is inconsistent that you were unaware you were "lying" about? I read somewhere on this board that someone had akward terms of leaving a job that in a sense meant he was fired but not quite and during his QAP they asked him if he had ever been fired and he said "no." and the BI detector dq'd him because he said he lied during his QAP, is there no chance to explain the circumstances?

What about the polygraph or cvsa? I did a search on google for "polygraph" the first result was antipolygraph.org which is a credible website that shows many facts saying that CVSA's and Polygraph's are completely unscientific and unconclusive and there is even a quote from maker(s) of the CVSA that, in a court hearing, said that the CVSA can only be 50% accurate.

Anyway, is the whole process a fail until you succeed sort of thing? Are their certain aspects you can fail and retry and others you can not? I am pretty confident in my interviewee skils, honesty, background and overall how well I represent myself as what would be a good future employee but when it comes to something this important to me it tends to mess with my nerves a little.

[Dipmo]

What happens if you fail any part of the process?

The test I'm assuming you can retake but what about the QAP? What happens if you have a crappy interview? Or what if your BI finds something "minor" that is inconsistent that you were unaware you were "lying" about? I read somewhere on this board that someone had akward terms of leaving a job that in a sense meant he was fired but not quite and during his QAP they asked him if he had ever been fired and he said "no." and the BI detector dq'd him because he said he lied during his QAP, is there no chance to explain the circumstances?

What about the polygraph or cvsa? I did a search on google for "polygraph" the first result was antipolygraph.org which is a credible website that shows many facts saying that CVSA's and Polygraph's are completely unscientific and unconclusive and there is even a quote from maker(s) of the CVSA that, in a court hearing, said that the CVSA can only be 50% accurate.

Anyway, is the whole process a fail until you succeed sort of thing? Are their certain aspects you can fail and retry and others you can not? I am pretty confident in my interviewee skils, honesty, background and overall how well I represent myself as what would be a good future employee but when it comes to something this important to me it tends to mess with my nerves a little.

You only have to pass the written once. The QAP you can take as many times as you need until you get a good score (I took mine three times). As far as being DQ'd, always tell the truth and you should be okay. CVSA is what it is, give complete and straight answers and you will be fine. There are officers on this board that were DQ'd during backgrounds, reapplied, and were later hired. Be complete, and when in doubt tell the QAP or BI about it and let them decide if it matters or not.

Good luck.

[junebughunter]

Thanks for that response, that actually puts me at ease quite a bit. How is the QAP scored, I've seen people put up numbers such as 85 and 90 so is it 0-100? Also what percentage of your answers must be correct in order to pass the test. I know how the essay is graded but not the test itself. What is required to pass, I am guessing a somewhere around 70-75%?

[Dipmo]

Get a hold of the applicant study guide (Search here or look on the CHP website). It outlines how the essay is scored, goes over other parts of the written and gives tips on the QAP.

As for how the QAP is scored, who knows? That may be one of those mysteries that are never solved. The top score is a 95 and during this last cycle those scoring 85 and up were selected to move on.

[retchp]

Use the search feature on this forum. The button is at the top of the page. Just click and type in what you are concerned about and things will pop up, maybe from a long time ago too. Don't just depend on the current threads for information JB, most any question you can ask has been discussed somewhere on here already, particularly things that occur to potiential cadets as most all have a variation of the same concerns. Then once you are familiar with a topic maybe move it intoa current thread or even a new thread if you are still not getting the information you need. Collectively we all can help each other get to the goal, which is becoming a journeyman CHP officer.

[pupdog]

There are no "right" answers to the QAP, just YOUR answers. The panel will go through your application and ask about jobs. Those are definitly your answers and nobody else's, because no other applicant has had your specific work history. They will ask situation questions. Again, there's many ways to answer. How would YOU respond...They aern't asking how an officer is supposed to, because they know that you have not been through their academy and therefore don't know the procedures. It's to get an idea of how you operate and use judgement.

Of course the CVSA & polygraph are unscientific. They are, however, the tools available at this point in time, and are better than nothing.

[dw]

The application process is definitely not "fail until you succeed." You are given the opportunity to retest if you are not successful in a portion of the testing, and some take advantage of this. Others make it through on the first try. I sound like a broken record, but the application process is what it is. It may take more than one attempt to get a competetive score to move on from the QAPs to backgrounds. (Which, by the way, are scored 70-95 for passing scores, before veterans preference points. The last cycle we moved 85+ scores on to backgrounds.)

I too stressed about the process and read antipolygraph.org, it is natural to do so. But it really isn't necessary. You've heard the stats that less than 1% of those who apply go to the Academy, which is true. Look at the numbers this way: roughly 50% don't show for the written and another 50% don't pass it. By simply showing up to the written and studying publicly available resources ahead of time, you're ahead of 75% of the others. A majority of background disqualifications are for dishonesty, so if you're 100% honest, that puts you a step ahead. Medical and psych are beyond your control, but account for a relatively small percentage of DQs.

My point here is that for someone who is truly motivated to become an Officer, and has lived a life in accordance with being a peace officer, getting this job is very possible. Yes, you have to put forth the effort (study for the written, prepare for the QAP, workout for the PAT), but that effort is what separates you from the other guy who goes to Burger King because they offered him a job first.