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Taking the Ontario Police Constable Entrance Test? Sigma Survey for Police Officers (SSPO) Practice Questions

Ontario Provincial Police 

The Ontario Police service are a division of the Ministry of the Solicitor General that serves the province of Ontario. It has the responsibility of ensuring all law enforcement activities within the province as well as outside. It is the second largest police service in Canada. Candidates for Provincial Police Constable are competitively recruited based on their abilities.

The OPP, the most extensive provincial police in Canada, is a highly trained and professional force. The OPP is committed to keeping the people of Ontario safe.

The Ontario Provincial Police started in 1867 and is among Canada’s oldest provincial police services. The OPP supports Ontario’s municipal police with criminal investigations, traffic enforcement, and other facilities.

Becoming a Police Officer in Ontario is a competitive process, but the right preparation makes all the difference. To join services like the OPP, Toronto Police, or York Regional Police, you must first earn your OACP Certificate. This requires passing the Sigma Survey for Police Officers (SSPO), which tests your mental ability, reasoning, and communication skills. Don’t waste time studying outdated PATI material. Our OACP Practice Questions and Study Guide are designed for the current exam format, helping you master police problem-solving, grammar, and spelling. Start your preparation today and take the first step toward your badge.

The SSPO is the gatekeeper to your career in law enforcement. Used for the OACP Certificate in Ontario and the Saskatoon Police Service, this test demands speed, accuracy, and specific logic skills.

Here is the Problem – You have 35 minutes to answer 74 questions. That’s less than 30 seconds per question. Most candidates don’t fail because they aren’t smart—they fail because they run out of time.

Here is the Solution – Stop guessing. Our SSPO practice packages teach you the specific grammar rules and problem-solving logic used on the actual exam.

Occupational Outlook

Wages and Salary

Police officers (except commissioned)  start at $27.00/hour and go up to $57.95/hour in the Toronto Region. People working as a “community services officer – police” are part of this group.

Toronto region:

  • Approximately 9,110 police officers
  • Police officers work primarily in the following sectors:
    • Local, municipal, regional, aboriginal and other public administration: 83%
    • Federal government public administration : 9%
    • Provincial and territorial public administration : 7%

The SSPO Test is your Gateway to an in-demand and exciting career!

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 Official Ontario Police SSPO Study Guide & Practice Questions in high-quality print. Perfect for hands-on study, highlighting, and physical test preparation. Shipped directly via Amazon.
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What is the SSPO?

Definition: The SSPO (Sigma Survey for Police Officers) is a cognitive ability test designed to measure your ability to write police reports and solve practical problems.

Where it is used:

Ontario (OACP Certificate): The SSPO is the “Part B” General Mental Ability Assessment required for all Ontario applicants (OPP, Toronto, Peel, York, etc.).

Saskatchewan Required for the Saskatoon Police Service.

Format at a Glance:

Total Questions: 74

Time Limit: 35 Minutes (Strict!)

Format: Online, proctored.

Application and Selection Process

Ontario police Application Process

The process below is for Ontario, and most police agencies in Toronto follow this process.

  1. Get an Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) Certificate
  2. Complete medical tests for hearing and vision
  3. Start the fitness assessment and submit an Ontario police online application.
  4. Pre-screening and written interview
  5. Finish fitness log obtaining minimum level 7 (see below for details)
  6. Interviews
  7. Complete personality inventory
  8. The background investigation and psychological assessment
  9. Offered condition of employment

Selected candidates advance to recruitment training at Ontario Police College. Recruits need to complete the training program to become police officers.

 

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The Ontario Police Interview

The Ontario police interview is the most crucial part of the process. The interviewer assesses candidate’s interpersonal skills, communication, and ability to think beyond and make wise decisions under pressure.

Police officers and civilians conduct the interview process, which they structure into three parts:

  1. The opening section: This is the pre-background questionnaire. Once the interviewer accepts your cover letters and resume, you must complete a questionnaire. Essay questions depend on the position you applied for. The candidates must answer questions about their background and experience under pressure.
  2. A role play section: This is the second important interview section, provided you passed the first section. The panel gives a scenario to the candidate who should respond to it under pressure; they will ask questions to test your understanding of the community and the role you perform. The interviewer asks you to test yourself with more questions to see if you qualify for the next section.
  3. A closing section: This is the final and the most challenging essential competencies interview section. The panel asks the candidates motivational questions about why they want to join the police force.

Background Check

Ontario Provincial Police conduct a criminal record check as a part of their application process. The assessment is a requirement for the police to review your personal history.

Ontario Police Fitness Test

The Ontario Police Fitness Test is vital to every officer in the Ontario province. The test contains four components: a cardiovascular fitness test, flexibility test, body composition test, and muscular endurance test.

The test assesses the applicant’s ability and must ensure that the police officer is physically fit to perform the assigned duties.

The Ontario Police Psychological Evaluation

The Police use the Ontario Police Psychological Test to evaluate the psychological health of potential candidates. Officers face many challenges, including horrifying crime scenes, violence, abusive language, and more.

This test does not test your mental stability; it is an evaluation of your mental fitness to encounter all the possible scenarios you may face while working in law enforcement.

Vital characteristics for officers are control impulse, judgment, good courage, honesty, integrity, dependability, ability to deal with supervision, appropriate attitudes, and ability to handle stress.

The police psychological test has three sections, depending on the agency. Below are the components:

1.    Self-Evaluation

This section is a pre-test that involves your personal history such as education, strengths and weaknesses, as well as background information like drug abuse, and employment records.

2.    Series of Questions

Questions determine your psychological strength. Questions are multiple choice, where you express your feeling by marking one answer from the multiple choices to show if you agree, strongly agree, neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree.

The series of questions will often repeat to enable the psychologist to evaluate your honesty, consistency, and integrity, so don’t lie.

3.    Eye-to-Eye Conversation with a Psychologist

The psychologist will ask the same questions you have answered in the pre-test for clarification and explanation. They will want to know more about your background, education, your current lifestyle, and previous work experience.

Free SSPO Practice Questions

Police Incident Reporting - Click for Larger - https://test-preparation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Incident-Reporting.png

SSPO Section A – Incident Report Writing

This section tests if you have the literacy skills to write reports, which often are used in court. It may look easy, but tricky spelling and grammar traps can ruin your score.

Spelling
You are given a word (e.g., “Occurance”) and must decide YES or NO if it is spelled correctly. Tip: Watch for double letters!
Spelling Practice Questions

Spelling Rules

 

 

Vocabulary
Choose the best synonym for a word used in a police context (e.g., “The suspect was apprehended”).
Police Vocabulary

Synonym Practice Questions

General Vocabulary Practice Questions

 

 

Grammar & Punctuation You see 4 versions of a sentence. You must pick the one with correct capitalization and punctuation.

Grammar Practice Questions

Punctuation Practice Questions

Why Practice Matters You cannot rely on ‘gut feeling’ for grammar. You need to know the rules of comma splices, capitalization, and subject-verb agreement.

Problem Solving - Click for Larger - https://test-preparation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Problem-Solving.png

SSPO Section B – Police Problem Solving (The “Score Killer”)

This section measures your logical reasoning and judgment. It uses realistic police scenarios and map-based questions.

You are given a rule (e.g., “Officers may only enter a park after dusk if…”) and a scenario. You must decide if the officer’s action was correct.

Map ReadingMap Reading & Logic Officer A is 3 blocks north of the bank. Officer B is 2 blocks east…” Questions require spatial orientation and quick mental mapping.
Map Reading Practice
Sentence Logic Practice
Logic Practice II 
Logic Tutorial

 

Ethical Judgment and Applying Rules –  Determining the “best” course of action in a difficult situation.

Police Problem Solving
Police Judgement Practice
Police Situation judgement – In-depth Analysis
Police Situation Judgement Workbook

 

Test Strategy
These questions are wordy. We teach you how to scan for keywords so you don’t waste precious minutes reading unnecessary details.
This is a multiple choice test – help with multiple choice

Get some experience!  A great opportunity and common career path is to build your law enforcement resume by gaining experience in high-level security roles. Preparing for the GardaWorld entrance evaluations is a great way to sharpen your situational judgment skills before the police exam

Written by, Brian Stocker MA., Complete Test Preparation Inc.

Date Published: Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016
Date Modified: Monday, May 18th, 2026



Complete Test Preparation Inc. is not affiliated with the Ontario Police, who do not endorse and are not involved in the production of this product.
Written by, Brian Stocker MA., Complete Test Preparation Inc.

Date Published: Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016
Date Modified: Monday, May 18th, 2026