FAQs • Aurora, IL • CivicEngage

What if I was home-schooled, am I still eligible?: Home-schooling certainly won’t make you ineligible, but we still need to establish comparative minimum academic standards. If you were home-schooled, you will have to achieve either the 2480 G.E.D. minimum composite score, or the 2.5 college G.P.A. requirement (after at least 16 hours of college credit).

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Police Department - Recruitment

1. When will APD be testing again?: Testing dates and more information on how to join the team at the Aurora Police Department are posted on our recruiting website. Click here to learn more.

2. Where will the test location(s) be?: We use a video-based, job simulation multiple choice exam administered and proctored by National Testing Network. The applicant registers, pays the required fee, and selects which location, in their respective state where they would take the test.

3. How long after I test can I expect to be offered a job?: There is no definitive answer to this question. We operate under a Civil Service Commission. The commission establishes an eligibility list from those candidates who successfully passed the testing process, and we hire from that eligibility list. Hiring is done quarterly, and the number of positions hired is dependent on the number of openings we have due to retirements, resignations, increases in authorized strength, etc. Your placement on the eligibility list relative to the number of openings available will determine when you will be offered a position.

5. How can I prepare for the physical test/what does it consist of?: Visit the Police Department page to see what the physical test consists of.

6. Can I study for the written test?: The written test is a general aptitude test designed to test your inherent skills and abilities. There are many test guides published that claim to be useful study guides for police written tests. The City of Aurora and the Aurora Police Department neither vouch for nor recommend any of these products.

The City of Aurora offers preference points that are added to test results to determine final placement on the eligibility list.

Those preference points are as follows:

Aurora residency: 5 points
Bachelor Degree: 5 points
Associate Degree (or 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours): 2 points
Military service: 5 points for active duty service of more than 180 days
Total preference points are not cumulative, and can not exceed a total of 10 points.

8. Does Aurora accept lateral transfers from other police departments?: Yes! Learn more about our lateral program here.

9. Are there any exceptions to the 2.5 G.P.A./2480 G.E.D. minimum composite score?: No. Understand though, that the high school and college G.P.A.s are independent of one another. If your high school G.P.A. was under 2.5 but you’ve had at least 16 hours of college credit and your college G.P.A. is 2.5 or higher, you’re eligible. By the same token, if your college G.P.A. is under 2.5 but your high school G.P.A. was 2.5 or higher, you’re eligible. A G.E.D. minimum composite score of at least 2480 is also independent of any G.P.A.s, and would also make you eligible.

10. What if I was home-schooled, am I still eligible?: Home-schooling certainly won’t make you ineligible, but we still need to establish comparative minimum academic standards. If you were home-schooled, you will have to achieve either the 2480 G.E.D. minimum composite score, or the 2.5 college G.P.A. requirement (after at least 16 hours of college credit).

11. If I’m hired, can I start out in a specialized unit?: No. All new officers begin in uniformed patrol.

12. How do I learn more about the Aurora Police Department?: View the Police Office Recruitment PowerPoint Presentation (PDF).

13. What can I expect when taking the video-based, job simulation multiple choice exam?: There are three components to the National Testing Network: a video-based human relations test, a reading ability test and a report writing test. Testing takes approximately 2.5 hours.