Apply for the Partial Waiver Assessment Test for Law Enforcement Officers Transferring from Out of State

If you are a law enforcement officer transferring to Pennsylvania and want to become certified as a municipal police officer in Pennsylvania, you may qualify for an assessment test to determine what areas of training may be waived. Use the TACS website to apply.

Assessment test

Out-of-state law enforcement officers transferring to Pennsylvania can apply to take a waiver assessment test. The current test consists of 200 multiple-choice questions, scored in three sections corresponding to the first three modules of the basic municipal police training program.  More information about the test can be found in the Assessment Testing Protocols document. While there is no specific study guide for the assessment test, officers may refer to the documents listed below.

Applying for assessment testing

Officers may apply for assessment testing using the existing application process in TACS by creating a Certification Exam Application and selecting a test date listed as Partial Waiver Assessment Test. In the application, the applicant should provide the following three documents as PDFs (using the applicant's own name in place of "Applicant Name"):

  1. The completed and signed Application Form named "Applicant Name - Application".  Please ensure that your document contains all requested information before you send it.
  2. A single document named "Applicant Name - Certificates" containing copies of certificates for any courses you listed on the application form.
  3. A single document named "Applicant Name - Employment" containing documentation supporting your two years of full-time employment as a law enforcement officer.

The results of the assessment test will be valid for up to two years, during which the applicant must enroll in an academy and complete the required training. Applicants who do not complete the required training within two years of the assessment test will be required to take the assessment test again. Applicants are not permitted to take the assessment test more than once in any 2-year timeframe.