Victoria Police Psychological Assessment
How to Prepare for the Psychological Assessment.
Understanding what to expect — and how to present yourself with confidence and clarity — is the single most important thing you can do before your Victoria Police psychological assessment.
If you have a history of brief counselling for teenage depression, with no medication and no ongoing issues — this is not an automatic disqualifier. Read on to understand exactly how to approach this.
The Psychological Assessment
What the VicPol psychological process involves.
<Online Psychometric Testing
Victoria Police psychologists use clinical personality tests (300+ questions) to assess for personality traits that might prevent you from performing as a police officer. There is also an Emotional Intelligence test with around 144 forced-choice questions.
These are administered online and take approximately 60 minutes each.
One-on-One Psychological Interview
After completing the psychometric testing, you will be required to undergo a one-on-one interview at the Victoria Police Centre in Melbourne. The interview is customised based on your individual application and test results.
You may be asked about your friends, family, social life, support structures, childhood, how you sleep at night, and how you handle stress.
Medical & Psychological Process Overlaps
The psychological and medical processes often overlap during Victoria Police recruitment. You may receive a request for previous psychological reports or information from treatment providers at any stage of the process.
This information is helpful to provide — even if it does not feel relevant to your current situation. Being prepared with documentation in advance puts you in a much stronger position throughout the selection process.
Mental Health History
How to handle your mental health history.
This is the most important thing to get right. If you’ve had any type of mental health history — even something as simple as seeing a psychologist — you need to prepare information in advance of your interview.
It could be a report, a referral letter, or a letter of explanation that helps paint a picture for Victoria Police so they can get background information and context.
Victoria Police may require you to get a report from a psychologist if you have experienced things like depression or anxiety — even historical diagnoses — to provide clarification and context for psychological concerns raised during recruitment.
Be ready to explain
- What was happening in your life at the time
- What you did about it and what you learned
- How long ago it resolved
- What your life looks like now
- Keep it factual and calm — don’t over-explain
Key Tips
How to prepare for success.
01
Be honest — never conceal your history
Victoria Police explicitly states: answer everything honestly, and acknowledge both your strengths and weaknesses. Trying to hide your counselling history and having it discovered is far worse than disclosing it proactively. Failure to disclose raises concerns about your integrity and character.
02
Frame your history as a strength
You sought help when you needed it as a teenager, resolved it without medication, and you’re now functioning well. This demonstrates self-awareness and help-seeking behaviour — both qualities policing values. Your ability to navigate difficulty and come out the other side is genuinely relevant.
03
Prepare real-life examples
You’ll need real-life experiences to fall back on — such as a time you dealt with stress, difficult people at work, or challenging personal circumstances. Prepare concrete examples of resilience, emotional regulation, and effective stress management before your interview.
04
Don’t try to be perfect
The most common mistake police applicants make is trying to appear too perfect. This strains credibility and leads the evaluator to suspect you’re lying. Many applicants without any mental health history are left confused when a positive interview experience results in not progressing — it comes down to authenticity.
05
Get a supporting letter
Consider getting a supporting letter from your former psychologist or GP confirming the nature and resolution of your treatment. This proactively answers the question before it’s even asked and demonstrates transparency and self-awareness.
06
Consider an independent assessment
Having an independent psychological report that contextualises your history as resolved can be very helpful. RecruitHQ provides assessments tailored to police recruitment, including for applicants with historical mental health diagnoses — conducted by psychologists with direct Victoria Police experience.
The Bottom Line
What matters to the psychologist is who you are now.
Your teenage depression history, resolved without medication, is well within the range of normal life experience. Don’t be mistaken in thinking that only police applicants with mental health history fail the psychological interview.
Plenty of applicants without any mental health history are left confused when a seemingly positive interview experience results in not progressing. It comes down to your ability to demonstrate the right qualities in the right way.
What matters is your self-awareness, emotional stability, support networks, and resilience. Those are things you can absolutely demonstrate — and that’s exactly what we help you do.
How RecruitHQ can help
Prepare with the right support.
Our assessments are conducted by psychologists with direct Victoria Police experience. We understand the process from the inside — and we can provide an independent psychological report that contextualises your history and helps you approach the selection process with confidence.
- —Independent psychological assessment
- —Report contextualising your history
- —Preparation guidance from VicPol insiders
- —Strictly confidential — results belong to you