TOUGHER:A rumor that the Ministry of Examination is mulling increasing the difficulty of the physical tests has seen applications spike by 2,000 compared with last year

Taipei Times
Date: May 05, 2015
By: Kan Chih-chi and Jake Chung  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

There has been a spike in applications to take the special police examination this year due to rumors that the Ministry of Examination is intending to increase the difficulty of the physical portion of the test next year.

After reviewing police and firefighter examinations in the US and Canada, the ministry discovered that the two nations required applicants to pass competency-based physical examinations that have equal standards for men and women.

The US and Canadian fitness tests require examinees to go cross many different kinds of barriers, as well as up and down stairs, pulling or pushing heavy objects multiple times, falling prone on the ground and getting back up multiple times, and standing up from a prone position, the ministry said.

For firefighters the bar is set even higher with eight different tests — going up stairs, dragging fire hoses, grabbing equipment, setting up ladders, demolishing obstacles, searching in buildings, rescuing people and breaching openings in ceilings, the ministry said.     [FULL  STORY]