What Is the RCMP PFA Workshop and Should You Attend?
TL;DR: The RCMP PFA workshop is a free, applicant-facing session run by RCMP recruiting divisions across Canada. Attendees try all four PFA stations with RCMP fitness assessors present. The workshop takes 2.5–3 hours and costs nothing. If one runs near you before your assessment date, attend.
An RCMP PFA workshop is a practice session hosted by RCMP recruiting where applicants try the physical fitness assessment before their actual test date. The workshop is not an assessment. Nothing is scored. Nothing goes on your file. You show up, try the equipment, ask questions, and leave with a clearer picture of what the real test requires. For most applicants, the RCMP PFA workshop removes more anxiety than any number of gym sessions can.
CBC News covered a workshop in Moncton, New Brunswick, where members of the public tried all four stations alongside RCMP fitness assessors. Participants who had never seen a PFA sled or handled 23 kg cargo objects in five different shapes found the experience different from what they expected — not necessarily harder, just different. The irregularity of the equipment was the consistent surprise. You can deadlift well and still fumble the Station 3 load carry until you have handled those specific shapes a few times.
What Happens at the Workshop
The workshop covers all four PFA stations in sequence. An RCMP fitness assessor walks participants through each one, demonstrates the correct technique, and then lets attendees attempt it. There is no time pressure and no scoring. The goal is familiarity.
| Station | What You Practice | Why It Matters Before Test Day |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Foot Pursuit | 500m run with direction changes; 1.4m chain-link fence climb at the halfway point | The fence technique is not intuitive. Practising it once removes most of the hesitation on test day. |
| 2. Physical Control | Push/pull sled at 37 kg resistance; position change from ground to standing; weighted mannequin pull-down (54 kg force) | Sled resistance feels different from a loaded barbell. One practice run calibrates your effort correctly. |
| 3. Emergency Assistance | Load 15 objects (23 kg each, 5 different shapes) into a truck bed | The irregular shapes require different grips for each lift. Handling them once tells you more than any training cue. |
| 4. High-Priority Task | Don body armour; sprint 150m; climb 2 flights of stairs; carry a 4.5 kg weight; finish within 90 seconds | Donning body armour under time pressure is a practised skill. The workshop shows you the clasp system before it counts. |
RCMP fitness assessors at the workshop answer questions about each station, the scoring criteria, and what disqualifies a repetition. That information is available in RCMP recruiting materials, but hearing it in person while standing next to the equipment is more useful than reading it on a screen.
Who Gets the Most Out of It
The workshop benefits applicants at every fitness level, but it benefits two groups most. The first group is applicants who are physically ready but have never seen the equipment. If you have trained for the test but have no idea what a PFA sled feels like under load, the workshop converts physical preparation into test-specific readiness. The second group is applicants who are early in preparation and want to know exactly what they are training for. Trying Station 3 before you have built grip endurance tells you, precisely, what your training gap is.
Applicants who are already well prepared and have attended a previous workshop get less marginal benefit from a second visit. But if your assessment date is within 8 weeks and you have not attended an RCMP PFA workshop, the time is worth it.
The workshop is not a fitness assessment and has no bearing on your application file. You cannot pass or fail it. Recruiters have confirmed that attendance is not tracked or scored. The only output is your own preparation.
What You Cannot Replicate Without the Workshop
Three things at the RCMP PFA workshop cannot be replicated at a gym. The first is the chain-link fence. A 1.4-metre chain-link fence is not standard gym equipment, and the technique for climbing it efficiently is not obvious. Most candidates who struggle with the fence on test day have simply never climbed one. One workshop run solves that.
The second is the Station 3 cargo objects. Five different shapes at 23 kg each means five different grip adjustments per set of three loads. No standard gym exercise covers this combination. Farmer carries build the capacity; the workshop builds the movement pattern.
The third is the body armour in Station 4. Donning police body armour correctly under time pressure while already fatigued from Stations 1 through 3 is a specific skill. The workshop is the only place to practise it before the real test.
For a full breakdown of what each station requires and the exact specifications, see the article on the RCMP PFA stations explained. For an honest assessment of which station is hardest and why, see how hard the RCMP fitness test actually is.
How to Find an RCMP PFA Workshop
RCMP PFA workshops are run by division recruiting offices across Canada. CBC reporting confirmed workshops in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Other divisions run their own schedules independently, so availability varies by province and time of year.
Workshop schedules are not posted centrally. The most reliable way to find a workshop near you is to contact your nearest RCMP recruiting centre directly or check the recruiting events section at rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Dates change, and online information goes out of date faster than direct contact with a recruiter does.
When you contact recruiting, ask specifically whether a PFA familiarization workshop or assessment preparation session is scheduled in your region. Different divisions use slightly different names for the same event. If no workshop is scheduled before your assessment date, ask whether a one-on-one familiarization session with a fitness assessor is possible — some divisions offer this for applicants who cannot attend a group workshop.
The Workshop vs. Training: What Each Does
The workshop builds familiarity. Training builds capacity. You need both, in that order — but the workshop is more useful once you have enough fitness to complete the stations without struggling through them. Attending a workshop at the start of a 16-week preparation program gives you a benchmark. Attending one 4 weeks before your assessment date confirms your readiness and addresses any remaining technique gaps. If you are unsure where your fitness level currently sits, see how fit you need to be for the RCMP.
The RCMP’s official preparation resource is the Functional Strength and Conditioning Program, which runs from Level 1 for beginners through Level 4 for serving officers targeting ERT. The official 16-week depot preparation plan covers the Phase A and Phase B structure that takes applicants from a beginner base to assessment-ready. The full four-level system is at the RCMP conditioning program overview.
The RCMP fitness standards and training pillar page covers the complete picture — PFA requirements, self-assessment benchmarks by age and gender, Depot fitness standards, and the progression from applicant to serving officer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. RCMP recruiting divisions run PFA workshops at no cost to applicants.
No. It is not scored and has no bearing on your file.
Approximately 2.5 to 3 hours, based on RCMP Gazette and CBC reporting.
Yes. There is no restriction on attendance, subject to available spots.
About the Author: Alex Morgan Alex Morgan is a certified strength and conditioning specialist with over a decade of experience preparing candidates for law enforcement fitness assessments. Alex writes evidence-based training content for joinrcmp.ca.
Sources
RCMP (2024). Physical Fitness Assessment — recruiting workshops, station specifications. rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
RCMP Gazette (2023–2024). PFA development, workshop format, applicant preparation guidance. rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/gazette.
CBC News (2024). Civilians take the RCMP fitness test at a workshop in Moncton, New Brunswick — participant experience, station descriptions, workshop format and duration confirmed. cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/rcmp-fitness-assessment-workshop-moncton.
