Serving as an FBI Police Officer is a demanding job. A Police Officer is often placed in situations that make great demands on his/her physical capacity. In these instances, physical fitness is often the factor that spells the difference between success and failure – even life and death. Therefore, all candidates for the position must be in excellent physical condition with no disabilities which would interfere in firearms use or defensive tactics, or would preclude their full performance of the duties of an FBI Police Officer. All Police Officer candidates must be able to pass several physical tests.

• Vision Requirements
• Hearing Requirements
• Weight/Body Fat Requirements
• Medical Review

Vision Requirements:

Police Officer candidates must have uncorrected vision of no worse that 20/200 in each eye, corrected to 20/20 vision in one eye and not worse than 20/40 vision in the other eye. If an individual has a satisfactory history of soft contact lens wear for more than one year and is able to meet correction to 20/20 in one eye and no worse than 20/40 in the other eye, safety concerns are considered mitigated and applicant processing may continue. If an applicant has had laser eye corrective surgery, a six-month waiting period is required prior to beginning Police Officers’ training. The applicant must also provide evidence of complete healing by an ophthalmology clinical evaluation. Policy for color vision allows continuation of applicant processing if those who fail initial color vision screening are able to successfully complete the Farnsworth D-15 color vision test.

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Hearing Requirements:

Police Officer applicants must take an audiometer test and meet specified hearing standards. Please note that no applicant will be considered who exceeds any of the following:

1. Average hearing loss of 25 decibels (ANSI) at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hertz
2. Single reading of 35 decibels at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hertz
3. Single reading of 35 decibels at 500 Hertz
4. Single reading of 45 decibels at 4000 Hertz

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Weight/Body Fat Requirements:

All applicants for the Police Officer position must meet certain weight and body fat requirements. If you fall within the ranges of the chart here, you are eligible to apply. If you fall outside of the ranges, you must meet the FBI’s body fat requirements. For males the maximum acceptable body fat is 19% and for females the maximum acceptable body fat is 23%.

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Medical Review:

An applicant’s medical history will be reviewed thoroughly and a determination will be made whether any medical issue (or condition) could potentially affect the applicant’s ability to perform the basic functions of the Police Officer position. This medical review ensures that each candidate’s situation is reviewed on an individual basis. If you have undergone a particular surgical procedure (e.g., radial keratotomy) and/or have some preexisting medical condition (e.g., hypertension), this will require careful review during the physical examination process. Issues/conditions that surface during the Medical Reviews may delay the final processing for employment. Although an applicant’s doctor provides information about the applicant’s medical condition, it is the FBI’s Chief Medical Officer who decides if the applicant is physically able to perform the duties of the job. This decision is based on the review of the applicant’s doctor’s findings and the FBI’s knowledge of the requirements of the job. The FBI is committed to treating all applicants fairly and equitably in all aspects of our hiring/selection process.

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