Physical Fitness and Health Awareness
This section mixes the recruitment physical standards with practical health knowledge - training principles, nutrition, hydration, common injuries and first aid. It rewards candidates who understand why a training method works, not those who memorise slogans.
The test battery
- The Physical Standard Test measures height, weight and chest (with expansion); the Physical Efficiency Test is a timed run, typically 1600 metres, followed by items such as a long jump and a shot put throw.
- Exact cut-offs differ by post, gender and category and are published only in the recruitment notification for that cycle. Verify them there - coaching material is often outdated.
Training and health rules
- Build endurance with mostly easy running and one or two interval sessions a week; increase weekly distance gradually rather than jumping.
- Warm up before and cool down after every session to reduce muscle strain.
- Drink roughly 500–750 ml of fluid per hour of exercise; drink to thirst rather than forcing large volumes, which risks hyponatraemia.
- Body mass index = weight in kg ÷ (height in metres)². Normal range is 18.5–24.9.
- Learn to recognise heat exhaustion - heavy sweating, dizziness, nausea - and move the person to shade, loosen clothing and give oral fluids. CPR compressions run at 30 compressions to 2 breaths.
Worked example
A candidate weighs 72 kg and is 1.75 m tall. Find the BMI. Reasoning: square the height first - 1.75 × 1.75 = 3.0625. Then divide weight by that figure: 72 ÷ 3.0625 = 23.5. This falls in the normal band of 18.5–24.9. Reversing the order, or forgetting to square the height, gives a meaningless number - a common slip.
Traps that cost marks
- Wearing brand-new shoes on test day instead of broken-in ones.
- Cutting water or salt to "make weight", which impairs performance and is dangerous.
- Training hard in the final week instead of tapering.
- Ignoring an ankle sprain or shin pain until it becomes a stress injury.