Oral psychiatric exam

[bentstrider]

I applied to the CDCR a few years back and was DQ'd after failing the oral psych.

After stewing a few years and mulling things over, my interest in the field has been reinvigorated.
Apart from the horror stories regarding polygraphs, I always have concerns over the oral psych and how to successfully get through it.
Also, is failing this particular portion in one department a deciding factor with, say getting on with a department outside-of-CA?

Agency-wise, I'm looking into either a rural sheriffs department, highway patrol/state police, or game agency in the four-corners region.

[Zeitgeist]

I applied to the CDCR a few years back and was DQ'd after failing the oral psych.

After stewing a few years and mulling things over, my interest in the field has been reinvigorated.
Apart from the horror stories regarding polygraphs, I always have concerns over the oral psych and how to successfully get through it.
Also, is failing this particular portion in one department a deciding factor with, say getting on with a department outside-of-CA?

Agency-wise, I'm looking into either a rural sheriffs department, highway patrol/state police, or game agency in the four-corners region.

Psych. exams are usually very subjective unless there is a significant (diagnosed) mental illness in your past. Did you get any feedback as to why you failed? No, it is not necessarily a factor in getting on with other depts.

[Iowa #1603]

You can fail a test one day and pass it the next with the same person reviewing it.

[bentstrider]

I've had depression issues stemming from some school-bullying as a teen.
It made grades plummet from B's/C's to D's/F's after 10th grade.
After being prescribed meds and seeing a psych up until '05, I slowly began to overcome it through staying employed and going to the gym and such.
As for the letter, they didn't describe it in a single-word answer, so I'll have to look at the rejection letter again(shelved that thing under the epic-fail paper-weight two years ago.)

As for reapplying, I'm waiting until I get my weight back down again(hit a plateau, rocky work schedule cooking my routine., etc) and also keeping an eye on what areas are least affected by cuts.
I guess it's a little easier to deal with right now seeing as I'm still employed in other work and there's no immediate danger of becoming famished and such.

[PhilipCal]

Quite often, the people evaluating psych exams are candidates for a rubber room themselves. I'm not medically qualified to pass judgment on the issues you noted, but in your place I'd apply again. As my colleague noted, you can fail a psych one day, and pass it the next. Many agencies will also use the psych as a means of insuring that a candidate is a "fit" for that particular agency. Good luck in your future efforts.