Screening Psychologists are responsible for collecting, reviewing and integrating test data, personal history information (including pertinent medical records), and clinical interview data, which they then utilize to determine the suitability of a Candidate. Screening Psychologists must be careful to minimize their reliance on impressionistic judgments and maximize their use of evidence-based methods and strategies when making their determination, since, the evaluation of a Candidate’s Psychological Suitability, is, in effect, a key factor used to determine whether a Candidate falls within or outside the parameters of tolerable risk. In essence, the Psychologist’s role is one of risk assessor, requiring them to determine if a Candidate falls within the parameters of acceptable risk.

Peace Officers must be free of any emotional and/or mental condition, including bias against race or ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, disability, or sexual orientation, which might adversely affect the proper exercise of their powers. Candidates must understand that it is the Screening Psychologist’s responsibility to integrate and evaluate a Candidate’s information against risk management criteria.

For more information regarding the Role of the Interviewing/Screening Psychologist click the link below:
Peace Officer Psychological Screening Manual

If you failed your NYPD Psychological Evaluation or have been disqualified for any reason and would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact Kevin Sheerin at 516 248 0040.

Email: kevin@sheerinlaw.com

Website: www.sheerinlaw.com

Blog: civilservice.sheerinlaw.com

Facebook: Law_Office_of Kevin_P._Sheerin

Twitter: @DQLawyer

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Candidates must be open and honest during their Psychological Interview. If the Interviewing Psychologist detects any type of deception, such deception could be viewed as grounds for Disqualification. While it may be assumed that deceptive people tend to be more evasive, less talkative, have longer response times and may deflect or avoid responses to direct inquiries, they may also present oversimplified stories or use third person or impersonal language structure to disconnect themselves from personal responsibility. Denying events that are documented in the background investigation or treatment records, or minimizing their importance, are also indicators of deception that Candidates should avoid at all times.

A Psychologist may admonish a Candidate who does not provide complete and truthful answers, in an effort to mitigate deception and foster honest reporting. A Candidate’s responses will also be compared against other sources of information to the extent possible. When deception is detected, the Psychologist will use professional judgment to determine whether or not the deception is consequential. For example, was the Candidate being intentionally deceptive or did it result from a misunderstanding, confusion or erroneous beliefs about what the Candidate believed he or she was being asked to disclose.

For more information regarding Candidate Disqualification due to Deception, click the link below:
Peace Officer Psychological Screening Manual

If you failed your NYPD Psychological Evaluation or have been disqualified for any reason and would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact Kevin Sheerin at 516 248 0040.

Email: kevin@sheerinlaw.com

Website: www.sheerinlaw.com

Blog: civilservice.sheerinlaw.com

Facebook: Law_Office_of Kevin_P._Sheerin

Twitter: @DQLawyer

Podcast: www.newyorkcivilservicelawattorneypodcast.com

The length of a Candidate’s interview is based on the time the Psychologist needs to reach their goals and objectives. The entire interview process, from preparation (including review of the psychological test results, psychological history questionnaire, background investigation report, and any other relevant mental health treatment or evaluation records) through the interview itself generally takes about an hour and a half to two hours. Some Candidates, such as those who are younger with little life experience and/or “clean” test results and background reports, may require less time. Others, especially those who have various data sources that point to seemingly contradictory or discrepant conclusions about the candidate, may require considerably more time. Candidates who attempt to conceal negative aspects of their personality can be difficult to assess, resulting in the Psychologist requiring more interview time in order to observe patterns that might help them make a more accurate assessment. Moreover, evaluations that lead to a disqualification determination usually require lengthier interviews.

For more information regarding The Length of a Psychological Interview, click the link below:
Peace Officer Psychological Screening Manual

If you failed your NYPD Psychological Evaluation or have been disqualified for any reason and would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact Kevin Sheerin at 516 248 0040.

Email: kevin@sheerinlaw.com

Website: www.sheerinlaw.com

Blog: civilservice.sheerinlaw.com

Facebook: Law_Office_of Kevin_P._Sheerin

Twitter: @DQLawyer

Podcast: www.newyorkcivilservicelawattorneypodcast.com

Candidates should be aware that psychological and relevant medical records will be obtained from their healthcare professionals, if warranted and obtainable. Approximately 25% of all Candidates have consulted with a psychological professional at some point in their life, and 1% have been in an inpatient facility. For those candidates, psychologists should have a clear and accurate understanding of the nature and extent of the psychological problem and whether it has any relevance for the purpose of determining a Candidate’s psychological suitability. Candidates will need to provide an authorization for the release of their psychological treatment before any information can be collected. However, when such authorization is obtained, the treating mental and/or medical healthcare professional will be required to disclose the candidate’s history, including but not limited to any, acts of domestic violence or spousal abuse, treatment for alcohol or drug use/abuse, psychiatric hospitalization, psychotropic medication, additional contacts with other mental health professionals, and whether the Candidate’s condition impacts a major life activity or work function. It is important that a Candidate be completely candid about their history, as the truth will be revealed during the information collection process anyway, and it is best for the Candidate to be consistent and truthful. In fact, in approximately 5% of Candidate cases, Investigators will discover substantial differences between what a Candidate has reported about their consult and what the treating professional has actually reported, as some Candidates will try to minimize how much help they sought from their mental health professional.

For more information regarding Candidate Medical and Mental Health History, click the link below:
Peace Officer Psychological Screening Manual

If you failed your NYPD Psychological Evaluation or have been disqualified for any reason and would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact Kevin Sheerin at 516 248 0040.

Email: kevin@sheerinlaw.com

Website: www.sheerinlaw.com

Blog: civilservice.sheerinlaw.com

Facebook: Law_Office_of Kevin_P._Sheerin

Twitter: @DQLawyer

Podcast: www.newyorkcivilservicelawattorneypodcast.com

It is imperative that a Candidate be particularly thorough, consistent and accurate when providing their personal history throughout the NYPD Police Officer application process. The Psychologists, as well as other NYPD personnel who review the collected data will view a Candidate’s lack of thoroughness, consistency and accuracy when describing their personal history as a negative predictor of future disciplinary action, believing that Candidates who give inconsistent or discrepant responses to life history questions are more likely to become members of a formally disciplined group. Furthermore, omitting items on life history questionnaires and/or discrepancies between an applicant’s self-reported background/life history information and the information submitted in support of other applications can also be viewed as predictive of future negative job outcomes and may be adversely considered when final suitability judgments are being made.

For more information regarding Candidate Information Consistency, click the link below:
Peace Officer Psychological Screening Manual

If you failed your NYPD Psychological Evaluation or have been disqualified for any reason and would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact Kevin Sheerin at 516 248 0040.

Email: kevin@sheerinlaw.com

Website: www.sheerinlaw.com

Blog: civilservice.sheerinlaw.com

Facebook: Law_Office_of Kevin_P._Sheerin

Twitter: @DQLawyer

Podcast: www.newyorkcivilservicelawattorneypodcast.com

The predictive accuracy of a Candidate’s test results depends not only on the validity of the test, but also on their responsiveness to items in the test (thoroughness), response consistency (attention), and test-taking approach (straightforwardness). Because of the high stakes involved in preemployment screening, Candidates are generally motivated to be attentive and thorough when completing the tests, leaving test-taking approach as the primary threat to accurate reporting.

When Psychologists review a Candidates approach to testing they will find that such testing generally falls into two broad categories:

• overreporting (also referred to as malingering and faking bad), is defined as any pattern of responding in which Candidates claim to have problems they do not have or exaggerate ones they do have; and,
• underreporting, is defined as any pattern of responding in which test takers emphasize their strengths and deny and/or minimize their problems and/or shortcomings. Specific test-taking approaches that belong to the category of underreporting include (1) intentional underreporting or impression management, which is the conscious dissimulation of test responses, including deliberate denial or over minimization of physical and/or psychological symptoms in an effort to create a favorable impression, and (2) unintentional underreporting or self-deception, which is positive biased responses that the Candidate actually believes are true.

For more information regarding POST: Test-Taking Approaches: Overreporting & Underreporting, click the link below:
Peace Officer Psychological Screening Manual

If you failed your NYPD Psychological Evaluation or have been disqualified for any reason and would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact Kevin Sheerin at 516 248 0040.

Email: kevin@sheerinlaw.com

Website: www.sheerinlaw.com

Blog: civilservice.sheerinlaw.com

Facebook: Law_Office_of Kevin_P._Sheerin

Twitter: @DQLawyer

Podcast: www.newyorkcivilservicelawattorneypodcast.com

Candidates are generally not provided feedback or explanation regarding their assessment results, since the Psychological Screening Evaluations are used as an assessment tool for preemployment and/or security screenings, and providing such detailed information to disqualified Candidates could potentially:

1) undermine the independence of a second-opinion process, which a Candidate can request in the event they were previously disqualified. If granted, the psychological screening records will be forwarded to the qualified outside professional conducting the second-opinion evaluation. Furthermore, if the results of such medical or psychological examination would result in a disqualification, the applicant may submit independent medical opinions for consideration before a final determination on disqualification is made. In short, providing disqualified candidates with the detailed reasons that lead to an adverse decision may influence how they present themselves during the testing and/or interview of a second-opinion or other subsequent evaluation;

2) place the Psychologist in an irreconcilable dual relationship. Since Psychologists serve as an agent of the hiring agency, it is the hiring agency, not the candidate, who is the client. This obligation requires the Psychologist adopt a perspective and orientation of objectivity, devoid of any advocacy for the Candidate. This role could be compromised if the Psychologist tries to serve the interests of both the hiring agency and the Candidate simultaneously; and,

3) breach the confidentiality of the background investigation, as information provided by references and other collateral sources during the background investigation are protected, as is employment information disclosed by an employer to a requesting law enforcement agency.

For more information regarding POST: Candidate Feedback from Psychological Screening Evaluation, click the link below:
Peace Officer Psychological Screening Manual

If you failed your NYPD Psychological Evaluation or have been disqualified for any reason and would like to schedule a free consultation, please contact Kevin Sheerin at 516 248 0040.

Email: kevin@sheerinlaw.com

Website: www.sheerinlaw.com

Blog: civilservice.sheerinlaw.com

Facebook: Law_Office_of Kevin_P._Sheerin

Twitter: @DQLawyer

Podcast: www.newyorkcivilservicelawattorneypodcast.com