Documents seen by Gript show that the physical fitness test required to join An Garda Síochána was significantly changed based, in part, on internal concerns that the then-existing test, which held men and women to different targets, “contains elements that may be open to legal challenge under the Employment Equality Acts 1998 – 2015.”
In 2024 Dr Michael McCorry of Dundalk Institute of Technology was commissioned by An Garda Síochána (AGS) to review the fitness test, alongside a “Steering Group of Subject Matter Experts” drawn from within the Guards. It was agreed that the test should be redesigned to “move away from the traditional age- and gender-related pass thresholds used in the current assessment” whilst ensuring the pass threshold remained “related to the minimum standard required to undertake the role of a Garda.”
An email from Superintendent Kieran Ruane, who oversees the Foundation Training programme at the Garda College and who sat upon the Steering Group, acknowledged the legal concerns regarding the old test, stating:
“It appears that in its current form the current fitness testing, particularly in the shuttle run, could be seen to engage in direct discrimination against young males…A fitness test that sets different pass marks for men and women (gender-fair assessment) could constitute direct discrimination against men on the basis of sex.”
“This issue,” Superintendent Ruane went on to say, “becomes even more complex when considering pass standards for non-binary or transgender applicants.”
The Superintendent stated that:
“Garda College is of the view that the removal of standards based on age and gender allows for a robust method of testing and future proofs the pre-entry fitness testing from future legal challenge.”
A presentation on the proposed changes to the test, given to Commissioner Drew Harris in December 2024, stated that the proposed changes to the fitness test were “reflective of the physical demands experienced by a Garda”, and “robust enough to discriminate between individuals who can/cannot meet the physical demands of the job”, but did not reference legal concerns with the current test.
That presentation also states that, under the old system, 43% of applicants over a six month period had failed at least one part of the fitness test.
The old test consisted of a beep test, which involves participants running between cones set 20m apart at an increasing pace; sit-up and push up tests; and, after a two hour interval, three laps of an obstacle course. The new test has been cut down to the beep test and two laps of an obstacle course, although the two hour rest interval has been removed.
Two trials of the new fitness test were conducted, but neither tested general applicants. The first trial was conducted on serving Garda members, while the second was on Trainee Gardaí.
In the Trainee Gardaí group, only one out of 197 participants failed – a failure rate of 0.5%. The higher failure rate amongst serving Gardaí, 7%, may be partially explained by the fact that 44% of that group were 40 years or more of age, with 12% being 50 years old or more.
The Garda Press Office, in response to queries from Gript, told Gript that the results of the two groups could not be compared as “the 43% failure rate refers to a population dataset of candidates who had applied to join An Garda Síochána”, whilst “the 2% failure rate refers to a population dataset of Members of An Garda Síochána and Garda Trainees who had all passed the previous An Garda Síochána PCT to join An Garda Síochána, and took part in the new PCT trials to validate and test the proposed new PCT. Therefore, it would be expected that this cohort would be in a position to pass an An Garda Síochána PCT test.”
AGS is correct that the populations are sufficiently different that it makes a direct comparison of their results difficult, but nowhere in the documentation available to Gript is there mention of any attempt by AGS to trial the newly designed test on candidates who were applying to join AGS rather than serving members and/or trainees.
The old test had four components points, with a combined failure rate of 43% across all components, according to figures presented to Commissioner Drew Harris.
| Component | Failure Rate |
| Beep Test | 34% |
| Sit-Up Test | 20% |
| Push-Up Test | 24% |
| Obstacle Course | 8% |
Under the new system:
The push-up and sit-up tests were removed as it was felt they lacked “face validity” – which is to say there were concerns that it didn’t directly measure something which was of relevance to the job of being a guard. In the past, Dr McCorry stated in his report, there has been “a strong judicial reaction against setting arbitrary standards that are not validated by careful task analysis.”
This means that two of the main points of failure have been eliminated entirely, and the remaining major failure point – the beep test – has been reduced to a level just above what a 55-year-old man was previously required to meet.
The obstacle course, which had the lowest failure rate at under 8%, was also amended. The mannequin pull and push/pull machine were removed and replaced with a ‘tank’ sled push/pull, requiring candidates to push or pull a sled 12 meters per lap. The total laps required were reduced from three to two.
Under the old test, the shuttle run (beep test) had the highest failure rate, at nearly 35%. Applicants were given different targets to hit depending on both their sex and their age.
| Old Beep Test Standard | Men | Women |
| 18-29 | 8.5 | 6.1 |
| 30-39 | 7.7 | 5.9 |
| 40-49 | 6.3 | 4.9 |
| 50-55 | 5.4 | 4.4 |
Under the new test, the requirement has been standardized at Level 5.6 for all applicants, regardless of age or gender. This means that:
Dr McCorry’s report notes that “It was agreed by the Steering Group that police officers who serve the community should, at a minimum, possess the physical fitness of the ‘average’ or typical citizen.” That minimum requirement appears to have effectively set a ceiling on the test standards as it was noted that test targets must be set at a level which requires participants to demonstrate the “minimum acceptable physical and physiological demands of the job” but “no more” than that.
As such it was decided that applicants should be measured against the fitness of the ‘untrained population.’ More specifically it was decided that the target should be set at “88.2% of median aerobic capacity of the untrained population aged 20-50yrs.”
Following the introduction of the new test, feedback was gathered from those who participated in a trial of the revised assessment.
Both the final Report and Superintendent Ruane’s email state that the new standard is “well validated and operationally defensible.”
It’s unclear then if the previous test, which was objectively more onerous, may have been unnecessarily difficult, particularly for younger men.
As noted above, Dr McCorry says in his report that test targets must be set so that those who pass can demonstrate they can meet the “minimum acceptable physical and physiological demands of the job” but “no more” than that.
Given the elimination of upper-body endurance testing, the reduction in required aerobic fitness, and the overall easing of requirements, Gript asked the Garda Press Office how the likely substantial increase in the test’s pass rate was balanced against maintaining the physical standards necessary for frontline policing.
Their response stated that the “rationale and process” for determining the pass levels “were determined by the expert.”
The Garda Press Office did not respond to Gript’s questions on whether legal concerns over discrimination drove the changes more than operational needs. Nor did they confirm if any formal risk assessment was conducted to ensure the new standards would still ensure those expected to train as Gardaí were physically capable of handling the demands of frontline policing.