Basque Government Lowers Standards for Police Recruitment After Mass exam Failures
The Basque Government is lowering the difficulty of it’s police recruitment exam following a stunningly high failure rate in a previous attempt to bolster the ranks of the Ertzaintza, the regional police force. The move, announced this week, aims to address critical staffing shortages and keep the force on track to reach its goal of 8,000 officers by 2030.
The decision stems from a July 2025 selective process where over 90% of the 3,609 applicants failed both the psychotechnical and theoretical components of the exam. This unprecedented outcome – where the number of approved candidates (380) fell short of available positions (650) for the Ertzaintza and 25 Basque municipalities – prompted an emergency recruitment drive, officially designated the 35th promotion of the Ertzaintza.
“The results left an unprecedented situation in the Ertzaintza,” a senior official stated. The number of candidates progressing through subsequent physical tests and personal interviews dwindled further,leaving only 279 applicants ultimately approved.
The most notable changes will focus on the psychotechnical tests, identified as the primary source of failure. Previously, applicants were required to pass each of the four phases – reasoning, reflective attitudes, special attitudes, and verbal attitudes – individually. Response times were also tightly controlled,and questions were frequently updated.
Now, a combined passing score of 60 out of 120 points across all four phases will be sufficient, as explained by Security Councilor Bingen Zupiria following a Government Council meeting. Despite the lowered threshold,the psychotechnical exam remains a mandatory and eliminatory component of the overall selection process,alongside knowledge assessments,physical fitness tests,and personal interviews.
This mass failure necessitated the emergency OPE (Oferta Pública de Empleo – Public Employment Offer), agreed upon with labor unions and published Monday in the Official Gazette of the basque Country.The setback substantially hampered efforts to address existing personnel shortages within the Ertzaintza, which currently has 7,300 active officers.
The new recruitment drive, exclusive to the Ertzaintza, seeks to fill vacancies for agents on the basic scale. Registration for the 35th promotion opened Tuesday, with exams scheduled to take place within two months at the BEC in Barakaldo. The basic requirements remain consistent: applicants must be between 18 and 38 years old,possess a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent,and meet all other outlined criteria. All positions require linguistic profile 1 of the Ertzaintza, equivalent to level 2 in the general management, and 120 positions have an expired mandatory date.
The crisis extends beyond recruitment challenges. The widespread failure on the exam also triggered a leadership crisis in Arkaute, leading to the departure of Miren Dobaran after just one year in office. This occurred amid growing complaints of alleged irregularities in the candidate selection process and even accusations of exam leaks.
. The Basque Government hopes the revised recruitment process will attract a larger pool of qualified candidates and ensure the Ertzaintza can effectively address the region’s security needs.
Why:
