Border Patrol Seeks 6,000 Agents

The U.S. Border Patrol is looking for 6,000 new agents to commence work in grades GS-5 to GS-7, representing a 50-percent increase of its present strength of 12,000. Candidates must be U.S. citizens and high school graduates, and no older than 40 when accepted. Applications and registration for a written online test are taken at https://cbpmhc.hr-services.org/BPA/. The test takes about 4 1/2 hours and contains 3 sections: logical reasoning skills; Spanish language or, for those who don’t speak Spanish, an artificial language test that predicts their ability to learn Spanish; and an assessment of job-related experiences and achievements. Successful passage of the test leads to an oral interview, followed by a drug test, medical exam, fitness exam and background investigation. Candidates then must complete the 20-week Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, N.M., and must speak Spanish in order to graduate. Visit http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/careers/customs_careers/border_careers/basic_requirements_for_bp.xml.