Applying to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue?
What Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue says about its firefighter selection process, and how to prepare — with practice for reasoning tests, situational judgement, questionnaires and interviews.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) covers Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. Its July 2026 campaign had a 72-hour application window, and it says you do not have to live in the area to apply.
HIWFRS says its online assessment is provided by Arctic Shores and focuses on behaviours and values rather than literacy and numeracy, using a series of mini-tasks. Candidates without GCSE maths and English at grade C/4 also sit online verbal and numerical assessments. The service also warns that guides and advice from AI can be misleading — sensible advice for any test.
The fitness and practical stage starts with a fitness test, then a 13.5 m ladder climb, a lift test (15 kg overhead), a confined space test (clear, then obscured), ladder extension, an equipment carry and a 55 kg casualty evacuation.
The interview focuses on behaviours and values, with a predefined set of questions and scoring criteria. Successful candidates join an applicant pool, then complete medical and background checks, which HIWFRS says include a VO2 max test during a treadmill walk. The training course is described as 13 weeks at Eastleigh.
Arctic Shores tasks cannot be revised for in the usual way, so the most useful preparation is being rested and following each task's instructions carefully. If you need the verbal and numerical assessments, practise those formats, and use our interview preparation for the values interview.
What full access includes
Fire services use different tests, so one £14.99 payment covers all 9 practice tests on the site — over 700 questions with answer explanations, and unlimited attempts.
New to selection? Read our guide to the online firefighter tests or the National Firefighter Ability tests.
Reasoning tests
Verbal · numerical · mechanical
Timed practice in the style of the online reasoning tests many services use.
Judgement & questionnaires
SJT · behavioural styles · NFA-style
Situational judgement scenarios, questionnaire practice and the NFA-style tests.
Interview preparation
Leadership Framework · Code of Ethics
Model STAR answers plus guidance on written questions, role-plays and presentations.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue — common questions
Is this page official?
No. Firefighter Tests is independent and not affiliated with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue. This page summarises what the service's own recruitment pages said when we checked them (September 2026); processes change between campaigns, so always follow the official information linked below.
How much does it cost to practise?
Full access to every practice test — verbal, numerical and mechanical reasoning, situational judgement, the behavioural styles questionnaire, NFA-style tests and interview preparation — is £14.99, one-time. That is 9 full-length tests and over 700 questions with explanations. No subscription, and access never expires.
What online test does Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire use?
HIWFRS says its online assessment is provided by Arctic Shores and focuses on behaviours and values through mini-tasks rather than literacy and numeracy. Candidates without GCSE maths and English at C/4 also complete online verbal and numerical assessments.
Do I need to live in Hampshire to apply?
No — HIWFRS's application process page says you don't have to live in Hampshire or the Isle of Wight to apply.
Does Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire use the NFA tests?
Not on the pages we checked. HIWFRS describes an Arctic Shores behaviours-and-values assessment, with verbal and numerical assessments for some candidates, rather than the older National Firefighter Ability tests.
Official sources
Checked September 2026. Recruitment processes change, so the official pages always take priority over this summary.
Preparing for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue
Practise every test they could set you
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue sets its own selection tests and they change between campaigns, so full access covers every type — one payment, no subscription.
No subscription. Access never expires. Unlimited attempts.
What you get — 9 full-length practice tests, over 700 questions with explanations:
- Mechanical Reasoning177 diagram questions on gears, levers, pulleys and pressure — 20 per timed test
- Numerical Reasoning9 fire-service data scenarios, freshly generated each attempt — calculator allowed
- Verbal Reasoning30 passages and 120 True / False / Cannot Say statements
- Situational Judgement25 scenarios and 100 rated actions, each explained
- Behavioural Styles Questionnaire66 statements with a full reflective profile — no pass or fail
- Working with NumbersNFA-style — 12 scenarios and 96 questions; each sitting draws 32, 45 minutes, no calculator
- Understanding InformationNFA-style — 25 passage questions, 35 minutes
- Situational AwarenessNFA-style — 30 questions, 35 minutes
- National Firefighter QuestionnaireNFQ-style — 77 statements across the 7 PQA areas, with feedback
- Interview Preparation28 NFCC-style questions with model STAR answers, plus 6 preparation guides
14-day money-back guarantee · secure payment via Stripe · instant access
Already bought it? Log in →