FBI Agent Requirements

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) can be defined as "A federal law enforcement agency that is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Justice". The FBI job description includes dealing with organized crime, drug trafficking, counter terrorism, civil rights violations, espionage, and violence of any form.

The job of an FBI agent is very demanding and stressful. It deals with investigation of criminals and protecting the economy from terrorists. It can be dangerous and requires a lot of patience and willpower. Being an FBI agent is no easy task, and one hardly gets any time for himself. Hence, there are very specific FBI agent requirements. However, you can definitely do well if you like to serve the public and are determined to face obstacles. An FBI special agent can be assigned with special tasks and investigation. They might also have to do undercover operations for which they get special training.

The training of an FBI special agent depends upon the assignments they get. FBI special agent requirements are the same as FBI agent requirements. FBI special agents are assigned specific units of investigation. They also have to undergo a special training of 16 weeks after recruitment. They might also have to go through more trainings in future depending upon the assignments they get. So now the question arises, how to become an FBI agent? Well, there are strict rules and regulations to be followed during the FBI recruitment process. Let's have a look at them.

FBI Recruitment Requirements
An aspiring candidate needs to qualify in all the rounds. An FBI agent requirements are as follows:

• The minimum age requirement is 23 years.
• The maximum age limit for applying is 23 years.
• The applicant must be a citizen of America.
• He must possess a four-year bachelor's degree from any college or academy, preferably in your specialized area, officially recognized by one of the regional or national institutions authorized by the United States Secretary of Education.
• He must have minimum three years of work experience and a valid driving license.

The applicants must qualify under any one of the special agent entry programs:

• Diversified
• Law
• Computer Science/Information Technology
• Accounting
• Language

After qualifying in any one of the special agent entry programs, the applicants will be tested for their critical skills. The critical skills can be one of the following:

• Diversified Experience
• Computer Science/Information Technology Expertise
• Engineering Expertise
• Intelligence Experience
• Accounting
• Finance
• Military Experience
• Law Enforcement/Investigative Experience
• Foreign Language(s) Proficiency

These critical skills are necessary for surviving the abstruse way of working of the FBI. Candidates who possess more than one of the above mentioned skills are obviously given preference. The next step in the recruitment of an FBI agent is the physical requirements. The candidates who qualify in the critical skills have to undergo some tests which will prove that they are physically fit to be a special agent. The test for this segment is as follows:

• The cadet would have to run for about a mile and a half, and the assessment would be done by setting a timer.
• He would have to do push-ups according to his capacity (timer would not be used in this case).
• He would also have to compete in a 300 meter sprint.
• He would have to do a maximum number of sit-ups.

The cadet has to pass in each one of these tests to meet the physical requirements laid down by the FBI. Another physical test will be conducted during the training session after the candidates have been selected. After the physical test, all the applicants have to go through a background investigation, which is one of the important FBI requirements. It is a very crucial part of the recruitment process. The candidates will receive a conditional offer letter before the background investigation. It is necessary to pass this round in order to join the FBI. This investigation consists of credit and record checks, test for illegal drugs, polygraph test, interviews with neighbors, friends and colleagues.

FBI Disqualifications
There are certain FBI disqualification criteria which the applicants should be careful of, in case he is seeking this career opportunity seriously.

• Failing in the urinalysis drug test conducted by the FBI.
• Use of illegal drugs (it is a breach of the FBI Employment Drug Policy).
• Involvement in a major crime (it is a felony).
• If not registered with the Selective Service System (U.S. Government registers the names and addresses of men between 18 - 25 years in case of emergency expansion of army). This point only applies to the male candidates.

These were the FBI agent requirements. You have to qualify in all the tests conducted, for a successful recruitment in the FBI. If you wish to serve the public and know you have the potential, then you can definitely be an FBI agent.