TESTING AND EVALUATION PROCESS:
The Forest Ranger selection process is extensive, thorough and time consuming. The process is conducted by the Bureau of Human Resources and the Division of Forest Protection. It involves multiple evaluation phases, and you must successfully complete each phase to proceed to the next.
Forest Ranger Application Open Period (90 Days): (see above open and closing dates)
Applications that are complete (including required attachments) will only be accepted during this open period.
Applications will be screened by the Bureau of Human Resources and the Division of Forest Protection.
I. Physical Fitness Test:
Each candidate will be required to complete the PFT (physical fitness test) prior to submitting their application. Proof of successful completion is required for applications to be accepted. If it has been longer than 2 years since you have taken the physical fitness test at MCJA, you will need to retake the test in order for your fitness test to be current. You can take the physical fitness test at MCJA on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. The link for more information on the test and scheduling it can be found here: https://www.maine.gov/dps/mcja/attending/tests
The PFT physical fitness test will be offered at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro on the following dates during this open application period.
Please call MCJA (207) 877-8000 to schedule an appointment to take the PFT on the date above.
Applicants must bring with them a government issued picture identification such as a driver’s license and the $50.00 fee. If paying with cash, please bring the correct amount. If paying with check, please bring a check for $50.00 made payable to “Treasurer, State of Maine”. Applicants should arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of the test. Anyone arriving after the test has started will be asked to reschedule.
**Special Note: Taking the PT Test at MCJA is preferred and the results are required as part of the submission of application materials. If you need to PT test for this hiring process, please make every effort to take the test there.
Understanding, however, there is only one opportunity to take the test at MCJA during this compressed hiring timeline before this position posting closes, the Maine Forest Service will be offering another opportunity to PT test on November 18, 2026, for candidates unable to attend the test at MCJA. Details will be provided only to applicants that pass to this evaluation phase.
Physical Fitness Test Hiring Requirements
The following three (3) test items constitute the physical fitness test (PFT) requirements for the Maine Forest Ranger hiring process. Applicants must successfully complete the Push Up and Sit Up tests at the 40th percentile and the 1.5 mile run test at the 50th percentile coinciding with age and gender. This is the entrance percentile level requirement. Upon hiring, new employees will be required to pass at the respective 50th and 60th percentiles upon the completion of BLETP and or their probationary period.
Applicants successfully completing the PFT test must include those results in their application packet to be scheduled for the next step of the hiring process, consisting of the structured oral board interviews.
II. Structured Oral Board Interviews:
Applicants will be interviewed by a panel of Maine Forest Rangers and assessed in the following categories: Commitment/Independence; Judgment/Logic; Communications Skills; Applied Knowledge; Decision Making/Decisiveness; Tact & Diplomacy; Motivation; Leadership; Problem Solving Ability.
A five-minute presentation to the board is also required during this phase.
Successful applicants of the oral board phase may be offered conditional employment, contingent upon passing a pre-polygraph interview, polygraph examination, background investigation and law enforcement employment psychological examination.
Background Investigations and Automatic Disqualifiers:
Disqualifying conduct / actions include:
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Has been found guilty of murder or any crime classified in Maine Law as a Class A, B, or C crime (any felony).
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Has been found guilty of any crime classified in Maine Law as a Class D crime (misdemeanor with a maximum term of imprisonment of less than one year).
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Has been found guilty of violating any of the following provisions of the Maine Criminal Code: 1) Chapter 15 (theft); 2) Chapter 19 (falsification in official matters); 3) Chapter 25 (bribery and corrupt practices); or 4) Chapter 45 (drugs).
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Has been found guilty of any crime that is a violation of the domestic abuse provisions of any state or federal statutes.
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Has an extensive record of motor vehicle law violations.
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Has been found guilty of operating-under-the-influence of intoxicating liquor and/or drugs within the 10 years prior to date of hire.
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Has been found guilty of conduct specified in subparagraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 in another state or jurisdiction.
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Has been adjudicated to have committed a 0.02 violation (liquor violation under 21 years of age) within the 6 years prior to date of application.
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Has ingested or been injected with or used a hallucinogenic drug.
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Has illegally sold scheduled drugs or drugs which require a prescription.
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Has engaged in illegal drug use beyond what is considered as experimentation.
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Is currently abusing drugs or alcohol.
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Falsifies, misrepresents, or omits information concerning a material fact in the application, during any of the tests, when interviewed, during the background investigation, polygraph examination, or on the pre-polygraph questionnaire.
Applicants successfully passing all prior phases of the hiring process will be scheduled for an interview with the Division’s Chief. Applicants passing this phase will be placed on the Division’s hiring register maintained at the Natural Resources Service Center. This register will be used to fill vacancies throughout the State and will remain valid for 18 months after its establishment.
IV. New Hire Conditions of Employment:
Newly hired Forest Rangers are required to attend and successfully complete the following;
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Maine Criminal Justice Academy’s 18-week Basic Law Enforcement Training Program (BLETP)
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Advanced Ranger 12-week School (post school).
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Upon graduation from these academies, new Forest Rangers will work under a Field Training Officer for a period of six (6) months (832hrs minimum).
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Complete the PFT at the 50th and 60th percentiles as described above.
Employment during this probationary period is contingent on a new employee passing all of the above requirements. Forest Rangers are required to annually complete and pass physical fitness testing at the previous listed standards and as defined by agency policy.