Candidates must have a minimum of three years working as an FBI agent to get into the NCAVC. Competition is strong for this FBI branch, however; the average time of service in the FBI to get into the NCAVC is 10 years, plus a professional background investigating sexual and violent crimes. According to criminal profiler John Douglas, obtaining an upper-level degree in behavioral psychology, behavioral science, criminology or forensics is usually required to advance into criminal profiling.
Criminal profiler training involves passing a series of written and oral tests, plus fieldwork and actual work analyzing the minds of violent offenders. These training requirements explain why working several years in the FBI is a crucial element of hands-on learning for prospective profilers.
Criminal profiler John Douglas recommends online research to study past crimes and analyze official legal documents--information available to those who work in the FBI. His statement that "the crime is a reflection of the defender" illustrates how training for criminal profiling involves not only getting into the minds of criminals, but also understanding why they commit their crimes.