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Force interview prep

Force Interview
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Every force now runs its own in-person interview after the online assessment and forces describe it differently. Check free what your force says, then prepare with practice questions shaped to that format.

Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated

Short answer: how do I prepare for my force's interview?

Start with what your force's own recruitment page says about the interview (choose it below, free). Then prepare real examples for the three 2024 CVF values and the six competencies, practise out loud and expect follow-up questions. The Force Interview Pack (£14.99, 90 days) adds 10 practice questions shaped to your force's format, follow-ups and a 48-hour plan.

Contents
Check Your ForceWhy a Force PackWhat Is in the PackHow It Is BuiltForces CoveredFree Practice First FAQs Sources

Force interview: free format check, paid pack

What does your force say about its interview?

Since 17 March 2026 every constable applicant in England and Wales (except transferees) must pass an in-person interview with the force after the online assessment. Pick your force to see what its own recruitment page said about it.

Not listed: City of London Police, Greater Manchester Police, Hampshire Constabulary. Their pages did not describe the stage when we checked, so there is no pack for them yet.

Why prepare for your own force's interview

Since 17 March 2026 the in-person interview with the force has been a legal stage for every constable applicant in England and Wales except transferees, alongside the national application form, the national sift and the online assessment process. The interview must meet a national standard, but each force describes its own version and the descriptions differ in ways that change how you should prepare.

Of the 43 forces in our list, 40 describe the stage on their own pages. 10 give a length, 14 say who sits on the panel and 6 put something else, such as the fitness test or biometrics, on the same visit. Some say the questions are CVF-based with probing follow-ups; one calls its interview strengths-based; others put values, the Code of Ethics or research into the force first.

What the pack is not

It is not a list of real questions and it does not predict your result. It is original practice material shaped to what your force has published, so you practise the kind of answer its format asks for.

What is in each force's pack

  • What the force says, with the stage name, setting, length, panel and anything else on the same day, where the page states them.
  • What to focus on for that force: for example the number of questions, the question types it names, values, research or a presentation.
  • 10 practice questions, each with what it is testing, why it is in this force's pack, three planning prompts and two follow-ups a panel could use.
  • A 48-hour plan for the two days before, adjusted for what the force says (a same-day fitness test, an online interview, a presentation brief).
  • What to check with the force: everything its page leaves out.

One payment of £14.99 opens every covered force for 90 days. You can print any pack or save it as a PDF from your browser.

How the packs are built

Each pack starts from the force's own recruitment page as we read it on 1 October 2026 (the same reading shown on our force interview list). We only treat something as part of a force's format when its page says so. The practice questions come from our own bank, mapped to the 2024 Competency and Values Framework and the College's 2024 Code of Ethics and chosen to match the format the force describes.

Where a force's page names question types (past-focused, future-focused or scenario-based), the pack includes each type. Where a page says it is strengths-based, the pack leads with strengths questions. Where a page says nothing about the format, the pack prepares you for a standard CVF-based panel interview and says so.

Forces covered

Avon and Somerset Police, Bedfordshire Police, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, Cheshire Constabulary, Cleveland Police, Cumbria Constabulary, Derbyshire Constabulary, Devon and Cornwall Police, Dorset Police, Durham Constabulary, Dyfed-Powys Police, Essex Police, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Gwent Police, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Humberside Police, Kent Police, Lancashire Constabulary, Leicestershire Police, Lincolnshire Police, Merseyside Police, Metropolitan Police, Norfolk Constabulary, North Wales Police, North Yorkshire Police, Northamptonshire Police, Northumbria Police, Nottinghamshire Police, South Wales Police, South Yorkshire Police, Staffordshire Police, Suffolk Constabulary, Surrey Police, Sussex Police, Thames Valley Police, Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Police, West Midlands Police, West Yorkshire Police, Wiltshire Police.

Not covered yet: City of London Police, Greater Manchester Police, Hampshire Constabulary. Their pages did not describe the stage when we checked.

Practise free first

The free mock interview scores one answer without an account. Choose in-person mode to practise the way a force panel asks.

Try one out loud. Answer a practice question free and get a scored result in about a minute. No account. Practise in the free police mock interview

Interview and assessment centre updates

New interview practice questions and model answers, by email

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Quick answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every police force have an interview after the online assessment?

For constable applicants in England and Wales, yes. Since 17 March 2026 the Police Regulations 2003 require every candidate except transferees to pass an in-person interview with the force that meets the national standard, after the national sift and the online assessment process.

Are these the real questions the force will ask?

No. Nobody outside the force knows its questions. The pack gives original PolicePay practice questions shaped to what the force's own recruitment page says about its interview: for example CVF-based, values-focused, strengths-based or with probing follow-ups. Use them to practise the kind of answer the format needs.

What does the Force Interview Pack cost?

£14.99 for 90 days, one payment, nothing renews. It covers every force we have a pack for, so it still helps if you apply to more than one force or move to another force later.

What is free on this page?

Choosing a force shows, free, what its own recruitment page said about the interview when we read it: the stage name, setting, length and panel where stated and anything else done the same day, with a link to the force page. The free mock interview also gives one scored answer without an account.

Which forces are not covered?

City of London Police, Greater Manchester Police, Hampshire Constabulary. Their pages did not describe the stage when we checked on 1 October 2026, so we have nothing reliable to shape a pack around yet.

How do I open the pack after paying?

Stripe brings you back to the page you bought from and the pack unlocks on that browser within about a minute. If you made an account, sign in on any device and the pack is listed in your account.

What are the Policing Principles some forces mention?

The College of Policing's 2024 Code of Ethics sets three ethical policing principles: courage, respect and empathy and public service. They use the same words as the three values in the 2024 Competency and Values Framework.

Is the pack the same as the mock interview?

No. The mock interview scores answers you type or record against the CVF. The pack tells you what to prepare for a particular force and gives you questions and follow-ups to practise. Many candidates use the pack to plan and the mock interview to rehearse.

Evidence

Sources and how we checked them

Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 21 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.

  1. Police (Amendment) (Recruitment Standards) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/154) : the in-person force interview became a legal recruitment stage on 17 March 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
  2. College of Policing: Updated Competency and Values Framework introduced : the 2024 CVF values and competencies used in every pack (accessed 21 October 2026)
  3. College of Policing: Code of Ethics : the three ethical policing principles: courage, respect and empathy, public service (accessed 21 October 2026)
  4. Each force's own recruitment page (linked from the force check above and from our force interview list) : what each force says about its interview, read 1 October 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
Related Guides

On this topic elsewhere

Force interview list → What all 43 forces' own pages say about the interview, with links. In-person interview explained → How the force interview differs from the online assessment. Follow-up questions → The kinds of probing question panels ask next. Interview prep plans → 7-day and 14-day plans for both interviews. Met Police requirements → Who can apply to the Met and what its assessment involves. Applying to more than one force → One force at a time for the assessments and what carries over.
Joining the police

More in this guide series

Start here Candidates hub Everything for police applicants: eligibility, the application, the assessment centre, interviews, fitness and vetting. Start here Entry requirements Every legal and national requirement to become a constable, including the two 2026 rule changes. Eligibility Police age limit Apply at 17, appointed at 18, no upper limit in the regulations; what 57 and 60 really mean. Eligibility Qualifications needed Level 3 or accepted experience for PCDA and PCEP, a degree for DHEP and the GCSE rules. Eligibility Nationality and residency UK, EEA or indefinite leave; settled status; the three-year residency rule and its exceptions. Eligibility Tattoos and appearance The national tattoo test, force policies and what to do if unsure. Eligibility Medical conditions Asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, hearing and BMI: the Home Office standards and how the medical works. Eligibility Mental health and neurodiversity What the standards say, the Equality Act and reasonable adjustments in the assessments. Application Application form guide The national application form, history and declarations and applying to several forces. Application Rejected and reapplying Stage by stage: appeals, resit limits and when you can apply again. Decision Officer vs PCSO vs special Powers, pay, hours, entry and progression compared, to help you choose. Online assessment After the OAC How results arrive, what the feedback report shows and the force interview and checks that follow a pass. Online assessment Tech and adjustments Devices, browsers, the no-second-device rule, what to do if tech fails and the OAC extra time table. Framework CVF explained The three values, six competencies, levels 1 to 3, what changed from 2016 and which exercise assesses what. Online assessment OAC prep plan How long to prepare for the online assessment centre, with day-by-day plans built on the current College format. Routes Entry routes compared PCDA, PCEP, DHEP, degree holder, detective, rejoiner, specials, PCSOs and cadets side by side. Routes PCDA explained Entry requirements, pay from day one, the three years, English and maths and who is recruiting. Routes DHEP explained Who qualifies, the two-year graduate diploma, detective DHEP, Police Now and pay. Routes Rejoining the police Regulation 10B, no five-year limit, 6 or 12 months' probation, exams and pension questions. Vetting Vetting levels What each police vetting level is for, what it checks and how long it lasts. Vetting Vetting appeals Your right to written reasons, the three grounds and how to write an appeal. Vetting Criminal records The 2026 automatic disqualification rules and how other offences are judged. Vetting Other roles Where staff, special and volunteer vetting differs from officer vetting. Vetting Mental health and vetting Why vetting is not a medical and what goes to occupational health. Guide Failed vetting: family Why relatives or associates lead to refusal, what you are told, appeals and reapplying. Guide Driving licence When forces need a licence, provisional, automatic and foreign licences and how points are vetted. Guide Police medical What the medical checks, when it happens, BMI and height, GP records, drug tests and failing. Guide Briefing exercise practice Three original 12-question briefing scenarios with worked answer outlines. Guide Written exercise practice Four original written tasks with four items each and planning outlines. Guide CVF: courage What the courage value means, how to choose your own example and an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: respect and empathy Why fair is not identical, where it is assessed, with an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: public service The 2024 meaning of public service, where it is assessed and an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: we take ownership Level 1 behaviours, level 1 versus 2 and how to own a mistake in a STAR answer. Guide CVF: innovative and open-minded Level 1 means learning, suggesting, reflecting and adapting, with an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: other four competencies Where emotionally aware, collaborate, support and inspire and analyse critically are assessed. Guide Final interview by force The law now requires a force interview after the OAC; what all 43 forces' own pages say about it, with links. Interview Tell me about a time questions 36 past-behaviour questions by 2024 CVF value, each one linked into the free mock interview. Interview Scenario questions Where hypothetical questions come up, a simple order for answering and 18 practice scenarios. Interview Follow-up questions The seven kinds of probing question in a live force interview and how to answer them. Interview Interview prep plans Day-by-day plans for the OAC interview and the in-person force interview. Interview Examples with no experience Where real examples hide in school, sport, caring and volunteering, with three example answers. Free download Interview questions PDF 30 practice questions by value, a STAR planner and timings to print or save as a PDF. Entry routes Assessment by route PCDA, DHEP, PCEP, detective, transferee, rejoiner, specials and PCSO: what the law makes identical and what can differ. Decision How hard is it to join? No national pass rate is published: what each stage tests and how to prepare free. Application More than one force One force at a time for the assessments, twice in 12 months and transferring a pass. Eligibility Joining on a visa Each visa type checked against the legal nationality rule, plus pre-settled status. Eligibility From the armed forces Eligibility, applying while serving, resettlement timing, references, pay and pension. Decision Career change The pay drop, the recruitment wait, the right route and the pension for later joiners. Pay Starting salary 2026 Point 1 and point 2 from 1 September 2026, take-home and London and South East pay. Force Met requirements Who can apply to the Met: age, residence, qualifications by route, tattoos and pay. Offer stage Pre-employment checks References, medical, fitness, biometrics, drug test and vetting after an offer. Offer stage Police references Five years of history, your current employer, gaps and referees for time abroad. Offer stage Biometrics and drug test Fingerprints and DNA for recruits, what they are checked against and drug testing. Routes DCEP explained The detective entry route force by force, the NIE, PIP2 and pay.
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Tool OAC readiness check Check how ready you are for the online assessment centre. Tool Mock interview Practise police interview questions with feedback. Tool Force finder Compare forces on pay, allowances and region. Tool Timeline planner Plan the stages from application to start date. Tool Vetting checker See where you are in the vetting process.

Disclaimer

PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the College of Policing, the Home Office or any police force and it does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Recruitment standards, assessment formats and vetting decisions are set by the College of Policing and each force and change from time to time: check the force you are applying to before relying on anything here. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 21 October 2026.