How to Pass the
National Sift
What the police National Sift actually rewards, how hard it is according to the forces that publish figures, twelve tips for the SJT and BSQ, a five-session preparation plan and a checklist for the day you sit it.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 22 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Practise the SJT and be yourself on the BSQ. For the SJT, learn the five-point scale and rate each action on its own, as your first response, using only the facts given. Protect people first, keep it proportionate, stay honest and fair. For the BSQ, learn the format, then answer honestly about how you behave at work. Do each in one quiet sitting.
For police constable applicants in England and Wales who have been invited to the College of Policing's National Sift, or are about to apply. Facts are from the College's candidate guidance (updated 1 June 2026), its reasonable adjustments guide (25 August 2026) and three forces' published figures, all checked on 22 October 2026. Tips and the plan are PolicePay's advice, not official guidance.
What the National Sift actually rewards
The sift is two exercises, scored automatically and combined into one result. Each rewards something different, so prepare for each differently.
| Situational judgement test (SJT) | Behavioural styles questionnaire (BSQ) | |
|---|---|---|
| Assesses | Judgement and decision-making in job-relevant situations | Your typical behaviour and preferences at work |
| CVF areas | The six competencies | The six competencies and the three values |
| What helps | Practice with careful review of the reasoning | Knowing the format, then honest, steady answers |
| What hurts | Ranking actions, adding facts, rewarding avoidance or heavy-handedness | Answering as an imagined ideal officer; rushing |
The College sets the competency review criteria for the sift at level 1 of the Competency and Values Framework, the practitioner level (level 2 is supervisor or middle manager). It says no prior policing knowledge is required. You are being assessed on how you think and behave, not on what you know. Our CVF explainer sets out the framework in plain English.
Is the National Sift hard? What force figures show
Neither the College nor the national recruitment site publishes a pass rate. A few forces have released their 2025 figures under the Freedom of Information Act. They count things differently and warn against comparing them, but they give a rough sense of scale:
| Force (2025 applicants) | Passed the sift | Did not pass | Share passing* |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Yorkshire Police | 969 | 355 rejected (5 withdrew) | About 73% |
| West Midlands Police | 1,379 | 1,046 rejected or withdrew (194 ongoing) | About 57% |
| Dorset Police | 443 of 569 who passed eligibility | Not split out; some live cases removed | About 78% of those eligible |
*PolicePay's arithmetic: passed divided by passed plus not passed, leaving out withdrawals where the force shows them separately and cases still in progress. West Midlands counts withdrawals with rejections, so its share is lower than a pure pass rate. Dorset's figure is of everyone who passed eligibility and excludes some live cases. Sources: West Yorkshire FOI 2865882/26, West Midlands FOI 402/26, Dorset FOI 01/FIN/26/004319/Y.
So in these forces most candidates got through, but a real minority did not: roughly a quarter to two fifths of those with an outcome in West Yorkshire and West Midlands. The test is not a knowledge exam and it is untimed, which makes it feel easy. Where people slip is the SJT's rating habit, which is exactly what practice fixes. More detail on what the score means is in national sift pass mark and pass rate.
12 tips to pass the National Sift
SJT
1. Rate each action on its own
The College tells you to rate each action independently of the others. The commonest habit that costs marks is ranking the four against each other. Ask of every action: on its own, how far would this help?
SJT
2. Use the same rating twice when it fits
Two actions can both be Effective. The College says you can give the same rating to more than one action and you do not have to use the full range of the scale.
SJT
3. Judge it as your first response
The guidance frames each action as your first response. You are choosing a sensible next step, not planning a whole investigation.
SJT
4. Stick to the facts in the scenario
Base your rating only on what the scenario tells you. Do not assume someone is lying, dangerous or guilty unless it says so and do not invent extra options.
SJT
5. Put people's safety first
Where someone may be at risk, actions that protect them now beat process, paperwork or convenience. Delay without a reason rarely scores well.
SJT
6. Keep it proportionate
Neither ignoring the problem nor jumping to the heaviest step. A heavy first step often still helps a little, so it tends to sit in the middle of the scale rather than at the bottom.
SJT
7. Learn the scale definitions by heart
The five definitions decide your ratings. 'Slightly effective' means a small positive impact; 'Ineffective' means it will not help. Knowing the difference saves a point on many actions.
BSQ
8. Answer the BSQ honestly
The College's advice is to be as honest as possible about how far each statement reflects your typical behaviour at work. There is no published answer key and no ideal profile to copy.
BSQ
9. Think about work, not home
Every BSQ statement is about your typical behaviour and preferences at work. If you have not worked, think about study, volunteering or other settings where you work with people.
BSQ
10. Use the whole seven-point scale naturally
Agreeing completely with everything, or sitting on 'neither' throughout, does not describe anyone. Take each statement on its own and answer at a steady pace.
On the day
11. Do each exercise in one sitting
Both exercises are untimed, but the College recommends one sitting each where possible, somewhere quiet. Allow at least an hour and a quarter for both.
On the day
12. Use the official practice questions
The platform has unscored practice questions before the exercises unlock. You can skip them, but the College says you cannot go back to them later, so do them.
Tips 1 to 4 and 8, 11 and 12 come straight from the College's candidate guidance. The rest are PolicePay's advice, drawn from how the five-point scale is defined.
Eight common SJT mistakes, with worked fixes
These are the habits that cost the most points in practice answers. Each one follows from the College's own instructions or its scale definitions. The mini examples are PolicePay originals.
1. Ranking the actions instead of rating them
What it looks like: A scenario has two sensible actions. You give one Very effective and push the other down to Slightly effective, only to separate them.
Why it costs you: The College tells you to rate each action independently and says the same rating can be used more than once. Forcing a gap between two good actions costs you a point or two on one of them.
The fix: Cover the other three actions with your hand. Ask: if this were the only thing done, how far would it resolve the situation? Then rate it. Two actions can both be Effective.
2. Adding facts that are not in the scenario
What it looks like: A scenario says a man is 'shouting in the street'. You picture him drunk and violent and rate an immediate arrest as Effective.
Why it costs you: The College says to base your answers solely on the information presented. The scenario says nothing about drink or violence, so an arrest is a heavy response to what you actually know.
The fix: Underline, mentally, what the scenario actually says. If your rating relies on something it does not say, rate again without it. Here, speaking to him calmly and finding out what is wrong comes first.
3. Rewarding toughness
What it looks like: A colleague makes one inappropriate comment. You rate 'report them to Professional Standards immediately' as Very effective because it shows you take conduct seriously.
Why it costs you: Formal reporting is not wrong, but for a single remark it skips a proportionate first step. The scale rewards what resolves the situation, not what looks strongest.
The fix: Ask: is this the right size for the problem? A direct, private conversation is usually the best first response. Formal routes rise to the top when behaviour is repeated, serious or not accepted.
4. Being generous to 'record it and monitor'
What it looks like: An older man has not been seen for days. 'Record it and pass it to the neighbourhood team' sounds responsible, so you rate it Effective.
Why it costs you: Recording is not the same as acting. If someone may be at risk, an action that leaves them waiting does not help resolve the situation.
The fix: Ask: what changes for the person at risk if this is all that happens? If the answer is 'nothing for now', the action is Ineffective at best.
5. Rewarding polite but empty responses
What it looks like: A victim is upset. 'Reassure her that everything will be fine' feels kind, so you rate it Effective.
Why it costs you: Kindness matters, but an action that does nothing about the actual problem only has a small positive effect at most.
The fix: Look for actions that are kind and deal with the substance: explaining what happens next, recording properly, arranging support. Pure reassurance is usually Slightly effective.
6. Judging the whole plan instead of the first step
What it looks like: You mark down 'speak to the young people about why they gather there' because it will not solve the residents' problem by itself.
Why it costs you: The College frames each action as your first response. A good first step can be Very effective even if more would follow.
The fix: Ask: is this a sensible thing to do first? Do not penalise an action for not being the whole answer.
7. Hiding in the middle of the scale
What it looks like: To avoid being badly wrong, you rate most actions Slightly effective or Effective.
Why it costs you: Most scenarios contain at least one clearly poor action and one clearly good one. If you never commit, you lose points on both ends.
The fix: Use the definitions. If an action will make things worse, it is Counterproductive. If it is one of the best things anyone could do, it is Very effective. Commit to the ends when they fit.
8. Rating by length or wording
What it looks like: You give the top rating to the longest option because it seems to cover more.
Why it costs you: Long options can wrap a poor action in convincing reasons. Short options can be exactly right. Length tells you nothing.
The fix: Strip each option down to its verb ('leave her', 'run the plate', 'ring her today') and rate the verb. Our SJT examples page is written so that length does not predict the rating.
Keep a miss log: for every practice rating two or more points out, note which of these eight it was. After three or four sessions, two or three of them usually account for most of your misses. The free SJT practice test does this tagging for you and the rate, don't rank trainer targets mistake 1 directly.
Short on time? A five-session plan
The SJT does not test knowledge, so more hours is not automatically better. If you have just been invited, five focused sessions, about three to four hours in total, cover everything and fit inside your seven-day window. With more time, use the two-week plan below.
Session 1 (about 45 minutes)
- Read the College's national sift candidate guidance, including its two example scenarios.
- Learn the five SJT scale definitions and the four rating rules.
- Read the CVF's three values and six competencies at level 1.
Session 2 (about 40 minutes)
- Work through some of our 14 SJT example questions with answers, committing to your ratings before opening each answer.
- Write down every action you missed by two points or more and why.
Session 3 (about 30 minutes)
- Do two five-scenario sets in the free SJT practice (15 free scenarios).
- Look at the results screen: which type of action do you misjudge most often? Write one rule to fix it.
Session 4 (about 30 minutes)
- Read the BSQ guide and try the free BSQ practice to get used to the seven-point scale and the ranking screens.
- Reread your rules from sessions 2 and 3.
Session 5 (about 45 minutes)
- Take the free timed mock: 15 scenarios in one quiet sitting, with all feedback held to the end, as in the real test.
- Compare with your earlier sets. If one pattern still costs you, drill it before your window closes.
Useful links for the plan: the SJT example questions with answers, the free SJT practice test, the BSQ explained and the free BSQ practice.
A two-week plan
If you have a fortnight before your window, spread the work out. Short daily sessions with review beat one long cram. The total is about six hours. Timings are our estimates.
| Day | What to do | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Read the College's national sift candidate guidance, including its two example scenarios. | 40 min |
| Day 2 | Learn the five SJT scale definitions and the four rating rules. Read the CVF competencies at level 1. | 30 min |
| Day 3 | SJT examples 1 to 7 on paper, then open the answers and mark yourself. | 40 min |
| Day 4 | SJT examples 8 to 14 on paper and mark them. Start a miss log of every rating two or more points out. | 40 min |
| Day 5 | Review your miss log. Write your three most common mistakes as rules in one sentence each. | 20 min |
| Day 6 | One free practice set of five scenarios. Read every rationale, including the ones you got right. | 20 min |
| Day 7 | Rest, or read the courage, respect and empathy and public service scenario pages. | 0 to 20 min |
| Day 8 | The free rate, don't rank trainer, then a second practice set. | 35 min |
| Day 9 | Read the BSQ guide and try the free BSQ practice to learn the scale and the ranking screens. | 30 min |
| Day 10 | A practice set aimed at your weakest pattern. Update your rules. | 20 min |
| Day 11 | Write two scenarios of your own from everyday life and rate them. | 20 min |
| Day 12 | The free timed mock: 15 scenarios in one quiet sitting, feedback held to the end. | 45 min |
| Day 13 | Review the mock against your rules. Reread the scale definitions. | 20 min |
| Day 14 | Set-up check: device, browser, a quiet slot of at least an hour and a quarter. Then rest. | 15 min |
Three rules make the plan work:
- Commit before you check. Write your ratings down before opening any answer.
- Review more than you practise. Ten minutes reading why you missed is worth more than ten more scenarios.
- Save the timed mock for late in the plan. The free mock is one per browser, so use it once your rules are in place.
Resources for the plan: 14 SJT example questions with answers, the free SJT practice test and timed mock, the rate, don't rank trainer, the value scenario pages and the free BSQ practice.
A worked example of the thinking
Here is the reasoning on one short, original scenario, so you can see the tips working together.
A member of the public tells you a cash machine outside a shop has been swallowing cards all morning. Two people have already lost their cards. The shop is closed and there is a small device fitted over the card slot.
- "Put up a sign warning people and report the device so it can be dealt with properly." Protects the public now and starts the right process. Very effective.
- "Pull the device off yourself and take it to the station." Stops more cards being taken, so it helps, but it may damage evidence and skips the proper route. Slightly effective.
- "Tell the member of the public to ring their bank." Sensible advice for one person but does nothing for the next. Ineffective as a response to the situation.
- "Leave it, as the shop will sort it out when it reopens." Lets more people lose their cards. Counterproductive.
Notice the reasoning: safety of the public first (tip 5), proportion (tip 6) and the scale definitions (tip 7). The second action is not the worst, because it does help; it just is not the best first step. That middle-of-the-scale judgement is where most marks are won or lost. Fourteen more worked scenarios are on the SJT examples page.
Checklist for the day you sit it
- Time: at least an hour and a quarter free, in one block if you can.
- Place: somewhere quiet and free from distractions, as the College recommends.
- Device: laptop, desktop, tablet or phone all work. A bigger screen is easier to read.
- Access code problem? The College says to clear your browser's cache, cookies and temporary files, then click the link again. See access code and technical problems.
- Connection drops? Click the assessment link in your invitation email again to get back in.
- Accessibility: text-to-speech, coloured overlays, zoom up to 300% and keyboard navigation are supported and you can set them up yourself. See sift reasonable adjustments.
- Before you start: reread the five scale definitions and your own list of rules.
- Practice questions: do them. Skipping is permanent.
The College lists Talogy support at supportservicesintl@talogy.com, Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm excluding bank holidays, with a response expected within four support hours. Questions about your application go to your recruiting force.
What to do on the day, step by step
- Thirty minutes before. Charge or plug in your device, close other tabs and apps, put your phone on silent and have water nearby. If you use text-to-speech, open it now and check it reads the page (see accessibility below).
- Reread your notes. The five scale definitions and your own three rules. Nothing new: no fresh scenarios the same morning.
- Open the link from your invitation email. If you are asked for an access code, clear your browser's cache, cookies and temporary files and try the link again, as the College advises.
- Do the practice questions. They are unscored and you cannot return to them if you skip them.
- SJT: one scenario at a time. Read it, name the main priority, then rate each action on its own. The College says the scale descriptions are available at any point during the exercise, so check them when you are torn between two points.
- Notice tiredness. The exercises are untimed. If your concentration drops, the College's adjustments guide says you can pause and come back up to ten times in your window. The home screen times out after 20 minutes of inactivity, so if you step away, expect to use your invitation link to get back in.
- Take a break between the SJT and the BSQ if you need one. A few minutes away from the screen helps you switch from judging actions to describing yourself.
- BSQ: answer about work, steadily. Picture a typical week, go with your considered answer and do not try to second-guess an ideal profile (see BSQ consistency).
- If something goes wrong technically, stop and contact Talogy support or your force rather than pushing on. The College also lists recruit@college.police.uk if your assessment was affected by technical issues.
- Afterwards, start preparing for the online assessment process. Results come by email and timing depends on your force.
BSQ consistency: answering the same way every time
The BSQ asks how you typically behave at work, on a seven-point scale from completely disagree to completely agree and may ask you to rank statements by which is most like you. The College's advice is to read each statement carefully and be as honest as possible. Consistency follows from honesty; it is very hard to fake.
- Expect related statements. Questionnaires of this kind commonly ask about the same behaviour more than once in different words. That is general practice for this type of test, not something the College has described for its own. If you answer as yourself, related statements take care of themselves.
- Use one frame of reference. Decide at the start what "at work" means for you (your current job, recent jobs, or study and volunteering if you have not worked much) and keep to it.
- Use the scale as it fits. All 7s or all 4s does not describe a real person. A spread of answers is normal.
- Ranking screens are not tests of virtue. All three statements are usually positive. Pick the one most like you quickly and move on.
- Do not change answers to fit a persona. Going back over earlier answers to make them "match" an imagined ideal officer is how inconsistency creeps in.
Our free BSQ practice includes pairs of similar statements and flags where your answers contradicted each other. It gives no score; it is a way to see whether you are answering steadily. The BSQ guide has example statements for every area it covers.
Accessibility and reasonable adjustments
The College's reasonable adjustments guide (updated 25 August 2026) says extra time is not offered for the National Sift because both exercises are untimed. It lists accommodations you can use for the sift without asking permission from the College or your force:
- Zoom in up to 300%.
- Text-to-speech software. The guide recommends NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA), which is free and works best on Firefox. Practise with it before the day.
- Keyboard navigation for most of the platform.
- Self-facilitated breaks between questions and exercises. The home screen times out after 20 minutes of inactivity.
- Pausing and coming back up to ten times in the seven-day window.
- For visual stress: changing colours, contrast and fonts on screen, or using your own coloured overlay or coloured lenses.
The same guide says breaks can also help with anxiety, conditions affecting concentration and physical conditions that make it hard to stay seated. If you have any condition, temporary or long-term, that could disadvantage you, such as pregnancy, injury, disability or neurodivergence, contact your recruiting force about further support. It also notes that requests are most often turned down for lack of supporting information, so give your force enough detail. It adds that you cannot appeal on the grounds of the adjustments offered if you are later unsuccessful.
More detail: National Sift reasonable adjustments and joining with ADHD, autism, anxiety or depression.
Ready to sit it? A ten-point check
Before you open the real exercises, you should be able to say yes to most of these. If not, the linked section helps.
- I can explain the difference between Slightly effective and Ineffective without looking (tip 7).
- I rate each action on its own and I am comfortable giving two actions the same rating (mistake 1).
- I rate only on what the scenario says, not on what might be going on (mistake 2).
- I know my two or three most common mistakes from a miss log and have a one-line rule for each.
- I have done at least one set of scenarios in one sitting with feedback held to the end.
- I have seen the BSQ's seven-point scale and a ranking screen, so neither will surprise me.
- I know what "at work" means for my BSQ answers and I plan to answer honestly.
- My device, browser and any assistive software are tested (accessibility).
- I have a quiet slot of at least an hour and a quarter inside my seven-day window, with a spare day after it.
- I know who to contact if something goes wrong: Talogy for technical problems, my force for everything else.
Eight or more yeses: you are ready. Fewer than six: do sessions 2 and 3 of the five-session plan first, even if your window is short.
Using your seven-day window
Once your force invites you, the College says you have a seven-day assessment window. The adjustments guide adds that you can pause and come back up to ten times in that window and that the home screen times out after 20 minutes of inactivity. A sensible way to use it:
- Day 1: check the link works and open the practice area, so any access problem surfaces early.
- Days 2 to 5: sessions 2 to 5 of the plan above if you have not done them.
- Day 5 or 6: sit the real exercises, leaving a day spare in case anything goes wrong.
If something serious happens before you sit it, such as illness or a bereavement, the College says to tell your force and ask for an extension before the window expires. Extenuating circumstances are not grounds for an appeal afterwards.
What happens after the sift
Scoring is automatic. The College says you are told by email whether you met the national standard and receive a personalised feedback report. How quickly depends on your force; see national sift results and the feedback report.
If you pass, the next stage is the College's online assessment process: a competency-based interview, a written exercise and a briefing exercise. It is worth starting that preparation as soon as you submit the sift. Our online assessment centre guide covers it. If you do not pass, you can resit from three months after the date you completed it: see failed the national sift.
Specials, PCSOs and other routes
Since 17 March 2026 the Police Regulations 2003 (regulation 10(1)(eb)) require constable candidates in England and Wales, other than transferees, to pass the national sift, whichever entry route they apply through. College pages updated on 5 October 2026 say special constable and PCSO applicants also sit the National Sift, followed by an in-force interview. The tips on this page apply to all of them.
Sift and recruitment alerts
Know when the sift or the application windows change
Forces open and close recruitment windows without much notice, and the national sift can change. Leave your email and we will tell you when forces open applications and when the sift or the entry rules change. Occasional emails, written by hand. Unsubscribe any time.
Sent by a person when there is news, not on a schedule. Unsubscribe any time. See our privacy policy.
Myths about passing the sift
"There is a 50th percentile pass mark." The College does not publish the standard as a percentile or a score.
"Tough answers show you are police material." The scale rewards what helps resolve the situation. Heavy first steps usually sit in the middle.
"You can beat the BSQ with the right persona." The College asks for honest answers and does not publish how it is scored.
"It is timed, so rush." Both exercises are untimed. Read carefully.
"You can buy the real questions." The College does not publish them. Practice material, ours included, is original.
What we could not verify
- A national pass rate. The figures above are three forces' own and are not comparable with each other.
- The pass mark, the answer key and the weighting between the SJT and the BSQ. Not published.
- The exact number of SJT scenarios and BSQ statements. The College gives none; joiningthepolice.co.uk says 15 and 80.
The optional Sift Prep Pass (£19.99, 90 days, one payment) adds the full practice bank and unlimited timed mocks. Like everything here it is original material and no product can promise you will meet the national standard.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I pass the police National Sift?
Prepare for the two exercises differently. For the SJT, learn the five-point scale, rate each action on its own as your first response using only the facts given and practise on original scenarios while reading the reasoning. For the BSQ, learn the format and then answer honestly about your typical behaviour at work. Take each exercise in one quiet sitting.
Is the National Sift hard?
It is not a knowledge test and most candidates in the forces that have published figures passed. In West Yorkshire Police's 2025 figures, 969 passed and 355 were rejected. In West Midlands Police's 2025 figures, 1,379 passed and 1,046 were rejected or withdrew. So a real minority, roughly a quarter to two fifths of those with an outcome in these two forces, did not get through. Preparation for the SJT is worthwhile.
What is the pass mark for the National Sift?
It is not published. The College says your SJT and BSQ scores are combined, compared with a group of applicants to policing roles and shown as a percentile. You are told whether you met the national standard.
How long should I prepare for the National Sift?
Most people need a handful of focused sessions rather than weeks. Our five-session plan takes about three to four hours in total. If you have longer, spread the sessions out and add more SJT practice with careful review of the reasoning.
Can you practise for the BSQ?
You can practise the format: the seven-point agreement scale and the ranking screens. You should not practise answers. The College's advice is to be as honest as possible about your typical behaviour at work.
How long does the National Sift take?
Both exercises are untimed. The College's candidate guidance says about 45 minutes for the SJT and about 20 for the BSQ. Its reasonable adjustments guide says about 20 and 30 minutes. joiningthepolice.co.uk says about 30 and 20 minutes. Allow at least an hour and a quarter.
Can I pause the National Sift?
Yes. The College's reasonable adjustments guide says you can pause and come back up to ten times during the seven-day window and take breaks between questions and exercises. The home screen times out after 20 minutes of inactivity.
Can I do the National Sift on my phone?
Yes. The College says both exercises can be completed on a laptop, desktop, tablet or mobile. A larger screen makes reading the scenarios and rating scale easier, so use one if you have the choice.
What happens if I fail the National Sift?
You can resit from three months after the date you completed it, no more than twice in 12 months and you take both exercises again. You cannot appeal on the result alone.
Do I need to know the law to pass the sift?
No. The College says no prior policing knowledge is required and you do not need to know the law or police procedures to be successful.
What should I do the day before the National Sift?
Reread the five scale definitions and your own list of rules, check your device and browser, plan a quiet time with at least an hour and a quarter free and get some rest. Cramming new scenarios the night before helps less than a calm read of your notes.
What are the most common National Sift mistakes?
In the SJT: ranking the four actions instead of rating each one, adding facts that are not in the scenario, rewarding tough or formal responses for minor problems, being generous to 'record it and monitor', rewarding polite but empty responses, judging an action as the whole plan rather than a first step, hiding in the middle of the scale and rating by length. In the BSQ: answering as an imagined ideal officer rather than honestly.
What is a good two-week plan for the National Sift?
Days 1 and 2: read the College's guidance and learn the scale. Days 3 to 5: worked SJT examples on paper with a miss log. Days 6 to 11: short practice sets, a rate-don't-rank trainer, the BSQ format and your own scenarios. Day 12: one timed mock in a single sitting. Days 13 and 14: review and a set-up check. About six hours in total.
Can I use a screen reader or text-to-speech in the National Sift?
Yes. The College's reasonable adjustments guide says you can use text-to-speech without asking permission and recommends NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA), which is free and works best on Firefox. You can also zoom up to 300% and navigate most of the platform by keyboard.
What if I have visual stress or dyslexia?
The College's guide says candidates with visual stress may change on-screen colours, contrast and fonts, or use their own coloured overlay or lenses, without asking permission. Extra time is not offered because the sift is untimed. For other support, contact your recruiting force with as much detail as you can.
Do my BSQ answers need to be consistent?
Answer honestly and consistency follows. Questionnaires like the BSQ commonly ask about the same behaviour in different words, so trying to fit a persona tends to produce contradictions. Keep one frame of reference for 'at work' and use the scale as it fits you.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 22 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.
- College of Policing: National sift candidate guidance (updated 1 June 2026) : two exercises; CVF level 1; no policing knowledge; practice area and skip rule; seven-day window; SJT and BSQ timings, rating rules and preparation advice; devices; Talogy support; access code fix; accommodations; scoring; results; resits; appeals (accessed 22 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Reasonable adjustments guide for online assessments candidates (updated 25 August 2026) : no extra time for the sift; zoom to 300%; NVDA text-to-speech, best on Firefox; keyboard navigation; visual stress options; breaks; pause up to ten times in the seven-day window; home screen time-out after 20 minutes of inactivity; about 20 minutes SJT and 30 minutes BSQ; requests and reviews go through your force (accessed 22 October 2026)
- joiningthepolice.co.uk: What does the sift involve? : 15 SJT scenarios in about 30 minutes; 80 BSQ statements in about 20 minutes; both untimed (accessed 22 October 2026)
- West Yorkshire Police: FOI 2865882/26, stats on 2025 applicants (March 2026) : national sift 2025: 969 passed, 355 rejected, 5 withdrawn (accessed 22 October 2026)
- West Midlands Police: Recruitment, FOI 402/26 (February 2026) : sift 2025, of those who passed eligibility: 1,379 passed, 1,046 rejected or withdrawn, 194 ongoing (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Dorset Police: Police applicants, FOI 01/FIN/26/004319/Y (6 March 2026) : 2025: 569 passed eligibility, 443 passed the sift; live cases removed at some stages (accessed 22 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
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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 22 October 2026.