How the Police OAC Is Marked
What the College of Policing actually publishes about OAC marking, what it does not, and how to make your evidence easy to credit. Checked against the College's candidate guide on 1 October 2026.
Trained assessors (police officers, police staff and community members) mark each of the three OAC exercises against a published set of Competency and Values Framework (CVF) areas at level 1. They know only your name and email. Your feedback report shows an overall score for each exercise. No pass mark is published, and spelling is not marked in the written exercise. Formats can change, so check the College candidate guide.
Try one out loud. Answer a practice question free and get a scored result in about a minute. No account. Answer a question free
Why understanding marking matters
Many candidates leave the Online Assessment Centre unsure how their performance was judged. This uncertainty often leads to unnecessary anxiety, speculation, and misinformation.
Understanding how the OAC is marked does not give you an "unfair" advantage. What it does do is help you prepare realistically and avoid common doubts.
The Golden Rule
The OAC is not marked on confidence, polish, or personality. It is marked on evidence of behaviour.
Who marks the OAC?
The College of Policing says its assessors are a mixture of police officers, police staff and people specifically chosen from the community. All are trained for each exercise and their performance is monitored, and a separate team quality assures the assessors.
Assessors only know your name and email address. They do not see the rest of your application and do not know whether you have applied before. They assess you against the competencies and values in the Competency and Values Framework (CVF), set at level 1 for initial recruitment.
- Listen objectively
- Assess evidence, not intention
- Apply criteria consistently
What "Evidence" Actually Means
| Zero Evidence (Fluff) Examples of what scores nothing. | High Evidence (Score) Examples of what scores points. |
|---|---|
| "We handled the situation well." Vague. Who is "we"? What did you do specifically? | "I took the lead by..." Specific ownership of the action. |
| "I would normally check everything." Theoretical. Assessors need to know what you actually did in the example. | "I checked X because I was concerned about Y..." Action + Reasoning = Strong Evidence. |
| "It was a difficult day." Descriptive commentary. Adds no value to competency scoring. | "I recognised the team was stressed, so I..." Emotional Awareness + Action. |
*The OAC marks you on what you did, not on what happened to you.
How marking works across exercises
Assesses: courage, public service, respect and empathy, we take ownership, we are innovative and open-minded.
Assesses: respect and empathy, we analyse critically, we support and inspire, we collaborate. Spelling and grammar are not marked.
Assesses: public service, we are emotionally aware, we take ownership, we are innovative and open-minded.
These are the competencies and values the College of Policing lists for each exercise in its candidate guide (updated July 2026). Your feedback report gives an overall score for each exercise. The College does not publish how exercise scores are weighted or combined, or the score you need on each one, so treat any website that quotes a precise pass mark or weighting with caution. Because every exercise is scored, prepare for all three.
Our summary: five things that make evidence easy to credit
Can you explain thinking clearly?
Is your decision making reasonable?
Did you do the right thing when it was difficult?
Do you consider others' needs?
Can you learn from mistakes?
This is PolicePay's plain-English summary, not the College's marking scheme. The official reference is the CVF (2024), whose three values are courage, respect and empathy, and public service.
Why structure matters more than confidence
Confident delivery does not equal strong evidence. Many candidates speak confidently but provide little detail. Others speak more slowly but give clear, structured explanations.
The College's own tips for the interview and briefing
exercise point the same way:
• use the on-screen prompts to structure your answer
• express yourself clearly and concisely
• be specific, because time is limited
Nerves vs Pauses
The College tells candidates to "try to relax" and says it can only assess you on what you tell it.
Nerves, pauses and self-correction are not listed as marking criteria. In our view, what matters is whether you get across:
- Clear actions
- Logical reasoning
- Relevant reflection
What does NOT affect marking (Myths)
The College says assessors assess you solely on your performance in the exercises. It has not published whether OAC scores are compared across candidates (the national sift, a separate stage, is scored as a percentile against a comparison group).
If you’re unsure whether your answers currently provide clear evidence across all exercises, the free “Are You Ready for the Police Online Assessment Centre?” readiness check can help highlight preparation gaps calmly.
Why candidates are sometimes surprised by outcomes
They felt confident but lacked structure.
They focused on intention ("I would do") rather than action ("I did").
They underestimated the importance of reflection learning.
They misunderstood what assessors were actually marking.
Understanding marking helps align preparation with what is actually assessed.
How preparation influences marking
Preparation does not guarantee outcomes. However, preparation helps you structure answers clearly, provide relevant evidence, avoidance common pitfalls, and communicate calmly under pressure.
These factors make it easier for assessors to identify your evidence. That is the role preparation plays.
What happens after marking
Your feedback report shows an overall score for each exercise and what distinguishes better-performing candidates.
An automated email from police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk tells you how to open your result. Your force sets the timeline.
If you pass, your force contacts you about the next stage, usually the in-person force interview. If not, you can resit from three months after your window started.
Final reassurance
The OAC marking process is designed to be structured, consistent, and fair. It is not designed to catch candidates out or reward confidence alone. If you focus on explaining what you did, why you did it, and what you learned, you are aligning your preparation with how the OAC is actually marked.
Rules that override your scores
The College's automatic fail policy sits above the marking. If you are believed to have breached the Code of Ethics, behaved inappropriately or tried to gain an unfair advantage, a quality assurance team reviews the evidence and can award an automatic fail regardless of how you scored. An automatic fail cannot be appealed. The guide names these triggers:
- using notes or scripts prepared before the assessment (you may make notes on the platform during each exercise);
- copying and pasting a written exercise response from another application;
- getting help from anyone else, or using a second device such as a phone, smartwatch or second monitor;
- noting or recording the assessment material, or sharing your notes afterwards.
Appeals about extenuating circumstances or procedural problems go in writing to your force within 24 hours of taking the assessment, with evidence. You cannot appeal after you receive your result. More in what happens if you fail the OAC and what happens after the OAC. For what each competency and value means at level 1, see the CVF explained.
What we could not verify
- The scoring scale assessors use, the weighting between exercises and the score needed to pass. None is published.
- Whether forces can still set a higher bar than the national standard. A 2022 College FAQ said they could; the current guide does not say so, and since 17 March 2026 the Police Regulations 2003 require candidates to pass to the standard set by the College. Ask your force.
- Whether OAC results are compared across candidates. Not stated for the OAC.
Sources, read 1 October 2026: College of Policing online assessment process candidate guide (updated 21 July 2026: assessors, competencies per exercise, results, feedback report, automatic fail, appeals, resits); Competency and values framework (2024); national sift candidate guidance (percentile scoring); Police Regulations 2003, regulation 10; College candidate FAQs v2.2 (2022, older guidance).
FAQ
Who marks the police OAC?
What is the OAC marked against?
Is there a pass mark for each OAC exercise?
Is spelling marked in the written exercise?
Do OAC assessors compare candidates to each other?
Do I need police knowledge to score well?
Does confidence affect OAC marking?
What is an automatic fail in the OAC?
When do I get my OAC marks?
How can I make my answers easier to credit?
Interview and assessment centre updates
New interview practice questions and model answers, by email
Leave your email and we will tell you when we publish new free interview practice questions and model answers, and when the assessment centre or interview format changes. 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.