Your OAC
Feedback Report
What the College of Policing's feedback report after the online assessment process contains, how to read one score per exercise when no pass mark is published and what to do next whether you met the standard or are planning a resit. Includes a free interpreter that turns your scores into a practice plan.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
It tells you whether you met the national standard and gives an overall score for each of the three exercises (interview, written and briefing), with a description of what better-performing candidates did. The College does not publish a pass mark, scale or weighting, so use the scores to compare your exercises and plan practice, not to work out a mark.
For police constable candidates in England and Wales who have taken, or are about to take, the College of Policing online assessment process. We have not seen every version of the report, so this page sticks to what the College says it contains and how to use it. Nothing here can change or predict your result.
Free feedback report interpreter
Enter your result and the score your report gives for each exercise, exactly as shown. The interpreter tells you which exercise to focus on, which CVF areas it assesses and a 12-week plan with matching practice. It does not send or keep anything you type.
Free feedback report interpreter
What your OAC feedback report is telling you
Nothing you enter leaves this page. We never predict a result: the College publishes no pass mark.
Enter the overall score your report gives for each exercise, exactly as shown. Leave any you do not have blank.
No scores to hand? Choose the exercise that felt hardest instead. The plan is the same shape; your report will tell you more precisely when it arrives.
What the College says is in the report
The College's online assessment process candidate guide (updated 21 July 2026) says you receive the final outcome after your exercises are assessed and marked, with "notification and instructions on how to access your results and your personalised feedback report". It describes the report in three parts:
| Part | What it gives you | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score for each exercise | One score for the interview, one for the written exercise and one for the briefing exercise. | Compare them with each other to find your weakest exercise. |
| More information about each exercise | What the exercise involved and what it was looking for. | Check it against the CVF areas the exercise assesses. |
| What distinguishes better performance | The kinds of performance that separate better-performing candidates from those who did not perform as effectively. | Turn each description into one practice habit (see below). |
The report also tells you whether you met the national standard. It is not a marked script: the College does not say you can see your recordings, your written response or individual assessor comments.
How and when your results arrive
- Confirmation of each exercise. As you finish each exercise you get a confirmation email and the dashboard shows it at 100%. That confirms submission, not your result.
- Marking. Trained assessors (police officers, police staff and people chosen from the community) mark your exercises. A quality assurance team monitors the assessors.
- Results email. An automated email from police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk tells you how to access your result and report. The inbox is not monitored, so do not reply to it.
- Force contact. If you are successful, your force contacts you about next steps.
The College does not publish a results timescale. It says your recruiting force will give you the expected timeline. If the date has passed, check your junk folder for the results email, then contact the force's recruitment team. Add police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk to your safe senders before your window opens: the College also uses it for emails about retakes and technical issues.
Reading your scores when no pass mark is published
The College publishes no pass mark, no scale for the exercise scores and no weighting between the exercises. That has three practical consequences:
- Compare your exercises with each other, not with a number from the internet. If one score is clearly lower than the other two, that exercise is your main development area.
- Do not try to work out "how close" you were. Without the scale and the standard, any calculation is a guess. Use the report for direction, not distance.
- Do not ignore your stronger exercises. A resit means all three exercises again and scores can move both ways between attempts.
Look at the descriptions of better performance instead of the numbers. The same weakness often shows up in all three exercises: not saying why you did something, not following up, or adding information that was not given. Fix that once and it helps everywhere.
Turning the descriptions into practice
The most useful part of the report is the description of what better-performing candidates did. Read each one and ask: "Would an assessor have heard or read that in my answer?" Then make it a habit you can practise. Some common translations:
| If the report says better candidates... | The habit to practise |
|---|---|
| gave specific examples of their own actions | Say "I" and name each step. Replace "we sorted it" with what you did, in order. |
| explained the reasons for their decisions | After every action, add "because". This is the single most common gap in practice answers. |
| considered the needs of different people | In the briefing and written exercises, list everyone affected before answering, including people who are not complaining. |
| used the information provided | Refer to the items ("Item C shows..."), point out conflicts and say what you would check. Never fill gaps with invented facts. |
| worked with others to find solutions | Name partners and what you would ask of them: school, council, colleague, sergeant. |
| reflected on what they learned | End interview answers with one specific change you made afterwards. |
| followed up and kept people informed | In briefing answers, leave the last 30 seconds for how you would update people and check it worked. |
The left-hand column is illustrative: the exact wording in your report will differ and we do not reproduce the College's report text. The point is the method: one description, one habit, practised on new questions.
Which practice matches each exercise score
| Lowest score | CVF areas it assesses | Free practice |
|---|---|---|
| Competency-based interview | Courage; public service; respect and empathy; we take ownership; we are innovative and open-minded | Pacing timer, full mock interview, a scored answer |
| Written exercise | Respect and empathy; we analyse critically; we support and inspire; we collaborate | Spot the gaps drill, written examples, written trainer |
| Briefing exercise | Public service; we are emotionally aware; we take ownership; we are innovative and open-minded | Briefing simulator, briefing examples, emotional awareness guide |
The areas come from the College's July 2026 candidate guide. Notice the overlaps: ownership and open-mindedness are assessed in both spoken exercises and respect and empathy in both the interview and the written exercise. A weakness in one of those areas can pull down two scores at once.
A worked example: turning a report into a plan
This example is invented to show the method. The numbers are deliberately generic because the College does not publish the scale its reports use.
The report. Alex did not meet the standard. The interview score is the highest of the three, the briefing score is close behind and the written exercise score is clearly the lowest. The written exercise description says better-performing candidates used the information provided to reach balanced conclusions and considered the impact on the people involved.
What Alex remembers. They spent the first hour of the written exercise re-reading the items, wrote a long summary of each one and ran short of time for the last question. They added a suggestion about CCTV that none of the items mentioned.
The diagnosis. Two habits: summarising instead of analysing and filling a gap with an assumption. Both sit under "we analyse critically". The missing last answer may also have cost credit for collaboration, because that question asked who should be involved.
The plan. Weeks 1 to 4: the spot the gaps drill twice a week and a "facts, conflicts, missing" list before every practice response. Weeks 5 to 8: one timed written response a week, answering every question in order with headings, finishing inside 45 minutes. Weeks 9 to 12: two full mocks, keeping the interview and briefing sharp with one timed answer of each a week.
The method works whatever your scores look like: find the lowest exercise, match the description to something you remember doing, name the habit and practise the opposite habit on new material.
How the OAC report differs from the sift report
| Feature | National sift report | OAC feedback report |
|---|---|---|
| Marked by | The assessment platform, automatically | Trained assessors, quality assured |
| Score shown | An overall score combining the SJT and the BSQ, compared with other applicants as a percentile | An overall score for each of the three exercises |
| Descriptions | Performances that distinguish better-performing candidates | Performances that distinguish better-performing candidates, per exercise |
| Resit from | Three months after the date you completed the sift | Three months after the start date of your assessment window |
| Attempts | Twice in 12 months | Twice in 12 months |
Our guide to national sift results and the feedback report covers the sift side in detail.
If you met the standard
Your force contacts you about the next steps. Since 17 March 2026 the Police Regulations require constable candidates, other than transferees, to complete four stages to the College's standard: the national application form, the national sift, the online assessment process and an in-person interview with the force. The force interview is next.
- Keep the report. Your weakest OAC exercise often points to what a force panel will probe.
- Prepare for the force interview. Each force sets its own format; see which forces have a final interview and the in-person interview explained.
- Start the paperwork. References, medical and fitness checks follow. Vetting is applied for once the four stages are done.
- Moving force? The College says you may be able to transfer your pass to another force, at that force's discretion.
If you did not meet the standard
It is a common outcome and rarely the end. What the College's rules say:
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Earliest resit | From three months after the start date of your assessment window (not the date of your result). |
| Attempts | No more than twice in a 12-month period. |
| What you resit | All the exercises, even ones you scored well on. |
| Force rules | The College's pre-employment guidance lets forces decide locally. Ask yours. |
| One force at a time | You can only sit the assessments with one force at a time. |
The College's pre-employment guidance says the three-month gap exists to give people time to develop before reapplying. The OAC resit plan turns that time into a week-by-week plan with a free tracker and the reapplying guide covers every stage.
Three months is also why the full mock is part of the 90-day pass, not a 30-day one. If you want timed papers and feedback for the whole gap:
Interview and assessment centre updates
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Appeals, extenuating circumstances and retakes
- Appeals. If something affected your performance, such as extenuating circumstances or a procedural concern, the College says the written appeal, with evidence, must reach your force within 24 hours of taking the assessment. Appeals after you receive your result are not considered.
- Only if you did not meet the standard. An appeal is considered further only if you did not meet the standard, though procedural issues are still investigated.
- Extenuating circumstances. Serious events such as illness, injury or the death or serious illness of a family member. Lack of preparation or a heavy workload does not count. If you know beforehand, ask your force for a later assessment or an extension rather than sitting it.
- Automatic fail. For behaviour against the Code of Ethics, inappropriate behaviour or seeking an unfair advantage (such as prepared notes or outside help), decided by the quality assurance team. It cannot be appealed.
- Technical issues. If a technical problem affected your assessment, the College may offer a retake, sometimes of the affected questions only, by email. Contact recruit@college.police.uk with your force and full name.
The College also says severe inappropriate language or behaviour during an assessment means you cannot resit that stage for at least two years.
Keep your report: three later uses
- Your resit plan. It is the only official evidence of where you lost ground.
- Your force interview. Areas you scored lower on are worth preparing extra examples for.
- Questions from forces. Application forms can ask about previous assessments. Answer accurately; having your dates and outcomes to hand helps.
Save the report as a PDF or screenshot when you first open it, in case access to it changes later. The College's guidance does not say how long it stays available.
Questions worth asking your force after your result
Forces apply the national rules with some local discretion. A short email to the recruitment team can save weeks:
- If you met the standard: when and where is the force interview and what format does it use?
- How long will the force accept my OAC result and does it carry over if the campaign closes?
- If you did not meet the standard: does the force follow the College's three-month resit rule, or a different one?
- Will I need to resit the national sift too, or only the online assessment? (The College's guidance does not say; forces decide how they process reapplications.)
- Is there a reapplication window coming up, or do I need to watch for the next campaign?
- If I had a reasonable adjustment, will it carry over to a resit, or do I apply again?
Keep the replies with your report. If you move to another force, the answers may differ, so ask again.
The first three months after a result: a simple timeline
| When | Met the standard | Did not meet it |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Save the report; note your lowest exercise. | Save the report; give yourself a day before deciding anything. |
| Week 1 | Reply to your force; ask about the interview format. | Ask your force about its resit rule; run the interpreter; set a plan date. |
| Weeks 2 to 4 | Prepare force interview examples; gather documents for checks. | Work on the lowest exercise; build an example bank. |
| Months 2 to 3 | Force interview and pre-employment checks, at your force's pace. | Full timed mocks; set-up check; resit once the College's three-month point is reached and your force agrees. |
Looking after yourself after a disappointing result
A long recruitment process can feel personal when it does not go your way. A few things worth remembering:
- The College designs the three-month gap so candidates can develop. It expects people to try again.
- Assessors mark what they hear and read on the day, against set criteria. A result is about that performance, not about whether you would make a good officer.
- The skills involved (structured answers, analysing information, staying calm under a clock) improve with practice more than most people expect.
- Talk it through with someone you trust before deciding whether and when to resit.
If the result has knocked your wellbeing rather than just your confidence, speak to your GP or a support service such as Mind. Taking a few weeks before starting a resit plan is a perfectly reasonable choice.
Asking for your own data
The College's guidance describes a feedback report, not access to your recordings or written response. If you want to see what personal data an organisation holds about you, UK data protection law gives you the right to ask for a copy (a subject access request). The Information Commissioner's Office explains how to make one.
We have not checked what a request to the College or a force about online assessment records would return or how long such records are kept, so ask the organisation directly. A request is not an appeal and will not change your result.
Myths about OAC results
"You need 50% to pass." No pass mark is published. Treat any fixed figure as a guess.
"Assessors know your background." The College says assessors know only your name and email and do not know whether you have applied before.
"You only resit the exercise you failed." You complete all the exercises again.
"Your pass lasts for two years." The College's guidance does not set a validity period for an OAC pass. Ask your force how long it will accept yours.
"You can appeal when the result comes." Appeals must be made within 24 hours of taking the assessment.
Who to ask
- Your force recruitment team: results timing, next steps, resit rules, transferring a pass.
- recruit@college.police.uk: technical issues that affected your assessment, or questions your force cannot answer. Put your force in the email header.
- Not the results inbox: police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk is automated and does not read replies.
What we could not verify
- The scale used for exercise scores, the pass standard and how the exercises combine. Not published.
- The exact wording and layout of the current report. We describe what the College says it contains.
- How long the report stays available online after you receive it.
- Whether an OAC pass has a validity period. No College guidance we read sets one; forces may set their own.
- Typical results timescales. These are set by forces and vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the OAC feedback report show?
The College of Policing says the candidate feedback report outlines your overall score for each exercise, gives more information about each exercise and describes the kinds of performance that distinguish better-performing candidates from those who did not perform as effectively.
How do I get my OAC results?
Once your exercises are marked you receive an automated email from police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk explaining how to access your result and feedback report. Add that address to your safe senders and check your junk folder. Replies to it are not read.
How long do OAC results take?
The College does not publish a timescale. It says your recruiting force will tell you when to expect results and timings vary by force and campaign. If the date your force gave has passed, contact the force's recruitment team.
What is the OAC pass mark?
The College does not publish one, or the scale used for the exercise scores, or how the three exercises are weighted. Any site quoting a fixed OAC pass mark is guessing. Your report tells you whether you met the standard and gives a score for each exercise.
Can I see my OAC answers or recordings?
The College's guidance does not say you can. It describes a feedback report with scores and descriptions, not access to your recordings or written response. If you want your personal data, ask the College or your force how to make a request.
I failed the OAC. When can I resit?
The College says you can resit from three months after the start date of your assessment window, no more than twice in a 12-month period and you must complete all the exercises again. Your force can set its own rule, so check with it before reapplying.
Can I appeal my OAC result?
Not after you receive your result. Appeals about extenuating circumstances or procedural concerns must reach your force in writing within 24 hours of taking the assessment, with evidence. An automatic fail cannot be appealed.
Does a low score on one exercise mean I failed?
Not necessarily and you cannot tell from one score alone. The College does not publish how the exercise scores combine or what standard each must meet. Your report states whether you met the standard overall.
Can I transfer my OAC pass to another force?
Possibly. The College says you may be able to transfer your pass to another force once you have your results, at the discretion of that force. You ask the new force to obtain your pass from the original force.
What should I do first with my feedback report?
Note the score for each exercise and copy the descriptions of better-performing candidates into your own words. Then pick the exercise with the lowest score as your main focus, while keeping the other two in practice, because a resit means doing all three again.
What happens after passing the OAC?
Your force contacts you about next steps. Since 17 March 2026 constable candidates (other than transferees) must also pass an in-person interview with the force. Pre-employment checks such as references, medical, fitness and vetting follow, with vetting applied for after the four recruitment stages.
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.
- College of Policing: Online assessment process candidate guide (updated 21 July 2026) : results email and sender, feedback report contents, assessors, automatic fail, appeals within 24 hours, extenuating circumstances, resits, transferring a pass, retakes after technical issues (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Sift and online assessment process (updated 21 July 2026) : email with instructions to access your final outcome and feedback report once all three exercises are marked; retakes for affected questions (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Police constable pre-employment guidance (April 2024) : reapplying three months after rejection unless the force says otherwise; force discretion; two-year bar for severe inappropriate behaviour (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police (Amendment) (Recruitment Standards) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/154) : online assessment process and in-person force interview are legal stages from 17 March 2026, except for transferees (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Regulations 2003, regulation 10 (revised) : the four recruitment stages for constable candidates (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Competency and values framework : the areas each exercise assesses (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Information Commissioner's Office: Your right to get copies of your data : how to make a subject access request (accessed 21 October 2026)
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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 21 October 2026.