Police OAC
Practice Test
A full timed mock of the College of Policing online assessment process: the five-question interview, the written exercise and the 12-question briefing exercise, with the real timings, original practice content and an honest review in 2024 CVF language. The interview is free.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
The College does not publish one, so this page gives you a full mock built to its July 2026 guide: a five-question interview (60 seconds to think, up to 5 minutes to answer), a written task for your line manager from four items (about 40 minutes, 2-hour limit) and a 12-question briefing exercise (60 seconds plus 3 minutes each). Paper 1's interview is free.
This page is for police constable candidates in England and Wales who have passed the national sift and are preparing for the College of Policing online assessment process, which most people still call the OAC. Every question, scenario and item of information in the mock is original PolicePay practice material. None of it comes from the College or from a real assessment and nothing here can tell you whether you will pass.
Treat the mock like the real thing: a quiet room, other devices out of sight and no notes written in advance. Answer the spoken questions out loud. If you want to hear yourself back, switch on recording when the exercise starts; the audio stays in your browser and is never uploaded. Your progress (not your answers) is remembered in this browser so you can come back to the dashboard later.
The full timed OAC mock
Pick a paper, then choose an exercise from the dashboard, just as you would on the real platform. Paper 1's competency-based interview is free from start to finish. The written and briefing exercises and all of Paper 2, open with the 90-day Mock Interview Pass or the 6-month toolkit.
Do the exercises in any order, as on the real platform. Once you start one, finish it in one go: the real exercises cannot be restarted. The interview is free.
Competency-based interview
FreeAbout 40 minutes: 5 questions, 1 minute to think and up to 5 minutes to answer each
Assesses: courage, public service, respect and empathy, we take ownership, we are innovative and open-minded.
Written exercise
PassAbout 10 minutes of instructions and 40 minutes to write; 2-hour limit
Assesses: respect and empathy, we analyse critically, we support and inspire, we collaborate.
Briefing exercise
PassAbout 10 minutes to prepare, then 12 questions: 1 minute to think and up to 3 minutes to answer each
Assesses: public service, we are emotionally aware, we take ownership, we are innovative and open-minded.
Once an exercise is finished you review it against our checklist. Each tick is something your answer clearly showed; the share you tick is your practice score for that exercise. When all three exercises in a paper are done, the dashboard shows a short practice report with one score per exercise, the same shape as the College's own feedback report.
The real format, exercise by exercise
The mock follows the College of Policing's online assessment process candidate guide, updated on 21 July 2026, and the College's video walkthrough of the Tazio platform. These are the standard timings; an approved reasonable adjustment can change them.
| Exercise | What you do | Timings | CVF areas assessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competency-based interview | Answer five questions on camera. A recorded assessor reads each question and on-screen prompts help you structure your answer. | 60 seconds to think (not recorded), then up to 5 minutes to answer. About 40 minutes in total. | Courage; public service; respect and empathy; we take ownership; we are innovative and open-minded. |
| Written exercise | As a police constable, complete an urgent written task for your line manager using four items of information. Answer every question in one box. | About 10 minutes to read the instructions and about 40 minutes to write. The limit is 2 hours. | Respect and empathy; we analyse critically; we support and inspire; we collaborate. |
| Briefing exercise | As a police constable dealing with issues in a developing scenario, answer 12 questions aloud in three parts of four, with new information in parts two and three. | About 10 minutes of untimed preparation, then 60 seconds to think and up to 3 minutes to answer each question. About 60 minutes in total. | Public service; we are emotionally aware; we take ownership; we are innovative and open-minded. |
The College says you do not need any prior knowledge of policing to complete the exercises and that you will not be assessed on law or police procedure. Competencies are assessed at level 1 of the 2024 Competency and Values Framework (CVF), the practitioner level. Since 17 March 2026, passing the online assessment process has been a legal requirement for constable candidates in England and Wales other than transferees.
Things that are not part of the current process, whatever older prep sites say: a numeracy or verbal reasoning test, a role-play exercise and a published pass mark. Police Scotland runs its own entrance test, which is a different process.
What is free, what is paid and why
Everything you need to try the format properly is free. The paid part gives you more full papers and feedback.
| Part | Free | 90-day pass or toolkit |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 interview (5 questions) | Yes, with recording and checklist | Yes, plus AI feedback |
| Paper 1 written and briefing exercises | No | Yes |
| Paper 2: all three exercises | No | Yes |
| Briefing simulator | One full scenario | Three scenarios, with AI feedback |
| AI feedback on typed answers | No | Up to 40 reviews a day |
| Practice report | For every exercise you complete | For both papers |
We did not create a new product for this. The full mock is part of the 90-day Mock Interview Pass (£39.99) and the 6-month OAC and interview toolkit (£69.99), which already include unlimited scored answers in the mock interview and full feedback in the written exercise trainer. The 30-day pass (£24.99) does not include the full mock: if you hold it, the offer under the mock shows what switching to 90 days costs you, using the amount the checkout actually charges.
Why 90 days? If your assessment is weeks away, you want practice that lasts to the day. If you are resitting, the College says the earliest you can sit again is three months after the start of your previous assessment window, so a 90-day pass covers a typical gap. Every purchase has a full refund within 14 days, no reason needed.
Which order should you do the exercises in?
The College's walkthrough says you can do the three exercises in any order, but once you click "start assessment" you cannot restart that exercise and you must complete all three to finish. There is no official best order. Some sensible approaches:
- Interview first if speaking to a camera makes you most nervous: it gets the most personal exercise done while you are fresh and the questions draw on your own examples rather than new material.
- Written exercise first if you are sharpest early in the day: it has the longest time limit and the most reading.
- Briefing exercise last if you like to warm up: it is the longest spoken exercise, about an hour and benefits from being used to the platform.
- Spread them out across your window if your force allows the time. Only open an exercise when you have enough uninterrupted time to finish it.
The mock dashboard works the same way: choose any exercise and the start button warns you that the real thing cannot be restarted. In the mock you can practise an exercise again afterwards.
Do your first full mock in the order you plan to use on the day. If you finish the last exercise noticeably more tired or rushed, try a different order in the second paper and compare your practice scores.
The competency-based interview: what the mock copies
The interview is five questions, one at a time. The College says each question comes with prompts shown as text on screen (you may need to scroll to see them all) and a pre-recorded video of an assessor reads the question out. You get 60 seconds of thinking time, which is not recorded and then five minutes to record your answer.
- Practice question first. The real platform gives you a practice question with a one-minute answer to check your camera, microphone and timing. The mock does too and it is not scored.
- Thinking time. A countdown runs. You can make notes now, because you have seen the question. You can skip the rest of the thinking time and start answering.
- Answer time. Up to five minutes. You can submit early. If you use all five minutes the recording stops and you move on.
- Five questions in a row. Each draws on one of the five interview areas: courage, public service, respect and empathy, ownership and being innovative and open-minded.
Questions can ask about the past or about the future. The College's July 2026 guide says you will be asked how you have dealt with specific situations in the past, or how you may intend to deal with them in the future. Answer in the tense the question uses. For a future question, explain what you would do and why and back it with something you have actually done where you can. Paper 1's fifth question is future-focused for this reason.
The College suggests the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) and calls the action "the main part" of your answer. It also suggests using one example per question and describing it in detail. During the answer the mock shows our suggested STAR time bands: about 40 seconds of situation, 30 seconds of task, most of the time on what you did and why and the last minute for the result and what you learned. Those bands are our suggestion, not a College rule.
On the real platform your camera view is shown on screen and you can blur it if seeing yourself is distracting. The mock records audio only, if you choose, so you can concentrate on what you say.
What a five-minute answer looks like, minute by minute
People who have never spoken for five minutes on one example often worry about filling the time, or run out of time before the result. Below is an illustrative outline for Paper 1's fourth question ("Tell us about a time something you were responsible for went wrong"). It is a structure, not a script: the College does not allow prepared scripts and your own example will sound different.
| Time | STAR part | What the candidate covers (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:40 | Situation | Working in a gym's front office, responsible for booking the community swimming sessions for a local care home. One week the booking was not made and twelve residents arrived to find the pool closed. |
| 0:40 to 1:10 | Task | The booking was the candidate's job. They needed to put things right for the residents that day and stop it happening again. |
| 1:10 to 4:00 | Action | Apologised to the care home staff in person and said plainly it was their own error; asked the duty manager whether the small studio could be used for a seated exercise session instead; rang the care home manager that afternoon; rebooked the next four weeks while still on shift; found the cause (bookings were made from a paper diary that had been moved); suggested to the manager a shared online calendar with a weekly check; explained why each step was taken. |
| 4:00 to 5:00 | Result and learning | The residents had a session that day; the care home kept its booking; the shared calendar was adopted for all group bookings. The candidate now checks recurring bookings every Monday and says what they would do differently: confirm with the client the week before. |
Notice the balance. The situation and task take about a minute between them. Most of the time goes on what the candidate did and why, with the "why" said out loud each time. The result names what changed and what they learned, which is where ownership shows most clearly. If the same candidate finished in two minutes, the first thing to add would be the reasons behind each action.
Practise the timing on its own with the free pacing timer, which shows the same bands while you speak.
The written exercise: what the mock copies
In the written exercise you take the role of a police constable and complete an urgent written task for your line manager, using four items of information. The College asks you to use only the information provided and not to add or invent anything. The mock's written tasks follow that pattern: a role, a short brief from a sergeant, items A to D and two or three numbered questions.
- The screen. On Tazio the task is on one side and the four items on the other, with the answer box below. In the mock the items sit in tabs so they fit on a phone.
- The timer. It starts when you continue past the instructions. The College expects about 40 minutes but sets a two-hour limit, so you do not have to rush. The mock shows both: time left of the two hours and how far you are past the 40-minute guide.
- Time running out. Under the July 2026 guide, whatever is in the box when time runs out is submitted. The mock does the same.
- One box. Answer each question in the same response box. Headings or the question numbers help the reader.
- Notes. You can make notes in the box but must delete anything you do not want submitted.
- No pasting. The College says copying and pasting your response from another application will not be accepted and may result in automatic failure. Pasting is switched off in the mock.
- Spelling. Spelling and grammar are not assessed, because candidates use different devices. Write clearly and do not worry about typos.
Our written tasks deliberately contain conflicts and gaps between the items, such as two figures that do not match or a claim one item makes and another contradicts. Spotting them, saying what you would check and not filling the gap with invented facts is part of analysing critically. The review lists the conflicts in each task so you can see whether you caught them. For a short warm-up, try the free spot the gaps drill.
The briefing exercise: what the mock copies
In the briefing exercise you take the role of a police constable responsible for dealing with issues in a developing scenario. The College encourages you to "consider the issues raised and how the police can build positive relationships", which is why every briefing scenario in the mock is a community scenario: a new skate park, a market moving site, a new housing estate.
- Preparation. Read the material and think about part one. The College suggests about 10 minutes; this stage is not timed or assessed and you can make notes.
- Part one. Four questions. Each is read out, then you get up to 60 seconds to think and up to three minutes to answer.
- Parts two and three. New information arrives before each part, followed by four more questions on the same timings.
- Use only what you are given. The College asks you not to add information and to prepare alone without other materials.
Twelve answers of up to three minutes is a lot of talking. The mock's answer timer shows three suggested bands: your first step, how and with whom and the risks and follow-up. If you want to practise the briefing on its own, the briefing exercise simulator has a full scenario free and lets you type answers if you cannot speak aloud.
Timings with an extra time adjustment
If your force has agreed an extra time reasonable adjustment, the College's reasonable adjustments guide (updated 25 August 2026) sets out what changes. The extra time goes on thinking time and the overall timings. The answer times stay the same: five minutes per interview answer and three minutes per briefing answer. The written exercise limit stays at two hours for everyone.
| Adjustment | Thinking time per spoken question | Interview (approx.) | Written (approx.) | Briefing (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | 60 seconds | 40 minutes | 40 minutes | 60 minutes |
| 15% | 69 seconds | 42 minutes | 46 minutes | 70 minutes |
| 25% | 75 seconds | 44 minutes | 50 minutes | 72 minutes |
| 30% | 78 seconds | 44 minutes | 52 minutes | 74 minutes |
| 33% | 80 seconds | 45 minutes | 53 minutes | 75 minutes |
| 40% | 84 seconds | 46 minutes | 56 minutes | 76 minutes |
| 50% | 90 seconds | 47 minutes | 60 minutes | 79 minutes |
The mock uses the standard timings. If you have an adjustment, practise using the extra seconds you will have on the day for one more line of notes. Adjustments are agreed through your force before the assessment; you cannot appeal afterwards on the grounds of the adjustments offered. All candidates can use the Recite Me toolbar on the platform and everyone can blur their own video while recording (the submitted video is not blurred).
On the day: the platform step by step
From the College's guide and its Tazio walkthrough, this is what happens once your window opens:
- An email with a link to your candidate dashboard arrives on the day your window opens. There is no username or password. If it has not arrived by 5pm, contact your force or recruit@college.police.uk.
- You accept the privacy policy and candidate declaration with a toggle, then see the dashboard with the guidance, a top tips video and the three exercises.
- You choose an exercise and confirm "start assessment". From here it cannot be restarted.
- For the spoken exercises you set up your camera and microphone, take an identification picture and watch a short video, then record a practice answer.
- You complete the exercise. When you finish, "save and close" returns you to the dashboard.
- A notification appears, the exercise shows as 100% on the dashboard and a confirmation email follows.
- When all three are done and marked, an email from police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk explains how to see your result and feedback report.
The deadline is 11.59pm on the date your force gives you. Add support@tazio.co.uk and police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk to your safe senders before the window opens. The free set-up check tests your camera, microphone and browser on the device you plan to use.
How the real OAC is marked and how the mock scores you
The College says trained assessors mark your exercises. They are a mix of police officers, police staff and people chosen from the community and they know only your name and email address. Your feedback report gives an overall score for each exercise and describes the kinds of performance that distinguish better-performing candidates. The College does not publish a pass mark, a scale or how the exercises are weighted.
The mock is honest about what it can and cannot do:
| Real OAC | This mock |
|---|---|
| Trained assessors mark against the College's criteria. | You review your own answer against our checklist, written in 2024 CVF language at level 1. Pass holders can also ask for an AI review of a typed answer. |
| One overall score per exercise in the feedback report. | One practice score per exercise: the share of the checklist you ticked. |
| No published pass mark, scale or weighting. | No pass or fail. Bands only say whether your checklist shows clear, some or little evidence. |
| Automatic fail for prepared notes, outside help or behaviour against the Code of Ethics. | Reminders before each exercise; pasting switched off in the written task. |
The AI review is labelled as a practice score out of 10 and never predicts a result. It is told to use only the 2024 CVF names (no "integrity" or "impartiality", which were 2016 values) and to judge only what you wrote. Your typed answer is sent for the review and not stored.
How to review a mock exercise properly
Most of the value of a mock comes from the review, not the attempt. A simple routine that works for all three exercises:
- Listen or read once without judging. Note the time you used and whether your answer finished or was cut off.
- Tick only what you clearly said or wrote. "I meant to say that" does not count; assessors can only credit what you tell them.
- Read the pitfalls. Each interview question lists the ways answers to it commonly fall short. If one fits, write down one change.
- Pick one fix per exercise. Trying to change everything at once rarely works. "Say why I did it, every time" is a good first fix for many people.
- Repeat the exercise type within a few days. Use a different question so you practise the skill, not the answer.
For the written exercise, read the model outline only after you have ticked the checklist. It shows what a strong response covers, not words to memorise.
After the mock: what to do with each practice score
Use your practice report to decide what to practise next. These bands are ours, not the College's.
| Practice score | What it usually means | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40% | Answers are short, general or miss the point of the question; or the written response invents facts. | Slow down. Practise one question type at a time with the pacing timer and build an example bank first. |
| 40% to 69% | The structure is there but the evidence is patchy: actions without reasons, or results without learning. | Pick the most common gap from your review and fix that one thing across three more answers. |
| 70% and above | Clear, specific evidence for most of the checklist. | Keep it sharp with a second paper under real conditions and check your set-up. Do not over-rehearse into scripts. |
If one exercise is much lower than the others, spend most of your remaining time on it. The College's feedback report gives a score per exercise for the same reason. Our guide to the OAC feedback report explains how to read the real one.
Interview and assessment centre updates
New interview practice questions and model answers, by email
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Using the mock in a two-week or four-week plan
Timetables depend on when your force opens your window. Two common shapes:
| When | Two-week plan | Four-week plan |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Free Paper 1 interview, then review | Build an example bank; free Paper 1 interview |
| Early | Paper 1 written and briefing exercises | Pacing timer daily; spot the gaps drill; briefing simulator scenario |
| Middle | Work on the lowest-scoring exercise | Paper 1 written and briefing exercises; fix one thing in each |
| Late | Paper 2 in one sitting, in your planned order | Paper 2 in one sitting; set-up check on your device |
| Last two days | One timed answer of each type; rest | One timed answer of each type; rest |
For a dated, tick-off version with calendar reminders, use the free tracker on the OAC resit plan page (it works for first attempts too), and the College-format detail in the OAC preparation plan.
Other ways to practise and what each is good for
| Option | Good for | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| The College's guide and platform practice question | The official description of every exercise and a real check of your equipment. | No full practice exercises or sample answers. |
| Reading worked examples | Seeing what a structured response looks like: our written and briefing examples. | Reading is not the same as doing it against the clock. |
| Single scored interview answers | Quick feedback on one answer: the mock interview gives a free practice score. | One question at a time, not the full run. |
| This full mock | Stamina, timing and the order of exercises, with a per-exercise practice report. | Self-review plus optional AI feedback, not a trained assessor. |
| Paid coaching | A human listening to your answers. | Cost and quality varies; check that any coach uses the 2024 CVF. Compared in our coaching cost guide. |
Mistakes people make with practice tests
- Practising silently. Reading a question and thinking an answer feels like practice but trains a different skill. Say it out loud, to time.
- Memorising a script. The College treats prepared notes or scripts as grounds for automatic failure and scripted answers rarely fit the exact question. Practise recalling examples, not wording.
- Using only the interview. The written and briefing exercises assess different areas, including analysing critically, collaborating and being emotionally aware. Practise all three.
- Adding facts in the written exercise. If an item does not say it, you cannot rely on it. Say what you would check instead.
- Generous self-marking. Tick only what you clearly said. A lower honest score is more useful than a flattering one.
- Treating a practice score as a prediction. No unofficial test knows the College's marking. Use the scores to choose what to practise next.
- Using old material. Packs built on the 2016 CVF talk about integrity, impartiality and transparency as values, or describe role-plays and numeracy tests. None of those is in the current process.
Myths about the OAC
"Interview answers should be about 90 seconds." The real limit is five minutes per answer. Finishing early is fine if the answer is complete, but very short answers usually leave out what you did and why. See how long OAC answers should be.
"Never say 'I would'." Since July 2026 the College says questions may ask how you would deal with a situation in future. Answer in the tense of the question.
"Bad spelling fails the written exercise." Spelling and grammar are not assessed.
"If time runs out your written answer is lost." That was the old guidance. Under the July 2026 guide, the text in the box is submitted.
"There is a 50% pass mark." The College publishes no pass mark, scale or weighting.
"You need to know police procedure." The College says you do not need any prior knowledge of policing.
Who to ask about your own assessment
- Your recruiting force: your window dates, when results arrive, reasonable adjustments and anything about your application.
- Tazio technical support: the "technical support" button on the platform, 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, with a chatbot outside those hours. Do not finish an exercise while something is wrong.
- The College: recruit@college.police.uk, with your force and full name, if technical issues affected your assessment or you did not receive your invitation by 5pm on the day it was due.
Appeals about extenuating circumstances or procedural concerns go in writing to your force within 24 hours of taking the assessment. You cannot appeal after you receive your result.
What we could not verify
- How the College's assessors score each exercise, the scale used in the feedback report and the standard needed to pass. None of this is published.
- Whether the preparation material stays on screen during the briefing questions. The College's guidance does not say, so the mock does not show it; your preparation notes stay visible.
- How many prompts appear under each real interview question. The College says there are prompts and you may need to scroll; the mock shows three or four.
- Whether any force adds its own exercise to the national process for constables. Forces add an in-person interview after the online assessment; that is a separate stage.
If you know something on this page has changed, email andrew@policepay.co.uk and we will check it against the College's current guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an official police OAC practice test?
The College of Policing does not publish a full practice test. Its candidate guide describes each exercise and the Tazio platform gives you a short practice question before each spoken exercise to check your timing and equipment. Everything else, including this mock, is unofficial practice material written to the published format.
What is in the police online assessment centre in 2026?
Three exercises on the Tazio platform: a competency-based interview of five recorded questions, a written exercise in which you write an urgent task for your line manager from four items of information and a briefing exercise of 12 recorded questions in three parts. The College calls this the online assessment process.
How long does the police OAC take?
The College's guide gives about 40 minutes for the interview, about 10 minutes of instructions plus about 40 minutes for the written exercise (with a two-hour limit) and about 60 minutes for the briefing exercise. You can do the exercises in any order within the window your force gives you.
How long do you get to answer each OAC interview question?
Sixty seconds of thinking time, which is not recorded, then up to five minutes (300 seconds) to record your answer. You can skip the thinking time or submit early. In the briefing exercise you get up to 60 seconds to think and three minutes to answer each question.
Can I do the OAC exercises in any order?
Yes. The College's platform walkthrough says you can do the exercises in any order, but you cannot restart an exercise once you click start and you must finish all three to complete the process. Pick an order that suits your energy and set aside enough uninterrupted time for each.
What does the full mock on this page include for free?
The whole interview from Paper 1: a practice question, then five timed questions with the real 60-second and five-minute timings, optional recording that stays on your device and a self-review checklist written in 2024 CVF language. The briefing simulator also has one full scenario free.
What does the paid part of the mock add?
The written and briefing exercises of Paper 1 and all three exercises of Paper 2, plus AI feedback on typed answers. It is included in the 90-day Mock Interview Pass (£39.99) and the 6-month toolkit (£69.99), not the 30-day pass. There is no separate product.
Is the practice score the same as the College's score?
No. Our practice score is the share of our marking checklist you tick after reviewing your own answer, plus an optional AI practice score. The College's assessors mark against its own criteria and publish no pass mark, scale or weighting, so no practice test can tell you whether you will pass.
Can I use notes in the police OAC?
Not notes prepared beforehand: the College says evidence of prepared notes or scripts may result in an automatic failure. You can make notes once you have seen an interview question, in the written exercise answer box (delete them before submitting) and during the briefing preparation and questions.
Do OAC interview questions ask about the past or the future?
Both. The College's July 2026 guide says you will be asked how you have dealt with specific situations in the past, or how you may intend to deal with them in the future. The free mock includes one future-focused question so you can practise answering it and backing it with something you have done.
What happens if I run out of time in the written exercise?
The College's July 2026 guide says that if the time runs out, everything currently written in the text box will be submitted. Earlier versions of the guide said otherwise, so older advice may be wrong. The limit is two hours, although the exercise is expected to take about 40 minutes.
How should I practise for the OAC in the last week?
Do one full mock under real conditions early in the week, review it honestly, then spend the remaining days on the exercise that scored lowest. Run the set-up check on the device you will use, add the two safe-sender addresses and keep the final day light.
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) : the three exercises, timings, assessed CVF areas, future-focused interview questions, written time-out rule, prepared notes, feedback report, resits (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Sift and online assessment process (with the Tazio walkthrough video) : exercises in any order, no restart, practice question before each spoken exercise, skip thinking time, blur your camera, split-screen written exercise, 100% dashboard (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Reasonable adjustments and accommodations guide for online assessments candidates (updated 25 August 2026) : timings can differ with an approved adjustment (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Competency and values framework : the 2024 values and competencies used in the checklists (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police (Amendment) (Recruitment Standards) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/154) : passing the online assessment process became a legal requirement for constable candidates (except transferees) from 17 March 2026 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Police constable pre-employment guidance (April 2024) : resits and reapplying, force discretion (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Joining the Police: What happens at the online assessment : the national recruitment site's overview of the application stages (accessed 21 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 21 October 2026.