What Happens After
the Police OAC?
You have submitted the last exercise. Here is how and when the result arrives, what the feedback report does and does not tell you, what passing actually means, and the stages that come next: the in-person force interview the law now requires, then the pre-employment checks before any offer.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 1 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Your recruiting force tells you when to expect results; there is no national timescale. An automated email from police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk links to your outcome and a feedback report with a score for each exercise. If you meet the standard, your force contacts you about an in-person force interview, now required by law, then fitness, medical, vetting and other checks before any offer.
When and how OAC results arrive
The online assessment process (often called the OAC) is run on a platform for the College of Policing, but your application belongs to the force you applied to. That split explains most of what happens next. The College candidate guide, updated on 21 July 2026, sets out the steps:
- Confirmation. After you submit, the assessment platform emails you to confirm receipt of each exercise. You can also check that each exercise shows as 100% on your candidate dashboard.
- Timeline. Your recruiting force gives you the expected timeline for results. The College does not publish one, and nor did its older 2022 FAQ, which said the College does not give candidates dates and that you should contact your force.
- Results email. When results are available you receive an automated email from police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk with instructions on how to access your results and your personalised feedback report. The College says this is an automated inbox and emails sent to it will not be answered.
- Next steps. If you are successful, your recruiting force contacts you to discuss next steps.
| Point in the process | What you get | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You submit the last exercise | A confirmation email from the assessment platform for each exercise; your candidate dashboard should show each exercise at 100%. | If an exercise is not at 100%, contact your force or recruit@college.police.uk straight away, stating your force and full name. |
| Your exercises are marked | Trained assessors (police officers, police staff and people chosen from the community) mark your recordings and written work. They know only your name and email. | Nothing to do. Your force tells you the expected timeline. |
| Results are ready | An automated email from police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk with instructions to access your outcome and feedback report. | Check junk mail. Do not reply to the address; it is not monitored. |
| You met the standard | Your recruiting force contacts you to discuss next steps. | Usually an invitation to the in-person force interview. Read it carefully. |
| You did not meet the standard | Your outcome and feedback report. | Read the feedback report; you can resit from three months after the start date of your assessment window. |
Websites that say OAC results "usually take" a set number of weeks are not quoting the College. The College's own guidance leaves the timeline to your force, and forces recruit in different volumes and at different times of year. The only reliable answer for your application is the one your force gives you, so ask it.
The same address is used for other assessment emails. The College says that if you had a technical problem you were not aware of, you may be offered a retake, and it asks candidates to add police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk to their safe senders list so those emails do not go to junk.
What the OAC feedback report shows
Everyone who completes the online assessment process gets a personalised feedback report, whether or not they pass. According to the current College guide, the report:
- gives your overall score for each exercise: the competency-based interview, the written exercise and the briefing exercise;
- gives more information about each exercise; and
- outlines the kinds of performance that distinguish better-performing candidates from those who did not perform as effectively.
The guide does not say that the report includes a transcript, a marked copy of your answers or assessors' notes, so do not expect them. Its value is in showing which exercise was relatively weaker and what stronger performance looked like, which is useful whether you are going on to a force interview or preparing to resit.
Each exercise assesses a different mix of the Competency and Values Framework (CVF). For example, the College says the interview assesses courage, public service, respect and empathy, we take ownership, and we are innovative and open-minded. The full mapping is in how the police OAC is marked, and reading your scores against it tells you which behaviours to work on.
Save a copy of your results email and feedback report. If you later ask another force to accept your pass, or you resit, it helps to know exactly what you were told and when. The College has not said how long the report link stays available, so do not rely on being able to open it months later.
What "meeting the national standard" means, and what is published about pass marks
Since 17 March 2026, regulation 10(1)(eb) of the Police Regulations 2003 says a candidate for appointment as a constable must pass the online assessment process "within the periods of time and to the standard set by the College of Policing". The regulation defines the national standard as the minimum standard of competencies and values set by the College that candidates must demonstrate to be suitable for appointment as a constable, and the online assessment process as the online exercises set by the College for a force to assess suitability.
In plain terms: your result tells you whether you met the standard. The current College guide uses that language too. Its appeals section, for instance, says an appeal will only be considered "if you have not met the standard required".
What is not published is a number. The current guide does not give a pass mark, a cut-off score or a weighting between the three exercises. An older College document did say more, and it still circulates, so here is the difference:
| Topic | Current guide, updated 21 July 2026 | 2022 FAQ v2.2 (superseded) |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets the timeline for results | Your recruiting force tells you the expected timeline | The College does not give results dates; contact your force |
| What the report contains | Overall score for each exercise, more information about the exercise, and what distinguishes better-performing candidates | A personalised feedback report for each exercise |
| Pass marks | Not mentioned | "Your report will explain the required pass marks on each exercise" |
| Can forces set a higher standard? | Not mentioned | "Forces can increase this standard at their discretion" |
| The legal position | Since 17 March 2026, reg 10(1)(eb) requires a pass "to the standard set by the College of Policing" | Written before the regulation existed |
| Status | Current (updated 21 July 2026) | Superseded; mentions an older platform and format |
Because the July 2026 guide does not repeat the 2022 statements, and the law now ties the pass to the standard set by the College, we cannot confirm whether forces can still raise the bar, or whether your report will show a pass mark. If either matters to you, ask your recruiting force directly.
The College's candidate guidance does not publish a pass rate for the OAC, and we do not quote pass rates on this site. A pass rate would not tell you anything about your own result, which the results email gives you.
Passed the OAC: what happens next
Passing the OAC is the third of four assessment stages that the law now requires for every police constable applicant in England and Wales, other than officers transferring from another force. Under regulation 10(1)(eb) you must:
- complete and submit the national application form;
- pass the national sift test;
- pass the online assessment process; and
- pass an in-person interview with the force you are applying to that meets the national standard.
The College announced the change on 17 March 2026, saying every force must now use this standardised four-stage process and that almost all forces were already using it before it became a legal requirement. After the four stages come the pre-employment checks and, if everything is satisfactory, an offer. The College's April 2026 guide to joining lists the typical order as force interview ("final assessment stage"), then pre-employment checks for fitness, medical and vetting, then a decision, and adds that the process varies between forces.
An OAC pass is not a job offer. The national recruitment site says a formal job offer is sent once you have successfully completed all of the stages. Until you have that offer in writing, it is sensible not to make decisions that depend on a start date.
The in-person force interview, in brief
The force interview is run by the force, not the College, so its format varies. Regulation 10(1)(eb)(iv) requires an interview "with the police force to which they are applying that meets the national standard", and forces assess it against the CVF. Published force guides show the kind of variation you can expect:
- Derbyshire Constabulary's 2022 guide describes a CVF-based interview, usually with a panel of two, conversational in style with follow-up questions, and asks candidates to talk about what "I" did rather than "we".
- Devon and Cornwall Police's 2024 guide describes a two-person panel, a short preparation period with the questions and a set list of questions, and says that force aims to give unsuccessful candidates feedback within 3 weeks. That is its own commitment, not a national rule.
The rules on prepared notes in the OAC do not automatically carry over: each force tells you what you may bring and use. If you need a reasonable adjustment or accommodation, such as extra preparation or response time, the College's adjustments guide says to ask your recruiting force.
We cover the interview itself in the in-person police interview explained, and what happens if it does not go your way in what happens if you fail the police interview. Practical points about the day are in dress code and what to bring.
The mock interview in in-person practice mode lets you work through example questions by CVF value with a 3-minute timer and the STAR structure, which suits a live panel where you may be asked to go deeper. Practice is free; personal feedback on your own answers is a paid option. It cannot predict or guarantee a result, and it does not use real assessment questions.
Pre-employment checks after the interview
Regulation 10 lists what every candidate for appointment must meet. Several of these are the checks you will go through after (or sometimes alongside) the force interview. The table shows the legal basis where there is one, who runs each check, and what we can and cannot say about it.
| Stage | Where the requirement comes from | Who runs it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-person force interview | Reg 10(1)(eb)(iv): pass an in-person interview with the force you are applying to | Your force; format set locally | Usually the next step after an OAC pass |
| Fitness test | Listed by the College as a pre-employment check; the national recruitment site describes a multi-stage shuttle run | Your force | Not in reg 10 itself; forces run it |
| Medical | Reg 10(1)(d): certified by a registered medical practitioner approved by the local policing body as fit for the duties | Arranged by your force with a practitioner approved by the local policing body | Eyesight standard is a separate requirement (reg 10(1)(e)) |
| References | Reg 10(1)(b): satisfactory character references, and proof of good conduct if you served in a police force, the armed forces, the civil service or as a seaman | Your force | College pre-employment guidance covers employment, armed forces and education references |
| Vetting | Reg 10(1)(hb): vetting clearance under the Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025 | Your force's vetting unit | Includes consent to fingerprint and DNA checks, according to the national recruitment site |
| Drugs test | Reg 10(1)(i): if the chief officer requires it, a sample of hair, oral fluid or urine tested for controlled drugs | Your force | Transferring officers are excepted |
| English and numeracy | Reg 10(1)(f): assessments in written and spoken English and numeracy approved by the Secretary of State | Your force | How each force meets this varies; ask yours |
| Job offer | Not a regulation step | Your force | Once all stages are complete, by post and/or email with your start date and next steps |
Some of these checks can take longer than the assessments themselves, vetting in particular. See how long police vetting takes and the vetting hub. For the fitness test, the fitness hub covers the standard and how to prepare. On vetting forms, be honest and complete: College pre-employment guidance says that where an undeclared conviction or caution comes to light, questions are raised over openness, honesty and integrity, and the vetting application is declined.
An illustrative sequence after the OAC (no durations)
This is an illustrative sequence, not a promise or a real candidate's timeline. It shows the usual order of events for a police constable applicant in England and Wales who passes each stage. We deliberately give no durations: the College leaves timelines to forces, and forces differ in how they order and overlap the checks.
| Step | What happens | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Submit all three OAC exercises | Platform confirmation emails; dashboard at 100% |
| 2 | Wait for marking | Your force gives the expected timeline |
| 3 | Results email and feedback report | From police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk |
| 4 | Force contacts you after a pass | Invitation to the in-person interview |
| 5 | In-person force interview | Format, length and panel set by the force |
| 6 | Pre-employment checks | Fitness, medical, vetting, references and, if required, a drugs test; order varies, and some may run alongside each other |
| 7 | Decision and formal offer | By post and/or email, with your potential start date and next steps |
For the whole process, the national recruitment site says recruitment times vary by force and that in many instances it takes around 4 to 6 months, though it can be shorter or longer depending on candidate volumes and how each person progresses. That figure covers the full process, not the wait for OAC results. Our guide to how long police recruitment takes looks at the bottlenecks in more detail.
The free recruitment timeline planner lets you enter your own minimum and maximum weeks for each stage and adds them up into a rough overall range. It starts from placeholder assumptions, not a national timescale, so ask your force for its typical timings and enter those.
If you did not meet the standard
A separate guide covers this in full: what happens if you fail the police OAC. In summary, from the current College guide:
- Resit. You may 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 three exercises again.
- Appeals. Concerns about extenuating circumstances or procedural issues must go in writing, with evidence, to the force recruiting department within 24 hours of taking the assessment. You cannot appeal after receiving your result, and appeals are only considered if you did not meet the standard. Procedural issues are still investigated.
- Extenuating circumstances are serious events such as illness, accident, injury, or the death or serious illness of a family member. The College says lack of preparation or a heavy workload do not count.
- Automatic fail. If the quality assurance team finds sufficient evidence of conduct such as using prepared notes or gaining an unfair advantage, you fail regardless of your exercise scores, and this cannot be appealed.
The College's 2024 pre-employment guidance adds that a candidate who displays severe inappropriate language or behaviour during the assessment stages would be unable to resit that stage for at least two years.
Other forces: one at a time, and transferring a pass
Two College rules affect anyone who has applied to, or is thinking about, more than one force.
The College guide does not set a period for which a pass stays valid, and we found none in the other College documents we read. The regulation does refer to stages being completed "within the periods of time" set by the College, but we could not find a published period for the OAC. If you are hoping to move a pass, ask the receiving force how recent it needs to be and whether it would also want you to repeat any stage, including its own interview.
Comparing forces before you ask? The free police force finder helps you see forces side by side. Serving officers moving force follow a different process, covered in the transfers section; the four-stage requirement does not apply to them.
What to do while you wait: a step-by-step checklist
Nothing you do now changes your OAC score, but the following steps can save time at the stages that come next.
- Make sure you will see the email. Add police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk to your safe senders list and check junk regularly.
- Confirm your submission. Check that each exercise shows 100% on your dashboard and that you have a confirmation email for each. If not, contact your force or recruit@college.police.uk now, stating your force and full name.
- Ask your force for its timeline. Ask when results are expected and what the next stage involves.
- Start preparing for the force interview. Re-read the CVF level 1 behaviours and think about which real examples from your work or personal life show them. Be ready to explain what you did and why in more depth than the OAC allowed. See CVF interview questions and STAR answers.
- Keep your fitness up. The fitness test is a pre-employment check. Training now means it is not a last-minute worry.
- Gather vetting information. Address history, employment dates and referee contact details are slow to collect from memory. Be honest and complete on every form.
- Think about adjustments. If you will need a reasonable adjustment or accommodation at the interview, tell your force early.
- Do not sit the OAC with another force. The one-force-at-a-time rule applies while your current assessment is in progress.
- Delete OAC notes. The candidate declaration requires notes you made during the exercises to be securely destroyed and not shared with anyone. Sharing them would be a breach of integrity.
What people get wrong about life after the OAC
Myth
"Results always take two to three weeks."
What the guidance says
The College says your recruiting force gives you the expected timeline. No national figure is published.
Myth
"An OAC pass is valid for two years everywhere."
What the guidance says
The current College guide states no validity period, and accepting a transferred pass is at the receiving force's discretion.
Myth
"Some forces skip the interview if you pass the OAC."
What the law says
Since 17 March 2026, regulation 10(1)(eb)(iv) requires an in-person interview with the force for police constable applicants, except officers transferring from another force.
Myth
"The feedback report tells you the pass mark."
What the guidance says
That was in the 2022 FAQ. The July 2026 guide says the report gives your overall score for each exercise and what distinguishes better performance, and does not mention pass marks.
Myth
"If I feel it went badly, I can appeal once I see the result."
What the guidance says
Appeals must reach the force within 24 hours of taking the assessment, and you cannot appeal after receiving your result.
Myth
"I can email the results address to chase my result."
What the guidance says
It is an automated inbox and emails to it are not answered. Contact your recruiting force.
Myth
"A pass means I am in."
What the law says
You still need the force interview and the other regulation 10 requirements, including medical certification, references, vetting clearance and, if required, a drugs test.
What to ask and who to contact
- When should I expect my OAC results?
- Do you apply any standard above the College's national standard?
- What is the format of your in-person interview, and what can I bring?
- In what order do you run fitness, medical and vetting, and do any overlap?
- When could I expect to start training if I pass everything?
- Would you accept an OAC pass from another force, and how recent must it be?
- How do I request an adjustment for the interview?
- Your recruiting force: results timeline, next steps, interview, checks, appeals and the offer.
- recruit@college.police.uk: you sat the OAC with another force, technical problems that affected your assessment, or questions your force and the platform cannot answer (put your force in the subject line).
- Tazio technical support: problems on the platform itself, through the technical support button.
- police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk: sends results only. Do not reply to it.
Who this applies to
This page covers police constable recruitment in England and Wales. Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland run separate recruitment processes; check their own websites.
- All constable entry routes (the degree apprenticeship, the degree holder programme, the entry programme without a degree, and pre-join degree holders) go through the same four stages, because regulation 10 applies to every candidate for appointment as a constable. See PCEP explained and the pre-join degree.
- Officers transferring from another force are excepted from the four-stage requirement by the regulation's own wording.
- Special constables and PCSOs: the College says "your recruitment journey may differ". Check with your force; see special constables explained.
- Detective entry: the College's adjustments guide refers to additional approved assessments, naming the detective constable DHEP assessment process, so a detective route may involve an extra stage.
What we could not verify
- How long results take. No College or national figure exists for the OAC results wait; it is set by each force. We have not surveyed forces.
- The pass mark and force cut-offs. The current College guide publishes neither. We could not confirm whether forces can still set a standard above the College's since regulation 10(1)(eb) took effect, or whether current feedback reports show a pass mark.
- How long a pass stays valid. No validity period is stated in the College guide, and we could not find any period set by the College under the regulation's "periods of time" wording.
- How long the feedback report stays accessible. The College does not say.
- The national standard for the force interview. The regulation refers to an interview that meets the national standard. The College's adjustments guide refers to an in-force interview candidate preparation guide, but we could not find a public College copy; forces issue their own guidance.
- The order of pre-employment checks. It varies by force, and some checks may run alongside the interview stage or each other. We describe the typical order from the College's April 2026 guide only.
- How English and numeracy are assessed. Regulation 10(1)(f) requires assessments approved by the Secretary of State; we did not check how each force meets this.
- Sift wording. The College candidate guide still says some candidates complete an in-force sift rather than the national sift, while the regulation now requires the national sift test. This does not change what happens after the OAC, but if it matters to your application, check with your force.
This page summarises College of Policing guidance and the Police Regulations 2003 as read on 1 October 2026. Formats and processes vary by force and change over time. For your own application, your recruiting force's instructions take priority.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do OAC results take?
There is no national timescale. The College of Policing candidate guide (updated July 2026) says your recruiting force will tell you the expected timeline for receiving your results, so ask your force. The 2022 College FAQ said the same: the College does not give candidates results dates. Any fixed number of weeks quoted online is not from the College.
How do I get my police online assessment results?
By email. When results are ready you receive an automated email from police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk with instructions on how to access your outcome and personalised feedback report. It is an automated inbox, so replies are not answered. Add the address to your safe senders list and check your junk folder.
What does the OAC feedback report show?
The College says the report gives your overall score for each exercise (the interview, the written exercise and the briefing exercise), more information about each exercise, and the kinds of performance that distinguish better-performing candidates from those who did not perform as effectively. It is a report on your performance, not a transcript or a marked copy of your answers.
What is the pass mark for the police OAC?
No pass mark is published in the current College candidate guide. Since 17 March 2026 the Police Regulations require candidates to pass the online assessment process to the standard set by the College. An older 2022 College FAQ said forces could raise the national minimum and that your report would explain the pass marks, but the July 2026 guide does not repeat this, so ask your force.
Is there a published police OAC pass rate?
Not in the College's current candidate guidance, and we do not quote pass rates on this site. Figures quoted on other websites are not from the College candidate guide. What matters for you is whether you met the standard, which your results email and feedback report tell you.
I passed the OAC. What happens next?
The College says that if you are successful, your recruiting force will contact you to discuss next steps. For police constable applicants in England and Wales the next stage is an in-person interview with the force, required by regulation 10(1)(eb) of the Police Regulations 2003 since 17 March 2026, followed by pre-employment checks such as fitness, medical, vetting and references before any job offer. The order of checks varies by force.
Is there a force interview after the OAC?
Yes, for police constable recruitment in England and Wales. Since 17 March 2026, regulation 10(1)(eb)(iv) of the Police Regulations 2003 requires candidates (other than officers transferring from another force) to pass an in-person interview with the force they are applying to. The College says almost all forces were already using this four-stage process before it became law. Each force sets the format.
Does passing the OAC mean I have got the job?
No. The OAC is the third of four assessment stages. You still need to pass the force interview and meet the other appointment requirements, including medical certification, references, vetting clearance and, if the chief officer requires it, a drugs test. The national recruitment site says a formal job offer comes once you have completed all stages.
Can I transfer my OAC pass to another force?
Possibly. The College says you may be able to transfer your pass from your original recruiting force to another force once you have your results, but it is at the discretion of the receiving force. Contact the force you want to move to and ask them to obtain your pass from the original force. The transfer is done between forces.
How long is an OAC pass valid for?
The current College candidate guide does not state a validity period, and we could not find one in any College document we read. Claims that a pass lasts a fixed number of months are not supported by that guide. Because transfers are at the receiving force's discretion, ask the force how recent a pass must be.
Can I apply to another force while I wait for my OAC results?
You can have applications with more than one force, but the College says you may sit the online assessments with only one force at a time, and you must tell recruit@college.police.uk immediately if you have already completed the assessment process with another force. Check with each force how it handles parallel applications.
Can I appeal my OAC result?
Not after you receive it. An appeal about extenuating circumstances or procedural concerns must be made in writing, with evidence, to the force recruiting department within 24 hours of taking the assessment. Appeals received later are not considered, appeals are only considered if you did not meet the standard, and an automatic fail cannot be appealed.
I have not received my OAC results email. What should I do?
First check your junk folder and that police.assessments@notifications.service.gov.uk is in your safe senders list. Check your candidate dashboard showed each exercise at 100% and that you received a confirmation email for each exercise. Then contact your recruiting force, which sets the results timeline. Do not reply to the automated address; it is not monitored.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 1 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 (first published 11 April 2023, updated 21 July 2026) — results timeline set by force, the results email address, contents of the feedback report, next steps if successful, resit rule, one force at a time, transferring a pass, appeals within 24 hours, extenuating circumstances, automatic fail (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/527), regulation 10, latest revised text — four stages including the in-person force interview (reg 10(1)(eb)), definitions of national standard and online assessment process (reg 10(3)), references (b), medical (d), eyesight (e), English and numeracy (f), vetting clearance (hb), drugs test (i), transferee exception (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Police (Amendment) (Recruitment Standards) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/154) — inserted reg 10(1)(eb) and the related definitions from 17 March 2026 (as annotated on the revised regulation 10) (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing news: Police constable recruitment regulations change (17 March 2026) — standardised four-stage process in every force in England and Wales; almost all forces already used it (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Sift and online assessment process (updated 21 July 2026) — email with final outcome and feedback report once all three exercises are marked; force gives next steps; specials and PCSOs may have a different journey (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Becoming a police constable, a guide to joining the police service (ebook, April 2026) — typical stages after the online assessment: force interview, pre-employment checks (fitness, medical, vetting), decision; process varies between forces (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Police constable pre-employment guidance (April 2024) — reapplying three months after a rejection letter unless the force says otherwise; one force at a time; at least two years before resitting after severe inappropriate language or behaviour; references and vetting guidance (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Reasonable adjustments and accommodations guide for online assessments candidates (updated 25 August 2026) — adjustments and accommodations for the in-force interview are requested from your recruiting force (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Join the Police (national recruitment site): Get ready to apply — medical and fitness tests, vetting with fingerprint and DNA consent, formal job offer once all stages are complete (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Join the Police: Common questions — recruitment times vary by force; in many instances around 4 to 6 months for the whole process (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Devon and Cornwall Police: Force interviews, Competency and Values Framework preparation guide (2024) — one force's example: two-person panel, preparation time with the questions, feedback within 3 weeks if unsuccessful (accessed 1 October 2026)
- Derbyshire Constabulary: In-force interview preparation guide (2022) — one force's example: CVF-based, conversational interview with follow-up questions (accessed 1 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Online assessment process candidate FAQs v2.2 (2022, superseded) — historical only: the older statements that forces could raise the national minimum and that the report would explain pass marks (accessed 1 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Free tools for applicants
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 1 October 2026.