MOD Police
Interview Questions
MOD Police New Recruits face two interviews: a competency interview on Microsoft Teams and a suitability interview in person at RAF Wyton. The MDP publishes the format and topics but not its questions. This guide explains both, what the archived 2023 guidance said and gives 12 original practice questions. Read from the MDP's pages on 23 October 2026.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 23 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
There are two. First, a 45-minute competency based interview on Microsoft Teams with two assessors, focusing on the MDP Competency Framework and your skills and experience. Second, a suitability interview of about 40 minutes at MDP Headquarters, RAF Wyton, covering your understanding of the force, motivation, how the role may affect your personal life, the code of ethics, vulnerable people and safeguarding. A College of Policing online assessment pass from the last 12 months replaces the first.
The two MOD Police interviews
Interviews are stage 3 of the MDP's six-stage process, after your application submission and before the medical, fitness test and vetting. New Recruits take both interviews. The MDP describes them like this:
| First interview | Second interview | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Competency based interview | Suitability interview |
| Format | Online, Microsoft Teams | Face to face at MDP Headquarters, RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire |
| Length | 45 minutes | About 40 minutes |
| Panel | Two assessors | Not stated for New Recruits |
| Focus | The MDP Competency Framework and your relevant skills and experience | Understanding of the force, motivation, awareness of how the role may affect your personal life, the code of ethics, vulnerable people and safeguarding |
| Can it be replaced? | Yes, by a full College of Policing online assessment pass with another force in the last 12 months | No |
| Same day as | Not stated | Your Job-Related Fitness Test may be scheduled on the same day |
There is no assessment centre, no online test, no written exercise and no role play for New Recruits. The interviews are the whole of the assessed selection, apart from fitness, medical and vetting. That makes preparation for them more important than it would be at a force with several tested stages.
The competency based interview
This is 45 minutes on Microsoft Teams with two assessors. The MDP says it focuses on the MDP Competency Framework and your relevant skills and experience. In practice that means questions asking for real examples from your own life: work, study, volunteering, sport or home.
What this means for you
- Prepare examples, not scripts. Have two or three real examples for each of the six competency titles below.
- Be specific. Dates, numbers and what you personally said and did.
- Treat Teams as a formal interview. Test your camera, microphone and connection beforehand. Use a quiet room with a plain background. Look at the camera when you answer.
- Expect follow-up questions. With 45 minutes and two assessors, they have time to probe your examples.
These are our suggestions, not MDP instructions.
The College of Policing OAC exemption
The MDP does not use the College of Policing online assessment. But if you passed the full College of Policing online assessment with another force within the last 12 months at the point of application, the MDP accepts it in place of its competency interview. Send your candidate feedback report as written evidence.
- It must be a full pass of the College process, within 12 months when you apply.
- Assessments with forces that do not use the College process are not honoured.
- You still take the suitability interview and every other stage.
If you are applying to a Home Office force and the MDP at the same time, this can save you an interview. Keep the MDP informed of your other application, as its entry criteria ask. See our online assessment centre guides.
What the archived 2023 guidance said
In March 2023 the MDP published Competency Interview Guidance (V4). The original link is now dead; we read the Internet Archive copy. It describes an older single interview, not today's two interviews. Use it as background only.
| 2023 guidance (archived) | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Framework name | Ministry of Defence Police Competency and Values Framework (MDPCVF) | The current process page says only "MDP Competency Framework" |
| Interview | One combined interview of about 60 minutes with two panel members | Now two interviews: 45 minutes on Teams plus about 40 minutes face to face |
| Questions | 5 competency questions, drawn from 5 of the 6 competencies | Current number not published |
| Time per answer | Up to 5 minutes | Not published |
| Also assessed | Oral communication, throughout | Not published |
| Advice | Use the STAR structure; avoid saying "we" | Still sound practice |
The 2023 guidance listed six competencies. They have the same titles as the College of Policing framework:
| Competency | In plain words (our summary) |
|---|---|
| We deliver, support and inspire | Getting results, setting an example and helping others perform |
| We are innovative and open-minded | Looking for better ways of working and being open to new ideas |
| We analyse critically | Using information and evidence to make sound decisions |
| We are emotionally aware | Understanding your own and other people's feelings and adapting how you act |
| We take ownership | Taking responsibility for your actions, including mistakes |
| We are collaborative | Working with others, inside and outside your own team |
The guidance gave one example question, for "We are emotionally aware": "Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a sensitive or emotional situation?" The current process page names only the "MDP Competency Framework" and does not say whether these six are still used. Preparing an example for each costs little and covers the most likely ground. Our CVF explainer goes into the College versions.
6 original competency practice questions
One question per competency title. These are PolicePay's own practice questions, written for this page. They are not MDP questions and we do not know which questions the MDP asks.
Practice question 1: We deliver, support and inspire
Tell us about a time you kept a task on track when the people around you were losing interest or motivation.
A good answer shows: A real task with a clear deadline or standard; what you personally did to keep it moving (set out the next steps, took on a share of the hard part, checked in with people); a measurable result.
Pitfall: Describing yourself as the manager when you were not. Being the person who quietly kept the standard up is a strong answer too.
Practice question 2: We are innovative and open-minded
Describe a time you changed the way something was done because the usual method was not working.
A good answer shows: What was wrong with the old way and how you knew; how you tested or proposed the change; who you consulted; what improved and how you could tell.
Pitfall: An idea that was never tried. Assessors want something you put into practice, even if it was small.
Practice question 3: We analyse critically
Give an example of a decision you made when the information you had was incomplete or conflicting.
A good answer shows: What you knew and what you did not; how you checked or weighed the sources; the options you considered; why you chose one; what happened and what you would do differently.
Pitfall: Skipping the reasoning. The decision matters less than showing how you reached it.
Practice question 4: We are emotionally aware
Describe a time you noticed someone was struggling and changed how you dealt with them.
A good answer shows: What you noticed (behaviour, words, change from normal); how you adjusted your tone or approach; how you checked your own reaction; the outcome for the other person.
Pitfall: Making the story about how you felt. Keep the focus on what you noticed and did.
Practice question 5: We take ownership
Tell us about a mistake you made and what you did about it.
A good answer shows: A genuine mistake with a real consequence; that you owned it quickly and told the right person; how you put it right; what you changed so it did not happen again.
Pitfall: A disguised strength ("I work too hard") or blaming someone else. Both suggest you will not own mistakes on duty.
Practice question 6: We are collaborative
Describe a time you worked with people outside your own team or organisation to get something done.
A good answer shows: Who they were and why you needed them; how you built the relationship and shared information; how you handled any disagreement; what the joint result was.
Pitfall: Saying "we" throughout. The archived MDP guidance tells candidates to avoid it: say what you did.
Structuring your answers
The archived 2023 guidance recommended STAR and told candidates to avoid "we". Both are still good practice for any competency interview:
| Part | What to say | Rough share (our suggestion) |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | Where and when, briefly | 10% |
| Task | What you had to achieve and why it mattered | 10% |
| Action | What you did, step by step, in the first person | 60% |
| Result | What happened (with evidence) and what you learned | 20% |
An illustration (ours, invented for this page)
For practice question 5, "Tell us about a mistake you made and what you did about it", a short outline might be:
- Situation: "Last year I ran the weekly stock order at a builders' merchant."
- Task: "I had to place orders by Thursday noon so deliveries arrived for the weekend trade."
- Action: "One week I keyed the wrong quantity for cement. I spotted it on Friday when the delivery note arrived. I told my manager straight away, called the supplier to arrange a top-up, then phoned the three customers who had pre-ordered to explain and offer a new time. Afterwards I added a second check against the previous week's order before submitting."
- Result: "Two customers kept their orders and one moved it by a day. There were no repeat errors in the following six months."
Notice the first person throughout, the quick disclosure and the change that stopped it happening again. The illustration is invented; use your own real example.
See our STAR answers guide for more on the method.
Build your example bank
Most candidates have more examples than they think. Map your life against the six competency titles first, then pick the strongest two for each. The table below is our suggestion of where examples often come from.
| Part of your life | Example ideas | Competency titles it may fit |
|---|---|---|
| Work (any job) | A deadline you rescued; a mistake you owned; a customer you calmed down | Deliver, support and inspire; take ownership; emotionally aware |
| Armed forces service | A change you proposed to a routine; working with another unit or agency; a decision on partial information | Innovative and open-minded; collaborative; analyse critically |
| Study or training | A group project that stalled; checking sources for an assignment | Collaborative; analyse critically |
| Volunteering or caring | Spotting that someone was struggling; supporting a vulnerable person | Emotionally aware; also useful for the suitability topics on vulnerability |
| Sport or clubs | Keeping a team going when results were poor; changing how training was run | Deliver, support and inspire; innovative and open-minded |
Two assessors over 45 minutes have time to probe. These follow-up questions are our own, but questions like them are common in any competency interview. Prepare for each example:
| Follow-up | How to be ready |
|---|---|
| "What exactly did you say?" | Have the actual words ready for the key moment in each example |
| "What would you do differently?" | Have one honest lesson for each example |
| "How did you know it worked?" | Have a result you can point to: a number, feedback, a change that lasted |
| "What did others do?" | Credit them briefly, then return to your own part |
| "Why did you choose that option?" | Name the alternatives you rejected and why |
Use different examples across the interview where you can. One strong story stretched over three questions suggests you have little else to draw on.
The suitability interview at RAF Wyton
The second interview is face to face at MDP Headquarters, RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire. It lasts about 40 minutes. The MDP lists six things it covers. Here is what each one asks of you, in our words:
| MDP topic | What it is testing (our reading) | How to prepare (our suggestion) |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding of the force | Whether you know what the MDP is and does | Learn the role, jurisdiction, structure and sites (see below) |
| Motivation | Why this force and this armed role | Write down three honest reasons and test them against the real job |
| How the role may affect your personal life | Whether you have thought about residential training, unsocial hours and postings | Talk it through at home; have practical plans |
| Code of ethics | Honesty, integrity and challenging wrong behaviour | Read the Police Code of Ethics; think of times you did the right thing when it was hard |
| Dealing with vulnerable people | Care and judgement with people who need help | Think of real examples of helping someone vulnerable |
| Safeguarding | Recognising risk to others and passing concerns on properly | Learn the basic principle: record it and refer it, do not keep secrets |
Your Job-Related Fitness Test may be scheduled on the same day. If your invitation says so, see our PES-JRFT guide.
6 original suitability practice questions
One or more for each suitability topic. Again, these are PolicePay's own questions, not MDP questions.
Practice question 7: Understanding of the force
What does the Ministry of Defence Police do that a Home Office force does not?
A good answer shows: Armed counter terrorism policing of the defence estate; every operational officer is an Authorised Firearms Officer; jurisdiction linked to defence land and property; national security vetting. Specific, accurate and in your own words.
Pitfall: Generic "protecting the public" answers that could apply to any force.
Practice question 8: Motivation
Why do you want an armed counter terrorism role at a defence site rather than a role in your local force?
A good answer shows: A reason that fits the actual job: protective security, discipline of firearms work, the defence connection. Evidence you have looked at the role, the sites and the training.
Pitfall: Pay or job security as the main reason, or anything that suggests the firearm itself is the attraction.
Practice question 9: Impact on your personal life
How will a 12-week residential course and unsocial hours affect the people at home? What have you put in place?
A good answer shows: You have talked it through with the people affected; you know about the residential course, the firearms course and work between 9pm and 5am; you have practical plans (childcare, travel, commitments).
Pitfall: "It won't affect me." The MDP says it assesses your awareness of the impact, so show you have thought about it.
Practice question 10: Code of ethics
A colleague you get on well with admits he wrote a false time in a log to cover being late. What do you do?
A good answer shows: You recognise it as an honesty issue, not a minor favour; you would raise it (with him and then through the right channel); you can link it to integrity and trust in an armed role.
Pitfall: Treating loyalty to a colleague as more important than honesty, or jumping to a harsh reaction without any thought about how.
Practice question 11: Vulnerable people
A distressed person arrives at a site gate late at night asking for help. How do you approach them?
A good answer shows: Calm, clear communication; safety for them, you and the site; finding out what they need; getting the right help (another agency or the local force) rather than turning them away.
Pitfall: Seeing them only as a security risk. You can be alert to risk and still show care.
Practice question 12: Safeguarding
In a casual conversation, someone says something that makes you worried about a child's safety at home. What would you do?
A good answer shows: You take it seriously; you do not promise to keep it secret; you record what was said; you pass it on through the proper safeguarding route quickly.
Pitfall: Deciding it is "not your business" or trying to investigate it alone.
What to know about the MDP before the suitability interview
"Understanding of the force" is the first suitability topic. These facts come from the MDP's own pages and other primary sources. Put them in your own words rather than reciting them.
| Topic | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Role | Every operational MDP officer is trained as an Authorised Firearms Officer Counter Terrorism (AFO CT). New Recruits work a 40-hour week. |
| Jurisdiction | Under section 2 of the Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987, MDP officers have constable powers on defence land and in connection with defence property and personnel, with wider powers only in set circumstances. |
| Structure | 9 regions across the UK, from Scotland (Central) to England South West. Headquarters at RAF Wyton, Cambridgeshire. |
| Specialist units | Tactical Firearms Unit and Special Escort Group (both AWE), three Marine Units, ICOS detectives, the Operational Support Unit at RAF Wyton. |
| Training | 12-week residential course at the Defence School of Policing and Security, Southwick Park, Hampshire, then the 9-week Initial Firearms Course: 21 weeks in all. |
| Vetting | Security Check (SC) clearance for every new entrant; Developed Vetting for sites such as AWE, Menwith Hill and RNAD Coulport. |
| Size | 2,139 officers in 2025, down from 2,768 in 2021 (written answer 98164). |
For the personal life topic, know what the job asks: the 12-week residential course, a 9-week firearms course at a regional hub (residential if you are not within commuting distance), annual firearms refresher training and fitness assessments and pay for unsocial hours between 9pm and 5am. If you might be posted to a DV site, know that a DV fail means another posting with no relocation expenses. See our stations guide and vetting guide.
The NEOF suitability interview for serving officers
Serving officers and those who left a UK civilian force within 36 months join through the New Entrant from Other Forces (NEOF) route. No competency interview is listed. Instead there is a NEOF suitability interview:
- Where: face to face at RAF Wyton or another location the MDP advises.
- Panel and length: two assessors, about 40 minutes.
- Covers: the force, motivation, impact on personal life, skills and experience, code of ethics, vulnerable people and safeguarding.
- Same day: the JRFT may be scheduled the same day.
Specialist NEOF roles can add more. The Special Escort Group advert, for example, includes an extra SEG interview on Teams. Because skills and experience are covered, NEOF candidates should prepare policing examples as well as suitability answers. See our NEOF transfer guide.
Preparing for the day
Our suggested plan, not MDP guidance:
- Two weeks out: write two examples for each of the six competency titles. Say each one out loud and time it.
- One week out: research the MDP using the facts above. Draft honest answers to the six suitability topics.
- Three days out: do a full mock. Ask someone to play two assessors and to ask follow-up questions.
- The day before a Teams interview: test the link, camera, sound and lighting.
- For RAF Wyton: plan your journey to Cambridgeshire with time to spare. Take identification and anything your invitation lists. If the fitness test is the same day, take kit and food.
- After each answer: stop when you have given the result. Silence is fine while the assessors write.
Common mistakes
- Saying "we". The archived guidance warns against it. Assessors score what you did.
- Hypothetical answers to competency questions. Give a real example.
- Treating the suitability interview as a chat. It is assessed and it is where your knowledge of the MDP shows.
- Talking about Home Office policing. The MDP is a different force with a different role.
- Dismissing the personal impact. The MDP says it assesses your awareness of it.
- Learning answers by heart. Two assessors can tell. Know your examples, not a script.
- Forgetting the OAC exemption. If you have a recent College pass, send the feedback report.
What the MDP does not publish
- Its current interview questions.
- How many questions the 45-minute competency interview has, its scoring scale or its pass mark. The 5-question format is from the archived 2023 guide only.
- Whether the six 2023 competencies are still current.
- Who sits on the suitability panel for New Recruits.
- Pass rates for either interview.
We do not guess at any of these. Prepare broadly and check your invitation for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What questions are asked in the MOD Police interview?
The MDP does not publish its current questions. The competency based interview focuses on the MDP Competency Framework and your relevant skills and experience. The suitability interview covers your understanding of the force, your motivation, your awareness of how the role may affect your personal life, the code of ethics, vulnerable people and safeguarding. The practice questions on this page are original PolicePay material, not MDP questions.
How long is the MOD Police interview?
There are two. The competency based interview is 45 minutes on Microsoft Teams with two assessors. The suitability interview is about 40 minutes, face to face at MDP Headquarters at RAF Wyton.
Is the MOD Police interview online?
The competency based interview is online on Microsoft Teams. The suitability interview is face to face at RAF Wyton. An MOD FOI answer in 2023 said interviews were held by video; the current process page moves the suitability interview to RAF Wyton.
What competencies does the MOD Police use?
The current process page says only that the competency interview focuses on the MDP Competency Framework. The MDP's archived 2023 guidance listed six competencies with the same titles as the College of Policing framework: we deliver, support and inspire; we are innovative and open-minded; we analyse critically; we are emotionally aware; we take ownership; we are collaborative. The MDP does not say whether these are still current.
Can I skip the MOD Police competency interview?
Yes, if you passed the full College of Policing online assessment with another force within the last 12 months when you apply. Send your candidate feedback report as evidence. Assessments with forces that do not use the College process are not accepted. You still take the suitability interview and every other stage.
Is there a fitness test on the same day as the interview?
It may be. The MDP says your Job-Related Fitness Test may be scheduled on the same day as the suitability interview. Check your invitation and take kit if it says so.
Do NEOF transferees have a competency interview?
No competency interview is listed for the New Entrant from Other Forces route. NEOF applicants have a NEOF suitability interview: face to face at RAF Wyton or another advised location, two assessors, about 40 minutes. It also covers skills and experience.
Are there online tests or role plays in MOD Police selection?
Not for New Recruits. The published process has no online tests, no written exercise, no role play and no assessment centre. Selection is the two interviews plus fitness, medical and vetting.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 23 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.
- MDP: New Recruit recruitment process : competency based interview (45 minutes, Teams, two assessors, MDP Competency Framework); suitability interview (about 40 minutes, RAF Wyton, topics); fitness test may be the same day; six stages (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: New Recruit entry criteria : College of Policing online assessment pass in the last 12 months accepted in place of the competency interview (accessed 23 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Ministry of Defence Police entry requirements : the OAC exemption (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Competency Interview Guidance V4 (16 March 2023), archived copy : ARCHIVED: MDPCVF name; six competencies; one 60-minute interview; 5 questions; up to 5 minutes each; STAR; avoid 'we'; example question (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MOD FOI 2023/13302, recruitment practices : interviews moved to video from April 2020 (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: NEOF recruitment process : NEOF suitability interview format and topics; no competency interview listed (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: NEOF Special Escort Group advert : extra SEG interview on Teams (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Our force : all operational officers are AFO CT (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Our locations : nine regions; headquarters (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: New Recruit training : 12-week residential course; 21 weeks in total (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: UK Security Vetting : SC minimum; DV sites (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MDP: Salary, allowances and pension : unsocial hours paid for work between 2100 and 0500 (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Ministry of Defence Police Act 1987, section 2 : jurisdiction (accessed 23 October 2026)
- UK Parliament written answer 98164 : officer numbers 2021 and 2025 (accessed 23 October 2026)
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the Ministry of Defence Police, the Ministry of Defence, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, the Defence Police Federation, the Civil Nuclear Police Federation, the College of Policing or any other force. It does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Every fact here comes from the force's own pages, GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk or the other sources listed, read on the date shown. Each force sets and changes its own process and pay: check its current pages and your own invitation before relying on anything here. Our practice questions are original PolicePay material, not questions used by either force. Details are as checked on 23 October 2026.