PSNI Assessment
Centre Pack

Everything is 12 months from the day you buy, so one purchase covers the IST in December and an Assessment Centre in spring to summer 2027 (to be confirmed) for the current campaign.

The PSNI tests you twice before its own checks begin. First the online Initial Selection Test, which you get one attempt at per campaign. Then, after the Evidence Uploader, an in-person Assessment Centre in and around Belfast. Vetting, the PCA fitness test, online learning, the health assessment and the substance misuse test follow. Read the whole order on our how to join the PSNI guide.

The two tested stages need different practice. The deductive reasoning test rewards fast, accurate logic on paper. The Assessment Centre rewards how you deal with people and information in the role of a constable. The pack covers both so you do not have to buy twice.

Each role play gives you a short brief: who you are, where you are and what you know. The other person speaks first and reacts to what you say over three or four exchanges. You answer out loud or type, then get feedback on every exchange and a model answer. No role play needs knowledge of the law, police powers or procedure, because the PSNI says none is needed at any stage.

• Members of the public: The shop owner on Main Street; The parking row at the school gate; Music through the wall; The road is closed
• Vulnerability and welfare: Nobody has seen Bill; The girl at the bus shelter; The man outside the GP surgery; The roofer coming back at four
• Conflict and complaints: The complaint at the front counter; The angry father in the club car park; The refund row; Speeding on the estate
• Colleagues and integrity: The photo in the group chat; The log you did not witness; The colleague who has gone quiet; The comment in the canteen
• Community and fairness: The note through the door; Blocked pavements; The hedge between two houses; Nowhere to go
• Service and problem solving: The lost handbag at the front counter; The fun day on Glenview Road; The return visit; The passport and the wedding

Each exercise gives you a situation and a small pack of documents (emails, notes, a log or a short table) with some irrelevant detail and at least one hidden issue, such as a vulnerable person, a deadline or a data protection point. You write what the task asks for against a practice timer, then get feedback and the model answer. The PSNI does not publish the format, length or timing of its written exercises, so our timers and word guides are our own settings.

• Letter or email reply: Reply to a resident about the play park; The shop owner and the photos in the window; The parent at the school gate; The charity fun run request
• Short report or recommendation: Which problem first?; The youth disco request; Which evenings for town centre patrols; Waiting at the front counter
• Plan or prioritised actions: Planning your shift; Planning a police drop-in; The Christmas lights switch-on; Building trust with newcomer families
• Summary of information: The residents' survey; The calls about Elm Terrace; Handover before the training course; Fourteen calls in a month

The PSNI says the deductive reasoning test is timed (18 minutes as standard), interactive, adaptive and built around 12 pieces of source material on themes such as team schedules, team rooms, rankings, team calendars and task scheduling and that it is deliberately not set in policing. Our 156 source items follow those themes in neutral settings. Every item has a single correct arrangement, checked by computer and correct answers are spread evenly across options A to D so guessing patterns do not help.

The timed test gives you 12 source items in 18 minutes. Get every question on an item right and the next is harder; make a mistake and it is easier. It is forward only. Unanswered questions count as wrong, because the PSNI says an unfinished test reduces your score. We do not imitate negative marking: its rules are only shown inside the SHL platform. Try the free version first.

1. Now to December: one timed IST test a week to find your level, then untimed practice on the themes you got wrong.
2. The week before the IST: two timed tests on different days, then rest.
3. After the IST: one role play and one written exercise a few times a week. Say role-play answers out loud.
4. When your Assessment Centre invitation arrives: work through the checklist and redo your weakest role plays.

The PSNI assesses the Assessment Centre against the College of Policing Competency and Values Framework at Level 1 (Practitioner). The feedback in the pack uses the same names.

• Values: Courage; Respect and empathy; Public service.
• Competencies: We are emotionally aware; We take ownership; We collaborate; We support and inspire; We analyse critically; We are innovative and open-minded.

Typed and spoken answers are sent once to be marked by an AI model and are not stored. We keep a usage row (which exercise, the score, the length and the time) to manage daily limits. Your scores, timed test history and checklist ticks stay in your browser.