PSNI Global Skills
Assessment (GSA)

The Initial Selection Test (IST) is the first test in a PSNI student officer campaign. It has two SHL elements: a timed deductive reasoning test and the Global Skills Assessment (GSA). This page is about the second one.

• What it is: a self-report questionnaire about workplace behaviour.
• Format: the PSNI says "Not timed. Forced Choice."
• What it is mapped to: the Competency Values Framework (CVF) for Policing Professionals.
• How you answer: from your own life, such as school, volunteering or previous jobs.
• Practice: the PSNI says no practice questions are possible or necessary.
• Does it count: yes. It is combined with the deductive reasoning score into one IST score against one pass mark.
• When: as part of the IST, December 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed) for Campaign 2610.

Everything the PSNI publishes about the GSA, in one table.

What the GSA is not

• It is not a knowledge test. No policing or legal knowledge is needed at any stage, the PSNI says.
• It is not timed, unlike the deductive reasoning element.
• It is not an interview. The PSNI also says there is no traditional experience-based interview at the Assessment Centre.
• It is not something you can be exempted from. The PSNI says there are no IST exemptions, even if you passed before.

That is a short list. The PSNI does not publish the number of items, sample items or how answers are scored. Anything more detailed you read elsewhere is not from the PSNI.

You sit the GSA as part of the IST, on SHL's TalentCentral platform, through the unique link in your invitation email. The PSNI says the whole IST takes less than one hour online.

For the deductive reasoning element, the pass rule, the IST rules and a six-week practice plan, read our full PSNI Initial Selection Test guide.

The PSNI describes the GSA in two words: "Forced Choice". It does not publish what the items look like. So here is what forced choice means in general, not a description of the GSA's own screens.

In a typical questionnaire you rate each statement on its own: "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree". In a forced-choice questionnaire you choose between statements instead. You might be shown two or more statements together and asked which is more like you, or most and least like you. Because every option can describe a reasonable way to behave, you cannot simply agree with everything that sounds good. You have to decide what you actually do more.

What this format means for you:

• It is hard to "game". When both options sound positive, guessing which one an assessor prefers is unreliable.
• Consistency matters. In forced-choice questionnaires in general, similar ideas can come up more than once. Answering as yourself keeps you consistent without effort.
• There is no time pressure. The PSNI says the GSA is not timed, so you can read every option properly.

A self-report questionnaire asks you to describe yourself. The PSNI says to answer the GSA from your own life and gives school, volunteering and previous jobs as examples. That matters for three groups of applicants in particular.

• School leavers. The PSNI accepts applications from age 17. Group projects, part-time jobs, sports teams and clubs are all workplace-like settings you can draw on.
• Career changers. Think about how you actually behave at work now, not how you imagine a police officer behaves. The PSNI says no prior policing or legal knowledge is needed at any stage.
• People out of work or caring for family. Volunteering, caring and community roles count as your own life. The PSNI's wording is not limited to paid jobs.

Because the GSA is about you, the best thing you can bring to it is a clear, honest picture of how you usually behave, built in advance by thinking about real examples. That is what the reflection exercise below is for.

The PSNI says the GSA is mapped to the Competency Values Framework for Policing Professionals (CVF), the College of Policing framework. It uses the same framework at the Assessment Centre, at Level 1 (Practitioner). It is not a separate PSNI competency framework.

The three values

• Courage
• Respect and empathy
• Public service

The six competencies

• We are emotionally aware
• We take ownership
• We collaborate
• We support and inspire
• We analyse critically
• We are innovative and open-minded

The PSNI publishes these names. It does not publish which GSA items relate to which value or competency. For a fuller description of each one, read our CVF competencies and values explained guide, which is written for all UK police applicants.

Here is what honest preparation looks like for a questionnaire that cannot be practised. These are PolicePay suggestions, not PSNI guidance.

1. Know the CVF. Read the three values and six competencies. Our CVF guide describes each of them.
2. Reflect on real examples. For each value and competency, think of two or three real times from school, work, volunteering or home. The table below gives prompts.
3. Notice your habits, not your best day. A self-report questionnaire is about how you usually behave. Think about what you typically do, including when you are tired or busy.
4. Plan a quiet sitting. The GSA is not timed, but the PSNI prohibits repeated logging out. Do the whole IST in one calm session.
5. Read carefully on the day. In a forced choice, small words matter: "usually", "always", "prefer". Read every option before choosing.
6. Be consistent by being yourself. If you answer as you really are, your answers will hang together without you having to track them.

The PSNI says to answer from your own life and names school, volunteering and previous jobs. Every applicant has material to draw on. Some places to look, by type of applicant:

The third column is only a starting point. A single real event often shows several competencies at once. The aim is to know yourself well, not to sort your life into boxes.

Our suggestions for the GSA part of your IST session:

• Reset after the deductive test. If you sit the deductive element first, take a few slow breaths before you start the GSA. It needs a different kind of attention.
• Read the instructions fully. They tell you how to answer the forced choices. Follow them exactly.
• Picture real situations. For each item, think of what you actually did the last time something similar happened.
• Do not overthink. Untimed does not mean you need minutes per item. Read carefully, decide and move on.
• Stay in one sitting. The PSNI prohibits repeated logging out.
• Work alone. The IST is unassisted. Do not ask a partner or friend which option "sounds better".

Which element comes first is set by the platform. Follow the order SHL's platform gives you.

If you have a disability or condition that affects how you take online tests, you can ask for reasonable adjustments. The PSNI says requests go in the "Test and Assessment Arrangements" section of the online application. For Campaign 2610, reasonable adjustment evidence is due by 5pm on 30 November 2026 for the initial phase. Ask on the form, not after your IST link arrives.

On language, the PSNI says SHL language options may be used, but the primary language of the recruitment process is English. There is no audio. If English is not your first language, a forced-choice questionnaire rewards slow, careful reading of each statement, which the untimed format allows.

Both elements count towards one combined IST score, but they need very different preparation. A sensible split of your preparation time, in our view:

If you have read this far and feel ready for the GSA, your next step is the deductive element. Our free deductive reasoning practice has original puzzles with worked answers and an 18-minute mode.

The PSNI says IST results for this campaign are likely January 2027. The test is marked by the online host with a further sense check by Deloitte and the PSNI says the decision on your test outcome is final. You get one IST outcome based on the combined score, not separate results for each element.

If you do not pass, there is no second attempt in this campaign. The PSNI says there is no restriction on reapplying after rejection, so you can apply in a later campaign, when you sit the whole IST again.

The CVF does not stop at the IST. If you pass, upload your evidence and are invited to the Assessment Centre in spring to summer 2027 (to be confirmed), you are assessed against the same framework, at Level 1 (Practitioner), in written exercises and role plays where you take the role of a constable.

• The three values are the same: Courage; Respect and empathy; Public service.
• The PSNI says there will be no traditional experience-based interview at the Assessment Centre.
• Professional assessors and lay assessors mark independently, then agree a rating.
• You may be asked to re-take the IST there for validation and test security.

So the reflection you do for the GSA is not wasted. Knowing how you behave against the CVF helps you act naturally in a role play. Read our PSNI Assessment Centre guide for what the PSNI publishes about it.

It is worth confirming your eligibility before you put time into the IST. The PSNI's basic requirements include age (17th birthday on or before 30 November 2026 and 58th birthday after it, for this campaign), the right to work permanently in the UK and 5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at A* to C including English Language. Education and Right to Work evidence is checked at the Evidence Uploader straight after the IST.

Read our PSNI eligibility requirements guide and check your qualifications with the free qualifications checker. For every date in the campaign, see the campaign timeline and our how to join the PSNI hub.

Everything on this page in one list. Tick it off before your IST session.

If something about the GSA affects you personally, ask using the contact details in your campaign emails and quote your Unique Identifier (UID). Suggested questions:

• "I have a condition that makes long questionnaires difficult. What adjustments are available for the IST?"
• "Can I use an SHL language option for the GSA? What does that change?"
• "What should I do if my connection drops during the IST, given the rule on logging out?"

Do not ask for sample items, the pass mark or the scoring. The PSNI does not publish them and public discussion of the IST is strictly prohibited.