Police Now Immersive
Assessment Explained
The immersive assessment is Police Now's online stage between the application form and the virtual assessment centre. It is not a timed test of facts: it puts you inside a scenario about the role and looks at how you think, what motivates you and how you tend to work. Here is what Police Now has published about it, what we could not confirm and how to prepare honestly.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 19 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
An online assessment, built with Talogy (according to Police Now's May 2025 award entry), that eligible applicants are invited to after the application form. Police Now says it is untimed, takes about 45 minutes after a 10-minute practice that is not scored and has cognitive, motivational and personality elements set in a scenario about the role. Everyone gets a personalised feedback report and successful candidates move on to the virtual assessment centre.
We read Police Now's Neighbourhood and Detective immersive assessment pages, its FAQs and help hub, its How to apply page, the Neighbourhood job description and an award entry Police Now published in May 2025 about its assessment and selection process, all on 19 October 2026. Police Now does not publish its questions, scoring or pass mark. Where we explain what a type of question usually measures, we say that it is our general explanation, not Police Now's description.
What the immersive assessment is
Police Now describes the immersive assessment as an online stage designed to measure the attributes that matter for success on the programme. Rather than a plain test paper, it places you in a scenario so that you can experience what the role is like and learn about the issues that communities, or detectives, deal with. It has three elements: cognitive, motivational and personality.
Police Now's award entry says it developed the assessment with the assessment company Talogy, combining pre-validated psychometric content with modules written specifically for the role. It uses video, audio, images and interactions with characters such as community members, partner organisations, colleagues and a sergeant. The same entry says the videos feature actors and real Police Now graduates.
| What Police Now says | |
|---|---|
| What it is | Police Now's online assessment, the first assessed stage after the application form |
| Who takes it | Applicants Police Now judges eligible after the online application |
| When | Police Now's FAQ says eligible applicants are invited to complete it within seven days |
| Timed? | No. Police Now says it is not timed and should take about 45 minutes; timed sections are used only where needed to move you on |
| Practice | A practice session of around 10 minutes first, which does not count towards your score |
| Breaks | Allowed between sections |
| Content | Cognitive, motivational and personality elements, set in a scenario about the role |
| Built with | Talogy, an assessment company (Police Now's award entry) |
| Devices | Police Now's award entry says it works on any device; its tips say to check your technology first |
| Feedback | A personalised feedback report for every candidate, whatever the outcome |
| Adjustments | Designed to be neuroinclusive: captions, pause and play, transcripts; other adjustments or an alternative format on request, in confidence |
| Next stage | The virtual assessment centre, if you are successful |
Police Now's How to apply page sums the stage up as an online task based on realistic policing scenarios and says no previous experience is needed. It is a different thing from the College of Policing's National Sift, which forces use for their own constable applications: see how the two compare.
Where it sits in the Police Now process
The immersive assessment is the first assessed stage. Police Now's job descriptions list three selection steps before an offer: the online application, the online immersive assessment and the virtual assessment centre.
| Step | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Online application | Account, eligibility questions, choice of specialism and force or region, personal details. About 30 to 45 minutes. No CV, cover letter or essays. Screened blind. |
| 2 | Immersive assessment (online) | Police Now's FAQ says eligible applicants are invited to complete it within seven days (the wording does not say whether that is the invitation or the deadline). Untimed, about 45 minutes plus a 10-minute unscored practice. Cognitive, motivational and personality elements set in a scenario. Personalised feedback report for everyone. |
| 3 | Virtual assessment centre | Estimated half a day. Neighbourhood: interview, incident summary written report, community engagement interactions, team meeting, debrief. Detective: crime case interactions, investigative report, interview, debrief. Outcome within ten working days, with feedback. |
| 4 | Conditional offer | As little as two to three weeks from applying. Offer holders are invited to an in-person induction event. |
| 5 | Pre-employment checks | Vetting, medical, fitness test, biometrics and substance misuse test, guided by a Police Now recruitment officer; plus a short in-person Professionalism in Policing meeting. Typically two to four months to final offer. |
| 6 | Final offer and academy | Sworn in as a constable, paid by your force from day one; 8-week (Neighbourhood) or 13-week (Detective routes) academy. |
- Before it: the online application of about 30 to 45 minutes, with eligibility questions and your choice of specialism and force or region. Police Now says there is no CV, cover letter or essay and applications are screened blind.
- The invitation: Police Now's FAQ says that if you are eligible you will be invited to complete an immersive assessment within seven days. That could mean the invitation comes within seven days, or that you have seven days to complete it. Check the deadline in your invitation.
- After it: successful candidates go to the virtual assessment centre. Police Now says the whole route from application to conditional offer can take as little as two to three weeks.
Applications for the March 2027 entry have closed. The March 2027 entry has closed. Police Now says applications for the March 2028 start open early next year and you can register interest by region. For the full journey, see the Police Now application process.
Timing, the practice round and breaks
- Untimed: Police Now says the assessment is not timed and should take you about 45 minutes. Its award entry lists no time limits as a design feature.
- Timed sections only where needed: both immersive assessment pages add that timed sections are used only where necessary so that you can move on to the next section. Police Now does not say which sections or how long they last. If you meet one, read the on-screen instructions; we could not confirm how any time limit affects scoring.
- Practice first: a practice session of around 10 minutes comes before the real assessment, to get you used to the format. Police Now says your practice answers do not count towards your final score.
- Breaks: you can take breaks between sections.
- Support: Police Now's recruitment team can help with technical questions and its live chat is normally open Monday to Friday, 11am to 3pm, according to its immersive assessment pages.
Ten minutes of practice plus about 45 minutes of assessment, with breaks, comes to roughly an hour. Choose a time when you are rested and will not be interrupted, rather than squeezing it into a lunch break.
The three elements and what they are likely to test
Police Now names the three elements but does not describe the tasks in each. The table separates what Police Now says from our general explanation of what these kinds of element usually involve in assessments of this type. Read the third column as background, not as a description of Police Now's questions.
| Element | What Police Now says | What this kind of element usually involves (our general explanation, not Police Now's) | How to prepare (our suggestion) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cognitive | Named as one of the three elements. Police Now does not describe the tasks. | In psychometric assessments generally, cognitive items test how you reason with information: reading and interpreting text, numbers or patterns and drawing sound conclusions. In a scenario they may be woven into the story, for example making sense of information about an incident. We do not know which forms Police Now uses. | Read every instruction and question fully. Because it is untimed, accuracy matters more than speed. |
| Motivational | Named as one of the three elements. Police Now's framework includes motivational alignment: understanding your part in its mission and showing genuine motivation for the role and programme. | Motivational questions usually ask what you value at work, what draws you to a role and what you would find rewarding or difficult, so that an employer can see how well that fits what the job involves. | Learn what the role really involves (shifts, neighbourhood problem solving or investigation, two years in one force) and be honest about what appeals to you. |
| Personality | Named as one of the three elements. Police Now does not describe the items. | Personality items usually ask how you typically behave or what you prefer, through statements you agree or disagree with or choose between. Single items have no right answer; employers look at the overall pattern against what the role needs. | Answer honestly and consistently. Do not try to build an ideal profile. |
| Scenario (the setting for all three) | Police Now says the assessment lets you experience the role and learn about the issues communities face (Neighbourhood) or the challenges detectives face (Detective). Its award entry describes pre-validated psychometric content combined with bespoke modules relevant to the role, with video, audio, images and interactions. | Role-based scenarios often include situational judgement items: you see a situation and choose or rate possible responses. This is our general explanation; Police Now does not say exactly how its questions are framed. | Practise judging realistic situations against Police Now's competencies and values, for example with our practice test. |
Police Now assesses against its own framework of 10 competencies and 4 values, not the College of Policing's Competency and Values Framework (CVF), though six competency names overlap. Its "What we look for" page says applicants are assessed on whether their motivation fits the mission, whether they understand the realities of the role and whether they have the skills it needs. Our guide to Police Now's competencies and values covers each one.
The scenario: what Police Now has published
Police Now's award entry, dated May 2025, describes one version of the assessment for the Neighbourhood route: an interactive journey set around a secondary school, in which you, as a neighbourhood officer, respond to a safeguarding concern raised by a parent and work with the school, charities, the community, colleagues and a sergeant. The entry calls the assessment multi-method, mixing established psychometric content with role-specific modules.
That is the only description of a scenario we found and it is more than a year old. Police Now may have changed the scenario since and the Detective version will be different. Do not try to prepare for a particular storyline. Prepare to think clearly about the kind of situations neighbourhood officers and detectives meet: vulnerable people, partners with their own priorities, incomplete information and competing demands.
The same entry reports outcomes Police Now attributes to the design, such as a higher completion rate than in the previous year and positive candidate ratings. These are Police Now's own figures, not independently checked and they say nothing about how hard the assessment is to pass.
Neighbourhood vs Detective versions
Police Now has a separate immersive assessment page for each of its two main specialisms. On what they publish, the structure is the same; the setting differs.
| Neighbourhood | Detective | |
|---|---|---|
| Elements | Cognitive, motivational, personality | Cognitive, motivational, personality |
| Timing | Untimed, about 45 minutes, breaks between sections | Untimed, about 45 minutes, breaks between sections |
| Practice | Around 10 minutes, not scored | Around 10 minutes, not scored |
| What it shows you | What the role of a neighbourhood officer is like and the issues neighbourhoods face | What the role of a detective is like, the range of people and places involved and the challenges detectives face |
| Accessibility | Captions, pause and play, transcripts; adjustments in confidence | Captions, pause and play, transcripts; adjustments in confidence |
| Feedback | Personalised report for every candidate | Personalised report for every candidate |
- Economic Crime and Counter Terrorism: we did not find separate immersive assessment pages for these specialisms. They follow the detective structure elsewhere in the programme, but we could not confirm which version of the assessment their applicants take.
- An inconsistency to be aware of: the Detective immersive assessment page's section on what to expect describes the Neighbourhood assessment centre and refers to a neighbourhood officer, which looks like text reused from the Neighbourhood page. Police Now's separate Detective assessment centre page lists different exercises. Rely on your invitation and handbook.
For more on the detective routes, see the Police Now detective programme.
How to prepare
Police Now's own advice is short: prepare, get in the zone and take your time. The table expands on it, marking which points are Police Now's and which are ours.
| Step | What to do | Whose advice |
|---|---|---|
| Read the job description | For your specialism. It sets out the responsibilities, the force and the selection stages. | Police Now's own first tip |
| Research the mission | Police Now's stated aim is safer places to live, transformed communities, people turned into allies and greater public confidence. Put it in your own words. | Police Now tip |
| Learn the competencies and values | The 10 competencies and 4 values on Police Now's "What we look for" page. Write what each looks like in practice. | Police Now tip |
| Understand the role's realities | Shifts, neighbourhood problem solving or investigation, academy then two years in force. This underpins honest motivational answers. | Our suggestion |
| Practise judging scenarios | Work through realistic situations and decide what you would do and why. Our 37 original practice questions are mapped to Police Now's framework. | Our suggestion |
| Check your technology | Device charged or plugged in, sound working (the assessment uses video and audio), stable connection. | Police Now tip, with our detail |
| Find a quiet place | Somewhere with few distractions, for an hour or so. | Police Now tip |
| Use the practice round | Around 10 minutes, not scored. It is the only official preview of the format. | Police Now tip |
Make the mission and competencies your own
Learning the list is not the point. For each competency, think of what it looks like in a real day: what taking ownership means when you inherit a stalled job, what cultural awareness means at a residents' meeting, what resilience means when a case you worked hard on goes nowhere. Then think about where you have shown it yourself. That reflection pays off three times: in the immersive assessment, in the assessment centre interview and in your own sense of whether the role suits you.
Know what the job really involves
Police Now's Neighbourhood job description describes two years embedded in a neighbourhood team, working proactively on long-term problems such as anti-social behaviour, knife crime, violence against women and girls, safeguarding and drug harm. Detectives investigate from the start and take the National Investigators' Exam. Knowing this lets you answer motivational questions honestly rather than from a vague idea of policing.
What not to do
- Do not revise law or procedure. Police Now says no previous experience is needed.
- Do not buy "real questions". Police Now does not publish them and the format is its own.
- Do not rehearse a personality you think Police Now wants. See personality items.
- Do not do it tired, rushed or on a weak connection.
How to approach scenario judgement items
Police Now does not say exactly how its scenario questions are framed, so this is general advice for any question that asks what you would do, or how effective a response would be, in a realistic situation:
- Read the whole situation, including any video or messages, before looking at the options.
- Identify who is affected and whether anyone could be at risk. Risk to people usually comes first.
- Notice what you do not know. Good responses often find out more before acting, unless delay is risky.
- Read every option. The first reasonable-looking one is not always the most effective.
- Ask what each option leads to an hour, a day and a month later. Quick fixes that leave the problem in place are rarely best.
- Check options against Police Now's values: transparency, integrity, impartiality and public service. Dishonest, unfair or dismissive options are usually the weakest.
- Think about partners. Neighbourhood problems in particular are often best tackled with councils, schools, housing or youth services.
- Base your answer on what you are told, not on extra facts you imagine.
Police Now's own tip is to read all instructions and questions carefully, try not to overanalyse and "go with your first response". Those fit together: read properly, think once, then trust your judgement rather than second-guessing what an assessor wants.
Writing our practice bank, the same lessons kept coming up: risk to people comes before tidy workloads; honest limits beat comforting promises; understand a problem with partners before choosing the fix; record and share information properly; own mistakes early; and evidence that does not fit is still evidence. These are general good practice, not Police Now's marking scheme.
How to approach personality and motivation items
Police Now says the assessment includes personality and motivational elements but does not describe them. In general, these items ask about your typical behaviour, preferences and what you value at work. Individual items usually have no right answer; what matters is the overall pattern.
- Be honest. Describe how you actually behave, not how you wish you did. The assessment exists partly to help you and Police Now see whether the role fits.
- Be consistent. Similar ideas may come up in different words. Answering each one honestly keeps you consistent without effort; trying to manage an image does not.
- Do not game it. Picking the most socially desirable answer every time tends to produce a profile that contradicts itself and it hides the real strengths you do have.
- Think about work, not your whole life, unless the question says otherwise.
- Avoid sitting on the fence. If a scale has a middle option, use it when it is true, not as a safe default.
- Motivation is a competency here. Police Now's framework includes motivational alignment. The honest route is to know why you want this role, in this programme and to let that show.
Our practice test includes a short reflection set that does not score you: it shows which of Police Now's competencies you lean on when you have to choose. Use it to find the competencies you have fewer real examples for. For a policing example of a personality-style questionnaire, see our guide to the College of Policing's behavioural styles questionnaire, remembering that it is a different organisation's tool.
Cognitive items
Police Now names a cognitive element but gives no detail. In general, cognitive items test reasoning: making sense of written, numerical or visual information and drawing sound conclusions from it. In a scenario-based assessment, they may appear as part of the story rather than as a separate test.
- Read instructions twice. Many reasoning errors come from misreading what is being asked.
- Use only the information given; do not bring in outside assumptions.
- Because the assessment is untimed overall, take the time to check before you commit.
- If a section is timed, keep moving and do not dwell on one item.
- Have a pen and paper to hand for working, unless your instructions say otherwise.
We could not find any statement from Police Now on whether numerical or verbal reasoning questions are included, so we do not recommend paying for specialist reasoning test packs on the strength of this stage alone.
On the day
- Use a charged or plugged-in device with working sound; the assessment includes video and audio.
- Find a quiet room and tell anyone at home you need an hour undisturbed.
- Use the practice round, even if you feel ready. It shows you how to move through the assessment.
- Turn on captions or use transcripts if that helps you; Police Now built them in for everyone.
- Take breaks between sections if you need them.
- If something breaks, contact Police Now's recruitment team rather than starting again on your own.
Adjustments and neuroinclusion
Police Now says the immersive assessment was designed with adjustments in mind and to be neuroinclusive:
- Untimed, so extra time is not needed.
- Closed captions on videos, which you can turn on and off.
- Pause and play, so you control the pace of the media.
- Video transcripts.
- A practice run to get familiar with the layout.
- Other adjustments or an alternative format can be discussed with the recruitment team in confidence. Police Now's award entry says an alternative format was built.
Police Now's FAQ on neurodiversity adds that applications are screened blind, assessors are trained, time adjustments can be requested for assessments (relevant at the assessment centre) and resources are provided beforehand. Ask early, so any adjustment is in place when you are invited. See also mental health and neurodiversity in police recruitment.
Can you use AI?
Police Now's FAQ says it supports AI tools such as ChatGPT but wants to see the real you and that it has a policy setting out where AI can and cannot be used in the application process. The policy is published in an interactive format we could not read, so we cannot tell you what it says about the immersive assessment.
Our advice: read the policy before you start and if in doubt, do not use AI during the assessment. Personality and motivational answers are meant to describe you and the results feed into a feedback report and the next stage.
What happens after
- Your feedback report: Police Now says every candidate gets a personalised report, whatever the outcome, covering strengths and areas to improve. Its award entry describes it as competency-levelled and provided instantly, with development advice.
- Using the report: Police Now suggests using it at the assessment centre stage, or if you reapply. Read it alongside the competencies: it tells you which ones to gather stronger examples for before the interview.
- The invitation to the assessment centre: successful candidates move on to the virtual assessment centre. Police Now does not publish the pass mark, how results are combined or what proportion progress.
- The assessment centre: Police Now estimates half a day. Neighbourhood candidates do an interview, an incident summary, community engagement interactions, a team meeting and a debrief; Detective candidates do crime case interactions, an investigative report, an interview and a debrief. Outcomes come within ten working days.
- If you are unsuccessful: Police Now mentions reapplying, but we found no published waiting period or rule on whether results carry over. Ask the recruitment team.
Prepare for the next stage with our assessment centre guide and Police Now interview questions.
How it differs from the College of Policing National Sift
If you are also applying to a force directly, you will probably meet the National Sift as well. Police Now says you can apply to it and to forces at the same time. The two assessments are run by different organisations and look different.
| Police Now immersive assessment | College of Policing National Sift | |
|---|---|---|
| Used for | Police Now's National Graduate Programme | Constable applications to forces in England and Wales |
| Run by | Police Now, built with Talogy | The College of Policing |
| Structure | One scenario-based assessment with cognitive, motivational and personality elements | Two exercises: a situational judgement test (SJT) and a behavioural styles questionnaire (BSQ) |
| Length | About 45 minutes plus a 10-minute practice | SJT: 15 scenarios, about 30 minutes. BSQ: 80 statements, about 20 minutes |
| Timed? | Untimed; timed sections only where necessary | Both exercises untimed |
| Format | Multimedia: video, audio, images and interactions within a story | Written scenarios and statements |
| Framework | Police Now's own competencies and values | The College's Competency and Values Framework |
| Result | Personalised feedback report for everyone; successful candidates invited to the assessment centre | Email saying whether you met the national standard; then the online assessment process |
The judgement skills overlap, so practice for one is not wasted on the other. But the formats, frameworks and scoring are different: do not assume a National Sift result tells you anything about Police Now's assessment, or the other way round. Our guides cover the National Sift, how it is scored and SJT practice in its own format. For the wider picture, see the assessment process by entry route.
Practise with original scenario questions
Our free Police Now practice test has 37 original scenarios set over a week as a new Police Now officer, in Neighbourhood and Detective settings. For each, you choose the most and least effective of four actions, then read an explanation for every option and see your points against each competency and value. A separate reflection set, with no score, shows which competencies you lean on.
- 12 questions or all 37; feedback after each question or at the end.
- Untimed, free, no sign-up, nothing saved.
- Original PolicePay practice, not Police Now's questions. Your score does not predict your result.
Myths about the immersive assessment
- "It is a timed online test." Police Now says it is not timed, takes about 45 minutes and allows breaks between sections. Timed sections are used only where needed to move you on.
- "You need to know the law." Police Now says no previous experience is needed. Nothing it publishes suggests policing knowledge is tested.
- "It is the same as the National Sift." The National Sift is the College of Policing's test for force applications. Police Now runs its own immersive assessment, built with Talogy.
- "You can find the real questions online." Police Now does not publish its questions. Anything sold as the real paper should be treated with suspicion; practice material, ours included, is only practice.
- "The personality part can be gamed." Personality items look at patterns across many answers. Trying to give the answer you think is wanted tends to produce contradictions and it describes someone who is not you.
- "Only people who pass get feedback." Police Now says every candidate gets a personalised feedback report, whatever the outcome.
- "Neurodivergent candidates need extra time." It is untimed, so extra time is not needed. Police Now built in captions, pause and play and transcripts and offers other adjustments or an alternative format on request.
- "The practice round counts." Police Now says practice answers do not count towards your final score.
- "You must do it on a laptop." Police Now's award entry says it was designed to work on any device. A larger screen with good sound may still be more comfortable, which is our suggestion, not a rule.
Questions to ask Police Now
Things Police Now's public pages do not answer, worth asking the recruitment team or live chat:
- What is the deadline for completing the immersive assessment once I am invited?
- Can I pause and come back to it later, or must I finish in one sitting?
- Which device and browser work best and do I need headphones?
- What adjustments or alternative format are available and how far in advance should I ask?
- When will I receive my feedback report and when will I hear whether I am invited to the assessment centre?
- If I am unsuccessful, when can I reapply and does my result carry over?
- What does your generative AI policy allow during the immersive assessment?
What we could not verify
- The questions, scoring and pass mark. Police Now does not publish them, or how the three elements are weighted.
- Which sections are timed and how long they last, given that Police Now says timed sections are used only where necessary.
- The current scenario. The only description we found is in a May 2025 award entry; it may have changed.
- The seven-day wording: whether it is the time to receive the invitation or to complete the assessment.
- Which version Economic Crime and Counter Terrorism applicants take.
- Whether the report arrives immediately for every candidate. Only the award entry says it is instant.
- Reapplication rules, such as any waiting period or whether results carry over.
- Police Now's generative AI policy and candidate commitments, published in an interactive format we could not read.
- The handbook, which the award entry mentions but which we did not read for this page.
- Police Now's completion and satisfaction figures in the award entry, which are its own and not independently checked.
Recruitment window alerts
Get told when Police Now opens the March 2028 window
The March 2027 entry has closed. Police Now says applications for the March 2028 start open early next year and has not given a date. Leave your email and we will tell you when the window opens, with the forces and the closing date we can find. You can add up to two forces too. Occasional emails, written by hand. Unsubscribe any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Police Now immersive assessment?
It is Police Now's online assessment, the first assessed stage after the application form. Police Now says it is not timed, takes about 45 minutes after a practice session of around 10 minutes and has cognitive, motivational and personality elements set in a scenario that shows you what the role is like. It was built with the assessment company Talogy. Every candidate gets a personalised feedback report.
How long does the Police Now immersive assessment take?
Police Now says about 45 minutes, plus a practice session of around 10 minutes beforehand. It is not timed overall, you can take breaks between sections and timed sections are used only where needed to move you on. Allow an hour or so somewhere quiet.
Is the Police Now immersive assessment timed?
No. Police Now says it is not timed, though timed sections are used only where necessary so that you can move on to the next section. Because it is untimed, you do not need to ask for extra time as an adjustment.
What questions are in the Police Now immersive assessment?
Police Now does not publish them. It says there are cognitive, motivational and personality elements set in a scenario about the role and its award entry describes pre-validated psychometric content combined with bespoke role-relevant modules using video, audio, images and interactions. Any practice questions you find online, including ours, are not Police Now's.
How do I prepare for the Police Now immersive assessment?
Police Now's tips are to read the job description, research its mission, competencies and values, check your technology, find a quiet place, read everything carefully, take your time and go with your first response. It also says no previous experience is needed. Practising realistic scenario questions and reflecting honestly on how you work can help you feel ready.
When will I be invited to the immersive assessment?
Police Now's FAQ says that if you are eligible for the programme you will be invited to complete an immersive assessment within seven days. The wording could mean the invitation arrives within seven days or that you have seven days to complete it, so check your invitation for the deadline.
Do I get feedback from the Police Now immersive assessment?
Yes. Police Now says every candidate receives a personalised feedback report, whatever the outcome, showing areas of strength and areas to improve, which you can use at the assessment centre or if you reapply. Its award entry describes the report as competency-levelled and provided instantly.
What happens after the Police Now immersive assessment?
If you are successful you are invited to the virtual assessment centre, which Police Now estimates takes half a day. Police Now does not publish a pass mark or how many candidates progress. From application to a conditional offer can take as little as two to three weeks, according to Police Now.
Can I get adjustments for the immersive assessment?
Yes. Police Now says it was designed with adjustments and neuroinclusion in mind, with closed captions you can turn on and off, pause and play and video transcripts. It is untimed, so extra time is not needed. For other adjustments or an alternative format, you can contact Police Now's recruitment team in confidence.
Is the immersive assessment the same as the police National Sift?
No. The National Sift is the College of Policing's online test for constable applications to forces, with a situational judgement test and a behavioural styles questionnaire. Police Now runs its own immersive assessment, built with Talogy, for its graduate programme. If you apply to a force directly as well, you may take both.
Can I do the Police Now immersive assessment on my phone?
Police Now's award entry says the assessment was designed to work on any device. It includes video and audio, so make sure your sound works. A laptop or tablet may be more comfortable for a longer session, but that is our suggestion, not a Police Now rule.
Is there a Police Now practice test?
The real assessment begins with an official practice session of around 10 minutes that does not count towards your score and Police Now's award entry mentions a candidate handbook and practice assessment. PolicePay's free practice test offers original scenario questions mapped to Police Now's competencies and values; they are not Police Now's questions and your score does not predict your result.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 19 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.
- Police Now: Neighbourhood immersive assessment : untimed, about 45 minutes; practice of around 10 minutes, not scored; breaks; timed sections only where necessary; cognitive, motivational and personality elements; tips; feedback report for all; captions, pause and play, transcripts; adjustments in confidence; live chat hours (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Detective immersive assessment : the same structure and tips for the detective specialism; experience of the detective role; its 'What to expect' text refers to a neighbourhood officer (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: ISE award entry on its assessment and selection process (May 2025) : built with Talogy; pre-validated psychometric content plus bespoke modules; no time limits; any device; video, audio and interactions; school-based scenario; handbook and practice assessment; instant competency-levelled report; Police Now's own completion and engagement figures (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now FAQ: How long does the application process take? : invited to complete an immersive assessment within seven days if eligible; then a virtual assessment centre; as little as two to three weeks to a conditional offer (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: FAQs and help hub : generative AI policy exists; neurodiversity support including time adjustments and resources before assessments; you can apply to forces at the same time (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Candidate help hub : the same FAQ set, read to check for immersive assessment, feedback, device and reapplication guidance (none found) (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: How to apply : stages from application to academy; immersive assessment based on realistic policing scenarios; no previous experience needed (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: What we look for : mission, ten competencies and four values (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Neighbourhood job description : selection stages: online application, online immersive assessment, virtual assessment centre; responsibilities of the role (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Neighbourhood assessment centre : the next stage: exercises, estimated half day, outcome within ten working days (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: National Graduate Programme : application window status (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Joining the Police: What does the sift involve? : National Sift: SJT of 15 scenarios, about 30 minutes; BSQ of 80 statements, about 20 minutes; both untimed; result by email (accessed 19 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
More for graduate applicants
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with Police Now, the College of Policing or any police force. It does not recruit or assess applicants. Police Now sets its own eligibility, selection and programme content and changes them between cohorts: check Police Now's own pages and your invitation before relying on anything here. Practice material on this page is original PolicePay material, not Police Now's. Details are as checked on 19 October 2026.