Police Pay
Paid Practice Pack

PSET
Practice Papers

10 complete, original practice papers in the Police Scotland Entrance Test format: 49 questions in 60 minutes each, timed online, untimed to learn, or printed to handwrite in ink. Section drills by skill, a worked answer for every question, a score report after every paper and your progress over time. £24.99 for 12 months.

Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 22 October 2026 · Scotland

In short

The PSET is one handwritten paper of 49 questions in 60 minutes covering numeracy, literacy and information handling. You must pass all three. This pack lets you sit the full paper under time 10 times, shows you which skill is costing marks and drills exactly that. Everything is PolicePay's own, not Police Scotland's.

Contents
The PackWhat Is InsideThe FormatA Four-Week PlanThe Score ReportPolice Scotland CompleteFree Practice First FAQs Sources
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What is inside

  • 10 full mock papers (490 questions), each 49 questions in 60 minutes, graded from an introductory paper through standard and harder papers to two final mocks.
  • Section drills (210 questions: 80 literacy, 70 numeracy, 60 information handling), sorted into 17 skills such as percentages, the 24-hour clock, careful wording and multi-step table questions. Untimed, with the worked answer straight after each question, plus a "my weak spots" drill of the questions you missed.
  • A score report after every paper, by section and by skill, with one tap into a drill on your weakest skill.
  • Printable papers, answer keys and answer sheets, then a quick marking grid for your full report.
  • Progress history: every attempt, your trend in each section and your accuracy by skill across papers and drills.
  • Every numeracy and information handling answer is recomputed by a script from the question and its table. Every literacy answer was checked against its passage by a second reviewer.

The format we follow

PointPolice Scotland (its pages)Our papers
Length49 questions in 60 minutes49 questions, 60-minute timer
ElementsNumeracy, literacy and information handling; pass all threeLiteracy 17, Numeracy 16, Information handling 16
Section splitNot publishedOur choice
Literacy questionsPublished example: a passage with true, false or not possible to say statementsThe same format; spelling and grammar only as extra drill practice
CalculatorProvidedAllowed: use a basic one, not your phone
AnswersHandwritten in ink; multiple choice and written answersOnline, or printed with an answer sheet
Pass markNot publishedWe show your score, never a pass prediction

A four-week plan

  1. Week 1: paper 1 untimed to learn the format, then the drills your report points to.
  2. Week 2: papers 2 to 4 timed, one printed and sat in ink with the answer sheet. Drill your weakest skill between papers.
  3. Week 3: papers 5 to 8 timed. Use "my weak spots" to clear the questions you missed.
  4. Final week: papers 9 and 10 under full time, a few days apart, in ink.
Pace

About 73 seconds a question on average. If a sum is not working after a minute, move on and come back: every element has to be passed.

The score report

After each paper you see your score for numeracy, literacy and information handling, then within each one your score by skill, how many you left blank and a tip for your weakest skill. One button opens a drill on that skill. Every question then opens to its worked answer. Read how each section works in our PSET guide. Scores are kept in this browser only.

Police Scotland Complete

The PSET comes first. Then the 5.4 bleep test, then the assessment day: a group task, a spoken Situational Judgement Exercise and a four-question interview. Police Scotland Complete adds the Assessment Day Pack and the Interview Pack to this pack for £49.99 in all, 12 months each. If you already have the PSET Pack, your price is lower: see Police Scotland Complete.

Free practice first

Try the free PSET practice (42 questions). Your section scores then show at the top of this page, so you can see which part the pack needs to fix.

Quick answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these real Police Scotland entrance test papers?

No. Every passage, table and question was written by PolicePay in the format of Police Scotland's published example questions. They are not official papers. Police Scotland says it does not endorse any study materials. Your score does not predict your result.

How many questions are in each paper? How long do I get?

49 questions in 60 minutes, the same as the real PSET according to Police Scotland's candidate portal. That is about 73 seconds a question on average.

How are the questions split between numeracy, literacy and information handling?

Police Scotland does not publish the split. Our papers use 17 literacy, 16 numeracy, 16 information handling. Practise all three: you must pass every element.

Do the papers include spelling and grammar questions?

No. Police Scotland's published example language questions are all true, false or not possible to say, so every paper's literacy section uses that format. It does not say whether spelling or grammar questions appear, so the literacy drills include 20 spelling and grammar questions as extra practice, labelled as such.

Can I practise on paper?

Yes. The real PSET is handwritten in ink, so every paper prints with a separate answer key. A one-page answer sheet prints too. Afterwards, enter your answers on the marking grid for your full score report.

How much does it cost and how long does access last?

£24.99, one payment, 12 months of access, nothing renews. Full refund within 14 days, no reason needed.

I bought the PSET Pack before it grew to ten papers. Do I get the new papers?

Yes. Everyone who bought the pack has the ten papers, the drills and the new score report, for the rest of their 12 months, at no extra cost.

What is the PSET pass mark?

Police Scotland does not publish it. It says you must pass all three elements, so aim to be comfortable in every section rather than relying on your strongest.

Evidence

Sources and how we checked them

Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 22 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.

  1. Police Scotland: Our recruitment process : the PSET tests language, information handling and numeracy; example questions linked (read 22 October 2026) (accessed 22 October 2026)
  2. Police Scotland: example PSET questions (Word document) : the question formats our papers follow (accessed 22 October 2026)
  3. Police Scotland candidate portal: Police officer selection process : 49 questions in 60 minutes; pass all three elements (accessed 22 October 2026)
  4. Police Scotland candidate portal: Reasonable adjustments and support : handwritten in ink; calculator provided (accessed 22 October 2026)
Related Guides

On this topic elsewhere

Free PSET Practice → 42 free questions: find your weakest section first. PSET Explained → The format, each section's traps and pacing. Police Scotland Complete → PSET, assessment day and interview practice, £49.99. Police Scotland Fitness Test → The 5.4 standard on the 15-metre track.
Joining Police Scotland

More in this guide series

Start here Join Police Scotland hub Every stage in order, from eligibility to the PSET, fitness, the assessment day, final checks and training. Before you apply Eligibility requirements Age, three years in the UK, indefinite leave, manual licence, points, finances, eyesight and the rejection list. Free tool Eligibility checker Answer short questions and see each published rule you meet, need to check or do not meet yet. Before you apply Age limits and mature applicants Apply from 18 with no published upper limit. What pension age 60 means if you join later. Before you apply Driving licence and points Manual licence, DVLA group 2 medical standards, the more-than-6-points rule and drink driving. Before you apply Finance and debt rules Trust deeds, sequestration, bankruptcy and the £1,000 defaulted accounts rule, with dates worked out. Before you apply Tattoos and appearance What you declare, the photos, how tattoos are reviewed and the rejection figures from FOI. Compare Scotland vs England and Wales No National Sift, no degree routes, a written entrance test and an in-person assessment day. Plan How long recruitment takes What is fixed (18 weeks' training, 2 years' probation, the 6-month fitness rule) and what is not published. Plan Timeline to 31 March 2027 A month-by-month preparation plan for the current Police Officer vacancy. Free tool Timeline planner Plan your preparation and track your own stage dates against the fixed rules. Application Application form step by step Both parts of the form, the 800-word personal statement, word limits and what to have ready. Application Values question examples Two annotated example answers and ten evidence prompts for each value. Tool Values question tool Two example answers and a free builder for the 400-word values answer. Application Values and Code of Ethics Fairness, integrity, respect and human rights, the constable's declaration and the CVF. Entrance test Entrance test (PSET) explained 49 questions in 60 minutes across language, numbers and information handling. Entrance test PSET literacy How the language questions work, the traps and worked examples. Entrance test PSET numeracy Percentages, rates, time and money with a calculator, worked step by step. Entrance test PSET information handling Tables of figures, totals, differences and percentages, worked step by step. Entrance test PSET test day One handwritten paper in ink, a calculator provided and how to pace 49 questions. Free tool Free PSET practice test Original practice questions in the published PSET format, with worked answers. Free tool PSET readiness quiz Nine sample questions plus four about your preparation, with a readiness read for each element. Fitness Fitness test (5.4) The 15-metre multi-stage test, the 5.4 standard, the six-month rule and how to train. Assessment day Assessment day The 50-minute group task, the 60-minute spoken SJE and the interview. Assessment day Group task and SJE overview How the two morning exercises run, what they reward and how to practise speaking your reasoning. Practice pack SJE practice Assessment Day Pack: 42 spoken SJE scenarios with AI feedback and 12 group task briefs. Practice Group task practice Read a brief in 10 minutes and plan the group briefing. One free brief. Interview Interview questions and answers The 20-minute, four-question competency interview and how to build answers. Practice pack Interview practice Interview Pack: a 20-minute, four-question simulator and 84 questions with probes. Final checks Medical and substance test What the medical checks, eyesight and BMI, the hair sample and random testing. Final checks References Five years of employment, character references and what to tell your referees. Final checks Vetting When vetting happens, what it confirms, the early assessment option and why timing is not published. Training Tulliallan and Jackton training 1 + 15 + 2 weeks, the two training sites and ten intakes a year. Training Probation (2 years) Response policing, pay rises during probation and what changes after. Training Divisions and postings The 13 divisions, your three posting preferences and the Islands Allowance. Pay Starting salary and progression £34,001 on appointment, every pay point to £54,597 and take-home pay. Pay Part-time and flexible working What Police Scotland offers, the part-time pay formula and probation realities. Other routes Reapplying after failing The 200-word previous-applicant question and a plan for each stage you might fail. Other routes Transferees and rejoiners Who can transfer, the 3-week course, no probation and the rejoiner route. Specials Special constable Eligibility, the PSET, the 5.4 test, training and 96 hours a year. Bundle Complete bundle All three Police Scotland practice packs in one payment.
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Pay Police Scotland pay scales Every rank and pay point for 2026, from the PNBS circulars. Tool Scotland salary calculator Take-home pay with Scottish income tax and pension. Pay Scotland vs England pay Gross and take-home pay compared rank by rank. Tool 15m bleep test simulator Practise the 15-metre shuttle run against the beeps. Tool Mock interview Practise answering interview questions out loud.

Disclaimer

PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority or the College of Policing. It does not recruit, test or assess applicants. Our practice questions are original PolicePay material, not official Police Scotland questions. Police Scotland sets and changes its own selection process, so check its recruitment pages and your candidate account before relying on anything here. Details are as checked on 22 October 2026.