How Hard Is
the NIE?
The National Investigators' Exam is a serious test of a large body of law, but it is passable with proper preparation: 63.3% of candidates passed in September 2026. This guide looks at what the College of Policing's published results actually show, why the format makes it harder than it looks, how it compares with the sergeants' exam, and who the data says finds it hardest, without guesswork.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 11 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Moderately hard. 63.3% passed in September 2026, so roughly one candidate in 3 failed, and across the 17 sittings in our table pass rates ranged from 51.9% to 68.3%. The difficulty is volume (four parts of the Manual), application questions that test using the law rather than recalling it, and a pace of 90 seconds a question. It has a higher pass rate than the sergeants' exam (58.5% in March 2026). People who start 14 weeks out and practise under time give themselves the best chance.
How hard is the NIE, at a glance
"How hard" has no single answer, so this page sticks to what can be measured: published pass rates, the format, the size of the syllabus, and the College's breakdowns by group. Every figure is from a College of Policing document, and where we interpret, we say so.
| Measure | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Latest pass rate | 63.3% (September 2026): 665 of 1,050 |
| Range across 17 sittings in our table | 51.9% (November 2025) to 68.3% (March 2022); pooled 58.8% of 25,122 candidates |
| Fail rate, latest | 36.7%: roughly one candidate in 3 |
| Pass mark | 39 of 70 (55.7%), the same cut score in every overview we read |
| Format | 80 application questions in 2 hours (90 seconds each), about 159 words a question |
| Volume | Parts 1 to 4 of the Investigators' Manual: 43 chapters and 361 numbered sub-sections in the handbook's syllabus (our count) |
| Compared with sergeants | NIE 63.3% (September 2026) vs sergeants 58.5% (March 2026); NIE is shorter with more time per question |
| Who finds it hardest (published data) | Ethnic minority candidates had a lower success rate in every overview we read; no consistent difference by sex; wide but noisy force differences |
| Not published | Results by role (officer or staff), route, length of service or resit status |
What the published pass rates show
The College publishes a results and analysis overview after each sitting, with the national success rate, the number of exceptional grades, and breakdowns by sex, ethnicity and force. The table shows the sittings in our data file, read from those PDFs.
| Sitting | Candidates | Successful | Pass rate | Exceptional | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2021 | 1,082 | 630 | 58.2% | 26 (2.4%) | College PDF |
| November 2021 | 1,225 | 650 | 53.1% | 25 (2.0%) | College PDF |
| March 2022 | 1,218 | 832 | 68.3% | 67 (5.5%) | College PDF |
| November 2022 | 1,529 | 957 | 62.6% | 64 (4.2%) | College PDF |
| June 2023 | 1,854 | 1,106 | 59.7% | 48 (2.6%) | College PDF |
| September 2023 | 1,397 | 743 | 53.2% | 19 (1.4%) | College PDF |
| November 2023 | 1,859 | 1,038 | 55.8% | 44 (2.4%) | College PDF |
| March 2024 | 1,795 | 1,079 | 60.1% | 41 (2.3%) | College PDF |
| June 2024 | 1,800 | 1,011 | 56.2% | 35 (1.9%) | College PDF |
| September 2024 | 1,411 | 910 | 64.5% | 41 (2.9%) | College PDF |
| November 2024 | 1,545 | 891 | 57.7% | 29 (1.9%) | College PDF |
| March 2025 | 1,612 | 941 | 58.4% | 52 (3.2%) | College PDF |
| June 2025 | 1,500 | 822 | 54.8% | 39 (2.6%) | College PDF |
| September 2025 | 1,318 | 792 | 60.1% | 35 (2.7%) | College PDF |
| November 2025 | 1,294 | 672 | 51.9% | 33 (2.6%) | College PDF |
| March 2026 | 1,633 | 1,040 | 63.7% | 37 (2.3%) | College PDF |
| September 2026 | 1,050 | 665 | 63.3% | 23 (2.2%) | College PDF |
Across these 17 sittings, pass rates ranged from 51.9% in November 2025 to 68.3% in March 2022. Pooled, 14,779 of 25,122 candidates passed, 58.8%. In plain terms: in a typical sitting, somewhere between a third and just under a half of candidates do not pass, and around two fifths is common.
Every results overview we read applied an absolute cut score of 55.7% and an exceptional grade at 85.7%. So when the pass rate rises or falls, it is the candidates or the paper that changed, not the bar. The handbook says the debrief panel compares each sitting with previous years and can alter the pass mark in exceptional circumstances, but we found no overview where it did.
The exceptional grade is rare. In September 2026, 23 of 1,050 candidates (2.2%) reached 85.7%. That says something about the paper: even well-prepared candidates rarely get above 60 of 70. Expect to be unsure about a fair number of questions on the day, and do not read that feeling as failure.
Full detail by sitting and force: NIE pass rates 2021 to 2026.
The format: what makes it harder than it looks
- 80 questions in 2 hours. An average of 90 seconds each, including reading the scenario. The September 2026 paper was about 12,727 words, roughly 159 a question.
- Ten questions you cannot see removed. The 10 worst-performing questions are dropped after the sitting and you are scored on 70. You never know which, so every question has to be treated as if it counts.
- A pass mark just over half. 39 of 70. That sounds generous, but the questions are designed so that partial knowledge often leads to a plausible wrong answer.
- No partial credit and no appeal on marks. The handbook says there is no remarking and no extra marks for candidates just below the pass mark.
- Online, at home or at work, unsupervised. Convenient, but it puts the responsibility for a quiet room, a working device and two hours of focus on you.
- Reused questions. The College reuses questions, which is why it shares only a small sample and why sharing or discussing questions breaks the rules.
The volume of law
The syllabus is parts 1 to 4 of Blackstone's Police Investigators' Manual. Appendix A of the 2026 handbook lists 43 chapters and, by our count, 361 numbered sub-sections across the four parts. Each part is a different kind of law.
| Part | What it is | Scored questions, September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | General principles, police powers and procedures | 30 of 70 |
| Part 2 | Serious crime and other offences | 19 of 70 |
| Part 3 | Property offences | 11 of 70 |
| Part 4 | Sexual offences | 10 of 70 |
Part 1 alone covers general principles of criminal liability, equality law, court procedure, PACE Codes B, C, D, E and F, bail, disclosure and RIPA. Part 2 runs from homicide to driving offences. For someone early in their career, much of this is new, and the procedural chapters in particular are long and detailed. The handbook recommends at least 14 weeks of study for a reason. See the NIE syllabus 2026 for every chapter.
Which part performed hardest? A clue from the removed questions
The College's subject area breakdown for September 2026 says how many of the 10 removed questions came from each part. The handbook says the removed questions are the ones that performed least well against its standard criteria.
| Part | On the paper | Removed | Scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1: Powers and procedures | 32 | 2 | 30 |
| Part 2: Serious crime | 25 | 6 | 19 |
| Part 3: Property offences | 12 | 1 | 11 |
| Part 4: Sexual offences | 11 | 1 | 10 |
Six of the ten removed questions came from part 2. It is tempting to read that as "part 2 is the hardest", but the College does not say that. A question can perform badly because almost everyone got it wrong, because almost everyone got it right, or because strong and weak candidates did equally well on it. It is one sitting, and the College says the breakdown should not be used to predict future papers. The safe conclusion is simply that the paper had 25 part 2 questions on it, more than its share of the scored total suggests.
Application questions: knowing is not enough
The handbook says the exam is not aimed at testing pure factual recall, and the College's candidate guide calls the questions multiple-choice application questions. That is the single biggest reason people who "know the Manual" still fall short. Recognising a definition when you read it is different from spotting, in a short scenario, which element is missing.
| Feature | Why it catches people | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| A scenario, not a definition | You have to identify which law applies before you can apply it | Practise naming the offence or power before reading the options |
| One element decides it | The scenario often satisfies every element but one: the intent, the timing, the age, the authority | Learn offences as lists of elements, not as paragraphs |
| True but irrelevant options | An option can state correct law that does not answer this question | Ask 'does this answer what was asked, on these facts?' |
| Neighbouring offences | Assault or battery, the two burglary limbs, the public order offences: the line between them is the test | Write down what separates each pair |
| Procedural detail | Time limits, ranks and who authorises what under the PACE Codes | A 'numbers and authorities' list tested little and often |
| Reading under time | About 159 words in 90 seconds, eighty times | Timed practice and full mocks |
Our how to pass the NIE guide has a five-step routine for these questions and an original worked example.
How the College keeps the paper fair
Part of what makes the NIE feel hard is that it is designed to separate prepared from unprepared candidates. The handbook describes the safeguards that stop it being unfair:
- Trained question writers. All questions are written by people who have attended the College's multiple-choice question writing course and are linked to the syllabus.
- Legal checks. The College's legal services team and independent legal experts check every question for accuracy before use.
- A blueprint. The balance of questions follows a national survey of operational investigators about what is important and frequently encountered.
- Removal after the sitting. The 10 questions that performed least well are removed for everyone.
- Candidate queries. You can raise a query about a specific question with the exams team within three days of the exam (describe it; never copy it). The marking panel reviews queries and removes any question it deems unfair.
- A debrief panel. It ratifies results and compares each sitting with previous years to check delivery was fair.
What the College does not do is adjust marks for individuals: there is no remarking, no extra marks for a near miss, and the reports and disqualification panel cannot turn a fail into a pass.
Compared with the sergeants' exam
Many investigators later sit the NPPF sergeants' exam, and many sergeant candidates have already sat the NIE, so the comparison comes up a lot. Here are the two side by side, from the College's handbooks and results overviews.
| National Investigators' Exam | Sergeants' exam (NPPF step 2) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Phase 2 of the Professionalising Investigations Programme (PIP2): trainee investigators | Step 2 of the National Police Promotion Framework: constables seeking promotion |
| Syllabus | One Manual: Blackstone's Police Investigators' Manual, parts 1 to 4 | Three Manuals: Crime, Evidence and procedure, General police duties |
| Questions sat | 80 | 150 |
| Time | 2 hours | 3 hours |
| Scored questions | 70 | 140 |
| Pass mark | 39 of 70 (55.7%) | 77 of 140 (55%) |
| Exceptional grade | 85.7% | 75% |
| Average time per question | 90 seconds | 72 seconds |
| Approximate words per question | About 159 (September 2026) | About 164 (March 2026) |
| Latest pass rate | 63.3% (September 2026, 1,050 candidates) | 58.5% (March 2026, 3,215 candidates) |
| Pass valid for | Three years less one day | Five years less one day |
| Sittings in 2026 | Four (March, June, September, November) | Sergeants: March 2026 and October 2026, each a three-day window |
What the comparison suggests
- The NIE is the smaller exam. About half the questions, a third less time, and one Manual's four parts instead of three Manuals.
- It is less rushed. 90 seconds a question against 72, for questions of similar average length.
- The bar is slightly higher. 55.7% against 55%, though the difference is less than one question in seventy.
- More people pass. 63.3% (September 2026) against 58.5% (March 2026). The inspectors' exam, with a 65% pass mark, had 37.0% in May 2026.
The two exams test different candidates on different syllabuses. Sergeant candidates are experienced constables; many NIE candidates are early in their careers or on direct-entry routes. Pass rates also move between sittings. So "the NIE is easier" is not a safe conclusion for any individual: a third or more of NIE candidates still fall short in a typical sitting.
For the promotion exam in full, see the sergeant exam explained and the sergeant and inspector exam pass mark.
Who finds it hardest: only what the data shows
The College's overviews give success rates by sex and by ethnicity for every sitting. We read eight of them. Here is what they show, and nothing more.
| Sitting | Female | Male | White | Ethnic minority | Gap (white minus ethnic minority) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2021 | 60.1% | 54.5% | 59.6% | 44.3% (106 candidates) | 15.3 points |
| March 2022 | 71.9% | 62.6% | 70.1% | 53.3% (107 candidates) | 16.8 points |
| November 2022 | 62.9% | 61.6% | 63.7% | 52.2% (157 candidates) | 11.5 points |
| June 2023 | 60.1% | 58.8% | 61.2% | 48.1% (185 candidates) | 13.1 points |
| September 2023 | 53.3% | 52.7% | 55.3% | 36.5% (156 candidates) | 18.8 points |
| November 2024 | 55.4% | 60.6% | 59.0% | 46.3% (121 candidates) | 12.7 points |
| March 2025 | 57.6% | 59.1% | 60.7% | 41.7% (139 candidates) | 19.0 points |
| September 2026 | 61.7% | 63.7% | 63.5% | 59.1% (132 candidates) | 4.4 points |
Sex
No consistent pattern. Female candidates had the higher success rate in 5 of the 8 sittings and male candidates in 3. In most sittings the difference was a few percentage points.
Ethnicity
In every one of the 8 sittings, candidates from an ethnic minority background had a lower success rate than white candidates, by between 4.4 and 19.0 percentage points. The smallest gap was in September 2026. The ethnic minority groups are small (about 100 to 190 candidates a sitting), so the figure for any one sitting can move a lot. The overviews report the figures without giving reasons, and we do not speculate about causes. The same pattern appears in the College's NPPF promotion results: in March 2026 the sergeants' rates were 59.6% for white candidates and 54.1% for ethnic minority candidates.
A group average says nothing about your own result. What it can do is prompt you to ask for the support that exists: study time, a mentor or study group, and reasonable adjustments if you have a disability (including a neurodivergence such as dyslexia), which must be applied for by the registration closing date. Your force's NIE liaison contact and staff networks are the places to ask.
Police Now
Police Now appears as its own line in several overviews. Its results swing widely and some counts are redacted for small numbers, so no conclusion about direct-entry candidates can be drawn from them.
| Sitting | Candidates | Successful | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 2023 | 220 | 166 | 75.5% |
| September 2023 | 51 | 18 | 35.3% |
| November 2024 | 25 | 18 | 72.0% |
| March 2025 | Redacted | Redacted | 66.7% |
| September 2026 | Redacted | Redacted | 80.0% |
For what the NIE means on direct-entry routes, see the NIE on direct entry detective routes.
Force differences
The overviews list a success rate for each force or organisation that entered candidates. In September 2026 the spread was wide. Among forces with published candidate counts, a selection:
| Force | Candidates | Successful | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Police Service | 143 | 78 | 54.5% |
| West Midlands Police | 110 | 63 | 57.3% |
| West Yorkshire Police | 66 | 47 | 71.2% |
| South Yorkshire Police | 62 | 45 | 72.6% |
| Greater Manchester Police | 39 | 25 | 64.1% |
| Thames Valley Police | 39 | 23 | 59.0% |
| Sussex Police | 37 | 29 | 78.4% |
| Merseyside Police | 33 | 25 | 75.8% |
| Kent Police | 20 | 8 | 40.0% |
Where numbers are small, the College redacts the counts and shows only a percentage; those rates ranged from 27.3% to 100% in September 2026, often from a handful of candidates. The College itself says comparisons between forces should be made with caution because of the differences in candidate numbers. A force's rate in one sitting reflects who it entered, how much study support they had and plain chance, not just the quality of its training. More in NIE pass rates by force.
What the data cannot tell you
Plenty of claims about who finds the NIE hardest are not supported by anything the College publishes. The overviews do not break results down by:
- police officers versus police staff investigators;
- route (in-service PIP2, DHEP, Police Now, other investigative bodies);
- length of service or age;
- first attempt versus resit;
- hours of study or which resources candidates used;
- score distribution (how many failed narrowly versus by a wide margin).
So we cannot tell you whether staff investigators, resitters or direct-entry trainees find it harder, and you should be wary of anyone who claims to know from the published data. Any pass rate a training provider quotes for its own customers is its own figure, not the College's. We do not have pass rate data for users of our tools.
Why people fall short
The College does not publish reasons for failure. What follows is our reasoning from the format and the syllabus, not data, but it fits what the handbook and candidate guide warn about.
- Starting too late. The College recommends at least 14 weeks. Shift work and caseloads make that hard to protect.
- Reading instead of testing. Rereading feels productive but builds recognition, not the ability to apply.
- Uneven coverage. Leaving part 4 or the long part 1 procedure chapters until the end.
- Learning tables, not rules. The handbook says table recall is not what is tested.
- Never practising the full two hours. Pace and concentration are skills of their own.
- Answering from work practice. The exam tests the law as stated in the Manual.
- No margin. Aiming for 55.7% leaves nothing for a hard paper or a bad day.
What makes it manageable
- A fixed, published syllabus. Questions come only from parts 1 to 4 of one Manual. Nothing outside it is examined.
- A known pass mark. 39 of 70, applied the same way at every sitting we read.
- Time to read. 90 seconds a question is more generous than the sergeants' exam.
- Four sittings a year. In 2026 the NIE ran in March, June, September and November, so a fail does not mean a long wait, subject to force policy.
- Free official help. The College's Knowledge Hub group has sample questions in the real format, tips, a revision timetable template and feedback report guidance.
- A method that works. Testing yourself, spacing, mixed practice and full timed mocks. See our NIE revision plan.
To see where you stand today, try the free NIE mini mock. Our paid NIE exam prep toolkit (ours) adds timed 80-question mocks and progress by part; it is practice, not College material, and it does not replace the Manual.
Will it be hard for you? A quick self-check
The published data cannot tell you how hard the NIE will be for you personally, but your own circumstances can. These are our rules of thumb, not College criteria. The more of the right-hand column applies, the more work the exam will take and the more seriously to consider the timing of your sitting.
| Factor | Easier | Harder |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks until your sitting | 14 or more | Fewer than 8, starting from scratch |
| Study hours you can protect each week | 7 or more, most weeks | Under 4, or none in heavy weeks |
| Your rota | Regular, with predictable rest days | Frequent nights, cancelled rest days, long court commitments |
| Cold diagnostic score (mixed, all parts) | Above 45% | Below 30% |
| Day-to-day contact with PACE custody and interview work | Regular | Little or none |
| Previous study of the Manual | A recent attempt or course | None |
| Full timed mocks before the day | Two or more planned | None planned |
Scenarios
An honest verdict
The NIE is not a formality and it is not a trap. Most candidates pass, but in a typical sitting a third or more do not, and the exceptional grade is rare. It is smaller and less rushed than the sergeants' exam, with a higher pass rate, but it lands earlier in most people's careers, on a body of law that is new to many of them, while they are working shifts and carrying cases.
What decides it is mostly within your control: starting early enough, covering all four parts, practising application rather than rereading, and sitting full timed papers before the day. Nothing published suggests that people who prepare that way should expect to fail, and nothing guarantees a pass either.
Myths about how hard the NIE is
Making it less hard: a checklist
- I have read the College's NIE candidate handbook 2026, including Appendix A.
- I have the 2026 Investigators' Manual and the current PACE Codes.
- I have at least 14 weeks, or a clear plan for fewer and a frank view of the risk.
- I have taken a cold diagnostic and know my weakest part.
- I test myself after every reading session rather than rereading.
- All four parts are in my plan, with part 1 procedure spread across several weeks.
- I have at least two full 80-question timed mocks booked on rest days.
- I am aiming for a margin above 39 of 70, not the bare pass mark.
- I have asked my force about study time, and about reasonable adjustments if they apply to me.
- I am registered before 6pm on the closing date, and I know my force's earlier deadline if it has one.
Next: how to pass the NIE and the NIE revision plan.
What we could not verify
- Sittings missing from our table. The results table shows the sittings in our shared data file. We did not find College overviews for every sitting (for example June 2026), and any missing sitting is not included in the ranges above.
- Demographic figures. Read by us from the bar charts' labels in each PDF. Groups who preferred not to say or did not disclose are excluded.
- Reasons for differences. The College gives none for the ethnicity gap or force differences, and we have not speculated.
- Score distributions. Not published for the NIE, so we cannot say how many candidates fail narrowly.
- Like-for-like difficulty with the sergeants' exam. The candidates and syllabuses differ; our comparison is of format and published rates only.
- What "performed least well" means for each removed question. The College does not say whether removed questions were too hard, too easy or poorly discriminating.
- Police Now figures. Shown as published; some counts are redacted, and we have not checked whether Police Now trainees also appear under force lines.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is the National Investigators' Exam?
Hard enough that a large minority fail, but most people pass. In September 2026, 63.3% of 1,050 candidates passed, so roughly one candidate in 3 did not. The difficulty comes from the volume of law in parts 1 to 4 of the Manual, the application-style questions and the 90-second pace, more than from any single topic.
What is the NIE pass rate?
63.3% in September 2026: 665 of 1,050 candidates, according to the College of Policing's results and analysis overview. Across the 17 sittings in our table it ranged from 51.9% (November 2025) to 68.3% (March 2022). The College publishes a results overview for each sitting.
Has the NIE pass rate gone up or down?
It moves around from sitting to sitting rather than trending clearly. In our table the lowest was 51.9% (November 2025) and the highest 68.3% (March 2022). The cut score was 55.7% in every overview we read, so the movement reflects candidates and papers rather than a changing pass mark.
Is the NIE harder than the sergeants' exam?
On pass rates, no: 63.3% passed the NIE in September 2026, against 58.5% for the sergeants' exam in March 2026. The NIE is shorter (80 questions, one Manual) with more time per question (90 seconds against 72), and a slightly higher pass mark (55.7% against 55%). The candidates differ, so the comparison is only a rough guide.
What percentage of candidates get an exceptional grade in the NIE?
2.2% in September 2026 (23 of 1,050). The exceptional grade needs 60 of 70 (85.7%), which is a high bar.
Is the NIE pass mark 55% or 55.7%?
55.7%, which is 39 correct answers out of 70. People round it to 55%, but 38 of 70 is 54.3% and a fail. The handbook says the debrief panel can alter the pass mark in exceptional circumstances.
Do men or women do better in the NIE?
Neither consistently. In the 8 College results overviews we read, female candidates had the higher success rate in 5 sittings and male candidates in 3. The differences were usually a few percentage points.
Do ethnic minority candidates have a lower NIE pass rate?
Yes, in every College results overview we read. The gap between white candidates and candidates from an ethnic minority background ranged from 4.4 to 19.0 percentage points. Ethnic minority groups are small (about 100 to 190 candidates a sitting), so single-sitting figures move a lot. The overviews do not give reasons for the gap.
Which force has the best NIE pass rate?
It changes from sitting to sitting, and the College warns that comparisons between forces should be made with caution because candidate numbers differ. In September 2026, among forces with published counts, rates ranged from 40.0% (Kent, 20 candidates) to 78.4% (Sussex, 37 candidates). Small forces' counts are redacted to protect individuals.
Is the NIE harder for police staff investigators?
We cannot say. The College's results overviews break results down by sex, ethnicity and force or organisation, but not by whether the candidate is a police officer or member of staff, their route (such as DHEP), length of service or whether it is a resit.
Is the NIE open book?
No. The College's candidate guide says it expects candidates to sit as if invigilated, without reference materials. Looking at the Manual will not be treated as cheating, but the College strongly discourages it as unlikely to help given the timing. AI tools are prohibited.
Which part of the NIE is the hardest?
The College does not say. In September 2026, 6 of the 10 questions removed for performing least well came from part 2, but poor performance can mean a question was too hard, too easy or did not separate strong and weak candidates. Part 1 is the largest part of the syllabus and carried 30 of the 70 scored questions.
How long does it take to prepare for the NIE?
The College's 2026 candidate handbook recommends a minimum of 14 weeks of independent study using the Investigators' Manual. It does not give hours; our own planning figure is roughly 85 to 110 hours over that period for someone starting from scratch.
How many times can you resit the NIE?
The handbook sets no fixed limit. Subject to force or organisation policy, you can resit at the next sitting. A second fail triggers a compulsory development meeting, and after three fails the candidate and force should strongly consider whether this path is right at that time.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 11 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.
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, September 2021 (PDF) — 1,082 candidates, 630 successful (58.2%), 26 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, November 2021 (PDF) — 1,225 candidates, 650 successful (53.1%), 25 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, March 2022 (PDF) — 1,218 candidates, 832 successful (68.3%), 67 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, November 2022 (PDF) — 1,529 candidates, 957 successful (62.6%), 64 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, June 2023 (PDF) — 1,854 candidates, 1,106 successful (59.7%), 48 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, September 2023 (PDF) — 1,397 candidates, 743 successful (53.2%), 19 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, November 2023 (PDF) — 1,859 candidates, 1,038 successful (55.8%), 44 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, March 2024 (PDF) — 1,795 candidates, 1,079 successful (60.1%), 41 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, June 2024 (PDF) — 1,800 candidates, 1,011 successful (56.2%), 35 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, September 2024 (PDF) — 1,411 candidates, 910 successful (64.5%), 41 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, November 2024 (PDF) — 1,545 candidates, 891 successful (57.7%), 29 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, March 2025 (PDF) — 1,612 candidates, 941 successful (58.4%), 52 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, June 2025 (PDF) — 1,500 candidates, 822 successful (54.8%), 39 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, September 2025 (PDF) — 1,318 candidates, 792 successful (60.1%), 35 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, November 2025 (PDF) — 1,294 candidates, 672 successful (51.9%), 33 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, March 2026 (PDF) — 1,633 candidates, 1,040 successful (63.7%), 37 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE results and analysis overview, September 2026 (PDF) — 1,050 candidates, 665 successful (63.3%), 23 exceptional (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE candidate handbook 2026 (November 2025, PDF) — format, pass mark, debrief panel, not a test of pure recall, Appendix A syllabus, 14 weeks minimum study, resits, pass valid three years less one day (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NIE subject area breakdown, September 2026 (PDF) — scored questions by part; paper approximately 12,727 words (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Online exams candidate guide (updated 5 August 2026) — multiple-choice application questions; reference materials discouraged; AI prohibited. Read on the College's production mirror because the main site blocked our reader (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF step two legal examination candidate handbook 2026 (PDF) — 150 questions in three hours; scored on 140; pass marks 55% (77 of 140) sergeants and 65% (91 of 140) inspectors; exceptional 75% and 85%; pass valid five years less one day (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF sergeants' results and analysis overview, March 2026 (PDF) — 3,215 candidates, 1,882 successful (58.5%) (accessed 11 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF sergeants' subject area breakdown, March 2026 (PDF) — full paper approximately 24,606 words (accessed 11 October 2026)
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PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or produced by the College of Policing or Oxford University Press (Blackstone's). Exam rules, dates, the syllabus and prices change, so check the College of Policing's current NIE candidate handbook and exam page before you register or buy. Practice material on this site is original and is not real or recalled exam content. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 11 October 2026.