How Hard Is The
Inspector Exam Really?

An honest breakdown of NPPF step two difficulty for inspectors, using the College of Policing's own pass rates.

Official Figures • Checked: 4 October 2026

Next inspector sitting

Inspector exam: Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 November 2026

Registration closed on 5 October 2026 at 6pm. If you are registered, you are in the final 3 weeks: practise under timed conditions and fix the areas you keep missing.

Results for this sitting are expected by about 26 November 2026 (the College's handbook date).

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Dates as we last checked them against the College of Policing. Always confirm yours with the College.

Trust Notice

Police Pay (UK) provides independent explanatory guidance. We are not affiliated with the College of Policing, any police force, or any staff association. This guide is educational and does not predict or guarantee exam outcomes.

Executive Summary

On the College of Policing's own numbers, the inspectors' exam is the harder of the two NPPF step two papers. Between May 2023 and May 2026 the inspectors' pass rate ranged from 24.4% to 48.8%. The sergeants' pass rate over a similar period ranged from 43.9% to 58.5%.

The reason is not a different kind of exam. Both ranks sit one three-hour paper of 150 multiple-choice questions drawn from the Blackstone's Police Manuals, and the syllabus is the same except chapter 1.8 (weapons), which is sergeants only. What changes is the bar: 65%, or 91 of 140, against 55% for sergeants. That leaves you 49 wrong answers among the scored questions instead of 63.

Direct Answer

Very hard. At the May 2026 sitting 644 of 1,739 candidates passed (37.0%), so 63.0% failed. In November 2025 only 413 of 1,693 passed (24.4%). It is a legal knowledge exam covering crime, evidence and procedure, and general police duties, and you need 65% to pass.

Is it harder than Sergeant? What actually makes it hard Official pass rates Why good Sergeants struggle The psychological difficulty What the syllabus covers Time pressure and exam format Readiness self-check FAQs

Is it Harder
than Sergeant?

Short answer: yes. But not because it is a different kind of exam. Both are NPPF step two, the legal knowledge examination; the sergeants' paper is not "step one" (step one is competence in your current rank).

Sergeants' Paper

150 questions, 3 hours, scored on 140
Pass mark 55% (77 of 140)
Exceptional grade 75%
Includes chapter 1.8, weapons
March 2026: crime 60, evidence and procedure 31, general police duties 49 scored questions
March 2026 pass rate 58.5%

Inspectors' Paper

150 questions, 3 hours, scored on 140
Pass mark 65% (91 of 140)
Exceptional grade 85%
No chapter 1.8
May 2026: about 52 crime, 29 evidence and procedure, 55 general police duties subjects listed
May 2026 pass rate 37.0%

The question mix figures are our count of the rows in the College's subject area breakdowns. The handbook says the balance of each paper comes from a nationwide survey of serving sergeants and inspectors, so the inspectors' paper leans further towards general police duties. The handbook notes that "some rank specific areas are different", but most of the law is shared. The extra difficulty is mainly the ten extra percentage points. See sergeant vs inspector exam for the full comparison.

What Actually
Makes it Hard?

1. The 65% Bar

You need 91 of the 140 scored questions. Ten questions, the ten that performed least well, are removed after the sitting, and you are not told which. Each scored question is worth about 0.71 percentage points, so a handful of slips separates a pass from a fail.

2. The Breadth

The syllabus is the whole of the Blackstone's Police Manuals except chapter 1.8, and the College says any part of it can be examined. The November 2026 sitting uses the 2026 edition; the 2027 sittings use the 2027 edition. The College advises not relying on previous editions, which matters if you are revising from the books you bought for the sergeants' exam.

3. Understanding, Not Recall

The handbook says the exam tests knowledge and understanding and is not aimed at pure factual recall. You will not be examined on simply recalling material held only in the Manuals' tables, but where the text refers to a paragraph of a PACE Code you are expected to know it.

4. The Reading Load

Three hours for 150 questions is 72 seconds each. The College says the May 2026 paper ran to about 24,309 words across the 150 questions. Reading carefully at that pace for three hours is part of the test.

Pass Rates
& Reality

The College of Policing publishes a results and analysis overview after every sitting. These are the seven national inspectors' sittings from May 2023 to May 2026.

Sitting	Sat	Passed	Pass rate	Failed	Met pass rate
May 2026	1,739	644	37.0%	63.0%	23.8% (126 of 530)
November 2025	1,693	413	24.4%	75.6%	14.1% (73 of 518)
May 2025	1,682	581	34.5%	65.5%	21.7% (117 of 538)
November 2024	1,822	606	33.3%	66.7%	20.6% (136 of 660)
May 2024	1,739	677	38.9%	61.1%	25.5% (158 of 619)
November 2023	1,885	784	41.6%	58.4%	30.4% (206 of 677)
May 2023	1,696	827	48.8%	51.2%	35.0% (195 of 557)

Source: College of Policing NPPF inspectors' results and analysis overviews, one per sitting (links below). Each sitting counts the candidates who sat that paper, so someone who sat twice appears in both rows. In the November 2025 overview the band chart prints the pass band as 502; the document's own totals only reconcile with 402 (11 exceptional plus 402 pass makes the 413 who passed).

Every Sitting Under 50%

Fewer than half passed at all seven sittings from May 2023 to May 2026. Between 51.2% and 75.6% failed.

Force Matters 23.8% vs 42.8%

May 2026: 126 of 530 Met candidates passed. The other 1,209 candidates had 518 passes (our calculation from the same PDF).

The Bar Holds 65% Every Time

Every overview from May 2023 to May 2026 says an absolute 65% cut score was applied to all candidates.

Exceptional grades are rare on this paper: 41 candidates (2.3%) scored 85% or more in May 2026, and 11 (0.6%) in November 2025. The exam is not impossible, but it is unforgiving of shallow revision. For what the mark means in correct answers, see our pass mark guide.

Why Good
Sergeants Fail

The College does not publish why candidates fail. These are patterns to check yourself against, not statistics. There is more in why good officers fail the inspector exam.

Experience over the Manual

What "works on shift" is not always what the Manual says. The exam marks against the Manual.

Coasting on the Sergeants' Pass

The bar is ten points higher and the Manuals are re-issued every year, so law you learned for the sergeants' exam may have changed.

Topic Avoidance

Any part of the syllabus can be examined. General police duties, which includes complaints and misconduct, public order and road policing, was the largest area on the May 2026 paper.

Rushing Precision

Speed without care costs marks. Missing one detail in the question can change the answer.

Psychological
Difficulty

The inspectors' exam carries real weight. For many, it is the gateway to a different kind of role, and with pass rates under 50% most candidates know people who have failed it. That pressure tends to show up in three traps:

Overthinking

Finding nuance where there is none in simple questions.

Run Panic

Spiralling after a few hard questions in a row. Flag them and move on; the platform lets you come back.

Time Chasing

Sacrificing accuracy to 'finish' the paper early.

What the
Syllabus Covers

The handbook's Appendix A lists the chapters of the Blackstone's Police Manuals that are examinable. In summary:

Crime

State of mind and criminal conduct, incomplete offences, defences (including use of force), homicide, drugs, firearms, assaults, deprivation of liberty, sexual offences, child protection, theft, fraud and criminal damage.

Evidence and Procedure

Charges, summons and warrants, bail, court procedure and witnesses, exclusion of evidence, disclosure, detention and Code C, identification (Code D) and interviews (Codes C, E and F).

General Police Duties

Stop and search, entry and seizure, arrest (Code G), mental health powers, protests and public order, domestic abuse, harassment and stalking, terrorism, diversity, complaints and misconduct, performance and attendance, and road policing.

Not on Your Paper

Chapter 1.8 (weapons) is for the sergeants' exam only. Everything else applies to both ranks.

For the full chapter list and what appeared on recent papers, see what comes up in the sergeants' and inspectors' exam and which Blackstone's edition you need.

Time
Pressure

Stamina vs Knowledge

Three hours, 150 questions, about 24,000 words of reading: 72 seconds a question. You sit it online, at home or at a force location, within a 12-hour window (8am to 8pm) on a day of the exam period. Once you start, the timer cannot be paused. The platform shows a countdown clock and lets you flag questions and return to them, so plan your pace before the day.

Difficulty
Self-Check Tool

This is our own preparation self-check. It is not based on College of Policing data and does not predict your result.

Difficulty Diagnostic

NPPF Step Two Difficulty Check

Have you completed at least 3 full timed mock exams?

In timed practice, do you consistently score above the 65% inspector pass mark, with a margin to spare?

Can you explain proportionality as the Manuals apply it (for example Article 8, chapter 3.13) in your own words?

Do you have a structured revision timetable?

Have you identified your weakest of the three syllabus areas (Crime, Evidence and procedure, General police duties)?

Do you track and review mistakes weekly?

Have you practised scenario-based application questions?

Are you revising from the edition of Blackstone's Police Manuals set for your sitting?

Complete all checks for readiness assessment

The Honest
Conclusion

The inspectors' exam is hard. But it is not a lottery. The 65% mark is absolute, not a curve, so how many others pass makes no difference to you. Fewer than half of candidates have passed at every sitting since May 2023, and preparation is the part you control.

The inspectors' sitting on 3 to 5 November 2026 has closed to new registrations: national registration closed at 6pm on Monday 5 October 2026 (forces may have set an earlier deadline). If you are not entered, the 2027 sittings are 11 to 13 May and 2 to 4 November, and you register through your force examinations officer. Plan your weeks with our inspector exam revision plan and the exam study planner; our exam prep toolkit has hundreds of checked practice questions.

Knowledge Web

Inspector Exam Explained Pass Mark Explained Inspector Exam Revision Plan Step Two Exam Explained NPPF Exam Dates 2027 Results, Validity and Resits Inspector Promotion Process Free Exam Resources Why Good Officers Fail

Results day: what to do next

Leave your email and we will email you ourselves around results day with what to do next, whether you passed or not: the resit plan and dates if you need them, the next steps if you passed. Also exam dates and rule changes as they happen. No automatic emails.

Difficulty FAQS

Is the Inspector exam harder than Sergeant?

Yes, on the College of Policing's own figures. The format and syllabus are almost the same (150 multiple-choice questions in three hours from the Blackstone's Police Manuals, with chapter 1.8 on weapons for sergeants only), but the inspectors' pass mark is 65% rather than 55%. Between May 2023 and May 2026 the inspectors' pass rate ranged from 24.4% to 48.8%; the sergeants' ranged from 43.9% to 58.5% between March 2023 and March 2026.

What is the pass rate for the inspector exam?

In May 2026, 644 of 1,739 candidates passed (37.0%), so 63.0% failed. In November 2025 only 413 of 1,693 passed (24.4%). Across the seven sittings from May 2023 to May 2026 the pass rate ranged from 24.4% to 48.8%, so fewer than half of candidates passed at every one of them.

What is the pass mark for the inspector exam?

65%, which is 91 correct answers out of 140. Ten of the 150 questions are removed after the sitting and you are scored on the other 140, so you can afford 49 wrong answers among the scored questions. 85% or more is an exceptional grade. The NPPF debrief panel can alter the pass mark in exceptional circumstances, but every inspectors' results overview from May 2023 to May 2026 says an absolute cut score of 65% was applied to all candidates.

Can operational experience alone carry you through?

Unlikely. The College says questions are drawn solely from the Blackstone's Police Manuals, and you are examined on the law and procedure only as it appears in the current edition. Experience helps you understand the material, but the paper marks against the Manual, not against local practice.

How long should you revise for the inspector exam?

There is no official figure and no published data on how long successful candidates revised. As a planning figure, our inspector revision plan suggests 8 weeks at 8 to 10 hours a week for most sergeants who sat the sergeants' exam in the last few years, or 12 weeks at 7 to 9 hours a week for a first attempt or a long gap.

Can you resit the inspector exam?

Yes. There are two inspectors' sittings a year, in May and November. The College sets no national limit on resits; any limit is a local force decision. A pass is valid for five years less one day, and if you resit while you still hold a valid pass, the rest of that validity is forfeited when you sit.

What is the biggest reason people fail?

The College does not publish reasons for failure. What its numbers show is the height of the bar: 91 of 140 correct on a paper covering all three Manuals at about 72 seconds a question. Our advice is to start early, test yourself with timed questions from the first week and cover general police duties as thoroughly as crime.

Sources & Methodology (checked on 4 October 2026)

This is an independent guide. Exam format, syllabus, pass mark, resits and validity come from the College of Policing's candidate handbooks, exam hub and online exams candidate guide. Pass rates come from the College's results and analysis overview for each sitting; the exam hub links only the latest, and earlier ones are still published on the College's site at the addresses below. Question-mix figures are our count of rows in the subject area breakdowns. Local force processes vary.

Professional Standard Accountability

Facts on this page were last checked against College of Policing sources on 4 October 2026. Police Pay (UK) is not affiliated with or endorsed by the College of Policing. Passing the legal exam depends on individual performance and preparation.

How Hard Is The Inspector Exam Really?