How To Pass The Inspector Exam
Almost the same syllabus as the sergeants' exam, a different question mix and a 65% bar that only 37% of candidates cleared at the last sitting. Here is the method, what the paper tests and what to do about the higher bar.
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 4 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).
Dates as we last checked them against the College of Policing. Always confirm yours with the College.
Checked on 6 October 2026: November registration deadline
College registration for the November 2026 inspectors' exam (Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 November) closed at 6pm on Monday 5 October 2026, and forces may have closed their own lists earlier. If you are not registered, the realistic next sitting is 11 to 13 May 2027; the College accepts late entries only in exceptional circumstances outside your control, so ask your force exams officer. That sitting is set on the 2026 Blackstone's Police Manuals. Facts on this page were checked against the College's candidate handbook (2027 version, updated 10 September 2026), the step two exam hub and the inspectors' results and subject area PDFs for November 2025 and May 2026.
The Short Answer
You need 91 correct answers out of the 140 scored questions, in a paper of 150 questions sat in 3 hours on the Blackstone's Police Manuals. That is 14 more than a sergeant needs, from a paper of the same length. The method that gives you the best chance is the same as for any exam of this kind: test yourself rather than reread, check every answer against the Manuals, space your reviews, mix topics, and rehearse with full timed papers. What changes for inspectors is how much margin you need and where your gaps are likely to be.
1. Measure first
Sit a timed baseline before you revise: a full 150-question paper if you can, or a shorter mixed set. If you sat the sergeants' exam some time ago, on an older edition, your starting point is unknown until you test it. Score it against 65%.
2. Test yourself, then check the Manual
Use practice questions as the revision. Attempt questions on a chapter, read to find the answers, close the book and recall. Check every answer, right or wrong, against the Manual: it is the syllabus, and it can differ from your force's procedure or software.
3. Space and mix
Bring each topic back after a gap (the next day, the next week, two or three weeks later), and once it is learned, practise it in mixed sets across all three Manuals. Spaced practice and practice testing are the two techniques Dunlosky and colleagues (2013) rated high utility.
4. Full timed papers at the real bar
Sit full 150-question papers in 3 hours and mark them against 65%, not a vaguer sense of improving. Your last full paper should be four to seven days before the exam, with time to act on what it shows.
The research behind these techniques was done with students, not police officers, and no study has tested it on the NPPF exam itself. It is still the best evidence there is about how people learn and remember. References and the full method are in the inspector exam revision plan.
What The Exam Actually Tests
The inspectors' exam is the same step two legal knowledge exam that sergeants sit. It is not a leadership or decision-making test: those are assessed at step three. Here is what the College's 2027 candidate handbook says.
| Where it sits | Step two of the four-step National Police Promotion Framework: the legal knowledge examination, the same step as the sergeants' exam |
|---|---|
| Format | 150 multiple-choice questions in one 3-hour exam, sat online |
| Scored on | 140: the 10 questions that performed least well are removed after the sitting, and you are not told which |
| Pass mark | 65% (91 of 140). Exceptional: 85% or more (119 of 140). Low band fail: below 35% |
| Syllabus | Only contained within the Blackstone's Police Manuals for your sitting: 2026 edition for November 2026, 2027 edition for 2027 sittings |
| Inspector difference | Crime Manual chapter 1.8 (Weapons) is examined for sergeants only. The handbook says some other rank-specific areas differ, as indicated in the Manuals |
| What it tests | The handbook says the exam is not aimed at testing pure factual recall: expect to apply the law to scenarios |
| Question balance | Set by a blueprint from a nationwide survey of operational sergeants and inspectors, so the mix differs by rank; any part of the syllabus can be examined |
| Where you sit it | Online, starting between 8am and 8pm on your exam date; no national requirement to use a test centre |
The real weighting: May 2026 inspectors against March 2026 sergeants
The College publishes a subject area breakdown after each sitting, listing the scored questions by area, topic and subject. For the May 2026 inspectors' paper we could read 136 of the 140 rows, so the inspector figures are approximate. The pattern is still clear: the inspectors' paper leaned more towards General police duties than the sergeants' paper did.
| Area | Inspectors, May 2026 | Sergeants, March 2026 | Removed (inspectors) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | about 52 | 60 | 4 |
| Evidence and procedure | about 29 | 31 | 1 |
| General police duties | about 55 | 49 | 5 |
Within General police duties, the May 2026 inspectors' list included complaints and misconduct and unsatisfactory performance subjects alongside powers, entry and search, public order and domestic abuse. Within Crime, there were no Weapons (chapter 1.8) questions, because that chapter is not on the inspectors' syllabus.
Use it to split time, not to skip chapters
The College says each breakdown is only valid for that sitting and should not be used to work out what will be tested in future. The handbook says you can be asked about any part of the syllabus. A rough split of new-learning time of about 40% General police duties, 38% Crime and 22% Evidence and procedure, adjusted for your own weak areas, is a reasonable start.
The topic-level detail is in what comes up in the sergeants and inspectors exam, and the two papers are compared side by side in sergeant vs inspector exam.
65%, Not 55%: The Arithmetic
Ten percentage points sounds modest. In questions, it is the difference between being able to get 63 wrong and being able to get 49 wrong: about 22% fewer mistakes allowed, on the same length of paper, in the same 3 hours.
| Sergeants (55%) | Inspectors (65%) | |
|---|---|---|
| Correct answers needed | 77 of 140 | 91 of 140 |
| Wrong or blank answers you can afford | 63 | 49 |
| Exceptional grade from | 105 of 140 | 119 of 140 |
| Average time per question | 72 seconds | 72 seconds |
- Fix the near misses, not just the gaps. At 65%, confusing two similar provisions, a time limit or who authorises what costs you as much as not knowing a topic at all. Keep a list of the pairs you mix up and test it daily.
- Treat every question as if it counts. You do not know which 10 will be removed.
- Answer every question. The handbook expresses the pass mark as a number of correct answers and describes no deduction for wrong ones.
- Plan for reading time. The May 2026 paper ran to about 24,309 words, so a good share of your 72 seconds a question goes on reading. Flag and move on when stuck; comfort breaks do not stop the clock.
The Real Pass Rates
The College's results reports say an absolute cut score of 65% was applied to all candidates in both sittings below. It is not a quota: everyone who reaches the mark passes. The pass rate still moved by 12.6 points between sittings at the same cut score.
| Sitting | Sat | Passed | Exceptional | Metropolitan Police |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025 | 1,693 | 413 (24.4%) | 11 (0.6%) | 518 sat, 73 passed (14.1%) |
| May 2026 | 1,739 | 644 (37%) | 41 (2.3%) | 530 sat, 126 passed (23.8%) |
Leaving out the Metropolitan Police, our calculation from the same figures gives about 28.9% in November 2025 and 42.8% in May 2026. The College does not say why the rate moves between sittings; a harder paper, a different cohort or both are possible, and we cannot tell which. What the figures do show is that most candidates at recent sittings did not reach 65%, so a plan built for a comfortable margin is the sensible one. Force-by-force rates are in the inspector exam explained.
- Results are expected within three weeks. Your feedback report gives your grade and total percentage, broken down by subject area.
- A pass is valid for five years less one day from the date you sat.
- Resits: no national limit, though forces may set one.
More detail: the pass mark explained, results, validity and resits and how hard is the inspector exam.
A Plan Outline For The Higher Bar
The College does not publish a recommended number of study hours. Our inspector plan gives 4, 8 and 12 week options as planning figures. Twelve weeks is the safer choice for a first attempt or a heavy role; four weeks only makes sense if your recent timed scores are already near the bar. Whatever the length, the shape is the same.
Baseline · Week 1
A timed paper or mixed set before you start, scored against 65%, to see which areas need the most time
Rebuild · Most of the first two-thirds
Chapter by chapter through the Manuals, questions first, with extra time on supervisory and procedural areas and anything you have not used since the sergeants' exam
Mixed, timed and repair · Final third
Mixed sets across all three Manuals at exam pace, full sittings, and repair work on each sitting by area and by mistake type
Taper · Final week
Last full paper four to seven days out, then short mixed sets, your error log, the familiarisation exercise and sleep
Protect study time like a fixed commitment rather than something that moves when work gets busy, and keep a daily floor of short mixed questions so the spacing survives a bad week. For the November 2026 sitting you have about four weeks; for May 2027 (11 to 13 May), a 12-week plan starts around mid-February 2027.
What To Revise From
- The Blackstone's Police Manuals for your sitting. The handbook says the syllabus is only contained within them and that they are the only official resource the College endorses. See which Blackstone's edition.
- The College's free practice questions in the Candidate Online Examination Guidance group on the Knowledge Hub (login needed).
- A question bank. The Blackstone's Q&As and other banks, ours included, are not affiliated with or endorsed by the College. Use them to test yourself and find gaps, not to guess the paper. See revision resources compared, are the Blackstone's Q&A and mock worth it and free exam resources.
- A baseline. Our free mini mock (20 timed original questions for sergeant and inspector candidates) gives a quick first read. A full timed paper tells you more.
Common Mistakes
The College does not publish why candidates fail, so these are not statistics. They follow from how the exam is set, the published breakdowns and the learning research.
Practising against 55% in your head
A practice score that would have passed the sergeants' exam can still fail this one. Mark every set against 65%. If you are in the low 60s, you are below the bar, not nearly there.
Relying on what you learned for the sergeants' exam
You sat that paper on an older edition, and the law changes between editions. The exam tests only the edition for your sitting. Treat old notes as a starting point to check, not as revision material.
Revising Weapons (chapter 1.8)
It is examined for sergeants only. Time spent on it is time taken from chapters that can come up. Check the handbook's appendix for any other rank-specific differences flagged in the Manuals.
Assuming operational experience covers it
Experience helps with custody, powers and supervision, but the paper asks about the exact conditions, time limits and who authorises what as the Manual states them, including in areas you may never deal with. Force systems and local policy can differ from the Codes.
Under-revising the supervisory regulations
The May 2026 inspectors' breakdown listed complaints and misconduct subjects (misconduct procedures, proceedings, the appropriate authority) and unsatisfactory performance subjects (applicability, other regulations, the first and third stages). Many supervisors rely on HR or professional standards for this procedure; the exam does not.
Rereading instead of testing
Rereading feels productive because the text becomes familiar. It is rated low utility in the research. If more than about a third of your time is going on reading, move some of it to questions.
Trusting a single practice score
Scores on repeated questions, or on a short set from the chapter you have just read, flatter you. Track first attempts at fresh, mixed, timed questions over several weeks, and the gap between your weakest and strongest areas.
Resitting while you hold a valid pass
The handbook says any remaining validity is forfeited from the time you sit, whatever the result. Check your dates before you register to sit again.
Missing your force's deadline
Registration is through your force on the College's AIMS system, and forces often close earlier than the College. Reasonable adjustment requests go to your force no later than the registration closing date.
More on this in why good officers fail the inspector exam.
Eligibility, Registration And Exam Day
- OSPRE-qualified sergeants can sit from day one of their sergeant posting; NPPF-qualified sergeants once they have been made substantive. Promotion to substantive inspector needs at least two years as a substantive sergeant.
- You register through your force on the College's AIMS system. See the registration checklist.
- You sit online, starting between 8am and 8pm on your exam date, with no national requirement for a test centre. Do the familiarisation exercise: the link arrives about a week before and opens only once.
- AI tools are strictly prohibited during the exam, and copying or sharing questions is a breach of the rules.
Full rules are in NPPF online exam rules and exam day; every 2027 date is in NPPF exam dates 2027. Passing does not promote you: it completes step two, and step three (assessment and matching to vacancies) and step four (temporary promotion and work-based assessment) follow. See the inspector promotion process.
Practise Against The Real 65% Bar
Switch the practice tool to Inspector and every score is measured against 65%: hundreds of checked original questions, a full 150-question timed sitting and spaced review of what you got wrong. Not real exam content, and not a substitute for the Manuals.
Start The Free Sample →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to pass the inspector exam?
Take a timed baseline paper first so you know your real starting score, then test yourself from the first week rather than rereading the Blackstone's Police Manuals, check every answer against the Manuals, bring each topic back after a gap, mix topics, and sit full 150-question papers in 3 hours scored against 65%, not 55%. The learning research rates practice testing and spaced practice as the most useful techniques, and rereading and highlighting as low utility.
What is the pass mark for the inspector exam?
65%, which is 91 correct answers out of the 140 scored questions (College of Policing candidate handbook, 2027 version, updated 10 September 2026). 85% or more is graded exceptional, and below 35% is a low band fail. The College's results reports say an absolute cut score of 65% was applied to all candidates. The NPPF debrief panel can alter the pass mark in exceptional circumstances if it sees a significant deviation in the success rate.
Is the inspector exam the same as the sergeant exam?
Not quite. Both are the NPPF step two legal knowledge exam: 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours on the Blackstone's Police Manuals, scored on 140. But the syllabus is not identical: Crime Manual chapter 1.8 (Weapons) is examined for sergeants only, and the handbook says some other rank-specific areas differ. The balance of questions also differs by rank, and the pass mark is 65% rather than 55%.
What is the inspector exam pass rate?
644 of 1,739 candidates passed in May 2026 (37.0%) and 413 of 1,693 in November 2025 (24.4%), according to the College's results and analysis overviews. For comparison, 58.5% passed the March 2026 sergeants' exam.
Why is the inspector pass rate so much lower than the sergeant pass rate?
The verified part is the pass mark: 65% against 55%, so you can afford 49 wrong answers out of 140 rather than 63. The Metropolitan Police cohort is also large and passed at a lower rate (73 of 518, 14.1%, in November 2025; 126 of 530, 23.8%, in May 2026). The College does not publish reasons beyond the figures, so anything else is inference.
How long should I revise for the inspector exam?
The College does not publish a recommended number of hours. Our inspector exam revision plan gives 4, 8 and 12 week options as planning figures, with 12 weeks the safer choice for a first attempt or a demanding rota. Four weeks only suits someone whose recent timed practice scores are already close to the 65% bar.
Which subject area carries the most marks in the inspector exam?
In the May 2026 inspectors' paper, the College's subject area breakdown lists about 52 Crime, 29 Evidence and procedure and 55 General police duties questions (our count of 136 readable rows of the 140). General police duties carried more than Crime, unlike the March 2026 sergeants' paper. The College warns that one sitting's breakdown should not be used to predict the next.
Which Blackstone's edition do I need for the inspector exam?
The 2026 Blackstone's Police Manuals for the November 2026 sitting. The 2027 candidate handbook says the May and November 2027 sittings examine the law as it appears in the 2027 edition. The College only endorses the Manuals; the Blackstone's Q&As and other products are not affiliated with it.
When is the next inspector exam and when does registration close?
Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 November 2026. College registration closed at 6pm on Monday 5 October 2026, and forces may have set an earlier internal deadline. The 2027 sittings are 11 to 13 May 2027 (registration 15 March to 6pm 15 April 2027) and 2 to 4 November 2027 (registration 6 September to 6pm 4 October 2027).
Who can sit the inspector exam?
The handbook says OSPRE-qualified sergeants are eligible from day one of their sergeant posting, and NPPF-qualified sergeants once they have completed the NPPF route and been made substantive. Every officer must complete at least two years as a substantive sergeant before they can be substantively promoted to inspector. Your force checks eligibility when you register.
What practice score should I aim for before sitting?
No practice score predicts your result, because question banks differ in difficulty and repeated questions inflate scores. As a cautious personal rule, not College guidance, aim for first-attempt scores of 70% or more on fresh, mixed, timed questions over several weeks. An average of 66% leaves almost no margin for a harder paper or a bad day.
How many times can I resit, and how long does a pass last?
There is no national limit on resits, though forces may set one. A pass is valid for five years less one day from the date you sat. If you resit while you still hold a valid pass, the remaining validity is forfeited from the time you sit, whatever the result.
Does passing the exam make me an inspector?
No. The exam is step two of the four-step National Police Promotion Framework. Step three is assessment against rank-specific competencies and matching to vacancies, which your force runs, and step four is temporary promotion and a work-based assessment.
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.
Sources
- College of Policing: NPPF step two legal examinations candidate handbook (2027 version, updated 10 September 2026): four NPPF steps, format, 140 scored questions, pass and exceptional marks, debrief panel, syllabus and chapter 1.8, survey blueprint, not pure factual recall, eligibility and the two-year rule, AIMS registration, no test-centre requirement, resits, validity, results and feedback, AI ban.
- College of Policing: NPPF step two exam hub: 2026 and 2027 exam and registration dates.
- Results and analysis overview, inspectors, May 2026 (PDF): 1,739 sat, 644 passed, bands, absolute 65% cut score, force table.
- Results and analysis overview, inspectors, November 2025 (PDF): 1,693 sat, 413 passed including 11 exceptional, absolute 65% cut score, Metropolitan Police 518 sat and 73 passed.
- Subject area breakdown, inspectors, May 2026 (PDF): subjects by area (our count of 136 readable rows), questions removed, word count, the College's warning on future papers.
- Subject area breakdown, sergeants, March 2026 (PDF): 60, 31 and 49 scored questions by area.
- College of Policing: online examinations candidate guide (updated 5 August 2026): flagging, familiarisation exercise, comfort breaks, 8am to 8pm.
- Dunlosky and others (2013), Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14(1). Full references in the revision plan.
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