Failed the Inspector Exam?
Your Resit Plan
If you failed the inspectors' exam, you are in the majority: 63% of candidates did not pass in May 2026 and 76% did not pass in November 2025. This guide shows how to read your feedback report, how many questions you are really short, the resit rules, the 2027 sittings and Manuals, and a 12-week and 8-week plan built from your own report.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 6 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Save your feedback report, wait a few days, then convert your score into questions: the pass mark is 91 of 140, so a score of about 56% is 12 or 13 questions short. There is no national resit limit (your force may set one) and no remark. After November 2026 (results expected 26 November 2026) the next sitting is 11 to 13 May 2027, registration 15 March to 6pm on 15 April 2027, on the 2027 Manuals. Use the report to aim your revision at the areas that cost you the most marks.
Failing the inspector exam at a glance
This page is for sergeants who have failed the NPPF Step Two inspectors' exam, are waiting for a result they expect to be a fail, or are sitting on 3 to 5 November 2026 and want a plan B ready. Every rule below comes from the College of Policing's candidate handbooks (2026 for the November 2026 sitting, 2027 for every 2027 sitting), its online examinations candidate guide, the NPPF operating manual (July 2026) and the College's published results PDFs, all read on 6 October 2026.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Pass mark | 65%: 91 correct out of 140 scored questions (150 asked, 10 removed after the sitting) |
| Recent pass rates | 37.0% in May 2026 (644 of 1,739); 24.4% in November 2025 (413 of 1,693) |
| Who fails | Most candidates: 1,095 in May 2026 and 1,280 in November 2025 |
| What you get after a fail | A feedback report: final grading, total percentage, subject area breakdown. No question-level detail |
| Remarks or appeals on marks | None. Marginal fails are not reassessed under any circumstances |
| Resit limit | No national limit. Your force may set one |
| Where a fail leaves you | Back at NPPF Step One, with a development plan agreed with your line manager |
| November 2026 results | Expected by Thursday 26 November 2026 (2026 handbook) |
| Next sitting after November 2026 | 11 to 13 May 2027; registration 15 March to 6pm 15 April 2027 |
| Syllabus for 2027 sittings | Blackstone's Police Manuals 2027 (November 2026 uses the 2026 edition) |
| Holding a valid pass already? | Resitting forfeits it from the moment you sit, whatever the result |
A fail on this paper is common, the gap is measurable in questions, and the next attempt can be planned from your own feedback report. The things that do not work are hoping for a remark, rereading the Manuals from page one, and resitting on old notes from the 2026 edition.
The real picture: most inspector candidates fail
The College publishes a results and analysis overview after each sitting. The two most recent inspector sittings tell the same story: the 65% bar is hard to clear and most people do not clear it first time, or at all in a given sitting.
| Sitting | Sat | Passed | Did not pass | Exceptional (85%+) | Low-band fail (under 35%) | Metropolitan Police |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 1,739 | 644 (37.0%) | 1,095 (63.0%) | 41 (2.3%) | 27 (1.6%) | 530 sat, 126 passed (23.8%) |
| November 2025 | 1,693 | 413 (24.4%) | 1,280 (75.6%) | 11 (0.6%) | 25 (1.5%) | 518 sat, 73 passed (14.1%) |
- A fail is the normal outcome. 1,095 candidates did not pass in May 2026 and 1,280 in November 2025. If you failed, you are in the largest group of people who sat.
- Very few fail badly. Low-band fails were 1.6% and 1.5% of candidates. Almost everyone who fails is in the main fail band, between 35% and just under 65%.
- The rate swings between sittings. 24.4% to 37.0% at the same 65% cut score. The College applies an absolute cut score, so the pass rate is not fixed in advance and depends on the paper and the cohort.
- The Met changes the national figure. The Met supplied about 30% of inspector candidates in both sittings, with pass rates of 14.1% and 23.8%. Across all other forces combined the rates were about 28.9% and 42.8% (our calculation from the College's force tables). The College says force comparisons should be made with caution.
- Nobody publishes how close people came. The PDFs give bands, not score distributions, and they do not split first attempts from resits. Any claim about "most people miss by a few marks" or a resit pass rate is a guess.
The arithmetic behind the low rate, and why the same syllabus produces such different results for the two ranks, is in the pass mark explained and how hard is the inspector exam. Force by force figures are in the pass rate by force table.
What a fail means, and what it does not
It helps to be precise about this, because the result tends to feel bigger than it is.
Months of study around shifts and family, then a fail, can be a real blow. If it is affecting your sleep, mood or work, confidential support is listed in the police mental health support directory. Nothing about a resit needs deciding in the first week.
The first fortnight after results
- Results day: save the report. Enter AIMS through the emailed link, verify your details, then download or print the feedback report and keep it somewhere you control. The College says it cannot reissue it.
- Days 1 to 3: do nothing about the exam. Decisions made on results day are rarely good ones.
- Days 3 to 7: write your own debrief. Not the questions (copying or sharing any part of a question is a breach of the exam rules), but your experience: where you ran short of time, which areas felt unfamiliar, where you guessed, where you changed answers. Put it next to the report.
- Week 2: talk to your line manager. The operating manual (4.7) says unsuccessful candidates must be supported with a development plan after discussion with their line manager. Go with your report, your debrief and a specific request: protected study time, a mentor who passed recently, or a place on a force or Federation study group.
- Week 2: check the rules that apply to you. Your force's resit policy, its internal registration deadline for May 2027, and whether a Step Three is planned (see Step Three and your force).
- Join the College's Knowledge Hub group if you have not. The candidate guide says the Candidate Online Examination Guidance group includes feedback report guidance to help you interpret results and focus on weaker areas, plus practice questions with full explanations and a revision timetable template (login needed).
The full results-day process, and the three-day deadlines for incident reports and question queries that close long before results arrive, are in NPPF exam results, validity and resits.
Reading your feedback report
The candidate handbook says the feedback report "can be used by the candidate to identify any strengths and developmental needs in the areas that have been examined and assessed". It includes:
- Your final grading: exceptional, pass, fail or low-band fail.
- Your total percentage score on the 140 scored questions.
- A breakdown into subject areas. The handbook does not define the level of detail. The College's own subject breakdown PDFs organise the paper into three courses (crime, evidence and procedure, general police duties), each split into skills (for example "Child protection" or "Unsatisfactory performance and attendance") and subjects.
What the report does not give you:
- Which questions you got wrong, or what they were.
- Which 10 questions were removed, or how you did on them.
- A rank order, a percentile or the cohort's average.
Three ways to read it properly
- Turn every percentage into questions. 140 scored questions means each question is about 0.7 percentage points. Your total tells you the gap (next section); each area's percentage, multiplied by roughly how many questions the area carried, tells you where the gap is.
- Rank areas by marks lost, not by percentage. A poor percentage in a small area costs less than a middling one in a large area.
- Check it against your own debrief and practice scores. If you scored well in an area in practice but badly on the day, the cause may be question style, timing or reading rather than knowledge. If both were low, it is content.
An area with only a few scored questions can swing 20 or 30 percentage points on one or two answers. Treat a weak score in a small area as something to check, not proof of a gap. And the College warns that each subject breakdown is valid only for that exam and should not be used to predict the next one.
The gap in questions, by score
The inspectors' pass mark is 91 of 140. Here is what your total percentage means in questions. Marks are our arithmetic (percentage x 140, rounded); your report may round differently.
| Your score | Correct answers (of 140) | Questions short of 91 | What it usually points to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 64.3% | 90 | 1 | A single extra correct answer. Usually timing, reading or one weak sub-topic |
| 62.1% to 63.6% | 87 to 89 | 2 to 4 | A handful of questions. Error log and reading discipline |
| 60.0% to 61.4% | 84 to 86 | 5 to 7 | One weak area, or many small slips spread across the paper |
| 55.7% to 59.3% | 78 to 83 | 8 to 13 | The 12-question gap sits here: enough for the sergeants' bar of 77, short of the inspector bar |
| 50.0% to 55.0% | 70 to 77 | 14 to 21 | Content gaps in more than one area. Rebuild from the Manuals before full papers |
| 35.0% to 49.3% | 49 to 69 | 22 to 42 | Fail band. Treat the resit as a fresh first attempt with a long plan |
| Below 35% | 48 or fewer | 43 or more | Low-band fail. Check preparation time and readiness with your line manager |
The 12-question gap
A score of about 56% (79 of 140) is the clearest example of the inspector problem. It would comfortably pass the sergeants' bar of 77, yet it is 12 questions short on this paper. Twelve questions sounds like a lot until you split it: across three areas it is four or five extra correct answers in each, and across a 12-week plan it is one extra secure answer per week of work. That is the scale of change the plans below are built for.
- 1 to 4 short: close, but the rules give a near miss no special treatment. The fix is usually discipline (timing, reading the stem, not changing answers) more than new content.
- 5 to 13 short: usually one or two areas plus one or two error habits. The College does not publish score distributions, so nobody can say how many candidates sit in this range.
- 14 or more short: real content gaps across the paper. A longer plan, and an honest look at how much time you can protect.
The next paper has different questions and, for 2027, a different edition. A score can move several points either way on a different paper with no change in what you know. Use the gap to size your plan, not to predict your result.
Where the marks are: a worked example
In the May 2026 inspectors' paper, the College's subject breakdown lists 52 rows under crime, 29 under evidence and procedure and 55 under general police duties (136 rows; the 10 removed questions were 4 crime, 1 evidence and procedure and 5 general police duties). The rows are subjects, not an exact question count, so treat the split as approximate. Notice that general police duties was as large as crime on that inspectors' paper, unlike the March 2026 sergeants' paper (crime 60, general police duties 49).
| Area | Scored questions (illustrative) | Your score on the day | Target for the resit | Extra correct answers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 52 | 55% (about 29) | 65% (about 34) | +5 |
| Evidence and procedure | 30 | 50% (15) | 60% (18) | +3 |
| General police duties | 58 | 60% (about 35) | 67% (about 39) | +4 |
| Total | 140 | 79 (56.4%) | 91 (65.0%) | +12 |
The example is invented to show the method, not drawn from any real report. The point it makes is general: the 12 questions do not have to come from your worst area. Ten extra percentage points in a large area is worth more than the same ten points in a small one, and spreading the improvement over three areas is usually more realistic than trying to turn one weak area into a strong one.
Diagnose the cause, not just the area
The report tells you where you lost marks. It cannot tell you why. Two candidates with identical reports can need opposite fixes: one did not know the material, the other knew it and misread the questions. Your own debrief and an error log from your first practice paper answer the "why".
| Cause | What it looks like | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Did not know it | You could not have answered with any amount of time | Content: reread the Manual section actively, then 15 to 25 questions on it the same day |
| Confused two similar rules | Two powers, time limits, ranks or offences blurred together | A one-page comparison table, tested from memory |
| Misread the stem | You knew the law but missed 'not', a rank, a time or a status | Reading discipline: name the decision the question asks for before you look at the options |
| Answered from practice, not the Manual | Your force does it differently, or you answered as a sergeant would | Relearn the rule as written. Local policy is never the answer |
| Ran out of time or rushed | Unanswered or guessed questions at the end, or a fast finish | Full timed papers at 72 seconds a question, with a halfway check at 75 questions and 90 minutes |
| Changed a right answer | Second-guessing under pressure | Only change an answer for a specific reason you can name |
Log the cause against every miss in your practice papers. After two or three papers, a pattern appears. If most of your misses are "did not know it", your plan is content-heavy. If most are confusion or misreading, more reading of the Manuals will not help much and more timed questions will.
Inspector-specific versions of these patterns, including answering as an experienced sergeant rather than from the Manual, are covered in why good officers fail the inspector exam.
The resit rules, exactly as published
The rules are short, and most of the myths around them come from force policies or old OSPRE practice being treated as national rules.
| Rule | What it says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| How many resits | No national limit; any limit is a local force decision | Candidate handbook 2026 and 2027, Dates |
| Waiting period | No national gap found; the next sitting is the earliest | Two inspector sittings a year: May and November |
| Eligibility | Step One again: competence shown in your PDR, no live written improvement notice or reduction in rank under the performance procedures in the last 12 months, no live written warning, final written warning or extended final written warning, attendance policy met | Handbook, Eligibility; confirmed by your line manager and force |
| Rank | You must hold the rank of sergeant (substantive) by the exam date | Handbook; operating manual 3.18 |
| Rejoiners | One opportunity to resit, at the earliest opportunity | Handbook, Rejoiners |
| Resitting while holding a valid pass | Remaining validity is forfeited from the time you sit, regardless of the result | Handbook, Five-year validity period |
| Expired pass | Not a bar: you go back to Step One and sit again | Handbook, Validity |
| Remarks and near misses | No remarks; marginal fails not reassessed | Handbook, Remarking examination papers |
| Development plan | Must be provided after a fail, agreed with your line manager | Operating manual 4.7 |
The forfeit rule only bites if you hold a pass
The handbook's forfeit rule is about candidates who already hold a valid pass and choose to resit: "Any remaining time on their validity period will be forfeited from the time that they sit the examination regardless of the result". If you have just failed, you have no inspector validity to lose, so it does not apply to you. It matters to a different group: sergeants with an older inspector pass that is running out, who are tempted to sit again to restart the clock. For them a failed resit means losing the pass they had.
Because any limit on attempts is local, two sergeants in neighbouring forces can face different rules. Ask your force examinations officer three questions: is there a limit on attempts, is there a required gap between attempts, and what is the force's internal deadline for May 2027 registration.
Next sittings, registration windows and results dates
Inspectors sit twice a year, in May and November. Dates from the College's exam hub and handbooks, checked 6 October 2026.
| Sitting | Exam window | College registration | Syllabus | Results by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | Tue 3 to Thu 5 November 2026 | Closed 6pm Mon 5 October 2026 | 2026 edition | Thu 26 November 2026 (expected, 2026 handbook) |
| May 2027 | Tue 11 to Thu 13 May 2027 | Mon 15 March to 6pm Thu 15 April 2027 | 2027 edition | Thu 3 June 2027 (expected, 2027 handbook) |
| November 2027 | Tue 2 to Thu 4 November 2027 | Mon 6 September to 6pm Mon 4 October 2027 | 2027 edition | Thu 25 November 2027 (expected, 2027 handbook) |
- If you failed in May 2026 and are registered for 3 to 5 November 2026, you have four weeks from 6 October 2026. The inspector exam revision plan has a 4-week plan for the November sitting. If you are not registered, registration closed at 6pm on 5 October 2026, so your next sitting is May 2027.
- If you fail in November 2026, results are expected by Thursday 26 November 2026 and the May 2027 exam starts on Tuesday 11 May 2027: nearly 24 weeks later. That is enough time for either plan below, with a break first.
- Registration is through your force. The handbook says candidates must register within the timeframe your force examinations officer sets, so the College windows above are the outer limits and your force deadline may be earlier. Late registrations are only considered in exceptional circumstances.
- You can sit on any one day in the window, online at home or at work, in a 12-hour window. The rules are in NPPF online exam rules and exam day.
Every 2027 date, for both ranks, is in NPPF exam dates 2027, and the registration steps are in the registration checklist.
A 2027 resit means the 2027 Manuals
The November 2026 sitting examines the 2026 Blackstone's Police Manuals. Every 2027 sitting examines the 2027 edition, and the handbook says the exam tests the law only as it appears in that edition. OUP published the 2027 Manuals in August 2026. The College's handbook says officers and staff in England and Wales can get 30% off the Manuals through College Learn.
Our comparison of the syllabus headings in the two handbooks found these changes most relevant to an inspector resit. It shows changes to headings and structure only; text inside an unchanged heading can still change.
| Where | What changed | Why it matters for a resit |
|---|---|---|
| Crime chapters 1.12 and new 1.13 | Sexual offences split into two chapters; offences against children and people with a mental disorder now chapter 1.13 | Anything you filed under 1.13 to 1.16 in 2026 is now 1.14 to 1.17 |
| Evidence and procedure 2.2 | Renamed 'Bail' (was 'Release of Person Arrested') | Release and bail filled six rows of the May 2026 inspectors' breakdown; recheck every sub-section |
| General police duties 3.12 | Now 'Hatred, Harassment and Stalking', with stalking protection orders moved in from 3.7 | Same law, different place |
| General police duties 3.18 | Unsatisfactory performance chapter restructured: 'The Third Stage' no longer a separate heading | The May 2026 inspectors' rows listed the second and third stages; read the new structure, not old notes |
| Across all three volumes | OUP: updated case law and introductions; new stop and search flowcharts | Text inside unchanged headings can still change |
Flashcards, Q&A answers and course notes written for 2026 point to the wrong chapter numbers from Crime 1.12 onwards, and may describe law that has since changed. Keep them for structure, but check every line against the 2027 book before you rely on it. Chapter 1.8 (Weapons) remains sergeants only, so it is still not on your syllabus.
The full change table, prices and the second-hand trap are in which Blackstone's edition for the sergeant and inspector exam.
The 12-week resit plan (May 2027)
For anyone more than about 10 questions short, on a demanding rota, or whose sergeants' exam was several years ago. Twelve weeks back from Tuesday 11 May 2027 starts on Tuesday 16 February 2027. The plan uses the same evidence-based method as our first-attempt plans: practice testing and spaced review, rated high utility in a widely cited review of learning research (Dunlosky and others, 2013), rather than rereading.
| When | Focus | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Before week 1 (December to mid-February) | Rest, then light contact | Save the report. Buy the 2027 Manuals. One hour a week of mixed questions to keep the habit. Agree the development plan |
| Week 1 (from Tue 16 Feb 2027) | Baseline | One full timed 150-question paper under exam conditions, scored against 65%. Start the error log |
| Weeks 2 to 4 | Biggest marks-lost area | Chapter by chapter in your largest weak area by marks lost. Active read, same-day test, log every miss with a cause |
| Week 5 (from Tue 16 Mar 2027) | Checkpoint and registration | Second full timed paper. Compare causes, not just scores. The College window opened Mon 15 March: register through your force now, not in week 9 |
| Weeks 6 to 8 | Second area plus changed chapters | Your second area by marks lost, plus every 2027 chapter that moved or changed in your weak areas |
| Weeks 9 to 10 | Mixed practice | Mixed questions across all three areas. Full paper each week. Comparison tables for repeat confusions. College registration closes 6pm Thu 15 April (week 9) |
| Week 11 | Final full papers | Two full timed papers. Review every question, including lucky guesses |
| Week 12 (to Tue 11 May 2027) | Taper | Error log and comparison tables only. No new material. Complete the familiarisation exercise when the link arrives |
What makes it a resit plan, not a first-attempt plan
- The order comes from your report, ranked by marks lost, not from the order of the Manuals.
- It starts with a timed baseline, on the 2027 edition, so you measure where you are now rather than where you were in November.
- The error log carries over. If you kept one before, keep the causes and throw away the 2026 chapter references.
- Changed chapters get explicit time in weeks 6 to 8, because familiarity with the old text is a trap.
- Two checkpoints (weeks 5 and 11) let you move time from areas that have recovered to areas that have not.
The 8-week resit plan (May 2027)
For anyone within about 10 questions of 91 whose habits are still fresh. Eight weeks back from Tuesday 11 May 2027 starts on Tuesday 16 March 2027, the day after the College's registration window opens.
| When | Focus | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Before week 1 | Keep warm | From results to mid-March: save the report, get the 2027 Manuals, agree the development plan, one or two hours a week of mixed questions |
| Week 1 (from Tue 16 Mar 2027) | Baseline and register | Full timed paper on day one or two. Register as soon as your force opens its process (College window: 15 March to 6pm 15 April) |
| Weeks 2 to 3 | Biggest marks-lost area | Short topic tests, error log with causes, same-day testing after every read |
| Week 4 | Checkpoint | Second full timed paper. Drop anything that is no longer costing marks |
| Weeks 5 to 6 | Second area and changed chapters | Second area by marks lost, plus the 2027 changes in your weak areas. Comparison tables |
| Week 7 | Full papers | Two full timed papers, scored against 65%, reviewed fully |
| Week 8 (to Tue 11 May 2027) | Taper | Error log only. Sleep and exam-day set-up. Familiarisation exercise when the link arrives |
| Plan | Hours per week | Total | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-week plan | 7 to 9 hours | 84 to 108 hours | Scores below about 58% (more than about 10 questions short), a long gap since your sergeants' exam, or a heavy rota |
| 8-week plan | 9 to 11 hours | 72 to 88 hours | Scores of about 58% or more (within about 10 questions of 91), recent practice habits, steady shifts |
Both plans assume you also keep the weeks between results and the start date light but not empty. A long gap with no contact at all means relearning the basics in week one. You can lay the weeks out against your own rota with our free exam study planner, which runs in your browser and does not need an account.
Where the practice questions come from
Any plan built on practice testing needs questions. Start with the College's own practice questions in the Knowledge Hub group (a small sample, but from the body that sets the exam), then the Blackstone's Police Q&A for the current edition or OUP's Q&As Online, which offers timed mocks and a score history. A quick, free way to take a baseline before you spend anything is our 20-question free timed mini mock, set to the inspector pass mark. If you want a larger bank, our exam prep toolkit (ours, paid: £69.99 for 6 months, one payment, 14-day refund, no reason needed) has hundreds of checked questions, a timed 150-question sitting weighted like the real paper scored against 65%, spaced review and progress tracking. It is not College or OUP material, it does not replace the Manuals, and none of its questions are real exam questions. Other options are compared fairly in revision resources compared and free resources.
Inspector-specific traps on a resit
These are the patterns most worth checking against your own report and debrief. Each is covered in depth elsewhere; this is the short version for a resitter.
- Preparing to the sergeants' standard. 56% feels like a decent score because it would pass the sergeants' paper. Score every practice paper against 65% and aim for a margin above it, since a normal bad day can cost a few points.
- General police duties underweighted. On the May 2026 inspectors' paper, general police duties had as many listed rows as crime, including the unsatisfactory performance and attendance procedures and complaints and misconduct. Sergeants who have handed these to HR or PSD often know them less well than they think.
- Answering from practice. Custody software, force policy and how your team does things are not the Manual. Experience helps most in custody and powers and least in areas you never touch.
- Skipping the areas you never use. The handbook says candidates may be asked questions on any part of the syllabus, which reflects all aspects of the role nationally, even if some areas are less relevant to your force or job.
- Revising Weapons. Chapter 1.8 is sergeants only. Hours spent on it are hours lost.
- Timing. 150 questions in 3 hours is 72 seconds each, with about 24,300 words to read on the May 2026 paper. If you ran short last time, full timed papers are not optional.
- Rereading instead of testing. It feels productive, but the research rates it low utility compared with practice testing. Every reading session should end with questions.
The full analysis is in why good officers fail the inspector exam, the topic weighting and first-attempt plans in the inspector exam revision plan, and what has appeared on recent papers in what comes up in the exam.
How a fail interacts with Step Three and your force's timeline
A fail does not change your current rank, but it does change where you are in the NPPF. This is what the handbook and operating manual say, step by step.
| Step | What the rules say | What it means after a fail |
|---|---|---|
| Step One | You return here after a fail. Your line manager confirms eligibility again when you re-register | A live written warning or written improvement notice at registration time would stop you entering |
| Step Two | You need a pass. It is valid for five years less one day from the exam | No inspector Step Three without it |
| Step Three | Your force's selection process, matched to vacancies, held when the force decides | If a Step Three happens before you pass, you cannot enter it |
| Step Four | Temporary promotion and a work-based assessment of at least 12 months | Starts only after Step Three selection and a vacancy |
| Substantive promotion | Needs two years' service as a sergeant under the Police (Promotion) Regulations 1996 | Operating manual 3.18.2: some officers finish the process before two years and wait |
- Step Three timing is your force's decision. Forces run Step Three when they choose, matched to expected vacancies. If yours runs one before you have a pass, you cannot enter it. Ask your force examinations officer or promotion lead when the next inspector Step Three is expected; it is a fair question for your development plan meeting.
- Step One can change between attempts. Eligibility is confirmed each time you register. A live written warning, final written warning or written improvement notice at that point would stop you entering, whatever your previous result.
- The two-year rule may make the timing less urgent than it feels. The operating manual (3.18.2) says a sergeant can complete the inspector process before reaching two years in rank but cannot be promoted until they do. If you sat early in your time as a substantive sergeant, a May or November 2027 pass may not delay your earliest possible promotion at all.
- Acting and temporary inspector roles are a local matter. We found nothing in the handbook or operating manual linking them to a Step Two result, so ask your force how it handles acting roles for candidates between attempts.
- Fast Track officers sit in line with their programme timescales and should follow the College's Fast Track guidance and their programme team, not this page.
What happens at Step Three itself is in the inspector promotion process explained and, if the board is where it went wrong, what happens if you fail the promotion board.
Sitting on 3 to 5 November 2026 and expecting to fail?
Some candidates registered for November know they are not ready. You have three options. The handbook rules behind them apply to the November 2026 sitting (2026 handbook) in the same words as 2027.
| Option | What you gain | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Sit the exam | A real feedback report on the current format; a chance to pass on the day; experience of 150 questions in 3 hours | If it counts towards a local attempt limit, it uses one. Check your force policy |
| Withdraw early | Time to rebuild on the 2027 Manuals for May 2027 | Not automatically re-entered; cannot re-enter this sitting; forces are charged for anyone still registered two weeks before the exam |
| Do not turn up | Nothing | Marked absent; your force is charged and may apply its own penalties. The worst of the three options |
- Sitting is often the better choice. It is the only way to get a feedback report on the real paper, and unless you already hold a valid inspector pass, the forfeit rule cannot cost you anything. And how a paper felt is not always a reliable guide to the score.
- Withdraw early if you will withdraw at all. Forces are charged for every candidate still registered two weeks before the exam. Tell your force examinations officer straight away, with your reason.
- Use the weeks before the exam either way. Even if you expect to fall short, the remaining weeks of timed practice on the 2026 Manuals builds the habits a May resit needs. The 4-week plan is in the inspector exam revision plan.
- Start the May plan in parallel only lightly. Do not switch to the 2027 Manuals before you sit in November: you are examined on the 2026 edition.
Worked scenarios
Illustrative examples, not real cases.
Myths about failing the inspector exam
Your resit checklist
- On results day: enter AIMS through the emailed link, download the feedback report and save it where you control it.
- Within a week: write your own debrief of the paper (your experience, never the questions).
- Convert your total into questions short of 91, and each area into marks lost. Rank the areas.
- Agree a development plan with your line manager (operating manual 4.7) and ask for specific support.
- Ask your force examinations officer: attempt limit, required gap, internal registration deadline, next Step Three.
- Buy the 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals (30% off for officers and staff in England and Wales via College Learn).
- Join the College's Candidate Online Examination Guidance Knowledge Hub group and read its feedback report guidance.
- Pick the 12-week plan (from 16 February 2027) or the 8-week plan (from 16 March 2027) and put it in your diary against your rota.
- Take a timed baseline on the 2027 edition before you revise, scored against 65%.
- Register for May 2027 between 15 March and 6pm on 15 April 2027, or earlier if your force deadline is earlier.
- Leave Weapons (chapter 1.8) out; it is sergeants only.
- If you already hold a valid inspector pass, do not resit without reading the forfeit rule.
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.
What we could not verify
- The exact layout of the feedback report. The handbook says it shows final grading, total percentage and a subject area breakdown. We have not seen a real report, so we cannot say whether it breaks down by course, skill or subject, or whether percentages are rounded.
- The November 2026 results date. Thursday 26 November 2026 comes from the 2026 candidate handbook. The College tells force examinations officers the actual release date in advance, so treat it as expected.
- Resit pass rates and score distributions. The College does not publish first-attempt and resit results separately, or how far below 65% unsuccessful candidates scored.
- Force resit policies. Limits, gaps between attempts, internal deadlines and whether a sitting you expect to fail counts as an attempt are all local. We did not survey forces.
- The size of each area on a future paper. Our worked example uses the May 2026 inspectors' subject breakdown, which lists 136 rows of subjects rather than an exact question count. The College says each breakdown should not be used to predict future papers.
- Every change between the 2026 and 2027 Manuals. Our comparison covers headings and structure, plus OUP's own notes. It cannot show changes to text under an unchanged heading.
- Acting inspector roles between attempts. We found no national rule linking acting or temporary inspector duties to a Step Two result.
- The hours in our plans. The weekly hours are our suggestion, not a College figure. Adjust them to your gap and your rota.
Frequently Asked Questions
I failed the inspector exam. Is that unusual?
No. Most inspector candidates fail. In the College of Policing's published results, 1,095 of 1,739 candidates did not pass in May 2026 (a 37.0% pass rate) and 1,280 of 1,693 did not pass in November 2025 (24.4%). A fail is the most common outcome of the inspectors' exam, not a judgement on whether you would make a good inspector.
What is the pass mark for the inspectors' exam?
65%, which is 91 correct out of the 140 scored questions (10 of the 150 are removed after the sitting). An exceptional pass is 85% or more and a low-band fail is below 35%. The College's debrief panel can alter the pass mark in exceptional circumstances, but only for the whole sitting, never for an individual.
When are the November 2026 inspector exam results?
The 2026 candidate handbook says candidates can expect results for the 3 to 5 November 2026 inspectors' exam by Thursday 26 November 2026. The College's candidate guide says candidates are emailed a link to AIMS when results are available, where you verify your email address, date of birth and national insurance number to see your result and feedback report. Treat the date as expected: the College confirms the actual release date with forces ahead of results day.
How many times can you resit the inspector exam?
There is no national limit. The candidate handbook says any restriction on the number of resits is a local force decision, so read your force's promotion policy or ask your force examinations officer. Rejoiners at the rank of inspector are the one national exception: they get one opportunity to resit, at the earliest opportunity.
When can I resit after failing the inspectors' exam in November 2026?
The earliest sitting is 11 to 13 May 2027. Registration opens on Monday 15 March 2027 and closes at 6pm on Thursday 15 April 2027 (College exam hub, checked 6 October 2026), and your force may set an earlier internal deadline. The one after that is 2 to 4 November 2027, with registration from 6 September to 6pm on 4 October 2027.
Which Blackstone's edition do I need for a 2027 resit?
The 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals. Every 2027 sitting examines the law as it appears in the 2027 edition, while the November 2026 sitting examines the 2026 edition. The 2027 edition renumbers much of the Crime volume after a sexual offences chapter was split in two, so notes and question references from 2026 need checking against the new book.
What does the feedback report tell me?
The candidate handbook says it shows your final grading and the total percentage you scored, broken down into subject areas, and that it can be used to identify strengths and developmental needs. It does not show which questions you got wrong or which 10 questions were removed. There is no certificate, and the College cannot reissue the report, so save a copy.
Can I appeal or get a remark if I missed by one or two marks?
No. The handbook says there is no provision to contest a result or request a remark once results are released, and that marginal fail results will not be reassessed or awarded a pass under any circumstances. The only routes are an unscheduled incident report or a question query, and both must reach the College within three days of the exam.
Does failing the inspectors' exam affect my sergeant role or my Step Three chances?
Failing returns you to NPPF Step One for the inspector process; it does not touch your substantive rank as a sergeant. The operating manual says unsuccessful candidates must be supported with a development plan agreed with their line manager. You cannot enter an inspector Step Three without a valid Step Two pass, so a fail means waiting for a later Step Three round after you pass.
I already hold a valid inspector pass. Should I resit to improve it?
Usually not. The handbook says any remaining validity is forfeited from the moment you sit the exam again, regardless of the result. If you fail the resit, you lose the pass you already had. The main reason to resit while valid is a pass that will expire before your force runs a Step Three.
How long should I revise for an inspector resit?
Most resitters have nearly 24 weeks between the expected November 2026 results date and the May 2027 exam, so time is rarely the constraint; focus is. We set out a 12-week plan starting Tuesday 16 February 2027 and an 8-week plan starting Tuesday 16 March 2027, both built from your feedback report. Start with a timed baseline on the 2027 Manuals, not with rereading.
If I think I will fail in November, should I withdraw?
That is your decision, but know the rules first. The handbook says forces are charged for every candidate still registered two weeks before the exam, withdrawn candidates are not automatically re-entered and cannot be re-entered for that sitting, and forces may apply their own penalties for absence. Sitting gives you a real feedback report on the current format; whether it counts against any local attempt limit is a question for your force.
Are the published pass rates lower in the Met?
Yes. In the College's force tables, the Metropolitan Police had 530 inspector candidates in May 2026 with 126 passing (23.8%), and 518 in November 2025 with 73 passing (14.1%). Across all other forces combined the rates were about 42.8% and 28.9% (our calculation). The College says force comparisons should be made with caution.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 6 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: Sergeants' and inspectors' NPPF step two legal exams (exam hub) — checked 6 October 2026 via the College's production mirror: 2026 and 2027 sitting and registration dates, including inspectors 3 to 5 November 2026 (registration closed 6pm Monday 5 October 2026), 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); links to the results and subject area PDFs (accessed 6 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF step two legal examinations candidate handbook 2027 (PDF, September 2026) — no national limit on resits (Dates); step one eligibility; inspectors' eligibility; rejoiners' one resit; withdrawals, charges two weeks before the exam and absence; feedback reports and 2027 results dates (3 June and 25 November 2027 for inspectors); validity and the forfeit-on-resit rule; no remarks and no reassessment of marginal fails; Appendix A (chapter 1.8 Weapons is sergeants only) (accessed 6 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF candidate handbook 2026 (PDF, September 2025) — governs the November 2026 sitting: results by Thursday 26 November 2026; unscheduled incident deadline Sunday 8 November 2026 by 8pm; 2026 sittings examine the 2026 Manuals; same resit, withdrawal and forfeit wording as 2027 (accessed 6 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Online examinations candidate guide (updated 5 August 2026) — results via AIMS link and identity checks; force exams contacts see pass or fail only; Knowledge Hub group with practice questions, revision timetable template and feedback report guidance; questions grouped by subject order in the exam (accessed 6 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Results and analysis overview, NPPF inspectors' step-two legal exam, May 2026 (PDF) — absolute cut score of 65%; 644 successful (37.0%), 1,095 unsuccessful (63.0%); bands: exceptional 41, pass 603, fail 1,068, low-band fail 27; Metropolitan Police Service 530 sat, 126 passed (23.8%) (accessed 6 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Results and analysis overview, NPPF inspectors' step-two legal exam, November 2025 (PDF) — 413 successful (24.4%), 1,280 unsuccessful (75.6%); exceptional 11, fail 1,255, low-band fail 25; Metropolitan Police Service 518 sat, 73 passed (14.1%). The printed pass-band figure does not reconcile with the totals, so we do not quote it (accessed 6 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Subject area breakdown, NPPF inspectors' step-two legal exam, May 2026 (PDF) — our count of listed rows: crime 52, evidence and procedure 29, general police duties 55 (136 rows); questions removed: crime 4, evidence and procedure 1, general police duties 5; word count about 24,309 for 150 questions; warning that it should not be used to predict future papers (accessed 6 October 2026)
- College of Policing: National Police Promotion Framework operating manual (July 2026, PDF) — 4.7: unsuccessful Step Two candidates return to Step One and must be supported with a development plan; 3.18 to 3.18.2: substantive sergeant before the inspectors' exam, early Step One applications, and the two years' service in rank needed before promotion to inspector (accessed 6 October 2026)
- Oxford University Press: Blackstone's Police Manuals 2027 (three-volume set) — checked 6 October 2026: 2027 edition, published 7 August 2026; OUP's new-to-this-edition notes on the set and volume pages (updated case law and introductions; Crime volume: sexual offences restructured into two chapters; General Police Duties volume: new stop and search flowcharts). Our full comparison of the two editions is in the Blackstone's edition guide (accessed 6 October 2026)
- Dunlosky J and others (2013), Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques, Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14(1) — rates practice testing and distributed (spaced) practice as high utility and rereading and highlighting as low utility; the basis of the method in the plans on this page (accessed 6 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, syllabus editions and prices change, so check the College of Policing's current candidate handbook and exam pages before you register or buy. Practice material on this site is original and is not real exam content. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 6 October 2026.