Is the Sergeant Exam
Being Scrapped?
Headlines after the Police Leadership Commission report suggested the sergeant exam is on its way out. Here is what the report actually recommends, what is and is not decided, and what that means if you are preparing for a 2027 sitting.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 18 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
No, not on anything published by 18 October 2026. The NPPF step two exam still runs: the College of Policing lists sergeants' sittings on 16 to 18 March 2027 and 5 to 7 October 2027, with the 2027 handbook updated in September 2026. The Police Leadership Commission (July 2026) recommended reforming promotion and replacing the current exam with a modernised legal exam taken later in the process, but no decision or date has been announced. If your force uses the NPPF, the current exam process still applies.
The answer in full
The sergeants' exam has not been scrapped and no date has been set for any change. Three things are true at the same time:
- The exam is running. The College's step two hub lists every 2026 and 2027 sitting on the usual pattern, and the 2027 candidate handbook was updated on 10 September 2026.
- Reform has been recommended. The Police Leadership Commission's report of 6 July 2026 calls the promotion process broken and the exam out of date, and recommends a reformed process with a modernised legal exam.
- Nothing has been decided. We found no Government response and no College announcement changing the exam when we checked on 18 October 2026.
The current exam process still applies: 150 multiple-choice questions in three hours, 140 scored, a 55% pass mark (77 of 140), on the Blackstone's Police Manuals for your sitting. See the sergeant exam explained.
What is still scheduled
| Sitting | Exam dates | Registration | Syllabus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeants' October 2026 | 6 October 2026 to 8 October 2026 | Closed | 2026 Blackstone's Police Manuals |
| Inspectors' November 2026 | 3 November 2026 to 5 November 2026 | Closed 6pm on 5 October 2026 | 2026 Blackstone's Police Manuals |
| Sergeants' March 2027 | 16 March 2027 to 18 March 2027 | 18 January 2027 to 6pm on 18 February 2027 | 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals |
| Inspectors' May 2027 | 11 May 2027 to 13 May 2027 | 15 March 2027 to 6pm on 15 April 2027 | 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals |
| Sergeants' October 2027 | 5 October 2027 to 7 October 2027 | 3 August 2027 to 6pm on 9 September 2027 | 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals |
| Inspectors' November 2027 | 2 November 2027 to 4 November 2027 | 6 September 2027 to 6pm on 4 October 2027 | 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals |
You register through your force examinations officer. Registration windows closing at 6pm are as shown on the College hub. At the March 2026 sitting, 3,215 candidates sat the sergeants' exam and 58.5% passed. Full details are in NPPF exam dates 2027.
What the Police Leadership Commission actually recommended
We read the full report. Its exam proposals are in recommendation 14 and paragraphs 182 to 185:
| Question | What the report says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| What it calls the exam | Out of date; only half of prospective sergeants and just over a third of prospective inspectors pass | Paragraph 36 |
| Why it wants change | Too much emphasis on a legal exam widely seen as a poor indicator of leadership competence | Paragraph 184 |
| Does it keep a legal exam? | Yes: national leadership development programmes followed by a modernised legal exam should be required learning for promotion | Recommendation 14 |
| When the exam would be taken | Later in the process, once an officer has passed a leadership development course and been assessed as suitable for the next rank | Paragraph 184 |
| What it would test | Essential law used regularly in the new rank, and how to find and understand other law using AI and other modern technology | Paragraph 185 |
| The SIPP pilot | A new, shorter, more focused exam on the same curriculum plus a portfolio; goes some way but not far enough | Paragraph 184 |
| Timing | Roll out the tested process nationally as soon as possible as an interim measure; outline new processes in 2026/27 | Recommendation 14; paragraph 283 |
In short, the Commission wants leadership capability to be the main test of readiness for promotion, with legal knowledge tested later and differently. It does not recommend promoting officers without any legal test. For the rest of the report, including the senior constable rank and the end of temporary promotion, see the report explained.
Headlines versus the report
| Claim | What the source says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| The exam is being scrapped | Recommends a modernised legal exam later in the process, not no exam | Recommendation 14; paragraphs 184 and 185 |
| A new sergeant qualification replaces the exam | This is the College press release's wording; the report describes leadership learning followed by a modernised legal exam | College press release; recommendation 14 |
| It changes from 2027 | No date is given for any change; the College lists 2027 sittings as normal | Report; College exam hub |
| Temporary promotion is ending | Recommended, replaced by probation in rank; not decided | Paragraph 188 |
If your force is testing SIPP
The sergeant and inspector promotion and progression process (SIPP) is the College's alternative being tested in a small number of forces. The College's May 2024 article named Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Avon and Somerset, said the test ran from April 2024 to March 2026, and described three stages (development, selection and promotion), with readiness shown through a professional development review, specified leadership training and practice-based evidence, plus an exam on legal knowledge tailored to the role. Forces not taking part keep the four-step NPPF.
The Commission says the process is now being tested in five forces, with a shorter, more focused exam on the same curriculum and a portfolio assessment. The College's exam hub says that for forces trialling the SIPP legal test, those events take place at the same time as the NPPF exams. More in our SIPP guide.
How long change is likely to take
We cannot predict a date, and nobody has published one. What the sources show:
- 2023. The College said any national changes to the promotion process, if agreed, were not likely before at least 2027.
- 2024. The College said no decision had been made about the future process and that it would review the test findings with forces, the NPCC and the Police Federation.
- July 2026. The Commission recommended national roll-out of the tested process as soon as possible as an interim measure, and asked an implementation group to outline new promotion processes during 2026/27.
- October 2026. The College lists exam sittings through November 2027.
The legal framework also matters. Regulation 3 of the Police (Promotion) Regulations 1996 currently says a constable is qualified for promotion to sergeant on passing the qualifying assessment, with two years' service and completed probation, and defines the qualifying assessment as an examination. The Commission itself notes the College has tried for six years to reform these processes and met resistance. Outlining a process is not the same as running it, and published dates for sittings are the best guide to what will happen next.
Planning your revision
Waiting for reform is a gamble on something with no date. The legal knowledge in the Manuals is also what any modernised exam would draw on, since the Commission wants future exams to test the essential law used regularly in the new rank. Our suggestions:
- Decide on your sitting now and work back from it with the free exam study planner or the sergeant exam revision plan.
- Make sure you have the 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals for 2027 sittings. See which edition you need.
- Test yourself against the 55% mark with the free sergeant mini mock and our sample questions.
- Build board evidence alongside revision, since step three still follows a pass. See the promotion hub.
- Check the College hub again before registration opens, in case anything changes.
Our paid exam prep toolkit is a product we sell, built on the current NPPF format and syllabus. PolicePay is independent of the College of Policing, and the Blackstone's Manuals for your sitting remain the only source the exam is drawn from.
What it means for your situation
| Your situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Registered for, or planning, March 2027 | Prepare for the exam as it stands. Nothing published changes that sitting |
| Planning October 2027 | Same. Check the College hub again when registration opens on 3 August 2027 |
| Sat October 2026, awaiting results | Your result and its five-year validity follow the current handbook |
| Hold a valid pass | It remains valid for five years (less one day) under current rules. Remember that resitting while a pass is valid forfeits the rest of its validity |
| Failed and deciding whether to resit | Resitting is open with no national limit (force limits may apply). Waiting for reform means waiting for something with no date |
| In a SIPP force | Follow your force's process and the SIPP legal test timetable |
| Not yet eligible (under two years or on probation) | Eligibility rules are unchanged: two years' service and completed probation by the exam date |
What to watch for
- A Government response to the Commission, which we had not found by 18 October 2026.
- Any announcement from the Home Office implementation group the Commission asked for, and its timeline.
- A College statement on the SIPP evaluation or a decision on national roll-out.
- Changes to the College's NPPF step two hub, the 2027 handbook or the 2028 dates when published.
- Any change to the Police (Promotion) Regulations 1996, which govern qualification for promotion.
We will update this page when any of these happens.
What we could not verify
- Government position. We found no published Government response to the Commission. We could not open the parliamentary record of 6 July 2026, so we do not report ministers' statements.
- SIPP evaluation. We found no published College evaluation or decision following the April 2024 to March 2026 test phase.
- Transitional rules. Nothing published says how existing passes, resit limits or exam dates would be handled if the process changed.
- Which forces are in SIPP now. The Commission says five forces; the College's May 2024 article named three. We do not have a current list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the sergeant exam being scrapped in 2027?
Not on anything published by 18 October 2026. The College of Policing lists sergeants' sittings on 16 to 18 March 2027 and 5 to 7 October 2027, and updated its 2027 candidate handbook on 10 September 2026. The Police Leadership Commission recommended reforming promotion and modernising the legal exam, but that is a recommendation with no decision or date attached.
Should I still revise for the March 2027 sergeants' exam?
Yes, if your force uses the NPPF. The exam is scheduled, the pass mark is 55% (77 of 140 scored questions) and it covers the 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals. No published change affects that sitting. If your force is one of those testing SIPP, follow its guidance on the SIPP legal test, which the College says runs at the same time as the NPPF exams.
What did the Police Leadership Commission say about the sergeant exam?
It called it out of date and said it carries too much weight in promotion. It recommended that a modernised legal exam come later in the process, after leadership development and an assessment of suitability, testing the essential law used regularly in the new rank and how to find other law using modern technology. It did not recommend ending legal testing.
Is SIPP replacing the NPPF?
Not yet. SIPP is the College's sergeant and inspector promotion and progression process, tested in a small number of forces. The College said in May 2024 that the test ran from April 2024 to March 2026 and no decision had been made about the future process. The Commission recommended rolling out the tested process nationally as soon as possible as an interim measure.
If I pass now, will my pass still count after any reform?
Under current rules a step two pass is valid for five years (less one day) from the exam date. We found nothing published about how passes would be treated under a future process, because no future process has been decided. That question should be answered in any transition plan.
Is the inspector exam being scrapped too?
The same applies. The Commission's recommendations cover promotion to both sergeant and inspector, and the College still lists inspectors' sittings on 3 to 5 November 2026, 11 to 13 May 2027 and 2 to 4 November 2027.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 18 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: NPPF step two exam hub : read via the College's production mirror (production.copweb.aws.college.police.uk) on 18 October 2026 because the www host returned an error. 2026 and 2027 exam dates and registration windows; SIPP legal test events take place at the same time as the NPPF exams; no announced changes (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF step two candidate handbook 2027 (updated 10 September 2026) : read via the production mirror. Eligibility, no national limit on resits, five-year validity (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Police Leadership Commission: Professionalism and performance, police leadership for the future (PDF, July 2026) : read in full text: paragraph 36, recommendation 14, paragraphs 179 to 188 (promotion, legal exams, temporary promotion) and paragraph 283 (2026/27 priorities) (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing press office: Police leadership requires fundamental overhaul, landmark review warns (embargoed to 6 July 2026) : the College's summary describing a new sergeant qualification to replace an outdated exam; no implementation dates (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Testing a new process for promotion and progression for sergeants and inspectors (23 May 2024, via the production mirror) : SIPP test phase April 2024 to March 2026; Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Avon and Somerset named; three stages; forces not taking part keep the four-step NPPF; no decision made on the future process (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Promotion and progression for sergeants and inspectors (27 October 2023, via the production mirror) : forces outside the test keep the existing process including the exams; any national changes, if agreed, not likely before at least 2027 (accessed 18 October 2026)
- The Police (Promotion) Regulations 1996, regulation 3: qualification for promotion (legislation.gov.uk) : a constable is qualified for promotion to sergeant on passing the qualifying assessment, with two years' service and completed probation; the qualifying assessment is defined as an examination (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing press office: Police Leadership Commission, College of Policing response (6 July 2026) : no timescales, no mention of the exam (accessed 18 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 18 October 2026.