NPPF Step 2
Legal Knowledge Exam
NPPF step 2 is the national legal knowledge exam you must pass to be promoted to sergeant or inspector in England and Wales. This guide explains it as the College of Policing's 2027 candidate handbook (updated 10 September 2026) sets it out: where it sits in the four steps, who can sit it, how 150 questions become a score out of 140, what the three subject areas contain, how the online sitting works, and what happens to your result afterwards.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 4 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
A single 3-hour online exam of 150 multiple-choice questions on the law in the current Blackstone's Police Manuals (crime, evidence and procedure, general police duties). Ten questions are removed after marking, so you are scored on 140. Sergeants need 55% (77 correct), inspectors 65% (91 correct), unless the debrief panel alters the mark in exceptional circumstances. A pass lasts five years less one day and lets you enter your force's step three selection.
NPPF step 2 at a glance
Everything below comes from the College of Policing's own documents, read on 4 October 2026: the 2027 candidate handbook, its Appendix A syllabus list, the online examinations candidate guide and the College's published results and subject breakdowns. Where we could not confirm something, it is in the not verified section rather than stated as fact. For the rank-specific picture, see the sergeant exam and inspector exam pages; this page is the rulebook view that applies to both.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What it is | Step two of the four-step National Police Promotion Framework: a national legal knowledge exam for promotion to sergeant or inspector |
| Who sets it | The College of Policing, under rules approved by the NPPF governance board |
| Format | One 3-hour sitting, 150 multiple-choice questions, sat online |
| Questions scored | 140: the 10 questions that performed least well are removed after the exam, and you are not told which |
| Pass mark | Sergeants 55% (77 of 140); inspectors 65% (91 of 140). The debrief panel can alter it in exceptional circumstances |
| Exceptional grade | Sergeants 75% and above; inspectors 85% and above |
| Low-band fail | Sergeants below 30%; inspectors below 35% |
| Subject areas | Crime; evidence and procedure; general police duties |
| Syllabus | Only the current Blackstone's Police Manuals: the 2027 edition for 2027 sittings |
| Where and when | Online, at home or work, any start time from 8am to 8pm on any day of a three-day exam period |
| Sittings in 2027 | Sergeants 16 to 18 March and 5 to 7 October; inspectors 11 to 13 May and 2 to 4 November |
| Results | Within three weeks, as a feedback report broken down by subject area; no certificate |
| Validity | Five years less one day from the date of the exam; step three must fall inside it |
| Resits | No national limit (forces may set one); resitting forfeits any remaining validity |
The October 2026 sergeants' exam is from Tuesday 6 to Thursday 8 October 2026 and is set against the 2026 edition of the Manuals under the 2026 handbook. Registration for it closed on 10 September 2026. Unscheduled incident reports for it must reach the College by 8pm on Sunday 11 October 2026, and results are due by 29 October 2026. National registration for the November 2026 inspectors' exam (3 to 5 November 2026) closed at 6pm on Monday 5 October 2026 (forces may have set an earlier deadline); if you are not entered, ask your force examinations officer about May 2027. All dates are in NPPF exam dates 2026 and NPPF exam dates 2027.
Where step 2 sits in the NPPF
The National Police Promotion Framework has four steps, and the handbook describes them in one line each. Only step two is national. The other three are run by your force, which is why two officers who pass the same exam can have very different journeys afterwards.
| Step | What the handbook calls it | Who runs it | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step one | Competence in current rank | Your force (line manager signs the step one form; the force examinations officer verifies) | PDR or equivalent, no live improvement notice, no live warning, attendance policy met, rank-specific criteria |
| Step two | Legal knowledge examination | College of Policing (national) | The exam this page explains. A pass is valid for five years less one day |
| Step three | Assessment against rank-specific competencies and matching to vacancies | Your force | Usually a local selection process such as an application and board; it must fall within your step two validity |
| Step four | Temporary promotion and work-based assessment | Your force | For sergeants this is a mandatory 12 months that cannot be reduced; you are substantive only when it is complete |
Three consequences follow from that structure, and each catches people out:
- You cannot skip step one. Eligibility for the exam is eligibility for step one. Your line manager signs the step one form, and the force examinations officer must not verify you on the registration platform without that confirmation. A result obtained while ineligible is voided, with no right of appeal.
- A pass is a ticket, not a promotion. It lets you enter step three. If your force runs no step three process you can use before the pass expires, the pass lapses and you return to step one.
- Step four has its own clock. For sergeants, step four is a mandatory 12 months that "cannot be reduced in any circumstances", and you are not substantive (and so cannot sit the inspectors' exam) until it is complete.
The wider process, from first application to substantive rank, is covered in the promotion hub. If your force is one of those testing the alternative SIPP process, the route is different: see how SIPP differs below.
Who can sit step 2
You must meet the step one criteria. The handbook lists them as: competence in your current rank shown through your PDR, your student officer learning and assessment portfolio or an acceptable equivalent; no live written improvement notice under the Police (Performance) Regulations 2020 and no reduction in rank under those procedures in the previous 12 months; no live written warning, final written warning or extended final written warning under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020; adherence to the attendance management policy; and the rank-specific criteria below.
| Situation | Can you sit? | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Sergeants' exam | Regular constables only (those appointed to the office of regular constable) | Two years' service and probation completed by the date of the exam; no previous pass in a recognised promotion exam |
| Inspectors' exam, OSPRE-qualified sergeant | Substantive sergeants | Eligible from day one of the sergeant posting, during the probationary year |
| Inspectors' exam, NPPF-qualified sergeant | Substantive sergeants | Only once the 12-month step four is complete and you are made substantive |
| Rejoiners at sergeant or inspector | Treated as meeting step one | Must sit the exam at the earliest opportunity; two opportunities to pass; failing both may lead to regulation 13 being considered |
| Fast Track | Programme members | Sit to programme timescales; registration is not automatic |
| Career break | Allowed if the terms of the break permit it | Force must notify the College with chief officer approval by the registration closing date |
| Suspended | Allowed with chief officer sign-off | Force examinations officer must have the sign-off before you sit |
| Sick or on limited duties | Allowed only with a fitness certificate | Certificate from the force medical examiner or equivalent, submitted at registration, even if you sit at home |
| Pregnancy, maternity or paternity leave | Allowed if you choose | Accommodations may be possible; apply as early as practicable and no later than the registration closing date |
The "by the date of the exam" rule
For the sergeants' exam, two years' service and completion of probation are measured at the date of the exam, not at registration. A constable nearing the end of probation can register only if the force supports it and they will be substantive by the exam date. The handbook is blunt about the alternative: an officer who sits before they are substantive "for any reason" has the result voided. The same applies to sergeants nearing the end of a temporary promotion who want to sit the inspectors' exam.
Specials and staff
Admission to the sergeants' exam is restricted to regular constables. Special constables cannot sit it under the handbook's wording. Police staff are not eligible either, although the 30% Manuals discount (see below) is open to officers and staff.
If you have a live written warning or final written warning, you are not eligible until it expires. The knock-on effects are explained in police final written warning explained and the misconduct and gross misconduct threshold guide.
The format: what you actually face
The handbook describes "a single, three-hour examination containing 150 multiple-choice questions" testing knowledge and understanding of three areas: crime, evidence and procedure, and general police duties. The sergeants' and inspectors' exams have the same structure.
- Application, not recall. The candidate guide calls them "multiple-choice application questions". The handbook says the exam is not aimed at pure factual recall of things you would look up at work, and you will not be examined on simply recalling information held only in the Manuals' tables.
- PACE Codes are the exception to that. Where the Manual's text refers directly to a paragraph of a PACE Code of Practice, you are expected to know the relevant provision.
- One question per page, grouped by subject. Questions are grouped by subject for every candidate, in sections shown in a panel on the left of the screen. You can answer in any order and move back and forth.
- Every question carries the same weight. The candidate guide says all questions are equally weighted and their difficulty varies throughout the paper, so there is no advantage in working backwards.
- Tools on screen. You can flag questions for review, strike through options you have ruled out, and make notes in a built-in workings panel that is deleted when you submit. Handwritten notes about the questions, or notes in other software, are not allowed.
- Long questions. The College's breakdowns put the March 2026 sergeants' paper at about 24,606 words and the May 2026 inspectors' paper at about 24,309 words across all 150 questions.
Who writes them: trained question writers who have attended the College's multiple-choice question writing course. Every question is then checked for legal accuracy by the College's legal services unit and independent legal experts. The College keeps the questions as its intellectual property and reuses them, which is why copying or discussing them is treated so seriously.
Scoring: 150 questions, 140 marks, four grades
During marking, every question is evaluated against standard criteria. The marking panel, ratified by the debrief panel, then removes the 10 questions that "performed least well in the exam", and you are scored on the remaining 140. You are not told where the removed questions were, you get no score for them, and the College accepts no appeals about them.
| Grade | Sergeants (%) | Sergeants (of 140) | Inspectors (%) | Inspectors (of 140) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-band fail | Below 30% | Fewer than 42 | Below 35% | Fewer than 49 |
| Fail | 30% to below 55% | 42 to 76 | 35% to below 65% | 49 to 90 |
| Pass | 55% or more | 77 or more | 65% or more | 91 or more |
| Exceptional | 75% or more | 105 or more | 85% or more | 119 or more |
The percentages and the 77 and 91 figures are the handbook's; the other counts are our arithmetic on 140 (for example, 75% of 140 is 105). The results overviews describe the pass mark as "an absolute cut score" applied to all candidates, and 1,882 of the 3,215 March 2026 sergeant candidates passed at 55%.
When the pass mark can move
The NPPF debrief panel (an NPCC-nominated moderator, a Police Federation member, and College legal services, workforce development and occupational psychology representatives) reviews every sitting before results are released. It "reserves the right to alter the pass mark in exceptional circumstances" if it sees a significant deviation in the success rate, higher or lower, or has evidence that a change would give a fairer outcome. So 55% and 65% are the published standard, not a guarantee in either direction.
It will not consider extenuating circumstances, add marks for candidates just below the pass mark, remark papers, or change a fail into a pass. The handbook says marginal fails "will not be reassessed or awarded a pass mark under any circumstances". The detail of how the pass mark works is in pass mark explained.
How the numbers work: a worked example
The removed questions make the pass mark slightly slippery from the candidate's side. You answer 150, but only 140 count, and you will never know which 10 did not. The table shows how many of your 150 answers need to be right to land exactly on the pass mark, depending on how you did on the 10 that were removed.
| Your performance on the 10 removed questions | Sergeants (77 of 140) | Inspectors (91 of 140) |
|---|---|---|
| You got all 10 removed questions wrong | 77 of 150 (51.3%) | 91 of 150 (60.7%) |
| You got 5 of the removed questions right | 82 of 150 (54.7%) | 96 of 150 (64.0%) |
| You got all 10 removed questions right | 87 of 150 (58.0%) | 101 of 150 (67.3%) |
The practical reading: a sergeant candidate who gets 80 of 150 right might pass or fail depending on which questions were removed. A candidate who gets 87 or more of 150 right passes at 55% whatever was removed (87 minus a worst case of 10 is 77). For inspectors the safe figure is 101 of 150. If you are measuring yourself on full 150-question practice papers, those are the numbers to aim past, not 77 and 91.
The clock
| Measure | Figure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Total time | 180 minutes | Starts when you click Start Test; comfort breaks come out of it |
| Per question if you use it all | 72 seconds | 180 minutes divided by 150 |
| Per question if you keep 15 minutes to review flags | 66 seconds | 165 minutes divided by 150 |
| Words on the paper (sergeants, March 2026) | About 24,606 | An average of about 164 words per question |
| Words on the paper (inspectors, May 2026) | About 24,309 | An average of about 162 words per question |
| Reading time alone at 200 words a minute | About 123 minutes | Leaves under an hour for every decision on 150 questions |
The 200 words a minute row is illustrative arithmetic, not a College figure, but the point stands at any reading speed: a large share of the three hours goes on reading, and the rest has to cover every decision. That is why timed practice under the full 150-question, 3-hour conditions matters as much as knowing the law. A sensible rule of thumb is to flag anything still unclear after about a minute, move on, and come back to flags with the time you have saved.
A sergeant candidate finishes with 84 of 150 answered correctly and 6 left blank. Suppose 4 of the 10 removed questions were ones they got right: their score is 80 of 140, or 57.1%, a pass. Had 8 of the removed questions been ones they got right, the score would be 76 of 140 (54.3%), a fail by one mark, and no appeal would change it. Answer every question: an unanswered question can only be wrong.
If you want to test your own numbers against the clock, our free sergeant exam mini mock is a short timed set of original practice questions (not real exam questions) with explanations.
The Manuals are the syllabus
The 2027 handbook says the syllabus is "cross-referenced to, and only contained within, the 2027 edition of the Blackstone's Police Manuals", that questions are "drawn solely from the contents of these manuals", and that you will be examined on the law and procedure "only as it appears" in that edition. It advises against relying on previous editions.
- One endorsed resource. The Manuals are the only resource the College endorses for the exam. The handbook states that other products, including the Blackstone's Q&As, are not affiliated with the College of Policing. Commercial question banks, including ours, are not endorsed either.
- Three volumes. Volume 1 Crime, Volume 2 Evidence and Procedure and Volume 3 General Police Duties, which map onto the three subject areas.
- 30% discount. All police officers and staff in England and Wales can get 30% off the Manuals; the discount code is on College Learn (log-in needed).
- Law that changes after publication. Changes in legislation or case law after the 2027 edition was published are examined only in exceptional circumstances and only if the College gives suitable prior notice. Unless it does, the whole syllabus remains examinable as printed, even if the law has moved on. Updates, if any, are published on the College website and sent to force examinations officers.
- The edition follows the sitting year. The 2026 handbook named the 2026 edition for the 2026 sittings, including October and November 2026. The 2027 edition applies to the March, May, October and November 2027 sittings.
Which edition to buy, and whether the extra Blackstone's products are worth it, are covered in which Blackstone's edition and Blackstone's Q&A and Mock: worth it? Free material, including the College's own practice questions on the Knowledge Hub "Candidate Online Examination Guidance" group, is listed in free exam resources.
The three subject areas and what each covers
Appendix A of the 2027 handbook lists every chapter and sub-heading of the three Manuals: 47 chapters and more than 460 sub-headings. All of it is examinable for both ranks except chapter 1.8, weapons, which is for the sergeants' exam only. The tables group the chapters; the Manual itself is the definitive text.
Crime (Volume 1, 17 chapters)
| Chapters | Covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 to 1.4 | Mens rea, actus reus, incomplete offences (attempts, conspiracy, encouraging or assisting), general defences including use of force | The building blocks used in many offence questions |
| 1.5 | Homicide and related offences | Includes causing or allowing a child or vulnerable adult to die or suffer serious physical harm |
| 1.6 and 1.7 | Misuse of drugs; firearms and gun crime | Possession, defences, police powers; firearms offences and definitions |
| 1.8 | Weapons (sergeants' exam only) | Offensive weapons, bladed articles, school premises, knives |
| 1.9 to 1.11 | Racially and religiously aggravated offences; non-fatal offences against the person; deprivation of liberty | Assaults, consent, false imprisonment, kidnapping, slavery and related offences |
| 1.12 and 1.13 | Sexual offences; sexual offences against children and people with a mental disorder | 1.13 is a new separate chapter in the 2027 list (it is not in the 2026 list) |
| 1.14 | Child protection | Police powers under the Children Act 1989, child abduction, child cruelty |
| 1.15 to 1.17 | Theft and related offences; fraud; criminal damage | Theft, robbery, burglary, handling, fraud by false representation, arson and threats |
Evidence and procedure (Volume 2, 8 chapters)
| Chapter | Covers | Examples of sub-headings |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Instituting criminal proceedings, summons and warrants | Written charge and requisition, service, issue and execution of warrants |
| 2.2 | Bail | Pre-charge release, police bail after charge, conditions, refusing bail, absconding, remands in police custody |
| 2.3 | Court procedure and witnesses | Mode of trial, single justice procedure, special measures, refreshing memory, examination and cross-examination |
| 2.4 | Exclusion of admissible evidence | Confessions, exclusion of evidence generally, entrapment |
| 2.5 | Disclosure of evidence | The CPIA Code of Practice, paragraph by paragraph |
| 2.6 | Detention and treatment: PACE Code C | Custody officer duties, reviews and extensions, vulnerable people |
| 2.7 | Identification: PACE Code D | Eye-witness procedures, video identification, samples and impressions |
| 2.8 | Interviews: PACE Codes C, E and F | Interviews, cautions and inferences, audio and visual recording |
This volume is where the PACE Codes rule bites hardest: chapters 2.6 to 2.8 are built around Codes C, D, E and F, and the College's breakdowns list individual Code sections and annexes. Our PACE 1984 for sergeants guide covers the custody and detention parts in plain English.
General police duties (Volume 3, 22 chapters)
| Chapters | Covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 to 3.3 | Stop and search; entry, search and seizure; powers of arrest | PACE Codes A and B and arrest powers |
| 3.4 | Protection of people suffering from mental disorders | Includes use of force in mental health units |
| 3.5 to 3.7 | Land and premises; alcohol; injunctions, orders and police powers | Trespass, licensing-related powers, protective orders |
| 3.8 to 3.10 | Processions, assemblies and protests; public order offences; football matches | Public order powers and offences |
| 3.11 and 3.12 | Domestic violence and abuse; hatred, harassment and stalking | Notices and orders, harassment and stalking offences |
| 3.13 and 3.14 | Information and communications offences; offences against the administration of justice and public interest | Including perjury, perverting the course of justice and wasting police time |
| 3.15 | Terrorism and associated offences | Including the duty of disclosure and tipping off |
| 3.16 to 3.18 | Diversity, equality and inclusion; complaints and misconduct; unsatisfactory performance and attendance | The Standards of Professional Behaviour, misconduct procedures, the stages of the performance procedures |
| 3.19 to 3.22 | Road policing definitions; road policing powers; standards of driving; drink, drugs and driving | Definitions, stopping vehicles, dangerous and careless driving, specimens |
Two features of this volume surprise people. First, it includes the conduct and performance regimes (chapters 3.17 and 3.18), which supervisors use in practice; see misconduct vs gross misconduct. Second, use of force sits in Crime chapter 1.4 (general defences), not here; see the use of force legal test.
What changed between the 2026 and 2027 lists
| Item | 2026 | 2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crime chapters | 16 | 17 | New chapter 1.13: sexual offences against children and people with a mental disorder |
| 1.5 | Homicide | Homicide and related offences | Retitled |
| 2.1 | Instituting criminal proceedings | Instituting criminal proceedings, summons and warrants | Retitled |
| 2.2 | Release of person arrested | Bail | Retitled |
| 3.6 | Licensing and offences relating to alcohol | Offences and powers relating to alcohol | Retitled |
| 3.10 | Sporting events | Offences and powers relating to football matches | Retitled |
| 3.12 | Hatred and harassment offences | Hatred, harassment and stalking | Retitled |
This compares chapter titles only. The number of sub-headings rose slightly and content inside chapters will have changed with the law; a chapter title that is the same in both years does not mean the content is. If you are resitting in 2027 after a 2026 attempt, revise from the 2027 Manuals, not your old notes.
How the papers were weighted
The handbook explains that the balance of questions follows a "blueprint" built from a nationwide survey of operational sergeants and inspectors, with input from the NPPF governance board. Areas rated important and frequently encountered at the target rank are more likely to be tested, but any part of the syllabus can come up. After each sitting the College publishes a subject area breakdown.
| Paper | Crime (of 150) | Evidence (of 150) | GPD (of 150) | Scored rows listed | Removed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeants, March 2026 | 66 | 34 | 50 | 60 / 31 / 49 | 6 / 3 / 1 |
| Inspectors, May 2026 | Not derivable | Not derivable | Not derivable | About 52 / 29 / 55 (our count, 136 of 140 rows) | 4 / 1 / 5 |
For March 2026 the sergeants' breakdown lists exactly 140 subject rows (60, 31 and 49), which matches the 140 scored questions; adding back the removed questions (6, 3 and 1) gives the 150-question paper. Our parse of the inspectors' May 2026 PDF found 136 rows, so treat its split as approximate. The College warns that each breakdown is "only useful and valid" for that sitting and should not be used to predict future papers.
Even so, the broad shape is useful for planning: crime and general police duties together made up about three-quarters of the March 2026 sergeants' paper (116 of 150), and evidence and procedure the rest, just under a quarter (34 of 150). How to use the breakdowns without over-reading them is in what comes up in the exam.
The online sitting
The exam is delivered online on the Civica Assess platform, which is separate from AIMS, the system you register on. The essentials from the handbook and the candidate guide:
- When. Any one day in the three-day exam period, starting at any time between 8am and 8pm. College support is staffed from 8am to 8pm, so starting early leaves room to sort out problems. No alternative dates are offered.
- Where. At home, at work or in a force testing room if your force provides one. There is no national requirement for supervision, but you must sit alone unless it is an organised force delivery.
- Equipment. A laptop, desktop or tablet (not a mobile phone) in landscape mode, using Chrome 100 or later, Edge 100 or later, or Safari 15 or later, not in private or incognito mode. A force device has to go through the force VPN and may be slower.
- Familiarisation. A link arrives about a week before the exam. You can access it once, and it is available until 7pm on your exam day.
- One sitting. The timer starts when you click Start Test and must not be paused. Comfort breaks are allowed but the clock keeps running, unless you have agreed scheduled breaks as a reasonable adjustment. Closing the browser is logged and reviewed.
- Connection drops. The platform keeps working offline and saves answers in the browser cache; if it cannot upload at the end, it gives you an encrypted file to email to the College.
- Banned. AI tools of any kind, help from anyone, copying, photographing or screenshotting any part of a question, and discussing questions or topic areas with anyone, including on social media after the exam.
A suspected breach goes to the reports and disqualification panel. It can fail you, remove your result, bar you from future attempts for two years or more, and refer you to your professional standards department and chief officer. The College says it looks at system activity records, and that colluding officers' performance reports are analysed. Full exam-day detail is in NPPF online exam rules and exam day.
On reference books, the candidate guide is more nuanced than most people assume. It expects you to sit the exam as you would in an invigilated room, says looking things up is "likely to be ineffective or counterproductive" given the timing, and strongly discourages it. It also says that consulting reference materials such as the Manual will not be reported as cheating, because it is unlikely to give any advantage. Searching for answers with copied question text, or using AI, is a breach. Treat it as a closed-book exam: at 72 seconds a question, that is the only realistic way to sit it anyway.
Results, feedback and what you cannot challenge
Results and feedback reports are released within three weeks. Your force examinations officer sees the full list on AIMS, and you receive a link to your own report, which you open by confirming your date of birth, National Insurance number and email address. Mistakes in those details at registration delay your result.
- What the report shows. Your final grade and total percentage, broken down by subject area, so you can see strengths and development needs.
- No certificate. The feedback report is the proof of your result. The College cannot reissue it, so save a copy somewhere you control.
- Unscheduled incidents. If something outside your control seriously disrupted your exam, report it in writing via your force examinations officer so that it reaches the College within three days (the 2027 deadlines are 8pm on 21 March, 16 May, 10 October and 7 November). Reports about your own device, connection, testing environment, sickness, workload or issues you knew about before you started are not accepted.
- Special consideration. If a report is accepted and both panels agree, the marking panel can award an allowance of 1% of the total raw marks to every candidate affected by the same issue. It is reserved for very exceptional, significant disruption.
- Question queries. If you think a question was legally wrong or unfair, describe it (without reproducing it) to the College within three days. Questions found unfair are removed for all candidates.
- After release. Results are final. There is no remarking and no review.
For an unsuccessful candidate whose report is accepted, the reports and disqualification panel cannot change the result, but it can recommend that the force disregards that attempt where a local resit limit would otherwise stop another try. Reading your feedback report and planning a resit are covered in NPPF results, validity and resits.
Recent pass rates
The College publishes a results and analysis overview after each sitting. The two most recent on the exam hub when we checked:
| Sitting | Sat | Passed | Pass rate | Exceptional | Low-band fail | Metropolitan Police |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeants, March 2026 | 3,215 | 1,882 | 58.5% | 387 (12.0%) | 45 (1.4%) | 1,148 sat, 40.8% passed |
| Inspectors, May 2026 | 1,739 | 644 | 37.0% | 41 (2.3%) | 27 (1.6%) | 530 sat, 23.8% passed |
Two things stand out. The inspectors' pass rate is far lower than the sergeants'. The inspectors' pass mark is 10 points higher on a paper of the same length and structure, which is likely to be part of the reason (our inference: the College does not give one). And the Metropolitan Police, which supplied more than a third of sergeant candidates in March 2026, passed at well below the national rate in both sittings. The College's November 2025 inspectors' overview, which we read earlier, put that sitting's pass rate at 24.4%. Force-by-force rates are on the sergeant exam and inspector exam pages, and the reasons the inspector paper is harder to pass are explored in the inspector revision plan.
Pass rates describe a cohort, not your chances. They do not show how long candidates prepared, how many were resitting, or how forces decided who to put forward. We have no data on how users of any revision product, including ours, perform.
Validity, resits and extensions
A pass is valid for five years less one day from the date of taking the exam. To use it, the date of your force's step three process must fall within that period; the College's tables phrase it as having "undertaken the final stage" of step three by the expiry date. If you have not, you return to step one.
| Sitting passed | Final stage of step three by |
|---|---|
| Sergeants, 17 to 19 March 2026 | 18 March 2031 |
| Sergeants, 6 to 8 October 2026 | 7 October 2031 |
| Inspectors, 12 to 14 May 2026 | 13 May 2031 |
| Inspectors, 3 to 5 November 2026 | 4 November 2031 |
Resits
- No national limit. Any limit on the number of resits is a local force decision, so ask your force examinations officer what yours is.
- Resitting a valid pass costs you the old pass. You can choose to resit before your validity expires, but any remaining time on the earlier pass is forfeited from the moment you sit, regardless of the result. Fail the resit and you have no valid pass at all.
- The near-expiry safety net. If your validity is about to run out, you can register for the next exam without forfeiting your remaining time, in case a step three process is announced in the meantime. If you succeed at step three, withdraw from the exam at the earliest opportunity. If you do not register in time and then fail step three, you cannot register late.
Extensions
Extensions are considered for maternity leave, paternity leave, maternity-related sickness, maternity support, adoption leave, shared parental leave, a career break for the purposes of care, and long-term sickness absence or conditions with a long-term substantial adverse impact. Part-time working or limited duties need a clear explanation of why they stopped you applying or gathering evidence. Applications go through your force examinations officer to the College with dates and reasons confirmed by your force; forces have no discretion of their own. Exceptional cases go to the reports and disqualification panel, which considers reports every two months (1 February, April, June, August, October and December), with evidence needed at least two weeks before. A lack of promotion opportunities never counts.
How step 2 differs for sergeants and inspectors
It is the same exam framework at two levels. The differences are in who can sit, when, the pass mark and one chapter of the syllabus, not in the type of question.
| Sergeants' exam | Inspectors' exam | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can sit | Regular constables with two years' service and probation complete | Substantive sergeants (OSPRE: from day one; NPPF: after step four) |
| Sittings each year | March and October | May and November |
| Questions, time, scored | 150, 3 hours, 140 | 150, 3 hours, 140 |
| Pass mark | 55% (77 of 140) | 65% (91 of 140) |
| Exceptional | 75% (105 or more) | 85% (119 or more) |
| Low-band fail | Below 30% | Below 35% |
| Syllabus | All three Manuals, including chapter 1.8 weapons | All three Manuals, except chapter 1.8 weapons |
| Latest published pass rate | 58.5% (March 2026) | 37.0% (May 2026) |
| After passing | Step three, then a mandatory 12-month step four | Step three, then step four; two years as a substantive sergeant needed before substantive inspector |
| Pay at the top of the new rank (outside Met and City for inspectors) | £58,175, about £6,160 above top-of-scale constable | £71,396, about £13,220 above top-of-scale sergeant |
The pay row uses our own tables (scales from 1 September 2026, top of one scale to top of the next) and is there to show what is at stake, not as a promise: promotion depends on steps three and four. The sergeant vs inspector exam difference page goes further into how the two papers feel in practice, and how to pass the sergeants' exam and how to pass the inspector exam cover preparation.
The inspectors' exam is not a separate leadership or decision-making test. The handbook gives it the same three subject areas and the same Manuals as the sergeants' paper (minus chapter 1.8), with questions linked to the syllabus so that they are relevant to the target rank. Rank-specific competencies are assessed at step three, not here.
How SIPP differs
The Sergeant and Inspector Promotion and Progression process (SIPP) is the College's alternative model, tested in a small number of partnership forces. The College announced in May 2024 that the test phase would start in April 2024 and run until March 2026. In 2023 it said any national change, if agreed, was not likely before at least 2027. We found no published decision on a national rollout.
| NPPF step 2 | SIPP | |
|---|---|---|
| Who uses it | Forces outside the SIPP test phase, which the College says continue with the four-step process | Forces in the College's test phase (April 2024 to March 2026); those named include Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Avon and Somerset |
| Overall shape | Four steps, with the exam at step two | Three stages: development, selection, promotion, with PDR, specified leadership training and practice-based evidence |
| Legal test, sergeants | 150 questions, 140 scored | 80 questions in March 2026; 5 removed, so 75 scored |
| Legal test, inspectors | 150 questions, 140 scored | 40 questions in May 2026; 5 removed, so 35 scored |
| Content | The whole syllabus, all three subject areas | Questions specific to the role; the May 2026 inspectors' breakdown lists only evidence and procedure and general police duties subjects |
| When sat | The national sitting dates | At the same time as the NPPF exams |
| Pass mark, time limit, validity | Published in the NPPF handbook | Not found in a published College source |
If you work in a force that has not joined the test, the NPPF exam on this page is your route, and the College has said those forces continue with the existing four-step process. If you are in a test force, ask your force examinations officer which process applies to you before you register, because the papers are different. More background is in SIPP: the new promotion process explained.
One-page timeline: from registration to result
Using the March 2027 sergeants' exam as the example. The inspectors' sittings follow the same pattern with their own dates (registration for May 2027 runs from 15 March to 6pm on 15 April; for November 2027 from 6 September to 6pm on 4 October).
| Sitting | Exam days | Registration | Incident reports by | Results | Manuals edition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeants, October 2026 | 6 to 8 Oct 2026 | Closed 10 Sep 2026 | 8pm, 11 Oct 2026 | By 29 Oct 2026 | 2026 |
| Inspectors, November 2026 | 3 to 5 Nov 2026 | 6pm, 5 Oct 2026 | 8pm, 8 Nov 2026 | By 26 Nov 2026 | 2026 |
| Sergeants, March 2027 | 16 to 18 Mar 2027 | 18 Jan to 6pm, 18 Feb 2027 | 8pm, 21 Mar 2027 | By 8 Apr 2027 | 2027 |
| Inspectors, May 2027 | 11 to 13 May 2027 | 15 Mar to 6pm, 15 Apr 2027 | 8pm, 16 May 2027 | By 3 Jun 2027 | 2027 |
| Sergeants, October 2027 | 5 to 7 Oct 2027 | 3 Aug to 6pm, 9 Sep 2027 | 8pm, 10 Oct 2027 | By 28 Oct 2027 | 2027 |
| Inspectors, November 2027 | 2 to 4 Nov 2027 | 6 Sep to 6pm, 4 Oct 2027 | 8pm, 7 Nov 2027 | By 25 Nov 2027 | 2027 |
| When | What happens | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Before mid-January 2027 | Agree with your line manager that you meet step one; ask your force examinations officer for the force's own deadline | The step one form is signed in force and returned before the registration closing date |
| 18 January 2027 | AIMS registration opens | Your force examinations officer sends you the link |
| As early as possible, and by the closing date | Request any reasonable adjustment or accommodation; submit a fitness certificate if you are sick or on limited duties | Late requests may limit what can be offered |
| 6pm, 18 February 2027 | National registration closes | Forces may close earlier; heavy workload or not knowing is not an exceptional reason for late entry |
| About 2 March 2027 | Forces are charged for every registered candidate two weeks before the exam | Withdraw through your force examinations officer as soon as you know; a withdrawal cannot be reversed |
| About 9 March 2027 | Familiarisation exercise link arrives by email, about a week before | One access only, available until 7pm on your exam day. Test your device and browser |
| 16 to 18 March 2027 | Sit the exam on any one day, starting between 8am and 8pm | 3 hours, 150 questions, one sitting |
| By 8pm, 21 March 2027 | Deadline for unscheduled incident reports; question queries also within three days | Via your force examinations officer to the College exams team |
| By 8 April 2027 | Results and feedback reports on AIMS | Save the report: it is your only proof of the result |
| Step three | Enter your force's selection process | Must fall within your validity, which for a March 2027 pass should run to about 17 March 2032 |
The dates for 2 March and 9 March are our arithmetic from "two weeks before" and "about a week before"; the 17 March 2032 expiry is by analogy with the College's own table, which does not yet list 2027 sittings. Every other date is from the 2027 handbook or the exam hub. The step-by-step admin is in the NPPF exam registration checklist, and our free exam study planner works backwards from your sitting date to a weekly plan.
Worked scenarios
Illustrative examples, not real cases, showing how the handbook rules combine.
Common misconceptions
Step 2 checklist
- Confirm with your line manager that you meet step one, and check you will meet the rank-specific criteria by the exam date.
- Ask your force examinations officer for the force deadline and any local resit limit.
- Register on AIMS within the window, check your name, date of birth, National Insurance number and email are exactly right, and screenshot the confirmation.
- Request any reasonable adjustment or accommodation by the closing date, and sign and return the agreement form.
- If you are sick or on limited duties, get your fitness certificate in with your registration.
- Buy the edition of the Manuals for your sitting year, using the 30% College Learn discount.
- Join the College's Candidate Online Examination Guidance group on Knowledge Hub for the free practice questions and revision guide.
- Practise full 150-question papers in 3 hours, and judge yourself against 87 (sergeants) or 101 (inspectors) out of 150.
- Run the system check and the familiarisation exercise on the device and browser you will use.
- Plan your exam day: start early, plug in, close other applications, and keep the College contact details to hand.
- Within three days, report any unscheduled incident or question query through your force examinations officer.
- Save your feedback report as soon as it arrives, and note your validity expiry date.
If you want structured practice on top of the Manuals, our exam prep toolkit has hundreds of checked practice questions, a timed 150-question sitting weighted like the real paper, spaced review, progress tracking and board scenarios, for a one-off £69.99 for 6 months (£99.99 with the AI tutor and board assessor). The questions are our own, not real or past exam questions, the toolkit is not endorsed by the College or Oxford University Press, and it does not replace reading the Manuals, which are the syllabus.
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
- How "performed least well" is measured. The handbook says the 10 removed questions are those that performed least well against standard criteria, but does not publish the criteria. We have not assumed that they are the questions most candidates got wrong.
- The inspectors' May 2026 subject split. Our parse of the PDF found 136 of the expected 140 scored rows, so the 52 / 29 / 55 split is approximate.
- Validity dates for 2027 sittings. The College's table stops at the November 2026 inspectors' exam. Our 2027 expiry dates follow the same pattern but are not yet published.
- Whether the exceptional grade counts for anything. The handbook creates the grade but attaches no national benefit. Any local use at step three is force policy, which we did not survey.
- Special consideration arithmetic. The allowance is 1% of "the total raw marks available"; the handbook does not say whether that is calculated on 140 or 150 marks.
- SIPP details. We found no published SIPP pass mark, time limit or validity rule, and no College decision on extending SIPP beyond the test phase or rolling it out nationally. The forces named in the College's May 2024 article are described as including Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Avon and Somerset; we could not confirm a complete current list.
- The November 2025 inspectors' results. The 24.4% figure comes from the College's November 2025 overview, which was no longer linked from the exam hub when we checked on 4 October 2026.
- Manuals publication date and price. We have not quoted them here because the sources we checked on 4 October 2026 conflicted; see the edition guide for dated prices.
- Interim syllabus updates. None for the 2027 edition had been announced when we checked. The College publishes any update on its website and sends it to force examinations officers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NPPF step 2 exam?
It is the legal knowledge examination that forms step two of the four-step National Police Promotion Framework for promotion to sergeant and to inspector in England and Wales. It is set by the College of Policing, sat online, and tests the law and procedure in the current edition of Blackstone's Police Manuals. Passing it does not promote you: it lets you enter your force's step three selection process within the validity period.
How many questions are in the NPPF step 2 exam and how long is it?
One sitting of 3 hours with 150 multiple-choice questions, the same structure for sergeants and inspectors. After the exam the marking panel removes the 10 questions that performed least well, so you are scored on 140. You are not told which 10 were removed, so every question has to be treated as if it counts.
What is the pass mark for the NPPF step 2 exam?
The 2027 candidate handbook sets 55% (77 correct out of 140) for the sergeants' exam and 65% (91 out of 140) for the inspectors' exam. The NPPF debrief panel can alter the pass mark in exceptional circumstances, for example a significant deviation in the success rate. Marginal fails are not rounded up and there is no remarking.
What does an exceptional grade mean?
Scoring 75% or more in the sergeants' exam, or 85% or more in the inspectors' exam, is graded exceptional. The handbook does not attach any national benefit to that grade, so whether it counts for anything at step three is a matter for your force. At the other end, below 30% (sergeants) or 35% (inspectors) is a low-band fail.
Which Blackstone's edition do I need for step 2?
For the 2027 sittings, the 2027 edition of Blackstone's Police Manuals: the 2027 handbook says the syllabus is only contained within that edition and questions are drawn solely from it. The October 2026 sergeants' and November 2026 inspectors' sittings were set against the 2026 edition under the 2026 handbook. Later changes in the law are examined only if the College gives notice.
Is the step 2 exam the same for sergeants and inspectors?
The structure, the three subject areas and the syllabus are the same, except that chapter 1.8 of the Crime Manual (weapons) is examined for sergeants only. The papers are different, they are sat at different times of year, and the pass mark is 10 percentage points higher for inspectors. Recent inspector pass rates have been much lower than sergeant pass rates.
Can I sit the NPPF exam at home?
Yes. There is no national requirement to sit it at a testing centre or under supervision. You choose when to start between 8am and 8pm on any day within the three-day exam period, on a laptop, desktop or tablet (not a mobile phone) using a supported browser. Some forces offer a testing room, but they do not have to.
Who is eligible to sit the sergeants' step 2 exam?
Regular constables who meet the step one criteria and who, by the date of the exam, have completed two years' service and their probation and have not already passed a recognised promotion exam. Step one means competence confirmed through a PDR or equivalent, no live written improvement notice, no live written warning or final written warning, and compliance with attendance policy. A result obtained while ineligible is voided.
When can a sergeant sit the inspectors' step 2 exam?
An OSPRE-qualified sergeant can sit it from day one of their substantive sergeant posting. An NPPF-qualified sergeant must first complete the mandatory 12-month step four and be made substantive. Separately, every sergeant must serve two years as a substantive sergeant before being substantively promoted to inspector.
How long is an NPPF step 2 pass valid?
Five years less one day from the date of taking the exam, and the final stage of your force's step three process must fall within that period. If it does not, you go back to step one. Extensions are considered for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave, career breaks for care and long-term sickness, but never for a lack of promotion opportunities.
How many times can I resit the NPPF exam?
There is no national limit; any limit is a local force decision. If you resit while an earlier pass is still valid, the remaining validity of that pass is forfeited from the moment you sit, whatever the result of the resit.
When do NPPF step 2 results come out?
Within three weeks of the exam, through a link to a feedback report on the College's AIMS platform. The 2027 handbook gives 8 April, 3 June, 28 October and 25 November 2027 for the four 2027 sittings; the October 2026 sergeants' results are due by 29 October 2026. There is no certificate: the feedback report is your proof of result and cannot be reissued.
Can I appeal my NPPF exam result?
Not on the marks. There is no remarking, no appeal about the removed questions and no adjustment for a near miss. You can report an unscheduled incident, or query a question, within three days of the exam; if a report is accepted the panels may, in exceptional cases, apply a special consideration allowance of 1% of the total raw marks to everyone affected.
Is the SIPP legal knowledge exam the same as NPPF step 2?
No. Forces testing the Sergeant and Inspector Promotion and Progression process sat their own, shorter legal tests at the same time as the NPPF exams: the College's published breakdowns show 80 questions for the March 2026 SIPP sergeants' exam and 40 for the May 2026 SIPP inspectors' exam. If your force does not use SIPP, the NPPF exam is your route.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 4 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 legal examinations candidate handbook (2027 version, updated 10 September 2026) — the four steps; 2027 dates and registration windows; no national resit limit; eligibility for each rank, rejoiners, career breaks, suspension, sickness; structure, syllabus and 2027 Manuals; 30% discount; syllabus updates; removed questions; subject blueprint, tables and PACE Codes; Code of Ethics, AI ban and rule breaches; withdrawals and absence; debrief panel, pass marks, exceptional and low-band grades; feedback reports and results dates; validity table, resits and extensions; unscheduled incidents, special considerations, question queries and remarking. The main site blocked our reader, so we read the same page on the College's production mirror (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF step two legal examinations candidate handbook 2027 (PDF, September 2026) — Appendix A: the chapter and sub-heading list for Volume 1 Crime, Volume 2 Evidence and Procedure and Volume 3 General Police Duties 2027; chapter 1.8 weapons applies to the sergeants' exam only (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF step two legal examinations candidate handbook 2026 (previous version, PDF) — superseded by the 2027 version on the same page; it named the 2026 Manuals for the 2026 sittings, gave results dates of 29 October and 26 November 2026 and unscheduled incident report deadlines of 11 October and 8 November 2026, and its Appendix A is the basis of our 2026 to 2027 chapter comparison (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Sergeants' and inspectors' NPPF step two legal exams (exam hub) — 2026 and 2027 exam dates and registration windows; SIPP legal tests held at the same time as the NPPF exams; links to the results and subject breakdown PDFs (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Online examinations candidate guide (updated 5 August 2026) — 8am to 8pm window and start time; Civica Assess platform, devices and browsers; familiarisation exercise; one question per page, flagging, strikethrough and the workings notepad; moving back and forth; subject grouping and equal weighting; comfort breaks and closing the browser; reference materials; AI and copying rules; offline answers (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Results and analysis overview, NPPF sergeants' step-two legal exam, March 2026 (PDF) — absolute cut score of 55%; 3,215 candidates, 1,882 successful (58.5%); performance bands; Metropolitan Police 1,148 candidates, 40.8% (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Results and analysis overview, NPPF inspectors' step-two legal exam, May 2026 (PDF) — absolute cut score of 65%; 1,739 candidates, 644 successful (37.0%); performance bands; Metropolitan Police Service 530 candidates, 23.8% (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Subject area breakdown, NPPF sergeants' step-two legal exam, March 2026 (PDF) — 140 subject rows (our count: Crime 60, Evidence and procedure 31, General police duties 49); questions removed: Crime 6, Evidence and procedure 3, General police duties 1; paper of about 24,606 words (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Subject area breakdown, NPPF inspectors' step-two legal exam, May 2026 (PDF) — questions removed: Crime 4, Evidence and procedure 1, General police duties 5; paper of about 24,309 words; our parse of the subject rows is approximate (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Subject area breakdown, SIPP sergeants' legal knowledge exam, March 2026 (PDF) — 80 questions (about 13,349 words); 5 removed (Crime 2, Evidence and Procedure 2, General Police Duties 1) (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Subject area breakdown, SIPP inspectors' exam, May 2026 (PDF) — 40 questions (about 6,721 words); 5 removed (Evidence and procedure 1, General police duties 4); subjects listed are evidence and procedure and general police duties only (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Testing new process for promotion and progression for sergeants and inspectors (23 May 2024) — SIPP test phase April 2024 to March 2026; forces named include Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Avon and Somerset; three stages; role-specific legal knowledge exam; no decision on the future process (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Promotion and progression for sergeants and inspectors (27 October 2023) — the reasons for reform; forces outside the test continue with the NPPF exams; any national change not likely before at least 2027 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- PolicePay: pay-scales-ew.json (our own pay data, scales from 1 September 2026) — top of constable £52,015, top of sergeant £58,175, top of inspector outside the Met and City £71,396 (accessed 4 October 2026)
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Disclaimer
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 4 October 2026.