Sergeant and Inspector Exam
Revision Resources Compared
Every main paid and free option for the NPPF Step 2 legal exam, side by side: Blackstone's print and online, Police Inspire, Police Law Prep, Police Pass, Police Revision, How2Become, Checkmate, Police Learn, Police Companion, the College of Policing's free material, Federation offers and our own toolkit (clearly labelled). Every price was re-checked on the provider's own page on 4 October 2026, with VAT noted. We do not rank them. Instead we set out what each offers and a decision guide by type of candidate.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 4 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Start with the Blackstone's Police Manuals for your sitting: the College says the syllabus is only contained in them, and officers get 30% off through College Learn. Then add one question bank with timed 150-question mocks and good explanations. On 4 October 2026 those ranged from £15 a month (Police Law Prep) to £89 for a year (Police Inspire), £105 a year (Blackstone's Q&As Online, plus tax where applicable) and £115 for six months (Police Pass). Add a course or crammer only if you need teaching or structure, not more questions.
Every option at a glance
One table, every product, the price we saw on the provider's own page on 4 October 2026, how long you get, and what the page said about VAT. Where a provider did not show a price, the table says so rather than guessing. Prices change, sometimes weekly around a sitting, so check the provider's page before you pay.
| Product | What it is | Price | Access | VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstone's Police Manuals 2027 (print, 3 volumes) | The syllabus itself | £89.00 RRP; 30% off through College Learn | Yours to keep | None (books are zero-rated) |
| Blackstone's Police Q&A 2027 (print, 3 volumes) | Practice questions in book form | £89.99 pack (£29.99 per volume) | Yours to keep | None (books are zero-rated) |
| Blackstone's Mock Examination Paper 2026 (print) | One 150-question paper with answers | £34.99 RRP | Yours to keep | None (books are zero-rated) |
| Blackstone's Police Q&As Online | Online question bank with mocks and tracking | £75 (3 months), £90 (8), £105 (12) | 3, 8 or 12 months | Tax added where applicable |
| Blackstone's Manuals and Q&As Online combined | Manuals text plus the question bank, linked | £130 (8 months), £175 (12) | 8 or 12 months | Tax added where applicable |
| Police Inspire | Question bank, web and app | £24.99 a month; £59 (3 months), £82 (6), £89 (12) | Rolling or fixed term | Not stated on the price page |
| Police Law Prep | Question bank with flashcards and spaced review | £15 a month | Monthly, cancel any time | Included |
| Police Pass question package | Question bank | £115 | 6 months | Included ('Taxes included') |
| Police Pass blended e-learning | Video lectures, text guidance and the question bank | £330 | 6 months | Included |
| Police Pass 5-morning virtual crammer | Live webinar course, not recorded | £225 | 5 mornings | Included |
| Police Revision Sergeants' or Inspectors' package | Video course, questions, mocks, 2-day crammer | £149 | 6 months | Not stated |
| How2Become sergeant exam course | Online sample questions and practice tests | £1 + VAT for 7 days, then £27 + VAT a month | Monthly, no minimum term | Added (20%) |
| Police Learn mock exam | One 150-question timed mock | £19.95 | 6 months | Not stated |
| Police Companion crammer notes | 140-page PDF revision notes | £14.98 | Yours to keep | Not stated |
| Checkmate Training crammer | Face-to-face crammer course | No sergeant or inspector price or dates listed | Course days | Not applicable |
| Checkmate Publishing (Barrons Police Crammers) online | Questions, flashcards and video | £65 | 12 months (question access) | Not stated |
| College of Policing Knowledge Hub | Official practice questions, tips, revision guide | Free (login needed) | Ongoing | Not applicable |
| PolicePay exam prep toolkit (ours) | Question bank, timed mock, board practice | £69.99 Standard; £99.99 AI Pro | 6 months, one payment | Price shown is what you pay |
PolicePay sells its own exam prep toolkit, which appears in these tables and has its own section below with its limits stated. We have no commercial relationship with any other provider on this page, we earn nothing if you buy from them, and there are no affiliate links on this page. Question counts in the tables are each provider's own claim; we have not counted anyone's questions.
If you only read one more section, read the edition trap. The most expensive mistake is not paying too much for a question bank; it is revising from material written to the wrong year's Manuals. For the full exam format, see the NPPF Step 2 legal exam explained.
How we compared them, and why there is no ranking
Search results for "best sergeants exam revision" are mostly the providers' own pages, which describe only themselves, and Reddit threads, which are useful but anecdotal and often years old. We did something narrower and checkable:
- Prices were read on each provider's own pricing or product page on 4 October 2026. Where the provider's page could not be read, we say so.
- VAT is recorded as the page stated it: included, added, or not stated. Printed books are zero-rated for VAT in the UK, so book prices carry none.
- Question counts are what the provider claims. We label them as claims. A bigger number is not automatically better: quality of explanation and match to your edition matter more.
- Edition means whether the page tells you which Blackstone's Manuals edition the material follows.
- Free trial or sample means something you can use before paying, seen on the pages we read.
We do not have pass-rate data for anyone's customers, including our own, and we have not used every product end to end. A ranking would need both. So instead of "best", the page ends with a decision guide by type of candidate, with the reasoning shown.
The College of Policing says it only endorses the Blackstone's Police Manuals for the exams, and that other products, including the Blackstone's Q&As, are not affiliated with it. No product on this page contains real exam questions. The College treats copying, photographing or sharing exam questions as a serious breach, so be wary of anyone offering "recent" or "actual" questions.
Blackstone's: print and online
Oxford University Press publishes the Blackstone's Police Manuals, which are the syllabus. The College's 2027 candidate handbook says the syllabus content is "only contained within" the 2027 edition and that questions are drawn solely from it. OUP also sells practice products under the same name. These are not the syllabus and are not affiliated with the College, but they are written by the Blackstone's team and cross-referenced to the Manuals, which is their main strength.
The Manuals (you need these whatever else you buy)
- 2027 edition: three volumes (Crime; Evidence and Procedure; General Police Duties), £89.00 for the set at a law bookseller on 4 October 2026, published August 2026. For every 2027 sitting.
- 2026 edition: for the October and November 2026 sittings only. See which Blackstone's edition you need.
- Discount: the College says a 30% discount on the NPPF Manuals is available to all police officers and staff in England and Wales; the code is on College Learn (login needed).
- Online text: Blackstone's Police Manuals Online, £85 for 12 months (tax added where applicable), is searchable but has no questions on its own.
The practice products
- Police Q&A 2027 (print): three volumes, £89.99 for the pack or £29.99 each, published August 2026. Exam-style multiple-choice questions with explained answers and Manuals cross-references. We did not find an exact question count for the print set.
- Sergeants' and Inspectors' Mock Examination Paper 2026 (print): £34.99 RRP. One full 150-question paper with an answer pack, written to the 2026 Manuals. We did not find a 2027 edition listed when we checked.
- Police Q&As Online: £75 for 3 months, £90 for 8, £105 for 12, with tax added where applicable. The service states "over 2,000" questions and offers topic practice, short tests, quarter, half and full mock exams, detailed answers with cross-references, and a performance history with weak-area feedback. It has separate 2026 and 2027 sections, so it is clear which syllabus you are practising.
- Manuals and Q&As Online combined: £130 for 8 months or £175 for 12. OUP says it is the only service that links each answer directly to the relevant section of the Manuals text.
Strengths: the closest link to the syllabus text of any product, an author team that writes to the Manuals each year, timed mocks and progress tracking online, and a clear split between the 2026 and 2027 syllabus. Things it does not offer that some candidates want: a free personal trial (we did not see one), study planning counted back from your sitting date, video teaching, and promotion board practice. The print Q&A and Mock are one-off purchases you keep; the online service is a fixed-term subscription. More in Blackstone's Q&A and Mock: are they worth it?
The question banks compared
Most candidates' main paid purchase is a question bank: a large set of multiple-choice questions with explanations, usually online, with timed mocks. This table compares the features that matter for this exam. "Not seen" means we did not find it on the pages we read, not that it does not exist.
| Product | Questions (stated) | Edition shown? | Timed mock | Tracking | Free trial or sample | Refund or cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstone's Q&As Online | Over 2,000 (provider's claim) | Yes: separate 2026 and 2027 sections | Quarter, half and full mocks | Score history and weak-area feedback | No personal free trial seen | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Police Inspire | 2300+ (provider's claim) | Not on the price page; FAQ explains the annual switch | Yes, timed to the real exam | Subject analysis and proficiency scores | Free sample questions | Monthly plan card says 'cancel anytime', a footnote calls monthly plans contracts; terms: no refund on cancelling; one-payment plans do not renew |
| Police Law Prep | 911 sergeants', 909 inspectors' (provider's claim) | No edition year; written from primary sources | 150 questions, 3 hours | Readiness estimate per exam | Free NIE topics only, not NPPF | 14-day refund on first payment |
| Police Pass question package | Over 2900 (provider's claim) | Not seen on the product page | Timed tests; you set the number of questions | Not described for the stand-alone package | Free study pack and sample chapter (books) | Refund policy covers e-learning (14 days, until accessed twice); unclear for the stand-alone package |
| Police Revision | 'Thousands' (provider's claim) | Not seen | 6 full mocks in the package | Not described | None seen | Not found |
| How2Become | Over 100 (provider's claim) | 'Up to date for 2026'; no Manuals reference seen | 5 practice tests | Not described | 7 days for £1 + VAT | Cancel any time; trial converts to monthly |
| Police Learn mock | 150 per mock (provider's claim) | Not seen | Timed 3-hour paper | Score by area | None seen | Not found |
| Checkmate Publishing online | Over 1,000 (provider's claim) | Crammer books labelled 2026 | Several test styles | Not described | 20 free crime questions | Not found |
| PolicePay toolkit (ours) | Hundreds (our own count) | No: written from primary law as at October 2026 | 150 questions, 3 hours, weighted across the three areas | Coverage, weak spots, daily target | Free sample questions | 14-day window on our refund policy page |
Police Inspire
Run by Inspired Training Solutions Ltd, which says it has helped candidates since 1996 (formerly Advance Training). The sergeants' and inspectors' pages showed the same prices: £24.99 a month rolling, £59 for 3 months, £82 for 6 months and £89 for 12 months, each stating "2300+ Questions", a study timetable, Blackstone's referencing and the mobile app. Custom study sessions, timed mock exams, subject proficiency scores and study groups are described, and there are free sample questions. Two points from its price page, terms and FAQ worth knowing: the rolling monthly plan is labelled "No contract, cancel anytime", but a footnote says pay-monthly plans are contracts and early termination requires settling outstanding payments, and its terms say there is no refund if you cancel, so read the terms before choosing monthly; and subscriptions are not tied to a syllabus year but switch to the new syllabus after all the current syllabus exams have been sat. Its FAQ also promises a free extension if a change to exam dates would leave your subscription expiring before the new date. Suits: candidates starting early who want a long, low-cost subscription with an app.
Police Law Prep
A newer, independent product from A Large Company Ltd. £15 a month, VAT included, no minimum term, and a full refund if you email within 14 days of your first payment. One account covers the sergeants' (911 questions, 611 flashcards), inspectors' (909 questions, 609 flashcards) and National Investigators' exams, as stated on its page. It is built around retrieval and spaced review: you mark each answer as sure, unsure or guessing, and material comes back until recalled correctly three times. Every question explains the right answer and every wrong option, and there are 150-question, 3-hour mocks and a readiness estimate against the published pass mark. It says plainly that you still need the current Manuals and that its content is written from primary public sources (legislation, PACE Codes, CPS and Sentencing Council guidance). It does not state a Manuals edition. Suits: short-notice candidates, anyone who wants to pay monthly and cancel after the exam, and NIE candidates who may also sit the promotion exam.
Police Pass question package
Police Pass (Blue Light Publishing Ltd) is a long-established training company. Its stand-alone question package is £115, taxes included, for a 6-month licence, with "over 2900 questions" that you can configure by module, area or the whole syllabus, setting how many questions to attempt under timed conditions. It works in a browser on PC, tablet or phone. The same questions sit inside its £330 blended e-learning package. Police Pass also offers free study packs, a free sample textbook chapter and free kick-start courses. Suits: candidates who also want Police Pass books or a course, or who prefer to build their own tests.
Blackstone's Q&As Online
Covered in the Blackstone's section above. In this table it is the one bank that shows the edition outright, with separate 2026 and 2027 sections. Suits: candidates who want questions written by the Manuals team and answers referenced to the Manuals.
Courses, video and crammers
Courses add teaching: video lectures, tutor-led sessions, or an intensive crammer near the exam. They cost more than a question bank and usually include one.
Police Pass
- Blended e-learning, £330 for 6 months: text guidance, about 60 hours of video lectures and the 2,900-plus question database, organised module by module. Licences can be extended for a fee.
- Four-volume revision crammer textbooks, £89.99: A5 summaries of the law, sent by courier.
- 5-morning virtual crammer, £225: live webinars from 9am to 2pm over five mornings, not recorded. Listed dates included 19 to 23 October 2026 for the November inspectors' sitting and courses for each 2027 sitting. Police Pass says it expects you to have done your knowledge-gathering and self-testing before attending.
- Bundles: discounted combinations of books, e-learning and crammer are advertised; we did not record their prices.
Police Revision
Police Revision (which says it has partnered since 2019 with The Red Snapper Group, which includes Police Oracle) sells a Sergeants' package and an Inspectors' package at £149 each for a 6-month subscription. Each lists over 60 hours of video, "thousands" of exam-style questions, 6 full mocks and a two-day online crammer (a live tutor day plus a pre-recorded question day, with recordings). Mock exams alone are £49 (three 150-question papers) and the crammer alone is £49. It advertises 50% off full packages for Police Oracle subscribers. A separate older-looking listing on its course platform still showed a Sergeants' and Inspectors' package at £99 for 12 months; we could not confirm which is current, so check before buying. Suits: candidates who want video teaching and a crammer at a mid-range price.
Checkmate Training
Face-to-face crammer courses. Its pass-rates page reports course pass rates for attendees who responded to its survey, alongside the national rate, and gives the response numbers. Those are the provider's own figures and we have not verified them. When we checked, its 2026 course calendar listed only National Investigators' Exam courses (two days, £125); no sergeant or inspector course dates or prices were shown. A separate business, Checkmate Publishing (trading as Barrons Police Crammers), sells crammer books labelled 2026 (£60), an online package of video, flashcards and over 1,000 questions with 12 months' question access (£65), and a bundle (£170). We could not confirm how the two businesses are related.
How2Become
A general careers publisher. Its sergeant exam course costs £1 plus VAT for 7 days, then £27 plus VAT a month (£32.40 with VAT) with no minimum term. It lists over 100 sample sergeant and inspector questions, 5 practice tests and guidance on answering, and says it is up to date for 2026. We did not see a reference to the Blackstone's Manuals or an edition on its page. Suits: a quick, low-cost first look at question style during the 7-day period. Set a reminder if you do not want the monthly charge.
Single mocks and revision notes
Police Learn
Sells a sergeants' and an inspectors' mock exam at £19.95 each with 6 months' access. Each is 150 questions with a timed 3-hour paper, scores by area, explanations, and the option to practise by area. Interactive full courses are announced at £99 for 6 months but were not open when we checked. Suits: a cheap extra full-length paper for candidates who have exhausted their main bank's mocks.
Police Companion
Sells NPPF crammer notes as a 140-page PDF for £14.98, one-off, with five sample pages to preview. Topics are tagged by how many marks they have generally carried, and there are self-check questions and print-and-cut flashcards. It tells buyers to use the notes alongside the 2027 Manuals and says that where the notes differ from the Manuals or legislation, the Manuals and legislation are correct. It also offers a free revision planner and reward table. Suits: candidates who want ready-made notes rather than writing their own. Notes are not a question bank.
The Blackstone's Mock paper
Covered above: one printed 150-question paper at £34.99. Useful as a fresh, unseen paper late in revision; check which edition of the Manuals it was written to before you buy it for a 2027 sitting.
Free options: the College, the Federation and providers' samples
Free does not mean second rate. The College's own material comes from the body that sets the exam, and it costs nothing.
- College of Policing Knowledge Hub. The candidate handbook invites candidates to join the "Candidate Online Examination Guidance" group on the Knowledge Hub for practice questions, exam tips, a learning style and revision technique guide and more. You need a Knowledge Hub login.
- College Learn discount. 30% off the NPPF Manuals for officers and staff in England and Wales. On an £89 set that is about £27 off, if the discount applies to the set price you are offered.
- College results PDFs. Pass rates and subject-area breakdowns for each sitting, on the exam hub. They show which areas carried marks recently. See what comes up in the exam.
- Police Federation branches. Some branches fund free courses. For example, West Midlands Police Federation secured a free three-hour kick-start session from Police Pass in November 2025 for the spring 2026 sittings. Offers are local and occasional, so ask your branch.
- Providers' free material. Police Pass offers free kick-start courses, study packs and a sample chapter; Checkmate Publishing has 20 free crime questions; Police Companion has a free planner and reward table; How2Become has a 7-day £1 trial; Police Law Prep's free topics are for the National Investigators' Exam, not the promotion exam.
- Ours. Our free sergeant exam mini mock scores you against the pass mark with no sign-up, and there are free worked questions on our sergeant and inspector sample question pages.
- Your force. Some forces' learning and development teams run study groups or buy licences for candidates. Ask your force examinations officer before you spend your own money.
Full detail on the free route is in free sergeant and inspector exam resources.
Our toolkit, and what it does not do
We sell a promotion exam and board prep toolkit, so here it is described by the same standard as everyone else, including its limits.
- Price: £69.99 (Standard) or £99.99 (AI Pro), one payment for 6 months' access, both ranks. No recurring charge.
- What it has: hundreds of original practice questions with explanations and their legal source, a timed 150-question sitting weighted across the three areas, practice by area, spaced review of what you got wrong, progress tracking and a daily target counted back from your sitting, plus promotion board scenarios. AI Pro adds an AI tutor on each question and an AI assessor for board answers.
- It has far fewer questions than the largest banks: hundreds, against the 2,000-plus or 2,900-plus that Blackstone's and Police Pass state.
- Questions are written from primary law (legislation, PACE Codes, College and CPS guidance) as at October 2026, not mapped paragraph by paragraph to a Manuals edition. The exam tests the Manuals for your sitting, so where the two differ, the Manuals win.
- It has no video teaching and no live crammer.
- It is not College material, does not contain real exam questions, and the AI features are for revision only: AI use in the exam is prohibited.
- We have no data on our users' pass rates and make no claim about them.
Where it may suit you: if you want one fixed price for six months, a plan counted back from your sitting date, and board practice in the same place as exam practice. Where something else may suit you better: if you want the largest question set, answers linked to the Manuals text, or tutor-led teaching.
Cost per month, and the cost of a whole revision period
Headline prices are hard to compare because terms run from one month to a year. The first table divides each price by the months of access. It flatters long terms, because you only benefit from months you actually use, so the second table shows what each would cost to cover a realistic 16-week or 6-month revision period.
| Product | Price | Term | Per month | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police Learn mock (one paper) | £19.95 | 6 months | £3.33 | One mock only |
| Checkmate Publishing online | £65 | 12 months | £5.42 | |
| Blackstone's Manuals Online | £85 | 12 months | £7.08 | Text only, plus tax where applicable |
| Police Inspire, 12 months | £89 | 12 months | £7.42 | |
| Blackstone's Q&As Online, 12 months | £105 | 12 months | £8.75 | Plus tax where applicable |
| Blackstone's Q&As Online, 8 months | £90 | 8 months | £11.25 | Plus tax where applicable |
| PolicePay Standard (ours) | £69.99 | 6 months | £11.67 | |
| Police Inspire, 6 months | £82 | 6 months | £13.67 | |
| Blackstone's combined online, 12 months | £175 | 12 months | £14.58 | Manuals text and questions; plus tax where applicable |
| Police Law Prep | £15 | Monthly | £15.00 | VAT included |
| Blackstone's combined online, 8 months | £130 | 8 months | £16.25 | Plus tax where applicable |
| PolicePay AI Pro (ours) | £99.99 | 6 months | £16.67 | |
| Police Pass question package | £115 | 6 months | £19.17 | |
| Police Inspire, 3 months | £59 | 3 months | £19.67 | |
| Police Revision package | £149 | 6 months | £24.83 | Includes video and a 2-day crammer |
| Police Inspire, rolling | £24.99 | Monthly | £24.99 | Card says 'cancel anytime' but a footnote calls monthly plans contracts: read the terms |
| Blackstone's Q&As Online, 3 months | £75 | 3 months | £25.00 | Plus tax where applicable |
| How2Become | £27 + VAT | Monthly | £32.40 | After a 7-day trial at £1.20 |
| Police Pass blended e-learning | £330 | 6 months | £55.00 | Includes about 60 hours of video |
| Product | 16 weeks | 6 months | How we worked it out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police Learn mock | £19.95 | £19.95 | One 150-question paper; you would want more practice than this alone |
| Police Law Prep | £60 | £90 | 4 or 6 monthly payments |
| Checkmate Publishing online | £65 | £65 | 12 months of question access |
| PolicePay Standard (ours) | £69.99 | £69.99 | One payment covers 6 months |
| Police Inspire | £82 | £82 | The 6-month term is cheaper than 3 months plus a rolling month |
| Blackstone's Q&As Online | £90 | £90 | The 3-month term is too short for 16 weeks, so the 8-month term; plus tax where applicable |
| PolicePay AI Pro (ours) | £99.99 | £99.99 | One payment covers 6 months |
| Police Pass question package | £115 | £115 | 6-month licence |
| How2Become | About £131 | About £196 | £1.20 trial then £32.40 for each month you keep it |
| Blackstone's combined online | £130 | £130 | 8-month term; plus tax where applicable |
| Police Revision package | £149 | £149 | Includes video and crammer |
| Police Pass e-learning | £330 | £330 | Includes video and the question bank |
- None of these figures include the Manuals, which you need anyway: £89 for the 2027 set before the College Learn discount.
- Where OUP says tax will be added where applicable, we could not confirm what is added at checkout for a UK buyer, so the Blackstone's online figures may be higher.
- The How2Become figure assumes monthly charges continue for the months you keep access; the exact total depends on your billing dates.
- Cost per question is not shown. Question counts are each provider's own claim and say nothing about quality, so dividing by them would suggest a precision that is not there.
Using our own pay data (scales from 1 September 2026), a constable at the top of the scale on £52,015 would move to £58,175 at the top of the sergeant scale, about £6,160 a year more. Outside the Met and City, the top of the inspector scale is £71,396, about £13,220 above the top sergeant point. That does not make any product worth buying, but it does mean the cheapest option is not automatically the right one if it leaves a gap.
The edition trap: the most expensive mistake
The College's handbook says candidates are examined on the law "only as it appears" in the Manuals edition for their sitting, and advises against relying on previous editions. Law that changes after the edition is published is not examined unless the College gives notice. That has three consequences for choosing resources.
- Match the material to your sitting. The October 2026 sergeants' and November 2026 inspectors' sittings use the 2026 Manuals. Every 2027 sitting (sergeants 16 to 18 March and 5 to 7 October; inspectors 11 to 13 May and 2 to 4 November) uses the 2027 Manuals. Dates are in NPPF exam dates 2027.
- Know when your bank switches. Blackstone's online keeps separate 2026 and 2027 sections. Police Inspire's FAQ says subscriptions switch to the new syllabus after all the current syllabus exams have been sat, so a 2027 candidate starting in October 2026 may see the 2026 syllabus at first. Ask any provider that does not say.
- Watch "current law" banks. Banks written from live primary law (ours and Police Law Prep, for example) can be ahead of the Manuals when the law changes after publication. That is useful for your job but, for the exam, the Manuals edition decides. If an explanation disagrees with your Manual, go with the Manual and tell the provider.
Second-hand Manuals from an earlier year, or a crammer book labelled with an earlier year, are cheaper for a reason. They may still help with stable law, but use them only alongside your sitting's edition.
How to evaluate any question bank: a checklist
New products appear every year and prices move. These are the questions to ask of any of them, including ours. You can answer most from the provider's own pages or a free sample in ten minutes.
| Check | What to look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Edition shown | Does it say which Manuals edition the questions are written to, and when it switches to the next one? | The exam tests the law only as it appears in your sitting's edition |
| Sources shown | Does each answer cite the Manuals paragraph, the statute or the case? | Lets you check a doubtful answer instead of memorising it |
| Explanations | Does it explain why each wrong option is wrong, not only the right one? | Wrong options are where the exam's traps sit |
| How recently updated | Is there a dated change log or an update statement? | A year on a sales page is not the same as an update |
| Mock timing | Can you sit 150 questions in 3 hours, and is it weighted across crime, evidence and procedure, and general police duties? | About 72 seconds a question is a skill you need to practise |
| Tracking | Does it show your score by area and bring back what you got wrong? | Your weak areas are where the next marks come from |
| Rank and pass mark | Can you score against 55% or 65% and filter rank-specific topics? | The inspectors' pass mark is 10 points higher |
| Access length | Does access last until your sitting, with a buffer if the date moves? | Short terms that lapse a week before the exam are a false saving |
| Refund and cancellation | Is there a refund window, and does a monthly plan auto-renew or bind you to a term? | Terms vary widely, from 14-day refunds to fixed contracts |
| Claims | Does it claim 'real', 'past' or 'official' questions, or a pass rate without a method? | Nobody has real questions; a pass rate needs a response rate and a source |
Take ten sample questions from any provider. For each one you get wrong, ask: did the explanation tell me why my answer was wrong, and where in the Manuals or the law to read? If it only says "the answer is C", you will learn less per question than from a bank that explains every option, however many questions it has.
Crammer courses vs self-study
Most candidates pass by self-study: reading the Manuals, testing themselves and sitting timed mocks. A crammer or course is an addition, not a replacement. The choice is about how you learn and how much structure you need.
Reading a provider's pass rate
Some providers publish pass rates for their course attendees. Before giving them weight, ask: how many attendees were asked, how many replied, and were the people who chose a crammer different from the average candidate (for example, more motivated or better supported by their force)? Results from those who reply to a survey are not the same as results for everyone who attended. We do not publish pass-rate claims for our own product because we have no such data.
Combining resources on a budget
Four example combinations at different budgets, built from the prices above. They are examples, not recommendations for everyone, and all assume the 2027 Manuals.
- Do not double up on the same thing. Two large question banks running at once rarely beat one bank used thoroughly plus a fresh paper at the end.
- Time the subscription. Start a monthly plan when you start answering questions, not when you start reading. Fixed terms should cover your sitting with a few weeks to spare.
- Plan first, then buy. A timetable tells you when you need questions. Our free exam study planner or the timetables in the sergeant revision plan will do.
- Ask before buying. Your force or Federation branch may already pay for something.
Decision guide by type of candidate
Instead of a ranking, this is how we would reason about the choice for different situations. The criteria are stated so you can disagree with them.
| You are | Consider | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-time sergeant candidate with 12 to 16 weeks | Manuals at the College Learn discount plus one question bank with timed mocks | Most of the marks come from reading the Manuals and testing yourself on them |
| Inspector candidate | Manuals plus a bank with plenty of full timed mocks and full explanations; consider the combined Blackstone's online service if you want answers linked to the text | 65% pass mark and a 37.0% pass rate in May 2026 |
| Resitting after a near miss | A different question bank from last time, plus your College feedback report and your own mock scores by area | Fresh questions show whether you know the law or the old bank's answers |
| Learns better from a tutor than a book | A video course (Police Pass e-learning or Police Revision) or a crammer, still alongside the Manuals | Structure and teaching, not just more questions |
| Very short on time (under 6 weeks) | Manuals, one bank on a short or monthly plan, and as many timed mocks as you can fit | Avoid long contracts you will not use |
| Tight budget | Manuals at 30% off, Knowledge Hub questions, a Federation course if offered, and one cheap monthly bank for the final weeks | See the budget combinations section |
| Revises on the phone between jobs | A bank with an app or a mobile-friendly web app and short sessions | Police Inspire has an app; Police Law Prep installs from the browser |
| Also sitting the NIE or planning to | A provider that covers both: Police Law Prep includes both in one account; Police Inspire, Police Pass and Police Revision sell NIE products | Saves running two subscriptions |
| Force is in the SIPP pilot | Check which exam you are sitting before buying anything | SIPP has its own shorter legal knowledge exam |
Whatever you choose, the exam is 150 questions in three hours with 140 scored; you need 55% (77 of 140) as a sergeant or 65% (91 of 140) as an inspector, and the College's debrief panel can alter the pass mark in exceptional circumstances. See the pass mark explained and the method in how to pass the sergeants' exam or how to pass the inspector exam. For what each paper covers, see the sergeant exam explained, the inspector exam explained and how the two exams differ.
Worked scenarios
Illustrative examples, not real people, to show how the reasoning plays out.
Common myths about revision resources
Questions to ask a provider before you pay
- Which Blackstone's Manuals edition are your questions written to, and on what date do you switch to the next edition?
- Does each explanation cover every wrong option, and cite the Manuals paragraph or the law?
- Can I sit a full 150-question, 3-hour paper weighted across the three areas, and score it against 55% or 65%?
- How do you handle topics that differ between the sergeants' and inspectors' syllabus?
- When were the questions last reviewed, and how do you tell users about corrections?
- What exactly happens if I cancel: is there a refund window, does it auto-renew, and am I bound to a term?
- If the exam date moves, will my access be extended?
- If you quote a pass rate, how many people were asked and how many replied?
- Does my force or Federation branch already have a licence or a discount with you?
The day-to-day rules of the online exam itself, including the AI ban and what you can have with you, are in NPPF online exam rules and exam day.
What we could not verify
- VAT on Blackstone's online subscriptions. OUP says tax will be added "where applicable". We did not go through checkout, so we cannot say what a UK buyer pays in total.
- Police Revision's current price. Its main site showed £149 for 6 months; a listing on its course platform still showed £99 for 12 months. We could not confirm which applies.
- VAT where not stated. Police Inspire, Police Revision, Police Learn, Police Companion and Checkmate Publishing did not state VAT on the pages we read.
- Checkmate sergeant and inspector crammers. No 2026 dates or prices were listed. We could not confirm the relationship between Checkmate Training and Checkmate Publishing.
- Print question counts. We found no exact question count for the Blackstone's print Q&A set.
- Blackstone's Mock 2027. No 2027 edition of the Mock paper was listed when we checked. We do not know when, or whether, one will appear.
- Free trials. We did not see a personal free trial for Blackstone's online, Police Inspire or Police Revision on the pages we read; one may exist elsewhere.
- Refund terms for Police Revision, Police Learn and Checkmate. We did not find them on the pages we read. Police Pass's refund policy names its e-learning products; we could not confirm whether it covers the stand-alone question package.
- Question quality. We have not audited any provider's questions, and question counts are the providers' own claims.
- Course pass rates. Figures published by providers are their own and we have not verified them.
- The College Learn discount on a set. The handbook gives 30% off the NPPF Manuals; we did not confirm the exact price you pay for the three-volume set after the discount.
If you are a provider and anything here is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will check and correct it with a new date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best revision resource for the sergeants' exam?
There is no single best one, because the right choice depends on what you are short of: knowledge, practice or structure. The only resource every candidate needs is the Blackstone's Police Manuals for your sitting, because the College of Policing says the syllabus is only contained in them and the exam tests the law as it appears there. After that, most candidates add one question bank with timed mocks. Courses and crammers suit people who need structure or teaching rather than more questions.
Police Inspire vs Police Pass: what is the difference?
Police Inspire is a question bank with an app, sold as a rolling monthly plan (£24.99) or fixed terms of 3, 6 or 12 months (£59, £82, £89), with a stated '2300+' questions. Police Pass is a wider training company: its stand-alone question package is £115 for 6 months with a stated 'over 2900' questions, and it also sells crammer textbooks (£89.99), video e-learning (£330 for 6 months) and a 5-morning live crammer (£225). Prices were checked on 4 October 2026. Inspire suits candidates who want a long, cheap question subscription; Police Pass suits candidates who want books, video and a live course from one provider.
Is Police Law Prep any good?
We do not score providers, but we can say what it offers. Police Law Prep is £15 a month with VAT included and no minimum term, and one account covers the sergeants', inspectors' and National Investigators' exams. It states 911 sergeants' and 909 inspectors' questions plus flashcards with spaced review, timed 150-question mocks and a readiness estimate, and offers a 14-day refund on the first payment. Its questions are written from primary sources such as legislation.gov.uk rather than from the Manuals, so where the law has changed since your Manual was published, the Manual is what the exam tests.
How much does Blackstone's Q&A Online cost?
Oxford University Press listed personal subscriptions to Blackstone's Police Q&As Online at £105 for 12 months, £90 for 8 months and £75 for 3 months on 4 October 2026, with tax added where applicable. The Manuals and Q&As combined online package was £175 for 12 months or £130 for 8 months. The service states over 2,000 multiple-choice questions, with topic practice, short tests, quarter, half and full mock exams and progress tracking, and it has separate 2026 and 2027 sections.
Do I still need the Blackstone's Manuals if I buy a question bank?
Yes. The College of Policing's 2027 candidate handbook says the syllabus is cross-referenced to and only contained within the 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals, and that exam questions are drawn solely from them. Providers such as Police Law Prep and Police Companion say plainly that you still need the Manuals, and so do we. Officers and staff in England and Wales can get 30% off the Manuals through College Learn.
Are any of these revision products endorsed by the College of Policing?
The College says it only endorses the Blackstone's Police Manuals for the exams, and that other products, including the Blackstone's Q&As, are not affiliated with it. No question bank, course or crammer, including our own, is official College material, and none contains real exam questions. The College treats copying or sharing exam questions as a serious breach.
Are crammer courses worth it for the sergeants' exam?
A crammer consolidates what you have already learned; it does not replace learning the syllabus. Police Pass says it expects candidates to have done their knowledge-gathering and self-testing before attending its 5-morning course. A crammer tends to suit people who learn well from a tutor, are close to the line, or want a fixed point to work towards. Treat any provider's course pass rate as the provider's own figure, and ask how it was collected.
What is the cheapest way to revise for the sergeants' exam?
The cheapest workable plan is the Manuals at the College Learn discount, the free practice questions in the College's Candidate Online Examination Guidance group on the Knowledge Hub, and any free Federation kick-start course your branch runs. If you add one paid question bank, the lowest prices we found on 4 October 2026 were Police Law Prep at £15 a month with no minimum term, Checkmate Publishing's online package at £65 for 12 months' question access, and Police Inspire's 12-month plan at £89 (about £7.42 a month if you use the whole year).
Which revision resource is best for the inspectors' exam?
The same resources cover both exams, but the inspectors' pass mark is higher (65%, or 91 of 140 scored questions, against 55% for sergeants) and the pass rate is lower: 37.0% in May 2026 against 58.5% for sergeants in March 2026, from the College's results PDFs. That points inspector candidates towards more full timed mocks and deeper explanations rather than more first-pass reading. Check that your product scores you against 65%, and that any rank-specific content (some areas differ between the ranks) is handled.
Does Blackstone's Q&A Online have mock exams and progress tracking?
Yes. The service offers quarter, half and full-length mock exams, short tests across chosen subject areas, detailed answers cross-referenced to the Manuals, and a history of your performance with weak-area feedback. The combined package links each answer to the relevant section of the Manuals text.
How do I know if a question bank is up to date for my sitting?
Look for the Manuals edition it is written to, not just a year on the marketing page. Your sitting decides the edition: the October and November 2026 sittings use the 2026 Manuals and every 2027 sitting uses the 2027 Manuals. Blackstone's online shows separate 2026 and 2027 sections; Police Inspire's FAQ says subscriptions switch to the new syllabus only after the current syllabus exams have been sat. If a product does not say, ask the provider in writing before you pay.
Can I use AI or a revision app during the exam?
No. The College's candidate handbook says the use of artificial intelligence tools is strictly prohibited and that using or attempting to use AI applications during the exam is treated as gaining assistance. Apps and AI tutors are revision aids only. Anything with an AI tutor, including ours, must be closed before you start the exam.
Can I get a refund if a revision product does not suit me?
It depends on the provider. Police Law Prep offers a full refund if you email within 14 days of your first payment. Police Inspire's price page labels its rolling monthly plan 'No contract, cancel anytime' but a footnote says pay-monthly plans are contracts, and its terms say you are not entitled to a refund if you cancel your account; its one-payment plans do not auto-renew. Police Pass's refund policy gives a 14-day cancellation right on its e-learning until you have accessed the content twice, and a refund less a £45 fee if you cancel a crammer booking more than 14 days ahead. Police Companion's notes are a digital download, and its FAQ says the 14-day cancellation right ends once the download starts. How2Become's trial converts to a monthly charge unless you cancel. PolicePay's refund policy page describes a 14-day money-back window on its paid tools. For the others we did not find a refund policy on the pages we checked, so ask before you buy.
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 (updated 10 September 2026) — syllabus only contained within the 2027 Manuals; questions drawn solely from them; law examined only as it appears in that edition; 30% College Learn discount; only the Manuals endorsed and the Q&As not affiliated; Knowledge Hub practice questions; AI prohibited; pass marks and the debrief panel's power to alter them. Read on the College's production mirror because the main site blocked our reader (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF step two exam hub (results PDFs, dates) — sitting dates and links to the results and subject-area PDFs (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF sergeants' results and analysis overview, March 2026 (PDF) — 3,215 sat, 1,882 passed, 58.5% (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF inspectors' results and analysis overview, May 2026 (PDF) — 1,739 sat, 644 passed, 37.0% (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Oxford University Press: Blackstone's Police Q&As Online (personal subscriptions) — £105 for 12 months, £90 for 8, £75 for 3; 'Where applicable, tax will be added'; quarter, half and full mocks; feedback and user history; not endorsed by the College. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Oxford University Press: Blackstone's Police Manuals and Q&As Online Combined — £175 for 12 months, £130 for 8; answers link to the Manuals text. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Oxford University Press: Blackstone's Police Manuals Online — £85 for 12 months. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Blackstone's Police Service: NPPF page — 'Over 2,000 multiple-choice questions'; separate 2026 and 2027 revision, test and mock sections (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Wildy & Sons: Blackstone's Police Manuals 2027 and Police Q&A 2027 three-volume packs — Manuals 2027 set £89.00 and Q&A 2027 pack £89.99, both published August 2026. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Police Inspire: Sergeants' exam subscription page and FAQ — £24.99 monthly ('No contract, cancel anytime' on the plan card, but a footnote says pay-monthly plans are contracts); £59 for 3 months, £82 for 6, £89 for 12, one payment, no renewals; '2300+ Questions'; app included; free sample questions; terms 9.2: no refund if you cancel; FAQ on syllabus switching and exam date changes. The inspectors' page showed the same prices. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Police Law Prep: home page, pricing and FAQ — £15 a month, VAT included, no minimum term, 14-day refund on first payment; 911 sergeants' and 909 inspectors' questions; 150-question, 3-hour mocks; written from primary sources. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Police Pass: shop (question package, e-learning, textbooks, crammer) — question package £115, 6-month licence, 'over 2900 questions', 'Taxes included'; e-learning £330; textbooks £89.99; 5-morning virtual crammer £225, not recorded. Refund policy at shop.police-pass.co.uk/policies/refund-policy. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Police Revision: home page and Sergeants' exam page — £149 for a 6-month subscription; 3 x 150-question mocks for £49; crammer recordings £49; Police Oracle subscriber discount. A separate listing at police-revision.thinkific.com showed £99 for 12 months. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- How2Become: Police Sergeant Exam course page — £1 plus VAT for 7 days, then £27 plus VAT per month, no minimum term; 'over one hundred' sample questions; 5 practice tests. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Police Learn: mock exams — £19.95 per 150-question mock, 6 months' access; full courses announced at £99 for 6 months but not yet open. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Police Companion: NPPF crammer notes — £14.98 one-off, 140-page PDF, five sample pages; FAQ: the 14-day cancellation right ends once the download starts. Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- Checkmate Training (crammer courses) and Checkmate Publishing (Barrons Police Crammers shop) — course pass-rate figures based on surveys of attendees; 2026 course calendar listed NIE courses at £125 only. Shop: https://checkmatepublishing.info/shop/ (online questions, flashcards and video £65; crammer books 2026 £60; bundle £170). Checked 4 October 2026 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- West Midlands Police Federation: free kick-start course for officers seeking promotion (21 October 2025) — an example of a branch-funded free course, delivered by Police Pass (accessed 4 October 2026)
- HMRC: VAT Notice 701/10, zero-rating of books and printed matter — printed books are zero-rated, which is why book prices carry no VAT (accessed 4 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
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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.