Next sergeants' exam
October 2026
Exam window 6 to 8 October 2026, 8am to 8pm each day.
Registration
13 days left
Closes 6pm on 10 September 2026. Apply through your force exams officer.
What the sergeants' exam actually takes
These are the College of Policing's own published figures from the March 2026 sitting — not an estimate, and not the "around 55 to 65%" you'll see quoted elsewhere.
Cut score
55%
absolute, applied to every candidate
Pass rate
58.5%
1,882 of 3,215 passed
The paper
150
questions in 3 hours — 72s each
Exceptional
75%+
only 12% of candidates managed it
How the inspectors' exam compares
Both papers are the same shape — 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, drawn from the same three areas of the same Blackstone's Manuals. The difference is the standard. The inspectors' paper is marked at 65% rather than 55%, and only 37% of candidates pass it — against 58.5% here.
Sergeants'
55% to pass
58.5% success rate, March 2026
Inspectors'
65% to pass
37% success rate, May 2026
A common assumption is that the inspectors' paper is shorter. It isn't — it's the same length, marked ten points higher, and roughly six in ten candidates fail it.
Pass rate by force — March 2026
The same paper, the same cut score, the same day. Yet Warwickshire passed 100% of its candidates and Metropolitan Police passed 40.8%. If your force sits low on this table, that is worth knowing before you plan your study — it usually reflects how much preparation time and support candidates are given, not the calibre of the officers.
The Met is the outlier worth noting. It entered 1,148 candidates — 36% of everyone sitting the paper — and passed 40.8%, against a national 58.5%. On these numbers a Met candidate is materially less likely to pass than a colleague doing the identical exam elsewhere.
| Force | Pass rate |
|---|---|
| Warwickshire | 100.0% |
| North Wales | 89.5% |
| Suffolk | 88.9% |
| Thames Valley | 85.5% |
| Dyfed-Powys | 84.6% |
| Merseyside | 83.8% |
| Staffordshire | 82.2% |
| Bedfordshire | 80.0% |
| West Mercia | 78.8% |
| Surrey | 78.6% |
| Gloucestershire | 77.8% |
| Cambridgeshire | 76.9% |
| Lincolnshire | 76.9% |
| Cheshire | 74.4% |
| Kent | 74.0% |
| Cumbria | 73.3% |
| Northamptonshire | 72.0% |
| Derbyshire | 70.6% |
| Greater Manchester | 70.5% |
| West Yorkshire | 70.5% |
| Hertfordshire | 70.3% |
| Gwent | 69.7% |
| South Wales | 69.4% |
| Norfolk | 68.2% |
| West Midlands | 68.1% |
| Nottinghamshire | 63.4% |
| City of London | 62.5% |
| North Yorkshire | 62.5% |
| Northumbria | 62.5% |
| British Transport Police | 61.9% |
| Humberside | 61.9% |
| Cleveland | 60.0% |
| Durham | 60.0% |
| Lancashire | 59.2% |
| Hampshire | 58.3% |
| Sussex | 58.3% |
| Devon and Cornwall | 57.7% |
| Essex | 56.2% |
| Dorset | 55.2% |
| South Yorkshire | 54.3% |
| Leicestershire | 53.3% |
| Wiltshire | 53.3% |
| Metropolitan Police | 40.8% |
Candidate counts are withheld by the College where a cohort is small enough that individuals could be identified; those forces show the published percentage only. 34 of 43 forces published full counts. Green means at or above the 58.5% national rate.
Who passed in March 2026
By sex
Women passed at 62.3%, men at 56.8% — a gap of 5.5 percentage points in women's favour.
By ethnicity
White candidates passed at 59.6%, candidates from an ethnic minority background at 54.1% — a 5.5 point gap.
Published by the College of Policing in its results and analysis overview. We report it because it is a real feature of the exam that candidates are rarely shown, not because it predicts anything about any individual.
What you're actually examined on
Three areas: crime, evidence and procedure, general police duties. Questions are drawn solely from the 2026 edition of the Blackstone's Police Manuals — not the previous edition, and not from anything else.
- The Manuals are endorsed. The Q&As are not. The College states plainly that it endorses only the Blackstone's Police Manuals, and that other products including the Blackstone's Q&As are not affiliated with it.
- There is a 30% discount on the Manuals for police officers and staff in England and Wales, via College Learn. A lot of candidates pay full price without realising.
- You are not tested on recalling tables. The College says candidates will not be examined on information contained solely within the tables in the Manuals — but where the text cites a PACE Code paragraph, that provision is examinable.
- The question balance is not random. Subject weighting comes from a national survey of serving sergeants' officers, so the paper leans towards what officers at that rank actually encounter.
Figures on this page come from the College of Policing candidate handbook (updated 13 August 2026) and its published results and analysis for the March 2026 sitting. Always check the handbook for the sitting you are entering — it supersedes everything else, including this page.
Police Sergeant
Exam Explained (UK)
Syllabus, Pass Marks, Format & Professional 2026 NPPF Strategy
Direct Answer
The Police Sergeant Exam in England and Wales is a national legal knowledge examination under the National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF). It is a multiple-choice test covering criminal law, PACE, evidence, police conduct, regulations and leadership principles.
Passing the exam satisfies Step 2 of the 4-stage NPPF. It places you on a five-year eligibility list but does not guarantee substantive promotion or the immediate offer of a board.
The Sergeant Exam At A Glance
Core Format
- Legal knowledge test
- Multiple-choice only
- Time-limited (3 hours)
- Nationally standardised
Legal Status of a Pass
- Grants eligibility for Step 3/4
- No automatic promotion
- No override of local selection
- 5-year validity period
Section 1:
National Standing
The Sergeant Exam (officially NPPF Step Two) is the only nationally standardized gateway for rank progression in the 43 forces of England and Wales. It is designed and overseen by the College of Policing.
Note for Scotland & PSNI: This guide strictly covers the England & Wales NPPF. Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland operate separate, distinct promotion frameworks with their own examination structures.
Section 2:
Structure & Scoring
The MCQ Model
The exam consists of multiple-choice questions (usually 150) under a "Single Best Answer" model. This means that while several options may seem plausible, only one is technically correct under the strict letter of the legislation.
There are no essays, no leadership interviews (at this stage), and no scenario-writing requirements. It is a pure test of legal knowledge application.
Standard Setting
The pass mark is not a fixed percentage. Instead, the College uses 'Standard Setting'—a statistical method that adjusts based on the difficulty of the questions on that particular day's paper.
You need to meet the national pass threshold."
Section 3:
The Syllabus
Criminal Law
Theft, Robbery, Burglary, Assault, Sexual Offences, Public Order, Drug Offences, Fraud.
PACE 1984
Arrest Powers, Code G Necessity, Search & Seizure, Detention Limits, Interviews.
Evidence Rules
Hearsay, Bad Character, Burden of Proof, Standard of Proof, Disclosure.
Conduct & Regulations
Standards of Professional Behaviour, Misconduct thresholds, Duty Hours, Rest Days, Overtime rules.
Leadership & Ethics
Code of Ethics, National Decision Model (NDM), Accountability principles.
Section 4:
The Failure Reality
The Sergeant exam has a historically high failure rate for two primary reasons: Time Pressure and Legal Nuance. It is not an memory test; it is an application test.
Top Reasons For Failure
Section 8:
Preparation Strategy
A successful Sergeant exam campaign is rarely achieved through "cramming". We recommend a structured 12-week framework leading up to the sitting.
Section 9:
Readiness Checker
Use the diagnostic tool below to determine if your current revision trajectory is sufficient for the NPPF technical standard.
Performance Diagnostic
Sergeant Exam Readiness Checker
The Sergeant exam has a high failure rate for a reason. Structure your revision and hit the mocks before sitting.
NPPF Stage 2 Diagnostic • Unofficial Technical Review
Exam Essentials FAQ
How many questions are in the Sergeant exam?
Typically 150 multiple-choice questions over a 3-hour period.
What is the pass mark?
There is no fixed percentage. It is statistically adjusted (standard set) based on paper difficulty.
How long is the pass valid?
An exam pass is generally valid for 5 years before it expires.
Can you fail and retake?
Yes, though most forces only allow one attempt per annual recruitment cycle.
Is the exam harder than Inspector?
It is broader and more legalistic; Inspector is more strategic and focused on critical incidents.
Step 2
Knowledge Grid
All guidance on this page is for educational purposes only and reflects the National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF) Step 2 technical standard. We do not provide exam preparation materials, question banks, or official legal training. All scores and readiness results are indicative only.