SIPP: The New Promotion Trial
Not every force still uses the traditional NPPF legal exam route — here's what's actually being trialled instead, and why it matters which one applies to you.
What SIPP Actually Is
SIPP — Sergeants' and Inspectors' Promotion and Progression — is a College of Policing trial process being tested as an alternative to the single high-stakes NPPF legal exam described elsewhere in this cluster. It's built around three broader stages: development, selection, and promotion, rather than one timed sitting that a candidate either passes or doesn't. The trial began in April 2024 and is running for two years.
Why This Matters Before You Start Revising
SIPP is a trial in specific forces, not (yet) a national replacement for the standard NPPF route. Most of this site's promotion exam content — the mock exam, the cut scores, the subject areas — describes the traditional NPPF process that most forces still use. If your own force is one of the SIPP trial forces, some of that won't apply to you in the same way, and you should confirm directly with your force's promotion or learning & development team which process you're actually going through before you commit weeks of revision to the wrong one.
What Doesn't Change Either Way
Whichever process your force uses, the underlying legal knowledge and supervisory judgement being assessed is the same — Crime, Evidence and procedure, and General police duties for the legal side, and CVF-based judgement for the people-management side. A broader, staged process like SIPP doesn't reduce how much you need to actually know; it changes how and when that knowledge gets assessed. Building genuine understanding, not last-minute cramming for one sitting, remains the right approach under either system.
Build The Knowledge Either Way
Whether your force runs NPPF or is trialling SIPP, the legal knowledge and CVF judgement practice in our toolkit builds the same underlying competence either process actually assesses.
Try The Free Sample →Frequently Asked Questions
What does SIPP stand for?
Sergeants' and Inspectors' Promotion and Progression — a College of Policing trial process being tested as an alternative to the traditional NPPF legal exam route, running as a two-year trial from April 2024.
Does SIPP replace the NPPF legal exam?
Only in forces actually participating in the trial, and only for the duration of the trial. Most forces continue to use the standard NPPF Step One/Step Two legal exam described elsewhere in this cluster — check with your own force which process actually applies to you before assuming either one does.
What are the three stages of SIPP?
Development, selection, and promotion — a broader, more staged approach than a single high-stakes exam sitting, though the detailed structure of each stage varies as the trial evolves and isn't fully standardised the way the NPPF exam is.
Should I prepare for NPPF or SIPP?
Whichever your own force actually uses — this isn't a national either/or choice yet, since SIPP remains a trial in specific forces rather than a national replacement. Confirm directly with your force's promotion or L&D team rather than assuming.
Related
SIPP remains a trial and its detailed structure is still evolving — always confirm the current position with your own force rather than relying solely on this page for a live application.