What Comes Up in the
Sergeants and Inspectors Exam
The College of Policing publishes a subject area breakdown after each NPPF step two sitting, but as a long list of rows that is hard to use. We downloaded every sergeant and inspector breakdown we could find from 2023 to 2026, twelve PDFs in all, and counted them: how the 140 scored questions split between Crime, Evidence and procedure and General police duties, how many questions each chapter got in each sitting, what stays put, what moves, and what is different for inspectors. Then we show how to turn that into a revision timetable without falling for the idea that past papers predict the next one.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 4 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Something from almost every chapter, every time. Sergeant papers averaged 61 Crime, 30 Evidence and procedure and 49 General police duties questions out of 140 scored (about 44%, 21% and 35%). Inspector papers averaged 53, 28 and 58 (about 38%, 20% and 42%). Sergeants alone get weapons questions (4 or 5 a paper); inspectors get more on firearms, PACE Codes, search, complaints and performance procedures. No chapter averaged more than about 6 questions. The College says past breakdowns do not indicate future content.
The breakdowns at a glance
Everything on this page comes from the College of Policing's own published breakdowns and its 2027 candidate handbook, read on 4 October 2026. The figures are our counts of those PDFs, not College statistics, and the method is explained in full below so you can check it. If you are sitting an exam on the 2026 Manuals (the sergeants' sitting is 6 to 8 October 2026 and the inspectors' is 3 to 5 November 2026), the most useful parts are the chapter tables and the section on what not to drop.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What the College publishes | A subject area breakdown PDF after each sitting: course, skill (chapter) and subject (topic heading) for the scored questions. No question text, no answers, no scores by area |
| Sergeants: average split of scored questions | Crime 61.0 (43.6%), Evidence and procedure 29.7 (21.2%), General police duties 49.3 (35.2%), six sittings March 2023 to March 2026 |
| Inspectors: average split | Crime 53.0 (38.0%), Evidence and procedure 28.3 (20.3%), General police duties 58.0 (41.6%), six sittings May 2023 to May 2026 |
| Chapters listed per sitting | 45 or 46 of the 46 sergeant chapters; 43 to 45 of the 45 inspector chapters |
| Most questions in one chapter in one sitting | 6 for sergeants; 8 for inspectors (May 2023: firearms, PACE Code C detention; May 2025: entry, search and seizure) |
| Sergeant-only area | Chapter 1.8 Weapons: 4 or 5 scored questions in every sergeant sitting, none for inspectors |
| Biggest inspector extras | Firearms (+2.8 a paper), unsatisfactory performance and attendance (+2.7), entry, search and seizure (+1.7), complaints and misconduct (+1.3) |
| The College's own warning | Past breakdowns "do not indicate what will be covered in future exams". Any part of the syllabus can be examined |
| What it is good for | Weighting your hours, spotting rank differences and checking you have not left a chapter untouched |
The College says plainly that these breakdowns "are an indication of what was covered previously and do not indicate what will be covered in future exams" (NPPF step two exam page), and its handbook says candidates "may be asked questions that relate to any part of the syllabus". Nothing here is a forecast and no topic is guaranteed. What the pattern can do is tell you roughly how much each part of the syllabus has been worth, which is a sensible basis for dividing your time.
What the College actually publishes
On its NPPF step two exam page, under "Subjects covered in previous exams", the College links a subject area breakdown for the latest sergeants' and inspectors' sittings. On 4 October 2026 it listed the March 2026 sergeants' and May 2026 inspectors' breakdowns, plus SIPP versions. Older breakdowns are no longer linked from that page but are still on the College's assets server; we found five earlier sergeant and five earlier inspector files going back to 2023 (full list in the sources).
Each breakdown is a three-column table:
- Course: Crime, Evidence and procedure, or General police duties. These match the three volumes of the Blackstone's Police Manuals.
- Skill: in practice a Manual chapter, such as "Misuse of drugs" or "Interviews: PACE Codes C, E and F".
- Subject: a topic heading within that chapter, such as "Travel restriction orders" or "Code C-15 Reviews and extensions of detention". These are the Manual's section headings, not question wording.
Since late 2024 the PDFs also say how many of the 10 removed questions came from each area, include the "only useful and valid for" this sitting warning, and (from 2026) give an approximate word count for the full 150-question paper: about 24,606 words for the March 2026 sergeants' paper and 24,309 for the May 2026 inspectors' paper. That is roughly 160 words a question to read, in 180 minutes, which is worth knowing when you practise timing.
What the breakdowns do not tell you
- The questions themselves, the answers, or how hard any question was.
- Which questions were the 10 removed (only how many came from each area, and only since late 2024).
- How candidates scored by area. The College's results and analysis PDFs give pass rates by sex, ethnicity and force, but not by subject area.
- Anything about the next sitting.
Your own feedback report is different: the handbook says it breaks your score down into subject areas. If you have sat before, that is the most valuable data you own. See results, validity and resits.
How we counted, and where the counts could be wrong
We downloaded each PDF directly from the College's assets server on 4 October 2026, converted it to text with a layout-preserving tool, and parsed each table row. Each row starts with a course name in the first column; rows that wrap over several lines were joined. We then checked every file a second way, by counting the course words that sit in the first column using their position on the page. Both methods gave the same row counts for all twelve NPPF files. For the May 2026 inspectors' file, whose count is short, we also checked a rendered page image against the extracted rows.
- One row, one scored question. The College does not say this in terms. We infer it because eleven of the twelve files list exactly 140 rows, the handbook says 150 questions are set and 10 removed, and repeated topic headings appear as separate rows (for example "Child abduction" twice in the March 2026 sergeants' list).
- May 2026 inspectors: 136 rows, not 140. Both counting methods and the page images agree the PDF lists 136 rows (52 Crime, 29 Evidence and procedure, 55 General police duties). With 10 removed, 4 scored questions are not shown and we cannot tell which area they were in. Percentages for that sitting are of the 136 listed, and inspector averages use 836 listed rows across six sittings rather than 840.
- Chapter labels changed. The breakdowns sometimes use different chapter names across years (for example "Processions and assemblies" and "Policing processions, assemblies and protests: Offences and powers"). We merged labels that plainly refer to the same chapter. In two March 2026 sergeant rows the PDF's text runs across the skill and subject columns; we assigned both to the obvious chapter (information and communications).
- Topic headings were matched on wording. When we compare headings across sittings, we ignore capital letters, punctuation and spacing but otherwise need the same words. A heading reworded between years counts as different, so our "appeared in all six" lists can miss some headings; they should not include any that did not appear.
- Not every sitting is covered. We could not find breakdowns for the March 2024 sergeants' or November 2023 inspectors' sittings, so each rank has six sittings, not eight. We left out 2021 and 2022 files because the College's server no longer returns them.
Sergeants: how the scored questions split by subject area
The first three columns are scored questions as listed in each breakdown (out of 140). The last two use the College's note on removed questions, where given, to rebuild the full 150-question paper.
| Sitting | Crime | Evidence and procedure | General police duties | Removed (C / E / G) | Full paper of 150 (C / E / G) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2023 | 62 (44.3%) | 25 (17.9%) | 53 (37.9%) | Not stated | Not stated |
| October 2023 | 62 (44.3%) | 27 (19.3%) | 51 (36.4%) | Not stated | Not stated |
| October 2024 | 63 (45.0%) | 32 (22.9%) | 45 (32.1%) | 1 / 2 / 7 | 64 / 34 / 52 |
| March 2025 | 62 (44.3%) | 31 (22.1%) | 47 (33.6%) | 2 / 3 / 5 | 64 / 34 / 52 |
| October 2025 | 57 (40.7%) | 32 (22.9%) | 51 (36.4%) | 6 / 1 / 3 | 63 / 33 / 54 |
| March 2026 | 60 (42.9%) | 31 (22.1%) | 49 (35.0%) | 6 / 3 / 1 | 66 / 34 / 50 |
| Average | 61.0 (43.6%) | 29.7 (21.2%) | 49.3 (35.2%) |
- Crime is the biggest area, at 57 to 63 scored questions, a little under half the paper.
- Evidence and procedure has grown on paper. It was 25 and 27 in 2023 and 31 or 32 in every sitting since. The 2023 PDFs do not give the removed split, so we cannot say whether the full papers changed or only the removals did.
- The full paper is steadier than the scored one. Where we can rebuild all 150, the mix was 63 to 66 Crime, 33 or 34 Evidence and procedure and 50 to 54 General police duties. Much of the swing in the scored figures (Crime 57 to 63) comes from which questions were removed after the sitting, which nobody can plan for.
For the format and pass marks behind these numbers (77 of 140 to pass, 105 for an exceptional grade), see the sergeant exam explained and the pass mark explained.
Inspectors: how the scored questions split by subject area
| Sitting | Crime | Evidence and procedure | General police duties | Removed (C / E / G) | Full paper of 150 (C / E / G) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2023 | 53 (37.9%) | 33 (23.6%) | 54 (38.6%) | Not stated | Not stated |
| May 2024 | 56 (40.0%) | 24 (17.1%) | 60 (42.9%) | Not stated | Not stated |
| November 2024 | 54 (38.6%) | 27 (19.3%) | 59 (42.1%) | 3 / 3 / 4 | 57 / 30 / 63 |
| May 2025 | 50 (35.7%) | 28 (20.0%) | 62 (44.3%) | 4 / 3 / 3 | 54 / 31 / 65 |
| November 2025 | 53 (37.9%) | 29 (20.7%) | 58 (41.4%) | 2 / 2 / 6 | 55 / 31 / 64 |
| May 2026 (136 rows listed) | 52 (38.2%) | 29 (21.3%) | 55 (40.4%) | 4 / 1 / 5 | 56 / 30 / 60 (146 of 150) |
| Average | 53.0 (38.0%) | 28.3 (20.3%) | 58.0 (41.6%) |
- General police duties is the biggest inspector area, at 54 to 62 scored questions. That is the reverse of the sergeant paper, where Crime leads.
- Crime is about 6 percentage points smaller than for sergeants, partly because the weapons chapter is not on the inspector syllabus.
- The rebuilt full papers for November 2024 to November 2025 were 54 to 57 Crime, 30 or 31 Evidence and procedure and 63 to 65 General police duties.
With a pass mark of 65% (91 of 140) and a May 2026 pass rate of 37.0% (644 of 1,739 candidates, College results overview), inspectors have less room for a weak area. More on the paper in the inspector exam explained and the inspector revision plan.
Crime: questions per chapter, every sitting
Each cell lists the number of scored questions in that chapter in each sitting, oldest first, then the six-sitting average. Chapter numbers are from the 2027 Manuals as listed in Appendix A of the 2027 handbook; the past breakdowns used the chapter names in the second column.
| 2027 ch. | Chapter | Sergeants: Mar 23, Oct 23, Oct 24, Mar 25, Oct 25, Mar 26 | Sgt avg | Inspectors: May 23, May 24, Nov 24, May 25, Nov 25, May 26 | Insp avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Mens rea (state of mind) | 5, 3, 4, 4, 3, 3 | 3.7 | 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1 | 1.7 |
| 1.2 | Actus reus (criminal conduct) | 5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3 | 3.8 | 4, 5, 4, 3, 2, 3 | 3.5 |
| 1.3 | Incomplete offences | 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 | 2.8 | 0, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 | 1.7 |
| 1.4 | General defences | 4, 2, 3, 2, 2, 2 | 2.5 | 2, 4, 3, 4, 3, 3 | 3.2 |
| 1.5 | Homicide | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3 | 2.2 | 2, 3, 2, 2, 3, 3 | 2.5 |
| 1.6 | Misuse of drugs | 6, 5, 6, 6, 5, 5 | 5.5 | 7, 7, 6, 5, 4, 5 | 5.7 |
| 1.7 | Firearms and gun crime | 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3 | 2.8 | 8, 5, 6, 5, 5, 5 | 5.7 |
| 1.8 | Weapons (sergeants only) | 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 5 | 4.8 | Not on the inspector syllabus (0 in all six) | 0 |
| 1.9 | Racially and religiously aggravated offences | 4, 4, 4, 3, 2, 2 | 3.2 | 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 2 | 2.0 |
| 1.10 | Non-fatal offences against the person | 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 | 5.8 | 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6 | 5.0 |
| 1.11 | Offences involving the deprivation of liberty | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 | 2.0 | 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3 | 2.0 |
| 1.12 and 1.13 | Sexual offences (one label in the breakdowns) | 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 5 | 4.8 | 7, 4, 4, 3, 5, 4 | 4.5 |
| 1.14 | Child protection | 4, 5, 4, 4, 5, 5 | 4.5 | 3, 4, 5, 3, 4, 3 | 3.7 |
| 1.15 | Theft and related offences | 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6 | 5.2 | 7, 7, 6, 5, 6, 6 | 6.2 |
| 1.16 | Fraud | 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2 | 2.8 | 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2 | 1.8 |
| 1.17 | Criminal damage | 3, 5, 4, 5, 5, 5 | 4.5 | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 | 4.0 |
- Five Crime chapters averaged about 5 or more for sergeants: non-fatal offences, misuse of drugs, theft, sexual offences and weapons. Together they averaged 26 questions, nearly a fifth of the scored paper.
- For inspectors, firearms (5.7) is as heavy as misuse of drugs, roughly double its weight on the sergeant paper (2.8).
- The "state of mind" chapters (mens rea, actus reus, incomplete offences) averaged 10.3 sergeant questions but only 6.8 inspector ones. They underpin every offence, so they repay early study for both ranks.
Evidence and procedure: questions per chapter
| 2027 ch. | Chapter | Sergeants: Mar 23, Oct 23, Oct 24, Mar 25, Oct 25, Mar 26 | Sgt avg | Inspectors: May 23, May 24, Nov 24, May 25, Nov 25, May 26 | Insp avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Instituting criminal proceedings | 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3 | 3.7 | 1, 4, 4, 1, 2, 2 | 2.3 |
| 2.2 | Bail (labelled 'Release of person arrested') | 4, 3, 6, 5, 6, 5 | 4.8 | 5, 3, 5, 6, 6, 6 | 5.2 |
| 2.3 | Court procedure and witnesses | 3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 4 | 3.5 | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 | 2.0 |
| 2.4 | Exclusion of admissible evidence | 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4 | 3.5 | 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2 | 1.7 |
| 2.5 | Disclosure of evidence | 4, 3, 3, 2, 3, 3 | 3.0 | 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3 | 2.7 |
| 2.6 | Detention and treatment: PACE Code C | 4, 3, 5, 4, 4, 4 | 4.0 | 8, 4, 5, 4, 5, 5 | 5.2 |
| 2.7 | Identification: PACE Code D | 2, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3 | 3.0 | 5, 5, 3, 5, 3, 4 | 4.2 |
| 2.8 | Interviews: PACE Codes C, E and F | 3, 4, 3, 5, 5, 5 | 4.2 | 7, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5 | 5.2 |
- The three PACE Code chapters (2.6 to 2.8) averaged 11.2 sergeant questions and 14.5 inspector questions. Add bail (2.2) and custody-related procedure is the heart of this volume.
- Inspectors see fewer questions on court procedure, exclusion of evidence and instituting proceedings; sergeants see more.
- The handbook says that where the Manual text directly refers to a paragraph of a PACE Code, you are expected to know the provision. With this many Code questions, that instruction matters. Our guide to PACE 1984 for sergeants covers the custody officer's role in practice.
General police duties: questions per chapter
| 2027 ch. | Chapter | Sergeants: Mar 23, Oct 23, Oct 24, Mar 25, Oct 25, Mar 26 | Sgt avg | Inspectors: May 23, May 24, Nov 24, May 25, Nov 25, May 26 | Insp avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Stop and search | 2, 2, 2, 1, 4, 3 | 2.3 | 3, 3, 5, 3, 5, 3 | 3.7 |
| 3.2 | Entry, search and seizure | 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5 | 4.3 | 6, 5, 6, 8, 5, 6 | 6.0 |
| 3.3 | Powers of arrest | 6, 3, 5, 4, 4, 4 | 4.3 | 6, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3 | 3.8 |
| 3.4 | Protection of people suffering from mental disorders | 4, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 | 2.3 | 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3 | 2.5 |
| 3.5 | Offences relating to land and premises | 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 | 1.0 | 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 | 1.8 |
| 3.6 | Alcohol (labelled 'Licensing and offences relating to alcohol') | 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1 | 0.7 | 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2 | 1.3 |
| 3.7 | Protecting citizens and the community | 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1 | 1.7 | 4, 3, 2, 3, 2, 2 | 2.7 |
| 3.8 | Processions, assemblies and protests | 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1 | 1.2 | 1, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2 | 2.2 |
| 3.9 | Public order offences | 5, 6, 5, 5, 5, 5 | 5.2 | 5, 4, 4, 5, 4, 4 | 4.3 |
| 3.10 | Football matches (labelled 'Sporting events') | 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 | 1.2 | 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 | 1.3 |
| 3.11 | Domestic violence and abuse | 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3 | 2.5 | 3, 4, 3, 4, 4, 3 | 3.5 |
| 3.12 | Hatred, harassment and stalking | 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4 | 4.3 | 6, 6, 5, 4, 4, 4 | 4.8 |
| 3.13 | Information and communications | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 | 2.0 | 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2 | 1.7 |
| 3.14 | Administration of justice and public interest | 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1 | 0.8 | 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 | 1.3 |
| 3.15 | Terrorism and associated offences | 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2 | 1.3 | 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 1 | 1.7 |
| 3.16 | Diversity, equality and inclusion | 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1 | 1.3 | 2, 2, 2, 3, 2, 2 | 2.2 |
| 3.17 | Complaints and misconduct | 2, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2 | 1.7 | 3, 2, 3, 4, 3, 3 | 3.0 |
| 3.18 | Unsatisfactory performance and attendance | 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1 | 1.5 | 3, 3, 4, 6, 4, 5 | 4.2 |
| 3.19 | Road policing definitions and principles | 3, 2, 1, 2, 2, 2 | 2.0 | 0, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 | 0.8 |
| 3.20 | Key police powers relating to road policing | 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 | 2.0 | 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1 | 1.2 |
| 3.21 | Offences involving standards of driving | 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 2 | 2.5 | 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1 | 1.2 |
| 3.22 | Drink, drugs and driving | 3, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3 | 3.2 | 2, 4, 3, 2, 3, 3 | 2.8 |
- General police duties has the most chapters (22) and the most small ones. Ten sergeant chapters averaged under 2 questions each, but together they averaged about 12 questions.
- Road policing has not gone away: chapters 3.19 to 3.22 averaged 9.7 sergeant questions and 6.0 inspector questions.
- The people-management chapters (diversity, complaints and misconduct, unsatisfactory performance and attendance) averaged 4.5 sergeant questions and 9.3 inspector questions. That is the clearest rank signal in the whole volume. Background reading: misconduct vs gross misconduct: the legal threshold.
What is stable and what changes between sittings
Three patterns hold across all twelve breakdowns:
- Coverage is near total. Sergeant papers listed questions from 45 or 46 of the 46 chapters that appear in the breakdowns. Inspector papers listed 43 to 45 of 45. The only sergeant chapters ever missing were alcohol (twice) and administration of justice (once); for inspectors, incomplete offences and road policing definitions, both in May 2023 only.
- Weighting is gentle. The most any chapter got in one sergeant sitting was 6 questions (4.3% of the scored paper). For inspectors the peak was 8, three times.
- Area shares move by a few questions, not a few dozen. Across six sittings, the sergeants' Crime count stayed within 57 to 63, and the inspectors' General police duties within 54 to 62.
| Rank | Held steady | Moved most |
|---|---|---|
| Sergeants | Deprivation of liberty (2 every time), information and communications (2), key road powers (2), land and premises (1), theft (5 or 6), non-fatal offences (5 or 6), public order (5 or 6), weapons (4 or 5), sexual offences (4 or 5) | Bail (3 to 6), stop and search (1 to 4), powers of arrest (3 to 6), mental disorders (2 to 4), exclusion of evidence (2 to 4), racially aggravated offences (falling from 4 to 2), mens rea and actus reus (5 down to 3) |
| Inspectors | Court procedure and witnesses (2 every time), criminal damage (4 every time), information and communications (1 or 2), interviews: PACE Codes C, E and F (5 in each of the last four) | Instituting proceedings (1 to 4), sexual offences (3 to 7), unsatisfactory performance and attendance (3 to 6), stop and search (3 or 5), firearms (8 in 2023, then 5 or 6), non-fatal offences (4, rising to 6) |
Treat the "moved" column carefully. A chapter that went from 3 to 6 questions is not "trending up" in any useful sense. The paper is built from a blueprint (see the next section), the College reserves the right to reuse questions, and the 10 removed questions shift the scored count after the event. A difference of one or two questions between sittings is noise.
Why the pattern is steady
The handbook explains it. Subject content is set from "a nationwide survey of operational sergeants and inspectors" plus input from the NPPF governance board, producing a blueprint of areas considered important and frequently encountered at that rank. That blueprint "is reflected in the balance of questions included in each paper", so candidates are "more likely to be tested on those areas" that serving officers use most. The same paragraph then warns that any part of the syllabus can be asked.
Sergeant vs inspector: rank-specific differences
The handbook says "the syllabus content is similar in many respects for both ranks" but some rank-specific areas differ. Its Appendix A is precise: all areas apply to both exams "except chapter 1.8, which is for the sergeants' examination only". Chapter 1.8 is Weapons: having an offensive weapon or a bladed or pointed article in a public place, threatening with them, school premises, trespassing with a weapon of offence, manufacture and sale, possession in private and knives.
Beyond that one syllabus rule, the difference is weighting, set by the blueprint. Grouping chapters makes it clearer:
| Chapter group | Sergeants | Inspectors |
|---|---|---|
| PACE and core powers (2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3) | 22.2 (15.8%) | 28.0 (20.1%) |
| Road policing (3.19 to 3.22) | 9.7 (6.9%) | 6.0 (4.3%) |
| People management (3.16, 3.17, 3.18) | 4.5 (3.2%) | 9.3 (6.7%) |
| Firearms (1.7) | 2.8 (2.0%) | 5.7 (4.1%) |
| Weapons (1.8) | 4.8 (3.5%) | 0 (not examined) |
| Mens rea, actus reus and incomplete offences (1.1 to 1.3) | 10.3 (7.4%) | 6.8 (4.9%) |
| Court, exclusion and instituting proceedings (2.1, 2.3, 2.4) | 10.7 (7.6%) | 6.0 (4.3%) |
- If you passed sergeant and are now preparing for inspector, do not reuse your old priorities. Weapons is gone, firearms roughly doubles, and the PACE, search and people-management chapters carry noticeably more. The pass mark also rises from 55% to 65%.
- If you are a sergeant candidate, weapons is a real block of marks (4 or 5 every time we counted) and the core criminal law chapters matter more than they do for inspectors.
For the wider comparison, including pass rates and the board stage, see the sergeant vs inspector exam difference.
Topic headings that appeared in every sitting we counted
Below are the subject headings (not questions) that appeared in all six breakdowns for a rank, after matching wording. Ten appeared in all twelve, for both ranks: travel restriction orders, duress, child abduction, racially or religiously aggravated offences, witnesses, exclusion of evidence generally, Code C-11 interviews (general), after arrest, offences involving racial, religious or sexual orientation hatred, and Code A-2 types of stop and search powers.
| Area | Sergeants | Inspectors |
|---|---|---|
| Crime | Intent; transferred mens rea; voluntary act; attempts; encouraging or assisting crime; duress; travel restriction orders; racially or religiously aggravated offences; assault offences; other assault offences; slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour; child sex offences; child abduction; police powers under the Children Act 1989; burglary; going equipped; fraud by false representation; contamination or interference with goods; knives; trespassing with weapon of offence | Duress; travel restriction orders; prohibited weapon; child abduction; consent; threats to destroy or damage property; aggravated damage; racially or religiously aggravated offences |
| Evidence and procedure | Issue of warrants; execution of warrants; witnesses; special measures; confessions; exclusion of evidence generally; remands in police custody; Code C-11 interviews (general) | Offence of absconding by person released on bail; police bail restrictions; witnesses; exclusion of evidence generally; Code C-11 interviews (general); Code E-3 interview recording |
| General police duties | Code A-2 types of stop and search powers; after arrest; affray; fear or provocation of violence; domestic violence protection notices and orders; offences involving racial, religious or sexual orientation hatred; the stalking offences; dangerous driving | Code A-2 types of stop and search powers; Code A-3 conduct of searches; Code B-4 entry without warrant (particular powers); Code B-7 seizure and retention of property; after arrest; offences involving racial, religious or sexual orientation hatred; the harassment offences |
| Count | 36 headings in all six sergeant breakdowns | 21 headings in all six inspector breakdowns |
A heading that has appeared six times can be absent next time, and the College reserves the right to reuse questions without saying which. There were 248 different headings across the six sergeant papers and 306 across the six inspector papers, and each paper listed around 130 of them. Of the sergeant headings, 112 appeared in only one or two of the six papers; of the inspector headings, 169 did. In the March 2026 sergeants' paper, only 36 of 131 headings were ones that had appeared every time. Learning only the recurring headings would leave most of the paper uncovered. Use the list as a check that you know these sections well, not as a shortcut.
Repetition is, however, real at the heading level. Of the 131 different headings in the March 2026 sergeants' list, 126 had appeared with the same wording in at least one of the five earlier sergeant breakdowns we found; for the May 2026 inspectors' list it was 123 of 135. That says the paper keeps returning to the same sections of the Manuals. It does not say which.
Mapping past breakdowns onto the 2027 Manuals
The 2027 handbook's Appendix A lists 47 chapters: 17 in Volume 1 (Crime), 8 in Volume 2 (Evidence and procedure) and 22 in Volume 3 (General police duties). Sergeants are examined on all 47; inspectors on 46. The 2027 handbook covers the 2027 sittings and says candidates are examined on the law only as it appears in the 2027 edition of the Manuals. Where the past breakdown labels differ from 2027 chapter titles, this is how they line up:
| Label in past breakdowns | 2027 chapter | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Release of person arrested | 2.2 Bail | Same topics: pre-charge release, bail restrictions, refusing bail, remands |
| Instituting criminal proceedings | 2.1 Instituting Criminal Proceedings, Summons and Warrants | Issue and execution of warrants sit here |
| Homicide | 1.5 Homicide and Related Offences | |
| Sexual offences | 1.12 Sexual Offences and 1.13 Sexual Offences Against Children and People with a Mental Disorder | The breakdowns used one label. By topic heading, 2 or 3 of each sergeant paper's 4 or 5 sexual offences questions fall under the 2027 chapter 1.13 headings |
| Licensing and offences relating to alcohol | 3.6 Offences and Powers Relating to Alcohol | |
| Processions and assemblies; Policing processions, assemblies and protests | 3.8 Policing Processions, Assemblies and Protests | Two different labels used across the sittings we counted |
| Sporting events | 3.10 Offences and Powers Relating to Football Matches | Includes the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 and the Football (Offences) Act 1991 |
| Hatred and harassment offences | 3.12 Hatred, Harassment and Stalking |
We did not compare the 2027 chapter list with earlier editions, so we do not say which of these are new changes. Check which edition applies to your sitting in which Blackstone's edition.
How to use the weighting to allocate revision time
The weighting tells you the likely payoff from each chapter. Your revision plan also needs the cost (how long the chapter is and how well you already know it). A simple method that respects both:
- Decide your total hours honestly, from your rota, leave and family commitments. Then hold back about a quarter for timed practice papers, mixed question sets and review. Knowledge without practice under time pressure is where many candidates lose marks.
- Split the rest by area using the six-sitting average shares for your rank.
- Split each area by chapter in proportion to the average questions per chapter, with a minimum (we use 1.5 hours) for every chapter on your syllabus, because everything is examinable.
- Adjust for you. Move hours towards areas your feedback report or practice scores show are weak, and towards long chapters with lots of detail (Code C is a lot of reading for its 4 or 5 questions). Move hours away from chapters you use every day at work, but test that confidence with questions first.
- Check the payoff in marks. Raising your accuracy from 50% to 80% in a chapter worth 6 questions gains about 1.8 marks on an average paper. The same improvement in a chapter worth 1 question gains 0.3. Weak and heavy chapters come first.
The free study planner on this site does this arithmetic for your own dates. Our week-by-week timetables are in the sergeant exam revision plan, and exam technique (reading the question, eliminating options, pacing) is covered in how to pass the sergeants' exam and how to pass the inspector exam.
Worked example: 200 hours, split by the weighting
An illustration of the method, not a recommended number of hours. We found no official guidance on how many hours to revise. Assume 200 hours in total: 50 held back for timed papers and review, 150 for working through the Manuals.
| Area | Sergeant share | Sergeant hours | Inspector share | Inspector hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime | 43.6% | 65 hours | 38.0% | 57 hours |
| Evidence and procedure | 21.2% | 32 hours | 20.3% | 31 hours |
| General police duties | 35.2% | 53 hours | 41.6% | 62 hours |
| Timed papers, mixed practice and review (held back) | 50 hours | 50 hours | ||
| Total | 200 hours | 200 hours |
Step 3 spreads the hours by chapter. With 150 content hours and a 1.5-hour minimum per chapter, each average question is worth a little over an hour of study (1.05 hours for sergeants, 1.07 for inspectors). The minimums move a few hours between areas compared with the table above, which is fine at this level of precision. A sample:
| Chapter | Sgt avg qs | Sgt hours | Insp avg qs | Insp hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-fatal offences against the person (1.10) | 5.8 | 6.1 | 5.0 | 5.3 |
| Misuse of drugs (1.6) | 5.5 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 6.0 |
| Theft and related offences (1.15) | 5.2 | 5.4 | 6.2 | 6.6 |
| Public order offences (3.9) | 5.2 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
| Weapons (1.8) | 4.8 | 5.1 | 0 | 0 (not examined) |
| Bail (2.2) | 4.8 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.5 |
| Entry, search and seizure (3.2) | 4.3 | 4.6 | 6.0 | 6.4 |
| Firearms and gun crime (1.7) | 2.8 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 6.0 |
| Unsatisfactory performance and attendance (3.18) | 1.5 | 1.6 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
| Alcohol (3.6) | 0.7 | 1.5 (minimum) | 1.3 | 1.5 (minimum) |
| Road policing definitions (3.19) | 2.0 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.5 (minimum) |
Step 4: adjusting for one candidate
Suppose a sergeant candidate's feedback report from a previous attempt showed Evidence and procedure as their weakest area. They raise its 32 hours by half, to 48, and take the 16 hours from General police duties, where they score well and which they use daily (53 down to 37). Within Evidence and procedure, they give Code C and the interview chapters the largest share because of their length. They keep every General police duties chapter above the 1.5-hour minimum.
Why it is worth doing: Evidence and procedure averaged about 30 scored sergeant questions. Lifting accuracy there from 50% to 70% is worth about 6 marks, which can be the gap between failing and passing at 77.
Why the breakdown is not a forecast
We want to be firm about this, because it is the most common misuse of these PDFs. The College says four separate things:
- The breakdowns "are an indication of what was covered previously and do not indicate what will be covered in future exams" (exam page).
- Each recent breakdown is "only useful and valid for" that sitting and "should not be used to try to work out what will be tested in future examinations" (wording from the 2025 and 2026 PDFs).
- Candidates "may be asked questions that relate to any part of the syllabus" and "all areas are examinable" (handbook).
- The syllabus is contained only within the Blackstone's Manuals for your sitting, and questions are drawn solely from them (handbook).
In practice: a chapter that had 2 questions last time can have 5 this time; a heading that appeared in all six papers can be absent. The blueprint makes the overall balance broadly stable, which is why weighting your time by it is reasonable. It does not make any individual topic predictable, and nobody outside the College knows what is on the next paper. Be wary of anyone who claims otherwise.
SIPP legal knowledge papers
Forces trialling the sergeant and inspector promotion and progression process (SIPP) sit a shorter legal knowledge exam at the same time as the NPPF exams. The College publishes SIPP breakdowns too:
- SIPP sergeants, March 2026: 80 questions per the PDF's word count note, 5 removed (2 Crime, 2 Evidence and procedure, 1 General police duties), 75 rows listed: 36 Crime, 15 Evidence and procedure, 24 General police duties, from 24 chapters.
- SIPP sergeants, March 2025: 5 removed (1, 2, 2) and 74 rows listed (37, 15, 22), from the same 24 chapters. We could not reconcile the 74 with a full paper size, as this PDF does not state one.
- SIPP inspectors, May 2026: 40 questions, 5 removed (1 Evidence and procedure, 4 General police duties), 34 rows listed (one fewer than the 35 that would leave), from 8 chapters only: PACE Codes C and D, interviews, bail, complaints and misconduct, entry, search and seizure, stop and search, and unsatisfactory performance and attendance. No Crime questions were listed. All 34 topic headings also appear in the NPPF inspectors' May 2026 list.
The SIPP picture is based on very few sittings and a process still in test. See SIPP explained and check your force's own instructions.
Scenarios
Illustrative examples, not real candidates. They show how to use the data, not what will be in your paper.
Common myths about what comes up
A checklist for using the breakdowns
- Confirm which Blackstone's edition applies to your sitting before you buy or plan.
- List every chapter on your syllabus (47 for sergeants, 46 for inspectors in 2027) and tick each one off as covered.
- Use your rank's average shares to split your hours by area, with a minimum for every chapter.
- Put extra time into the heavy chapters for your rank (the tables above) and into the PACE Code chapters, which are long.
- If you have a feedback report from a previous attempt, move hours to your weakest area first.
- Hold back time for full timed papers: about 160 words a question across 150 questions in 3 hours.
- In the last fortnight, check you are solid on the headings that have recurred, without treating them as a prediction.
- Do not use AI tools during the exam and do not copy or share questions: both are rule breaches.
For practice weighted across the three areas, our exam prep toolkit includes a timed 150-question sitting weighted like the real paper, spaced review and progress tracking. It is our own paid product: its questions are original practice material, not past or real exam questions, and it does not replace the Manuals, which are the syllabus. To try a short timed set first, use the free mini mock. Other options, including the Blackstone's online service and other question banks, are compared in revision resources compared, and free material, including the College's own practice questions on the Knowledge Hub, is in free exam resources.
What we could not verify
- That each row is exactly one scored question. The College does not say so. We infer it from 140 rows in eleven of twelve files, the 150 minus 10 rule and repeated rows.
- The four missing rows in May 2026. The inspectors' May 2026 PDF lists 136 rows, not 140, and we cannot tell which area the other 4 scored questions came from. Its percentages are of 136, and inspector averages use 836 rows.
- Our parse in general. Counts were taken from text extracted from the PDFs and cross-checked by word position; we merged chapter labels that changed between years and reassigned two rows whose text ran across columns. Small errors at chapter level are possible; area totals were checked twice.
- Missing sittings. We could not find breakdowns for the March 2024 sergeants' or November 2023 inspectors' sittings, and the 2021 and 2022 files no longer download. Either may exist under another address.
- Removed questions in 2023 and May 2024. Those PDFs do not give the removed split, so we cannot rebuild the full 150-question paper for them or say whether the rise in sergeant Evidence and procedure questions was in the paper or only in the removals.
- Topic heading matches. Headings were matched on wording, so the "all six" lists and repeat counts may understate repetition where the College reworded a heading.
- 2027 changes. We read the 2027 chapter list but did not compare it with earlier editions, so we do not say which chapter names or splits are new.
- SIPP paper sizes. The March 2025 SIPP sergeants' breakdown lists 74 rows and does not state the paper size, so we could not reconcile it.
- How many hours to revise. We found no official guidance; the 200 hours in our worked example is an illustration only.
Frequently Asked Questions
What comes up in the sergeants exam?
Questions are drawn only from the Blackstone's Police Manuals set for your sitting, across three areas. In the six sergeant breakdowns we counted (March 2023 to March 2026), the 140 scored questions split on average 61 Crime (43.6%), 29.7 Evidence and procedure (21.2%) and 49.3 General police duties (35.2%). Almost every chapter of the syllabus appeared in every sitting, usually with between 1 and 6 questions each.
What comes up in the inspectors exam?
The same three areas, weighted differently. Across the six inspector breakdowns we counted (May 2023 to May 2026), General police duties was the largest area at 41.6% of listed scored questions, then Crime at 38.0% and Evidence and procedure at 20.3%. Inspectors see more questions on firearms, PACE Codes, entry and search, complaints and misconduct and unsatisfactory performance, and no questions on the weapons chapter, which is for sergeants only.
What is the NPPF subject area breakdown?
A PDF the College of Policing publishes after each sitting. It lists the course (Crime, Evidence and procedure or General police duties), the skill (in practice a Manual chapter) and the subject (a topic heading) for the scored questions, and recent ones state how many of the 10 removed questions came from each area. It does not show question text, answers or how candidates scored in each area.
How many questions are there on each subject area?
It varies by sitting. For sergeants, scored Crime questions ranged from 57 to 63, Evidence and procedure from 25 to 32 and General police duties from 45 to 53 of 140. For inspectors, Crime ranged from 50 to 56, Evidence and procedure from 24 to 33 and General police duties from 54 to 62. Where the College also says how many removed questions came from each area, the full 150-question paper looks steadier than the scored 140.
Is weapons in the inspectors exam?
No. The College's 2027 candidate handbook says every area of the syllabus applies to both exams except chapter 1.8 (Weapons), which is for the sergeants' exam only. That matches the breakdowns: weapons appeared in all six sergeant sittings we counted (4 or 5 scored questions each time) and in none of the six inspector sittings.
Does the breakdown tell me what will come up next time?
No. The College says on its exam page that the breakdowns are an indication of what was covered previously and do not indicate what will be covered in future exams, and recent PDFs say they should not be used to try to work out what will be tested. The handbook adds that candidates may be asked about any part of the syllabus. Use the pattern to weight your time, not to drop chapters.
Which chapters have the most questions?
For sergeants, the highest averages per sitting were non-fatal offences against the person (5.8), misuse of drugs (5.5), theft (5.2), public order (5.2), and weapons, sexual offences and bail (4.8 each). For inspectors, theft (6.2), entry, search and seizure (6.0), firearms and misuse of drugs (5.7 each) and PACE Code C detention, interviews and bail (5.2 each). No single chapter averaged more than about 4.5% of the scored paper.
Can I skip the small chapters?
It is a poor bet. The ten smallest sergeant chapters (each averaging under 2 questions) together averaged about 12 scored questions per paper, which is roughly 9% of the marks, and the pass mark is 77 out of 140. Almost every chapter appeared in almost every sitting. Give small chapters less time, not none.
Is road policing still in the exam?
Yes, inside General police duties. The 2027 Manuals put it in chapters 3.19 to 3.22 (definitions, key powers, standards of driving, and drink, drugs and driving). Across our six sergeant sittings those four chapters averaged about 9.7 scored questions per paper (6.9%), and for inspectors about 6.0 (4.3%).
Where can I find the subject area breakdowns?
The current ones are linked from the College's NPPF step two exam page under 'Subjects covered in previous exams'. When we checked on 4 October 2026 it listed only the March 2026 sergeants' and May 2026 inspectors' breakdowns (plus the SIPP versions). Older PDFs remain on the College's assets server; we list the exact files we used in the sources below.
How should I split my revision time between subjects?
Start from the average share (for sergeants about 44% Crime, 21% Evidence and procedure, 35% General police duties; for inspectors about 38%, 20% and 42%), set a minimum for every chapter, then adjust for your own weak areas and for chapter length. Hold back a block of time for timed practice papers. The worked example on this page shows the arithmetic.
Does my feedback report show my score by subject area?
Yes. The College's candidate handbook says the feedback report gives your final grading and total percentage score, broken down into subject areas. If you are resitting, that breakdown is the best evidence you have for where to move hours.
Are the tables in the Blackstone's Manuals examinable?
The handbook says candidates will not be examined on their ability simply to recall information contained solely within the tables in the Manuals. But where the text directly refers to a paragraph of a PACE Code of Practice, candidates are expected to know the relevant provision. That matters because PACE-based chapters carry a large share of the paper.
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: Sergeants' and inspectors' NPPF step two legal exams (exam page) — the 'Subjects covered in previous exams' section and its statement that past breakdowns do not indicate future content; 2026 and 2027 dates; read on the College's production mirror because the main site blocked our reader (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF step two legal examinations candidate handbook (updated 10 September 2026) — 150 questions in 3 hours; 10 removed, 140 scored; syllabus only in the 2027 Manuals; blueprint from a national survey; any part of the syllabus may be examined; tables in the Manuals; PACE Code paragraphs; feedback report by subject area; pass marks (accessed 4 October 2026)
- College of Policing: NPPF candidate handbook 2027 (PDF), Appendix A — the 2027 chapter list for Volumes 1 to 3 and the rule that chapter 1.8 (Weapons) is for the sergeants' exam only (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF sergeants' subject area breakdown, March 2026 (PDF) — 140 rows; removed questions 6 Crime, 3 Evidence and procedure, 1 General police duties; word count about 24,606 for 150 questions (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF sergeants' subject area breakdown, October 2025 (PDF) — 140 rows; removed 6, 1, 3 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF sergeants' subject area breakdown, March 2025 (PDF) — 140 rows; removed 2, 3, 5 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF sergeants' subject area breakdown, October 2024 (PDF) — 140 rows; removed 1, 2, 7 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF sergeants' subject area breakdown, October 2023 (PDF) — 140 rows; no removed-question split stated (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF sergeants' subject area breakdown, March 2023 (PDF) — 140 rows; no removed-question split stated (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF inspectors' subject area breakdown, May 2026 (PDF) — 136 rows (not 140); removed 4, 1, 5; word count about 24,309 for 150 questions (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF inspectors' subject area breakdown, November 2025 (PDF) — 140 rows; removed 2, 2, 6 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF inspectors' subject area breakdown, May 2025 (PDF) — 140 rows; removed 4, 3, 3 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF inspectors' subject area breakdown, November 2024 (PDF) — 140 rows; removed 3, 3, 4 (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF inspectors' subject area breakdown, May 2024 (PDF) — 140 rows; no removed-question split stated (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF inspectors' subject area breakdown, May 2023 (PDF) — 140 rows; no removed-question split stated (accessed 4 October 2026)
- SIPP sergeants' and inspectors' subject area breakdowns, March 2025, March 2026 and May 2026 (PDFs) — the March 2026 sergeants' file is linked; the others are SIPP-sergeants-exam-subject-area-breakdown-March-2025.pdf (2025-04 folder) and SIPP-inspectors-subject-area-breakdown-May-2026.pdf (2026-05 folder) (accessed 4 October 2026)
- NPPF results and analysis overviews: sergeants March 2026 and inspectors May 2026 (PDFs) — 3,215 sergeant candidates, 1,882 successful (58.5%); 1,739 inspector candidates, 644 successful (37.0%). Neither report breaks results down by subject area (accessed 4 October 2026)
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PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or produced by the College of Policing or Oxford University Press (Blackstone's). Exam rules, dates, syllabus editions and prices change, so check the College of Policing's current candidate handbook and exam pages before you register or buy. Practice material on this site is original and is not real exam content. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 4 October 2026.