Online examinations candidate guide

Please refer to the relevant candidate handbook for specific exam dates and registration dates.

• National police promotion framework (NPPF) sergeants' and inspectors' exams candidate handbook
• National investigators' exam (NIE) candidate handbook

If you are taking a different exam, please contact your force exams contact for the correct handbook.

Exam times

Candidates can take their chosen exam at a time to suit them between 8am and 8pm on their specified exam date(s). You must start your exam before 8pm.

The College will provide dedicated candidate support between 8am and 8pm on exam days, so we recommend completing your exam before 8pm in case you encounter any issues.

Alternative exam dates

We cannot provide alternative dates for candidates who are unable to sit their exam on the dates scheduled.

Preparing for your exam

Reading this candidate guide will help you know what to expect on the day and how to prepare effectively. It is your responsibility to read all of the guidance ahead of taking the exam, as well as the relevant candidate handbook and the information available on the candidate online exam guidance Knowledge Hub group (You will need to log in to Knowledge Hub).

Exam updates

We will communicate regularly via force exams contacts, who will pass all information on to you. We will also ensure that updates are available on the relevant exam pages on the College of Policing website:

• NPPF sergeants' and inspectors' exams
• National investigators' exam (NIE)

We will not send information directly to candidates regarding the exams, so please ensure that you regularly check for updates via these channels and on our social media pages.

• College of Policing (@CollegeofPolice) on X (twitter.com)
• College of Policing on LinkedIn
• College of Policing on Facebook
   

Exam syllabus

The syllabus content that will be examined is cross-referenced in the NIE candidate handbook and the NPPF step two legal exams candidate handbook. It is only contained within the relevant Blackstone’s Police Manuals. These texts are the only official resource endorsed by the College of Policing and contain the required legal knowledge for candidates. Exam questions are drawn solely from the contents of these manuals.

Practice questions can be found on the Candidate online exam guidance Knowledge Hub group (you will need to log in). Candidates will be examined on the law and procedure only as it appears in the 2026 edition of the Blackstone’s Police Manuals. Candidates are advised not to rely on previous editions, which may contain out-of-date material.

A 30% discount for the NIE and NPPF manuals is available to all police officers and staff in England and Wales. You can find out how to get the discount code by signing in to College Learn. 

Please note that the College of Policing only endorse the Blackstone’s Police Manuals for the exams. Other products, including the Blackstone’s Q&As, are not affiliated with the College of Policing.

Revising for the exam

Revising for an online exam is no different to revising for an exam delivered by the traditional pencil-and-paper method. You still need to dedicate time to revising, as the syllabus is large. 

We strongly recommend that all candidates join the candidate online exam guidance Knowledge Hub group (you will need to log in). Once you have joined, you can access further materials to support your exam preparation, including:

• practice questions that mirror the real exam format, with answers and full explanations
• exam preparation checklist and exam tips documents
• preparation for exam day and online candidate guide materials
• revision timetables, including a downloadable study plan and revision timetable template
• revision timetable video explaining how to use the revision timetable template
• feedback report guidance, helping candidates interpret results and focus on weaker areas
• learning styles guidance and accompanying video to help candidates identify effective learning techniques
• mentoring and study group guidance, offering practical advice on collaborative preparation
• exam environment video showing the online testing interface
• familiarisation exercise video demonstrating navigation and answering
• reasonable adjustment (RA) guidance and videos, explaining eligibility, break entitlements, and how adjustments work within the online exam platform

Practice questions

A small sample of practice questions are available to candidates on the Candidate online exam guidance Knowledge Hub group (you will need to log in). This is not a full practice exam, but it will provide candidates with a clear idea of the structure and style of questions that will be included in the exam. Since many of the questions in our exams are used multiple times, we can only provide a small sample of questions to ensure that the integrity of the exam is not affected.

There are companies who provide revision materials and practice questions for the exam. However, these are not endorsed by the College of Policing, and they may differ in terms of content and difficulty level to the exam itself.

This guidance applies to the:

• NPPF step two legal exams for sergeants and inspectors
• NIE
• Sergeant and inspector promotion and progression (SIPP) exams
• trainee investigators’ exam (TIE)
• immigration enforcement investigators’ exam (IEIE)

It should be read alongside our reasonable adjustments and accommodations policy, which explains the overarching principles and how adjustments and accommodations are defined and considered.

If you are undertaking a different College assessment or selection process, refer to the relevant product-specific guidance.

Requesting a reasonable adjustment or accommodation

To request an adjustment or accommodation, contact your force exams contact in the first instance. They will explain the process and support you in submitting your request. If you would prefer not to raise your circumstances through your force, you can contact the College exams team directly for advice, at:

• nppf.enquiries@college.police.uk – for NPPF and SIPP exams
• examsinvestigator@college.police.uk – for NIE, TIE and IEIE

We will not disclose the personal information or reasons supporting your request to your force. However, we may need to tell your force what adjustment or accommodation has been agreed so that it can be recorded and implemented. In some circumstances, not involving the force may limit the support that can be arranged locally.

You do not need to notify or ask your line manager to endorse your request. Your force exams contact can advise you on any local force processes, including how information is managed and who may need to be involved to arrange support. Any information provided as part of your request will be handled confidentially and only accessed by those who need to:

• review the request
• advise on the support
• arrange the agreed adjustment or accommodation

You should submit your request, including any supporting information, as early as possible. Applying early allows sufficient time for your circumstances to be reviewed, any further information to be requested where needed, and the agreed support to be put in place before the exam. 

Your force may set its own deadline for submitting requests. You should contact your force exams contact as soon as possible and check the relevant candidate handbook for the submission deadline.

Requests submitted after the relevant deadline will still be considered where possible, but there may not be sufficient time to review the information and put appropriate arrangements in place before the exam.

Once you have made contact, your force will provide you with a request form to complete. You should provide as much relevant detail as possible to help us understand your needs. You do not need to know exactly what adjustment you require. Instead, it is helpful to explain:

• your condition or circumstances 
• how your condition or circumstances affect you day-to-day and how they may affect you during an exam
• any support or adjustments you currently have in place at work
• any support or adjustments you have previously received or found helpful, for example, from school or education

You must submit a new request for each exam or resit, even if you have previously received the same support. Further information about why a new request is required is provided in our reasonable adjustments and accommodations policy.

Supporting information

You will be asked to provide supporting information that helps us and your force understand your needs and how they may affect you during the exam.

A range of supporting information may be considered, including diagnostic or medical information and workplace assessment reports. Each request is considered individually and further information may be requested where the information provided does not contain enough detail to identify appropriate support.

Our policy provides full guidance on supporting information, including alternative information that may be considered where formal reports are not available. If you are unsure what to provide, contact your force exams contact for advice.

What happens next

Once your request has been submitted to your force:

• your force will review the information provided, they may discuss your needs with you and consider appropriate support based on the information you provide
• appropriate adjustments or accommodations will be identified in line with our policy
• we will review the proposed support to help ensure that it is appropriate for your needs, consistent with the policy, and suitable for the requirements of the exam

Decisions are made by considering how best to support your individual needs while ensuring that the assessment remains fair, valid and consistent for all candidates.

Where supporting information does not provide sufficient detail, it may not be possible to identify appropriate support until further information is provided.

Agreement of adjustments

Once adjustments or accommodations have been agreed, your force will provide you with an agreement form. This will outline the support that will be put in place and explain how it will operate within the online exam platform. For example, how additional time or breaks will be applied.

It is important that you read the agreement form carefully so that you understand the agreed support and how it will operate during the exam. By signing and returning the agreement form, you are confirming that you have read and understood the information provided. You are also confirming that you agree to the adjustment or accommodation being applied as set out in the form.

Your agreed adjustment or accommodation can only be applied on the day of your exam if you sign and return the agreement form within the required timeframe. If you have any questions or concerns about the support offered, or how it will work in practice, you should raise these with your force exams contact before signing and returning the agreement form.

Once your adjustments or accommodations have been agreed and confirmed, they will be applied as set out in your agreement form. If your circumstances change, or you believe that you require different support, you should contact your force exams contact as soon as possible. This will allow time for your needs to be reviewed and, where possible, for any appropriate changes to be put in place before the exam. You will not be able to appeal after taking the exam on the basis that you did not understand or agree with how the adjustment or accommodation was applied. 

Checking your adjustments or accommodations before the exam

Before starting your exam, you must check that your agreed support has been applied correctly. You can view details of your time allowance and any scheduled breaks on the exam platform. Instructions on how to check this will be provided in the relevant online exams guidance on the candidate online exam guidance Knowledge Hub group (you will need to log in).

Adjustments or accommodations are not automatically added to the familiarisation exercise. If you would like to check how your agreed adjustment or accommodation will appear or operate on the platform before the exam, you should ask your force exams contact as early as possible whether this can be arranged.

This also provides you with an opportunity to test any assistive technology or software that you plan to use, such as text to speech software or screen overlays, to make sure that it works effectively with the exam platform.

You should also review the resources and videos available on the candidate online exam guidance group on Knowledge Hub. These can help you understand what to check before starting your exam and explain:

• the exam platform
• available functionality
• how some adjustments or accommodations operate

If your agreed support does not appear as expected, or if it does not seem to match your agreement form, you should contact us or your force exams contact immediately before starting your exam. This will allow the issue to be looked into and, where necessary and possible, rectified before you begin.

Adjustments or accommodations cannot usually be applied or changed once the exam has begun. It is important that you check your agreed support before starting the exam and raise any concerns at that point.

Examples of support

Examples of adjustments and accommodations

Reasonable adjustments are changes that can be made to support disabled candidates, or those who have physical or mental health conditions, to access the exam fairly.

Accommodations may also be considered where a candidate has a short-term condition, or other circumstances where they need extra support to take the exam. Both are intended to provide appropriate support.

The support offered will depend on your individual needs, the supporting information available, and the requirements of the exam. Examples may include, but are not limited to:

• additional time
• multiple short breaks
• a single longer break
• use of a reader, where this is appropriate and supported by the information provided

Additional time may be appropriate, where the information provided indicates that your condition or circumstances affect areas such as your reading efficiency or processing speed. Where your needs do not affect you in this way, other forms of support, such as breaks or changes to the exam environment, may be more appropriate. In some cases, a combination of support may be provided.

These examples are not a prescribed list for you to choose from. The support offered will be based on your individual needs, the supporting information provided and the requirements of the exam. This means that the support agreed may be different from the support you initially request. Each request will be considered individually to identify the most appropriate arrangements.

Support and choices available to all candidates

There are steps you can take to create an exam environment and set up that meets your needs. These do not require an adjustments or accommodation request.

You can:

• choose a suitable environment in which to sit your exam, such as a quiet and comfortable room with minimal distractions, where your force provides a local exam space, you should discuss any local arrangements directly with your force exams contact
• choose when to start your exam within the permitted exam window, so that you can sit it at a time that works best for you
• use your own equipment and set up, where suitable, such as a larger monitor, a touch screen device, or alternative input methods
• use noise cancelling headphones, where appropriate
• use assistive tools, such as text to speech software
• use screen overlays or software to adjust colour and contrast
• use the features available within the exam platform, such as navigation tools, question flagging, note making functions and display options

You are responsible for ensuring that any equipment, assistive technology or software you plan to use is suitable and works effectively with the exam platform. You should test your set up in advance using the familiarisation exercise to make sure that it meets your needs and works as expected.

Further guidance is available in the candidate online exam guidance group on Knowledge Hub (you will need to log in). This includes a video on setting up a suitable exam environment and the most up to date information about the features available within the exam platform.

Example scenarios

The following examples illustrate how adjustments may be applied in practice:

• If you have a condition that affects reading speed, processing or working memory, you may be provided with additional time to support your ability to read, understand and respond to questions within the time available.
• If you experience anxiety or a condition affecting concentration, you may be supported through breaks, allowing you to pause, manage symptoms and maintain focus during the exam.
• If you have a temporary or long-term physical condition (for example, back pain or a condition that makes it difficult to remain seated for long periods), you may be supported through breaks, allowing you to move, stretch or manage discomfort during the exam.
• If you have a condition where the impact can vary or be difficult to predict, such as fatigue, pain or fluctuating symptoms, breaks may help you manage your needs during the exam.
• If your condition affects both the speed at which you process information and your ability to maintain concentration over time, a combination of additional time and breaks may be appropriate.

These examples are intended to demonstrate how support can be tailored to your individual circumstances. Any adjustments or accommodations offered will be based on your needs, the supporting information provided, and the requirements of the exam.

Requesting a review of the decision

If you have any questions or concerns about the outcome of your adjustment or accommodation request, you should contact your force exams contact in the first instance. They can explain the decision, discuss any concerns with you and, where appropriate, ask us to review any additional information.

In some cases, additional supporting information may be needed to help us better understand your needs or reconsider the support that may be appropriate.

If you believe the process has not been applied correctly, you may request a review before your exam. A review will focus on whether the correct process was followed and whether the decision was made in line with the our reasonable adjustments and accommodations policy, the information provided and the requirements of the exam.

A review does not involve a fresh assessment of the request or a reassessment of the same supporting information.

To request a review, you should contact your force exams contact as soon as possible and explain why you believe the policy or process has not been followed. Your force exams contact will escalate the request to the College exams team for review by an appropriate senior member of the team.

You must request a review before your exam so that there is sufficient time for the matter to be considered and, where appropriate, for any changes to be put in place.

Preparing for your exam

College exams are delivered online. You will have the opportunity to familiarise yourself with the exam platform before your exam. You should use the familiarisation exercise to understand how the platform works and, where relevant, check how your agreed adjustments or accommodations will operate in practice.

Full details about the format of your exam, including how questions are presented and how the platform works, can be found in the relevant candidate handbook.

The candidate online exam guidance group on Knowledge Hub (you will need to log in) provides access to our official resources, including:

• guidance on preparing for your exam
• practice materials
• information about platform functionality
• guidance on how breaks operate
• demonstration videos of the exam experience
• a video on setting up a suitable exam environment

Where to take your exam

You can choose where to take your exam, so that it is suitable and convenient for you. This could be in your own home or at a force location if preferred. Further guidance on setting up an appropriate space is available in the ‘exam environment’ video on the Candidate online exam guidance Knowledge Hub group.

Setting up a calm, organised and well-prepared space can help to minimise distractions and reduce the risk of technical issues. This will help you feel more confident and focused during your online exam.

• Select a room where you will not be interrupted or disturbed by others. Ideally, this should be a room where you can close the door.
• If background noise is likely to be distracting, consider using noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs.
• Position yourself in a well-lit area.
• Use a comfortable, stable chair and desk setup. Ensure that you can sit upright with your screen at eye level to reduce strain.
• Use a reliable laptop or desktop that is compatible for the exam. Avoid using small tablets, as the screen size may make it harder to navigate the platform.
• Ensure that there are no restrictions on the device’s cache setting.
• Plug your device into a power source to avoid battery issues.
• Turn off applications unrelated to the exam, including messaging or email programmes, as well as any software notifications or system pop-ups that might interrupt you. Close all other tabs except the exam platform.
• Make a note of the College of Policing email address before starting, in case you encounter any issues and need to contact someone. This will be provided to you before the exam.
• If possible, connect directly to the internet with an ethernet cable for a more stable connection. Ask others in your household to limit streaming, gaming or other high-bandwidth activities during the exam to reduce the risk of connectivity issues.
• Test your login credentials ahead of time to prevent delays on exam day. Use the familiarisation exercise to also ensure that your setup works smoothly. 

Taking the exam abroad

Because of local network restrictions, such as restrictions on firewalls and browsers, as well as the stability of internet connections, we cannot guarantee access from outside the UK. If you are a currently serving officer on deployment in another country, who is being supported by your force or organisation to take the exam, you should inform your force exams contact. The College cannot provide support to officers who wish to take the exams abroad while on holiday.

Exam supervision

You will not be supervised while you take your exam. As a police officer taking a professional career exam, you are expected to act with integrity and in line with the principles and standards of behaviour set out within the Code of Ethics. There are a number of mechanisms built into the exam to detect cheating (further information available in the maintaining the integrity of policing exams section). Any candidate who is suspected of cheating or disclosing the content of the exam in any form will be investigated and could have their exam results nullified and/or be banned from entering the exam in future. Candidates suspected of cheating will be referred to their force’s professional standards unit.

Candidates suspected of cheating

Each candidate taking their exam online is reminded of their individual responsibilities to act with integrity and in accordance with:

• the standards of professional behaviour set out in the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2020
• the expected professional and ethical behaviours and ethical principles of the Code of Ethics

This is a fundamental requirement of every police officer. Candidates must not attempt to gain an unfair advantage in the exam by any means. Because of the design of the exams and mechanisms that we have introduced into the delivery of the exam, attempts to cheat are likely to be ineffective. Attempts to cheat are also easy to identify because of the way that the system records activity in the platform.

Any candidate who is suspected of cheating or disclosing the content of the exam in any way will be investigated and could have their exam results nullified and/or be banned from entering the exam in future. Candidates suspected of cheating will be referred to the reports and disqualifications panel and will have their result nullified if found to have cheated. Candidates will also be referred to their force’s professional standards unit or equivalent. 

Accessing reference materials

We expect candidates to take the exam in the same way as they would in an invigilated environment without accessing reference materials.

The number of questions and the timings of the exam is such that referring to reference materials is likely to be ineffective or counterproductive. The questions themselves test application of knowledge, so looking up individual facts is likely to be unhelpful, as candidates are still required to understand the legislation to apply it to the scenario.

The exam is designed to test whether a candidate has the legal knowledge needed to perform successfully in the next rank or role. If a candidate chooses not to learn this information and instead relies on looking it up, this is unlikely to be an effective way of passing the exam or embarking on a career at the next rank or role.

To ensure fairness for all, if you choose to access reference materials (such as referring to the Blackstone’s Manual), it will not be reported to the professional standards unit or classed as a means of cheating, as it is unlikely to provide you with any advantage. However, you are strongly discouraged from doing this, as it is will not be an effective way to pass the exam.

Copying any part of an exam question for use in any way, including searching answers is strictly forbidden and is a breach of exam rules. Attempting to use any artificial intelligence (AI) applications (such as ChatGPT or any other AI application) is also strictly prohibited. Anyone found to have done this will be referred to the reports and disqualifications panel and their own force’s professional standards unit, will have their result removed and face a potential ban from future exams.

Attempting to pause the clock is a breach of exam rules and could mean that your result is nullified. When you close the browser, this is logged on the system and will be recorded as a breach of exam rules. Any browser closures will be referred to the reports and disqualifications panel for further consideration. 

Rules breaches are taken very seriously. Previous candidates who have breached the exam rules to try to gain an unfair advantage have had their results removed, been banned from future attempts at the exam for several years and have been referred to their own professional standards unit.

Making notes during the exam

There is a workings function built into the exam to assist with any notes that you wish to make on a question during the exam. You are therefore not allowed to make notes in any other format regarding the exam questions. For example, making handwritten notes and using other word processing software to take notes is prohibited.

You are not allowed to copy a question, or part of it, under any circumstances. Copying a question (or any part of a question) will be considered a breach of exam rules. This will be reported to the reports and disqualifications panel and your force’s professional standards unit, and your result may be removed.

Collusion between candidates

Candidates must complete the exam on their own without helping, or accepting help from, others. Candidates sharing information about exam questions and/or answers with another candidate before, during or after the exam, will be deemed to have breached exam rules. Candidates are expected to take the exam on their own with no-one else present in the room, except if they are taking it as part of an organised force delivery.

Candidates must not discuss any part of the exam questions or answers with anyone else before, during or after the exam. Any allegations of colluding between officers will be thoroughly investigated and detailed reports of performance will be analysed. Cases will be reported to the relevant professional standards unit, or equivalent, and to the reports and disqualifications panel. The panel will remove results from candidates who are found to have colluded with others.

Keeping copies of questions

Making and/or keeping copies of the questions, or any part of the questions, in any format is strictly prohibited. The questions remain the intellectual property of the College of Policing and we reserve the right to reuse questions. If people keep and share copies of questions, it affects the future integrity of exams. Candidates can take the exam within a 12-hour window on the exam day.

If the exam content is shared before a candidate has chance to take the exam, this could lead to them having an unfair advantage and could affect the integrity of the exam. You must not discuss exam content with anyone after the exam, including comments on social media, as this is likely to provide others with an unfair advantage.

Candidates must not take screenshots of questions for any reasons. If you would like to highlight a query to the College about a specific question, you should describe the question without giving the question in full or providing a screenshot. Any copying of questions for any reason, including taking screenshots, is considered a breach of the rules and will be reported to the reports and disqualifications panel.

Discussing the content of questions in any form, including on social media platforms, is prohibited and presents a huge personal risk for that candidate and their future career. Any candidate who is suspected of disclosing the content of the exam in any way, before, during or after the exam, will be investigated and could have their exam results nullified and/or be banned from entering the exam in future.

Candidates suspected of keeping or sharing the content of the exam will also be referred to their force’s professional standards unit. This includes having discussions on social media in public or private forums after the exam has finished.

Pass mark

Please refer to the relevant candidate handbook for specific details for your exam. 

Availability of results

Results will be available within three weeks of the exam. The College will confirm the actual date for results with forces ahead of the results day. You will receive an email when results are available with a link to access your result and feedback report in AIMS (the platform that you registered for the exam on, not the exam platform). You will need to follow this link and verify your email address, date of birth and national insurance number.

Please ensure that you enter your AIMS portal via the link sent to you. If you do not enter via this link and verify your details, your exam results will not be released to you. Please ensure that all details are entered correctly when you initially register, as any errors will lead to a delay in being able to access your results.

Force exams contacts will be able to access a pass or fail list of their officers’ results from the registration platform, but do not have access to individual feedback reports.

Results cannot be issued instantly, as we will need to analyse the results of the exam and have these ratified by the debrief panel to ensure that the exam has been delivered fairly and in accordance with the rules.

Unscheduled incidents

Appeals of unscheduled incidents

Full details are provided in the relevant candidate handbook for each exam. The College will not accept appeals of unscheduled incidents regarding the testing environment, or in relation to local connection issues or device issues that are outside of the platform. The College will advise on the exam day to support any candidates who do experience device or connection issues. If you experience an issue during the exam, please contact the College so this can be resolved for you. 

The College is unable to assist with local or force connection issues, so please ensure that you follow the advice in this guide to reduce the risk that you will experience any issues. Any appeals of unscheduled incidents must reach the College within three days of the exam.

We will not accept appeals after this time under any circumstances. Any further evidence relating to closing the browser must also be submitted within three days of the exam. Evidence submitted after this time will not be considered.

Queries about exam questions

You should provide details of your query to your force exams contact as soon as possible and within three days of the exam. Your force exams contact will then submit the query directly to the College, who will review the question and take legal advice if needed. Appropriate action will then be taken if required.

You must not copy a question from the exam to send to us. Taking a copy of a question in any format for any reason is a breach of exam rules. We will be able to locate a question from a description that you provide, rather than the actual question itself being sent.

You must not share content of the question with others or encourage debate on social media platforms. This will be considered a breach of the exam rules.

Providing feedback

As part of the monitoring and development of the online exams, we would like to hear your views on your experience. We will invite you to take part in a candidate feedback survey after your exam, via your force exams contact.

Any feedback you provide will be reviewed. However, please note that we are not able to treat any feedback you provide in this survey as a formal appeal of unscheduled incidents. You should therefore not expect a response to issues raised through this channel.