Get hired into the UK public service at the first attempt.
Practice tests, hiring-process guides and interview prep for 20 UK careers: Civil Service, police, armed forces, fire, prison, border and intelligence. Your Readiness Score tells you when you're ready to apply.
The real dashboard, shown with sample student data.
Your Civil Service job prep, in 48 seconds
Diana walks you through the dashboard: practice by topic, timed mocks, weak-spot tracking, flashcards, study notes and the Pass Guarantee.
Practise the tests each career really uses
Judgement scenarios scored against the values the organisation publishes, verbal and numerical reasoning, and for police promotion and investigator exams, the law itself. Every explanation tells you why the best answer is best, so you learn the thinking, not just the answer.
- Original questions written to each career's published selection process
- Situational judgement scored against the Civil Service behaviours, the police Competency and Values Framework or the service's own values
- Practice by topic or mixed, with instant feedback
See your weak spots before the assessors do
Your Readiness Score day by day, accuracy by topic with the weakest first, and every timed mock against your test's pass standard. One click on a topic starts a drill on it.
- Topic accuracy updates after every question
- Mock scores plotted against the pass line (for example 55% for the sergeants' exam)
- The Today list sends you to your weakest topic first
Remember the process, the values and the law
Spaced repetition brings each card back right before you'd forget it: the stages of your hiring process, the behaviours or values you'll be scored on, fitness standards and, for police exams, the definitions and powers.
- Selection stages, eligibility rules, values and key definitions
- 15 new cards a day, so reviews never pile up
- Mastery feeds straight into your Readiness Score
Turn every missed question into a point
Every question you get wrong is saved with its explanation. It only clears after you get it right twice in a row, so lucky guesses don't count.
- Re-test all your mistakes in one click
- See the best answer and the reasoning behind it
- Shows how many you've cleared, to keep you going
Sit the test before the real one
Timed mocks with no feedback until you submit. The sergeants' and inspectors' exams are 150 questions in 3 hours and the National Investigators' Exam 80 in 2 hours, so stamina matters as much as knowledge.
- Sergeants' and inspectors' pace: 150 questions in 180 minutes, 1.2 minutes each
- Quick 25-question mocks for a lunch break
- Two full simulations count toward the Pass Guarantee
Which public-service job do you want?
Pick the kind of work you're aiming for. We'll show the careers that fit, the tests each one uses and a free practice test for each.
Built for the real exam, kept up to date
Every career on the site. One plan per career.
Try any exam free first. Upgrade when you're ready.
Premium Monthly
- One career of your choice: any Civil Service, police, armed forces, fire, prison, border or intelligence career on this site
- 3,000 practice questions + 6 full mock exams per exam
- 800 flashcards + 60 key notes per exam, by topic, plus mind maps
- Spaced repetition + mistakes bank
- Readiness Score & detailed reports
- Video lessons as they release
- Content updates during your access
- 5 bonuses: hiring process cheat sheet, STAR interview answer builder, vetting and checks guide and more
- Pass Guarantee: complete the prep, pass or 100% back
Renews monthly until you cancel. Cancel in two clicks from your account; you keep access until the end of the month you've paid for. No minimum term.
Premium Yearly
- One career of your choice: any Civil Service, police, armed forces, fire, prison, border or intelligence career on this site
- 3,000 practice questions + 6 full mock exams per exam
- 800 flashcards + 60 key notes per exam, by topic, plus mind maps
- Spaced repetition + mistakes bank
- Readiness Score & detailed reports
- Video lessons as they release
- Content updates during your access
- 5 bonuses: hiring process cheat sheet, STAR interview answer builder, vetting and checks guide and more
- Pass Guarantee: complete the prep, pass or 100% back
Renews once a year until you cancel. We email you before each renewal. Cancel any time from your account; you keep access until the end of the year you've paid for.
Included free with every plan
UK Public-Service Hiring Process Cheat Sheet
Every career's selection stages, the tests it uses and the published numbers that matter, on one printable page.
Free with an accountSTAR Interview Answer Builder
A fill-in template for behaviour and competency answers, the frameworks each organisation scores against, and how to handle strength questions.
Test and Assessment-Day Checklist
What to prepare for online tests, video assessment centres, face-to-face interviews, fitness tests and the College of Policing's online exams.
4- and 8-Week Application Prep Planner
A week-by-week plan for the tests, the interview and the fitness standard, built around a full-time job.
Vetting and Pre-Employment Checks Guide
What happens between the interview and your first day: vetting levels, medicals, references, nationality rules and how to avoid delays.
Pass, or get 100% of your money back.
We're confident in the system, so we put our money on it. Do the work, and if you still don't pass, you don't pay.
- Answer every question in that exam's question bank (100% covered)
- Read every study-notes topic for that exam
- Complete at least 2 full timed simulations, with your latest one at or above the exam's pass mark
- Reach a Readiness Score of 80 or higher (shown on your dashboard)
- Sit the career's written or aptitude test (for example the online sift, the Civil Service or Fast Stream online tests, the Defence Aptitude Assessment, or the sergeants', inspectors' or investigators' exam) while your access is active, and within 60 days of meeting the requirements above
- Email your test result notice within 30 days of your test date
Questions before you buy
Can I try it before I pay?
Yes. Open the study dashboard free with no signup, or take any exam's free practice test. You only pay when you want the full question bank, timed simulations and every study tool.
What if I buy it and it's not for me?
Because you get the full question bank and study materials the moment you pay, all sales are final. Try the free test and the free dashboard first so you know it suits you. The one exception is the Pass Guarantee: complete the full prep, and if you still fail, we refund 100%.
What if I study and still fail?
That's what the Pass Guarantee is for. Answer every question in the bank, read every study topic, pass 2 timed simulations and reach a Readiness Score of 80, then sit your career's written or aptitude test within 60 days. If you don't pass that test, send your result notice within 30 days and we refund 100%. It covers the test, not interviews, fitness, vetting or job offers.
Is it a subscription?
Yes. Premium is £45 a month per exam (about £1.48 a day) and renews monthly until you cancel. You can cancel in two clicks from your account, and there's no minimum term. Most people study for 1 to 3 months. If you want a whole year for one exam, the yearly plan is £405 for 12 months (3 months free) and renews once a year until you cancel.
How long do I keep access?
For as long as your Premium subscription is active. Cancel any time from your account and you keep access until the end of the month you've paid for.
Are these real exam questions?
No. Real test and interview questions are confidential, and no one can legally sell them. Ours are original questions written to each career's published selection process: judgement scenarios scored against the organisation's published values or behaviours, reasoning questions in the style of the real tests, and for the police promotion and investigators' exams, the law in the syllabus. Every answer is explained, so you can check our work.
Is the content up to date?
We check every career page against the recruiting organisations' current published information and show the date it was last checked. In 2026 that included the four-stage police constable recruitment process made compulsory in England and Wales on 17 March 2026, the College of Policing's 2027 NPPF and 2026 NIE candidate handbooks, the Civil Service online tests list updated on 27 January 2026, and the Fast Stream's 2027 entry round.
Is this an official government site?
No. UKCivilServicePrep is an independent career-prep service, not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. We don't handle applications or influence decisions. Always apply through the organisation's own recruiting site (for example Civil Service Jobs, your police force's recruitment pages or the armed forces' recruiting sites); applying is free.
Are you affiliated with any government department, police force or the armed forces?
No. UKCivilServicePrep is an independent career-prep service, not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency, department, police force, fire and rescue service, the armed forces or the intelligence agencies. Organisation, scheme and test names are used only to describe the selection processes we help you prepare for.
20 UK public-service careers, each with a free practice test
Each exam has a free practice test and a study guide. Premium adds 3,000 practice questions, 6 full mock exams, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes per exam, organized topic by topic.
Civil Service Fast Stream (Graduate Leadership Programme)
The Fast Stream is the Civil Service's leadership development programme: about three to five years of postings in different departments, with training and, on many schemes, a professional qualification, starting on £31,554. Selection runs through two untimed online tests (work-based scenarios and a case study), a half-day online assessment centre (written exercise, oral briefing and a personal development conversation) and, for most schemes, a Final Selection Board.
Diplomatic and Development Fast Stream (FCDO)
The Diplomatic and Development (DD) Fast Stream is the FCDO's five-year graduate leadership route into diplomacy and international development: postings in London and East Kilbride, then overseas, with full mobility required and an optional China Pathway from 2026. You apply through the Civil Service Fast Stream: two untimed online tests, the half-day online assessment centre (FSAC) and an in-person Final Selection Board in London.
Civil Service Executive Officer (EO) and Higher Executive Officer (HEO)
Executive Officers are the first rung of Civil Service management, handling casework, delivery and project tasks, and Higher Executive Officers are middle managers who lead teams, analyse data and help develop policy.
Civil Service Administrative Officer (AO) and Administrative Assistant (AA)
Administrative Assistants and Administrative Officers are the Civil Service's entry-level grades, handling enquiries by phone, online and in person, processing cases and claims, keeping records and supporting teams in departments such as DWP, HMRC and the Home Office.
HMRC Officer (Caseworker, Compliance and Customer Service Roles)
HMRC Officers work on tax compliance, casework, customer service, debt management and investigations, collecting the money that pays for public services.
DWP Work Coach (Executive Officer, Jobcentre)
Work Coaches are Executive Officers based in Jobcentres who coach people on Universal Credit into work, manage a caseload and build links with local employers.
Police Constable (England and Wales)
Police constables patrol, respond to calls, investigate crime and safeguard vulnerable people, joining through a degree apprenticeship (PCDA), degree-holder programme (DHEP), the non-degree PC entry programme (PCEP) or after a pre-join policing degree.
Police Sergeant Promotion: NPPF Step Two Legal Exam
The sergeants' exam is step two of the National Police Promotion Framework: a 3-hour, 150-question legal knowledge test on crime, evidence and procedure, and general police duties (including road policing), taken online.
Police Inspector Promotion: NPPF Step Two Legal Exam
The inspectors' exam is step two of the National Police Promotion Framework for sergeants: the same 3-hour, 150-question legal paper format as the sergeants' exam, but with a higher pass mark of 65% and the rank's own blueprint, which leans towards the authorities and supervisory decisions an inspector makes.
Detective Constable: National Investigators' Exam (NIE)
The NIE is the legal knowledge exam that opens phase 2 of the Professionalising Investigations Programme (PIP2), the route to becoming an accredited detective or serious-crime investigator.
Police Call Handler and Contact Officer (999 and 101)
Call handlers answer 999 emergency and 101 non-emergency calls and online reports, assess threat, harm and risk, record the information accurately and decide what response is needed, often while typing and talking at the same time.
British Army Soldier (Regular Army)
Regular soldiers train for a trade (infantry, engineering, logistics, medical, signals and more) and are paid from the first day of training.
British Army Officer (Regular, via AOSB and Sandhurst)
Army officers lead soldiers from their first post as a Second Lieutenant, usually commanding a platoon or troop of around 30. You apply online, meet a senior recruiter, then attend the Army Officer Selection Board at Westbury: a 2-day Briefing where you learn the planning exercise and are assessed on fitness and practical tasks, then the residential Main Board with aptitude tests, a planning exercise, interviews, discussions, command tasks and fitness tests.
Royal Navy Rating (Regular, Non-Commissioned Sailor)
Ratings are the Royal Navy's non-commissioned sailors, working in engineering, warfare, logistics, medical, aviation and submarine roles.
RAF Enlisted Aviator (Airman / Airwoman, Regular)
Enlisted aviators are the RAF's non-commissioned personnel, working in engineering, air and space operations, cyberspace, intelligence, logistics, medical, ground combat and security, hospitality and people roles.
Firefighter (UK Fire and Rescue Services)
Firefighters respond to fires, road traffic collisions, floods and rescues, and spend much of their time on prevention work such as home fire safety visits.
Prison Officer (HM Prison Service, England and Wales)
Prison officers keep prisons safe, secure and decent while supporting prisoners to change.
Border Force Officer (Home Office)
Border Force Officers run immigration and customs controls at UK ports and airports, interview and search passengers, goods and vehicles, protect vulnerable people and use powers of arrest and detention for border offences.
Probation Officer (Trainee Probation Officer, PQiP, England and Wales)
Probation officers assess risk, write reports for courts and parole hearings, and supervise people on community sentences and licence to protect the public and reduce reoffending.
Intelligence Officer (MI5, SIS/MI6 and GCHQ)
Intelligence officers investigate threats to UK national security: MI5's officers run desk-based investigations into terrorism and state threats inside the UK, MI6 works overseas, and GCHQ works with signals and cyber intelligence.
Guides to getting hired into UK public service
How to join the British Army, Royal Navy or RAF
All three services start with an online application, then test your aptitude, fitness, health and motivation before you start basic training.
How to get a Civil Service job in the UK
Almost every Civil Service vacancy is advertised on Civil Service Jobs and assessed with the same framework, Success Profiles.
Public-service interview questions and how to answer them
UK public-service interviews are structured: every candidate is asked the same questions and scored against a published framework, such as the Civil Service Success Profiles or the police Competency and Values Framework.
UK police entry tests and promotion exams explained
Since 17 March 2026, every police force in England and Wales must recruit constables through the same four-stage process, scored against the College of Policing's Competency and Values Framework.
Your public-service career starts with one test.
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