Inspector Exam (NPPF) Exam Study Guide (2026)
Everything the Police Inspector Promotion: NPPF Step Two Legal Exam tests, topic by topic: what each section covers, the facts that come up most, and how to study it. Pair it with the free 15-question practice test.
The exam at a glance
| Questions | 150 multiple-choice questions; 10 poorly performing questions are removed at marking, so you are scored on 140 |
|---|---|
| Time | 3 hours |
| Passing score | 65% (91 of the 140 scored questions). 85% or more earns an exceptional grade; under 35% is a low-band fail |
| Format | Syllabus is only the 2027 edition of the Blackstone's Police Manuals (Crime; Evidence and Procedure; General Police Duties including road policing). Chapter 1.8 Weapons is not examined for inspectors. No help from others, no AI tools and no unauthorised devices |
| Certifying body | College of Policing (exam), with your force running steps one, three and four of the National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF) |
| Test provider | Online, unsupervised, on your own device at home or in a force testing room; registration through your force examinations officer on the College's AIMS system. 2027 sittings: 11-13 May and 2-4 November (any day in the window, 8am to 8pm) |
Mind map: the whole exam on one screen
Read the complete Inspector Exam (NPPF) study notes for “Promotion Process, Eligibility and the Exam”
Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 12 minutes of reading: Who can sit the inspectors' exam · The two-year rule for promotion · The 2027 exam rules · Validity, resits and pay, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.
1. Promotion Process, Eligibility and the Exam
How sergeants progress to inspector under the NPPF, who can sit the inspectors' exam, the 2027 dates, scoring, pass mark and the two-year rule for substantive promotion.
Key facts
- The NPPF steps are the same as for sergeant: (1) competence in rank, (2) the legal exam, (3) force assessment and matching to vacancies, (4) temporary promotion with a work-based assessment.
- Only substantive sergeants may sit. OSPRE-qualified sergeants are substantive from day one of their sergeant posting; NPPF-qualified sergeants become substantive only after completing the mandatory 12-month step four.
- Regulation 5 of the Police (Promotion) Regulations 1996 requires at least two years as a substantive sergeant before substantive promotion to inspector. You can sit the exam earlier, but promotion waits.
- 2027 sittings: 11-13 May (registration 15 March to 6pm 15 April) and 2-4 November (registration 6 September to 6pm 4 October), 8am to 8pm on any day in the window. Results by 3 June and 25 November 2027.
- Format: 150 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours, 140 scored after 10 are removed. Pass 65% (91); exceptional 85%; low-band fail under 35%.
- A pass is valid for five years less one day. Inspector pay from 1 September 2025 is £63,768 to £68,982 outside London and £66,462 to £71,697 in the Met and City of London, plus 3.5% from 1 September 2026.
Flashcards
Exam tip: If you are an NPPF-qualified sergeant, count forward 12 months from the start of step four before picking an exam date. Registering for a sitting you are not yet substantive for wastes a year's validity planning.
2. Crime
Blackstone's Crime manual for inspectors: chapters 1.1 to 1.17 except 1.8 (Weapons). Expect scenario questions on homicide, assaults, sexual offences, child protection, theft, fraud and criminal damage.
Key facts
- Murder: unlawful killing with intent to kill or cause GBH. Partial defences reduce it to voluntary manslaughter: loss of control (Coroners and Justice Act 2009 ss.54-55), diminished responsibility (Homicide Act 1957 s.2) and suicide pact.
- Sexual Offences Act 2003: consent means agreeing by choice with the freedom and capacity to make that choice (s.74). Section 75 evidential presumptions can be rebutted; s.76 conclusive presumptions (deception about the nature or purpose of the act, impersonating a person known personally) cannot.
- Children under 13 cannot consent: rape of a child under 13 (s.5) needs only intentional penetration.
- Criminal damage: s.1(1) needs property belonging to another; aggravated damage under s.1(2) applies to any property, including the defendant's own, where he intends or is reckless as to endangering life by the damage.
- Handling (s.22 Theft Act 1968): otherwise than in the course of stealing, knowing or believing goods to be stolen, dishonestly receiving them or undertaking or assisting in their retention, removal, disposal or realisation. Suspicion alone is not enough.
- Fraud Act 2006: fraud by false representation (s.2), failing to disclose information (s.3) or abuse of position (s.4), each needing dishonesty and intent to make a gain or cause a loss; maximum 10 years.
Flashcards
Exam tip: For sexual offences questions, decide first whether a presumption applies and which kind. Many wrong options swap 'evidential' and 'conclusive'.
3. Evidence and Procedure
Chapters 2.1 to 2.5: instituting proceedings, bail, court procedure and witnesses, exclusion of evidence and disclosure, with the authorities an inspector holds.
Key facts
- Pre-charge bail: applicable bail period 3 months from the day after arrest; an inspector or above may extend it to 6 months (s.47ZD), a superintendent to 9 months (s.47ZDA), a commander or ACC to 12 months in designated cases (s.47ZE); beyond that a magistrates' court.
- Before deciding an extension, the officer must tell the suspect or legal representative a decision is to be made and consider their representations.
- Post-charge bail (Bail Act 1976): general right to bail with exceptions in Schedule 1; conditions must be necessary to prevent absconding, offending, interference with witnesses or obstruction of justice, or for the person's own protection.
- Exclusion: s.76 PACE (confessions obtained by oppression or in circumstances likely to make them unreliable must be excluded); s.78 (discretion to exclude evidence that would make the proceedings unfair).
- Disclosure under the CPIA 1996 Code of Practice: officer in the case, disclosure officer and investigator roles; record and retain relevant material; reveal it to the prosecutor on schedules; pursue reasonable lines of enquiry pointing towards or away from the suspect.
- Special measures for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses under the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, including video-recorded evidence-in-chief and intermediaries.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Inspectors make the 6-month bail decision, so expect questions on its conditions and procedure, not just the time limit.
Test yourself on these topics
Take the free 15-question Inspector Exam (NPPF) test, then save your results to unlock your Readiness Score and the mistakes bank.
4. Custody, Detention and Interviews (PACE Codes C to F)
Chapters 2.6 to 2.8 from an inspector's point of view: reviews, authorisations, delays to rights, and the safeguards in Codes C, D, E and F.
Key facts
- Reviews of a person not charged are done by an inspector or above not directly involved in the investigation: first within 6 hours of detention first being authorised, then within 9 hours of the first, then at intervals of no more than 9 hours.
- Reviews of a person charged are done by the custody officer.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Questions often hide the wrong rank in a correct-sounding option. Underline the rank in every option before choosing.
5. General Police Duties
Chapters 3.1 to 3.18 with an inspector's focus: stop and search authorities, entry and search, public order and protest, dispersal, domestic abuse, harassment, terrorism, complaints and misconduct.
Key facts
- Section 60 CJPOA 1994: an inspector or above who reasonably believes serious violence may take place (or weapons are being carried, or to find a weapon used in an incident) may authorise searches without suspicion in a locality for up to 24 hours; a superintendent may extend it by a further 24 hours.
- Section 18 PACE: search after arrest for an indictable offence needs an inspector's written authority, unless s.18(5) applies, in which case an inspector must be told as soon as practicable afterwards.
Flashcards
Exam tip: For each authority, learn the four facts: rank, test (believe/suspect, may/will), duration, extension. That grid answers most GPD authority questions.
6. Road Policing
General Police Duties chapters 3.19 onwards: definitions, powers, standards of driving, and drink and drugs, including preliminary and evidential testing.
Key facts
- Preliminary tests (s.6 RTA 1988): reasonable suspicion of driving, attempting to drive or being in charge with alcohol or drugs in the body (s.6(2)); of having done so and still having them (s.6(3)); of a moving traffic offence (s.6(4)); or reasonable belief the person was driving etc. when an accident occurred owing to the presence of a motor vehicle on a road or public place (s.6(5)).
- Uniform is required to administer a preliminary test under s.6(2) to (4), but not under s.6(5) after an accident.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Read every s.6 question for two words: 'suspect' or 'believe', and 'uniform'. The answer usually turns on one of them.
7. NPPF Steps Three and Four: Assessment and Interview
Your force's selection for inspector (step three) and the temporary promotion with work-based assessment (step four). Inspectors are assessed at CVF level 2 with stronger emphasis on managing managers, critical incidents and resources.
Key facts
- Step three formats are set locally: commonly an application against the CVF, an interview or board, and sometimes a presentation on a force priority or an in-tray exercise.
- Show the leap from sergeant: setting direction for several teams, managing sergeants' performance and wellbeing, using data to allocate resources, and taking command of critical incidents.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Prepare one critical-incident example in detail using the National Decision Model stage by stage. It is the most common inspector board question and the hardest to improvise.
8. Study Plan and Exam Technique
How to plan for the higher 65% pass mark, use official resources and manage the 3-hour online paper.
Key facts
- The blueprint comes from a national survey of serving inspectors, so topics they meet most often get more questions, but all chapters except 1.8 are examinable.
- Use only the manuals for your exam year; the College says questions come solely from them and that unofficial products, including the Blackstone's Q&As, are not endorsed.
Flashcards
Exam tip: Keep an error log: for every wrong practice answer, note the rule you missed in one line. Re-read the log weekly; the same few rules cause most lost marks.
How to pass
- The 65% pass mark leaves room for only 49 wrong answers out of 140 scored. Aim for 75% or more in timed mock papers before you sit.
- Inspectors authorise a great deal: detention reviews, s.18 searches, delay of the s.56 right, s.60 stop and search, dispersal areas and bail extensions to 6 months. Learn every authority with its rank, test, duration and who can extend it.
- Weapons (chapter 1.8) is sergeants-only, so redirect that study time to the chapters that matter more for inspectors, such as public order, protests, custody and domestic abuse.
- Study the 2027 manuals, not your old sergeants' notes. Law on bail, protest, road traffic penalties and domestic abuse has changed several times since many inspectors first qualified.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I study for the Inspector Exam (NPPF) exam?
Most working candidates need 4 to 8 weeks at 45 to 60 minutes a day. Book your exam once your Readiness Score has stayed at 80 or higher for about a week.
Can I take the Inspector Exam (NPPF) exam online?
Yes. The College of Policing runs its sergeants', inspectors' and investigators' exams online, and you sit them on a set exam day through a link your force examinations officer arranges. Registration goes through your force, not directly.
What score do I need to pass the Inspector Exam (NPPF) exam?
65% (91 of the 140 scored questions). 85% or more earns an exceptional grade; under 35% is a low-band fail. The exam has 150 multiple-choice questions; 10 poorly performing questions are removed at marking, so you are scored on 140 and a time limit of 3 hours.
What are the most tested topics?
The outline covers promotion process, eligibility and the exam, crime, evidence and procedure, custody, detention and interviews (pace codes c to f), general police duties, road policing, nppf steps three and four: assessment and interview, study plan and exam technique. Use the free practice test to see which ones you need most.
The premium Inspector Exam (NPPF) study path
Premium Inspector Exam (NPPF) prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.
Your step-by-step study path
- 1Promotion Process, Eligibility and the Exam8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Notes free with an account
- 2Crime8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 3Evidence and Procedure8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 4Custody, Detention and Interviews (PACE Codes C to F)8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 5General Police Duties7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 6Road Policing7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 7NPPF Steps Three and Four: Assessment and Interview7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- 8Study Plan and Exam Technique7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25Premium
- Final step: 6 full mock exams150 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.Premium
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- Readiness Score & detailed reports
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- Content updates during your access
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Summarized from recruiting organisations' official candidate information and the rules cited, checked November 2026. Confirm current requirements with College of Policing (exam), with your force running steps one, three and four of the National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF).