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Police · Last updated November 2026

Police Sergeant Promotion: NPPF Step Two Legal Exam: free practice test

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. Pass at 55% and you have five years (less one day) to complete step three, your force's assessment and selection for sergeant, followed by step four, a 12-month temporary promotion with a work-based assessment. A pilot of a replacement process (SIPP) is running in some forces; everywhere else the NPPF applies.

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About the Sergeant Exam (NPPF) 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. Pass at 55% and you have five years (less one day) to complete step three, your force's assessment and selection for sergeant, followed by step four, a 12-month temporary promotion with a work-based assessment. A pilot of a replacement process (SIPP) is running in some forces; everywhere else the NPPF applies.

What's on the exam

Sergeant Exam (NPPF)
Promotion Process, Eligibility and the Exam
7 key facts
Crime
8 key facts
Evidence and Procedure
6 key facts
Custody, Detention and Interviews (PACE Codes C to F)
6 key facts
General Police Duties
6 key facts
Road Policing
6 key facts
NPPF Steps Three and Four: Assessment and Interview
6 key facts
Study Plan and Exam Technique
6 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the Sergeant Exam (NPPF) exam

  • 150 questions in 180 minutes is 72 seconds each. Do a first pass answering everything you know, flag the rest, and never leave a question blank: the handbook describes no penalty for wrong answers.
  • Every question is drawn only from the current year's Blackstone's manuals, so study the edition for your exam year and do not trust older notes on fast-changing law such as pre-charge bail, public order and road traffic penalties.
  • Learn the definitions word for word (burglary, robbery, affray, dishonesty, 'road'), then practise applying them to scenarios. The College says the exam is not aimed at pure recall of tables, but where the text refers to a PACE Code paragraph you are expected to know it.
  • Build a PACE timeline card: relevant time, reviews at 6 then every 9 hours, 24 hours, superintendent to 36, warrants of further detention to 96, 8 hours' rest in any 24, and pre-charge bail periods of 3, 6, 9 and 12 months.

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Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the UK Public-Service Hiring Process Cheat Sheet.

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What's in the premium Sergeant Exam (NPPF) prep

Premium Sergeant 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.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 150 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 8 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Promotion Process, Eligibility and the Exam8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Crime8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  3. 3
    Evidence and Procedure8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  4. 4
    Custody, Detention and Interviews (PACE Codes C to F)8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  5. 5
    General Police Duties7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  6. 6
    Road Policing7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  7. 7
    NPPF Steps Three and Four: Assessment and Interview7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  8. 8
    Study Plan and Exam Technique7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
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  9. Final step: 6 full mock exams150 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
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Read the complete Sergeant Exam (NPPF) study notes for “Promotion Process, Eligibility and the Exam”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 13 minutes of reading: The four NPPF steps · Who can sit the sergeants' exam · The 2027 exam rules · Results, pass mark and validity, 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.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. Lee enters a house through an open back door to shelter from rain, with no intention of committing any offence. Inside he sees a laptop, decides to take it and leaves with it. Which offence has he committed?
Answer: Burglary under s.9(1)(b) Theft Act 1968. Section 9(1)(b) covers a person who, having entered a building as a trespasser, steals or attempts to steal (or inflicts or attempts to inflict GBH). Intent at the moment of entry is needed only for s.9(1)(a). Nothing suggests a weapon, firearm or explosive, so it is not aggravated burglary.
2. Following Ivey v Genting and R v Barton and Booth, how does a criminal court decide whether a defendant acted dishonestly in a theft case (where s.2 Theft Act 1968 does not apply)?
Answer: By first establishing the defendant's actual knowledge or belief as to the facts, then deciding whether his conduct was dishonest by the standards of ordinary decent people. Barton and Booth confirmed the Ivey test for criminal cases: find the defendant's actual state of knowledge or belief as to the facts, then apply the objective standard of ordinary decent people. The old second limb from R v Ghosh (did the defendant realise ordinary people would see it as dishonest) no longer applies.
3. During a fight Kai punches Mo, splitting the skin of his lip right through. Kai foresaw that Mo might suffer some minor harm, but did not intend serious injury. Which is the most serious offence Kai has committed?
Answer: Malicious wounding, s.20 OAPA 1861. A wound is a break in the continuity of the whole skin (JCC v Eisenhower), which a split lip can be. For s.20 'maliciously' only requires foresight that some physical harm might result (R v Mowatt; R v Savage; Parmenter). Section 18 needs intent to cause GBH (or to resist arrest), which Kai lacked.
4. Under s.139 Criminal Justice Act 1988, which article is NOT a bladed or pointed article that a person commits an offence by having in a public place?
Answer: A non-locking folding pocketknife with a 2.5-inch cutting edge. Section 139(3) excepts a folding pocketknife whose cutting edge does not exceed 3 inches. A lock knife is not a 'folding pocketknife' because it does not fold freely (Harris v DPP), so blade length does not save it. Any sharply pointed article is covered regardless of length. Weapons (chapter 1.8) is examined in the sergeants' paper only.
5. A suspect's detention is first authorised at 10:00. The review officer carries out the first review early, at 14:00. By what time must the second review take place?
Answer: 23:00. Under s.40(3) PACE the first review must be not later than 6 hours after detention was first authorised and the second not later than 9 hours after the first. The second review is measured from when the first actually took place (14:00), so 23:00. Later reviews follow at intervals of not more than 9 hours.
6. A man has been detained without charge for a burglary of a dwelling for 20 hours. Officers need more time to interview him about evidence just recovered. Who can authorise his detention beyond 24 hours, and to what limit?
Answer: An officer of the rank of superintendent or above responsible for the station, up to 36 hours from the relevant time. Section 42 PACE lets a superintendent or above responsible for the station authorise detention up to 36 hours after the relevant time if the offence is indictable, detention is necessary to secure, preserve or obtain evidence (including by questioning) and the investigation is being conducted diligently and expeditiously. Beyond 36 hours a magistrates' warrant of further detention is needed, to a maximum of 96 hours.
7. A suspect arrested for fraud is released on pre-charge bail. In an ordinary police case (not FCA, HMRC, NCA or SFO), what is the initial applicable bail period, and who may first extend it?
Answer: 3 months; an inspector or above may extend to 6 months. Under s.47ZB PACE (as amended in 2022) the applicable bail period is 3 months from the bail start date (the day after arrest). An inspector or above may extend it to 6 months (s.47ZD), a superintendent to 9 months (s.47ZDA) and, in designated cases, a commander or assistant chief constable to 12 months (s.47ZE). After that, extensions come from a magistrates' court.
8. Under PACE Code C, what rest must a detainee be allowed?
Answer: At least 8 hours' continuous rest in any 24-hour period, normally at night, free from questioning, travel or interruption. Code C paragraph 12.2 requires a continuous period of at least 8 hours' rest in any 24 hours, normally at night, free from questioning, travel or any interruption connected with the investigation. It may be interrupted or delayed only on the limited grounds in the Code, such as risk of harm to people or serious loss of or damage to property.
9. Two men stand in an empty street shouting violent threats at each other. Nobody else is present. Which statement about affray under s.3 Public Order Act 1986 is correct?
Answer: It cannot be committed by words alone; there must be conduct threatening unlawful violence. For affray a person must use or threaten unlawful violence towards another, and s.3(3) says a threat cannot be made by the use of words alone. The conduct must be such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety, but no such person need actually be, or be likely to be, present (s.3(4)).
10. A driver scrapes a parked car in a supermarket car park open to the public. The owner is not around and the driver does not leave his name and address. Under s.170 Road Traffic Act 1988, what must he do?
Answer: Report the accident at a police station or to a constable as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours. Where an accident on a road or other public place damages another vehicle, the driver must stop and, if he does not give his name and address at the scene, report it at a police station or to a constable as soon as reasonably practicable and in any case within 24 hours. 'Within 24 hours' is an outer limit, not an allowance.
11. Which constable is eligible to sit the March 2027 sergeants' NPPF step two exam?
Answer: A constable with three years' service, probation complete, no live written warning and line manager confirmation of step one. The handbook limits the sergeants' exam to regular constables who, by the exam date, have two years' service, have completed probation, meet step one (competence in rank, no live written improvement notice or written warning, attendance policy met) and have not already passed a recognised promotion exam. Special constables are not regular constables.
12. What is the pass mark for the 2027 sergeants' NPPF step two exam?
Answer: 55% (77 of 140). The 2027 handbook sets the sergeants' pass mark at 55% (77 of the 140 scored questions). 65% (91) is the inspectors' pass mark, and 75% earns sergeants an exceptional grade. The debrief panel may change the pass mark only in exceptional circumstances.
13. A constable passes the sergeants' exam on 17 March 2027. How long is the pass valid for completing step three?
Answer: Five years less one day from the exam date. An NPPF step two pass is valid for five years (less one day) from the date of the exam, and the step three process must fall within that period. If you resit during that time, the rest of your old validity is lost from the moment you sit, whatever the result.
14. You are a temporary sergeant at step four. One of your PCs has submitted three case files late this month and seems withdrawn. What is the most effective first action?
Answer: Speak to the PC privately, find out what is behind the change, agree clear expectations and support, and follow up. The CVF at supervisor level expects you to be emotionally aware and to support and inspire: understand the cause (welfare, workload, skills), set clear standards and review progress. Public warnings or silently removing work fail both the officer and the team; formal performance procedures come later if needed.
15. A PC shows you messages from a team WhatsApp group in which a colleague has posted racist 'jokes'. As the sergeant, what should you do?
Answer: Secure the evidence, report the matter to your professional standards department in line with force policy, and support the PC who raised it. The Standards of Professional Behaviour require officers to challenge and report improper conduct, and supervisors must act on it. Discriminatory messages can be gross misconduct, so preserve the evidence, refer it as policy requires and protect the person who reported it. Deleting messages or waiting would itself be a failure of duty.

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Certification guide

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](https://www.college.police.uk/article/police-constable-recruitment-regulations-change), scored against the College of Policing's Competency and Values Framework. Once you're in, the College's online law exams decide promotion to sergeant and inspector and entry to detective work. Here is how each stage and exam works, with the published formats and pass marks.

Sergeant Exam (NPPF) exam FAQ

How many questions are on the Sergeant Exam (NPPF) exam?

150 multiple-choice questions; 10 poorly performing questions are removed at marking, so you are scored on 140, with a time limit of 3 hours. Format: syllabus is only the 2027 edition of the blackstone's police manuals (crime; evidence and procedure; general police duties, which now contains road policing). no help from anyone else, no ai tools and no unauthorised devices; breaches go to the college's disqualification panel. questions test application, not recall of tables.

What is the passing score for Sergeant Exam (NPPF)?

55% (77 of the 140 scored questions). 75% or more earns an exceptional grade; under 30% is a low-band fail.

How much does the Sergeant Exam (NPPF) exam cost?

No candidate exam fee is published by the College; entry is arranged through your force. Officers and staff in England and Wales get 30% off the Blackstone's manuals. Most UK public-service applications are free. The police promotion and investigators' exams are arranged through your force, and degree routes may have tuition costs, so check the job advert or your force before you start.

Which languages is the Sergeant Exam (NPPF) exam offered in?

English.

Where do I take the Sergeant Exam (NPPF) exam?

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: 16-18 March and 5-7 October (any day in the window, 8am to 8pm).

Is this Sergeant Exam (NPPF) practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full Sergeant Exam (NPPF) prep is Premium at £45 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium Sergeant Exam (NPPF) prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Promotion Process, Eligibility and the Exam: 375; Crime: 375; Evidence and Procedure: 375; Custody, Detention and Interviews (PACE Codes C to F): 375; General Police Duties: 375; Road Policing: 375; NPPF Steps Three and Four: Assessment and Interview: 375; Study Plan and Exam Technique: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 150 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 8 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

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Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. The recruiting organisation changes formats and fees, so confirm with College of Policing (exam), with your force running steps one, three and four of the National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF) before you book. UKCivilServicePrep is an independent career-prep service, not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency.

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