Police constable online assessment (England and Wales)

Police constable applicants in England and Wales now sit an online assessment, and the national process has no assessment centre day. First comes a sift (a situational judgement test and a behavioural questionnaire, or a force’s own sift). Then three exercises: a competency-based video interview with 5 questions, a written exercise that takes about 40 minutes, and a briefing exercise with 12 questions in about 50 minutes. The police application process covers the full route from eligibility to vetting.

The sift

There are two types, and which one you get depends on the force. An in-force sift is set by the force itself, which gives you the details. The national sift has two exercises:

• A situational judgement test (SJT) with 15 scenarios about decisions a constable might face. It takes about 30 minutes but is not timed.
• A behavioural styles questionnaire (BSQ) with 80 statements about your typical behaviour and preferences at work. It takes about 20 minutes and is not timed.

For the national sift you get an email telling you whether you met the national standard. Passing moves you on to the online assessment. The College of Policing publishes a national sift candidate guide with example scenarios, and general advice on this format is in our guide to situational judgement tests.

The competency-based interview

The interview is recorded on video and takes up to 40 minutes. You answer 5 questions about how you have dealt with specific situations in the past, one at a time on screen with some prompts. You get 1 minute to think and 5 minutes to record each answer.

You are marked against values and competencies from the Competency and Values Framework. The interview covers the core values of courage, public service, and respect and empathy, and the competencies “we take ownership” and “we are innovative and open-minded”. The sample question on the site asks for a time you intervened to take control of a situation, with prompts about why it was necessary, how you took control, what was effective and what difficulties you overcame.

You can use examples from work or your personal life. Join The Police suggests the STAR model (situation, task, action, result), and says that if the outcome was negative you should include what you would do differently. Our STAR method guide shows how to build examples. Ideally use a laptop or desktop with speakers, a working microphone and a webcam, though a mobile or tablet can be used.

The written exercise

You play a police constable who must complete an urgent written task for your line manager, using four pieces of information you are given. It tests respect and empathy, and the competencies “we analyse critically”, “we support and inspire” and “we collaborate”.

The exercise should take about 40 minutes, but the time limit is 120 minutes. If time runs out, your response is not submitted. Use a laptop, desktop or tablet with a strong internet connection and an up-to-date browser.

The briefing exercise

Again you assume the role of a constable, this time answering questions about a number of issues. It assesses public service, and the competencies “we are emotionally aware”, “we take ownership” and “we are innovative and open-minded”.

You get about 10 minutes to read the preparation materials and consider part one of the scenario. You then answer 12 questions in about 50 minutes. Each question has three parts: the first is the initial scenario, and in parts two and three you are given new information to consider.

Results and adjustments

You find out later whether you passed the online assessment, and the recruiting force tells you how and when. Timings differ if you have reasonable adjustments. Pregnancy, injury, medical conditions, disability and neurodivergence such as dyslexia and autism are all named as reasons you may be entitled to one. Ask the force early, and see asking for reasonable adjustments in recruitment.

After the online assessment come the medical and fitness tests, then vetting. The fitness test is a multi-stage shuttle run (the bleep test) over 15 metre shuttles, and vetting covers you, your family and co-residents. The police constable profile covers the role itself and our take-home pay calculator can turn the starting salary into a monthly figure.