Police constable assessment: stages and practice questions
To become a police constable in England and Wales you apply to a force, which runs its own application form and sift. Candidates who pass then take the online assessment: a video competency-based interview, a written exercise and a briefing exercise, each marked against the College of Policing Competency and Values Framework. Fitness, medical and vetting checks follow. Forces differ in the details, so always read your chosen force’s own guidance too.
Police constable assessment at a glance
- Competency-based interview
- 5 questions, each with 1 minute to prepare and 5 minutes to record; up to 40 minutes
- Written exercise
- Takes about 40 minutes; time limit of two hours
- Briefing exercise
- About 10 minutes’ preparation, then around 50 minutes of questions
- Fitness test
- Multi-stage shuttle run (“bleep test”) over 15 metres
From the official source listed at the bottom of the page.
Stages of the application
- Application form and siftYou apply through the website of the force you want to join. The force checks eligibility and runs a sift that tests decision-making and behaviours; the number of exercises varies by force.
- Competency-based interviewA video interview with five questions about how you have handled specific situations in the past. Values assessed: courage, public service, and respect and empathy.
- Written exerciseYou act as a police constable and complete an urgent written task for your line manager, using four pieces of information.
- Briefing exerciseA role-based scenario: you read preparation material, then answer questions in three parts as new information arrives.
- Fitness, medical and vettingA multi-stage shuttle run, a health declaration and tests, then background and security checks, fingerprints and DNA, before any formal offer.
Police constable assessment practice test — 50 questions
Original questions written to prepare for the Police constable assessment; they are not official test questions. Answer them without an account and see an explanation for each one.
Which word is spelt correctly?
Which word is spelt correctly?
Which word is spelt correctly?
Which word is spelt correctly?
Which word is spelt correctly?
Which word is spelt correctly?
Which word is spelt correctly?
Which word is spelt correctly?
Which word is spelt correctly?
Which word is spelt correctly?
What to practise for the Police constable assessment
- Spelling of commonly confused words
- Grammar and punctuation
- Clear, professional written English
- Picking out the key facts from several documents
- Competency and Values Framework values
- Answering “tell me about a time” questions
- Decision-making in policing scenarios
Type any of these topics into the quiz generator to make a practice quiz. Quiz templates
How to prepare for the Police constable assessment with SimpleQuizMaker
- Work through the 50 practice questions below in sets of ten and read each explanation when you get one wrong.
- Type a topic such as “commonly confused words in police reports” to make your own quiz of up to 10 questions – the free plan gives you 5 AI generations a month.
- Paste your own notes on the Competency and Values Framework and turn them into a quiz.
- On the Student plan you can upload PDF, Word or image files and create up to 100 questions per quiz.
Police constable assessment tips
- Read the competencies and values listed for each exercise on joiningthepolice.co.uk and plan an example for each.
- For the interview, structure answers as situation, task, action, result – and say what you did, not what “we” did.
- In the written exercise, use all four pieces of information and write in plain, accurate English.
- Start shuttle-run training early; stamina takes weeks to build.
Make your own Police constable assessment practice quiz
Free account, no card needed. Type a topic or paste your notes and the AI builds the quiz in seconds.
{short} FAQ
Are these real College of Policing questions?
No. The 50 practice questions are original items written by SimpleQuizMaker, not official College of Policing or police force assessment items. They practise skills the official pages say are assessed.
Does every force use the same process?
The online assessment is national, but each force runs its own application form and sift, and medical checks vary by force. Check the guidance of the force you apply to.
What does the online assessment include?
According to joiningthepolice.co.uk it has three parts: a competency-based video interview, a written exercise and a briefing exercise.
What is the police fitness test?
A multi-stage shuttle run, also called the bleep test, between two points 15 metres apart. It checks stamina, not athletic performance.
What can I do with a free account?
On the free plan you enter a topic or paste text and get 5 AI generations a month, with up to 10 questions per quiz. The Student plan ($2.99 a month or $29.99 a year) adds PDF, Word and image uploads and up to 100 questions.
Do people need an account to take my quiz?
No. You share a link, and anyone can take the quiz without an account.
Official sources
- Joining the Police – Get ready to apply
- Joining the Police – Competency-based interview
- Joining the Police – Written exercise
- Joining the Police – Briefing exercise
- Joining the Police – Fitness test
SimpleQuizMaker is not affiliated with any police service, fire department, recruiting body or government. Our questions are original practice items, not official test questions. Always check the current rules with the official source.