Checked 25 October 2026. Dates and rules are the College of Policing's 2027 handbook and step two page, read 25 Oct 2026. Your force can close registration earlier than the national date, so check with your force examinations officer.
The NPPF inspectors' legal exam is Step Two of the National Police Promotion Framework for sergeants who want to become inspectors. It uses the same paper format as the sergeants' exam, but the pass mark is higher and the syllabus is slightly different. This guide sets out the College of Policing's rules for 2027: the dates, who may sit, the format and marking, the chapters in scope, and how the May 2026 sitting went.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not part of the College of Policing or any police force, and our practice questions are independent practice, not made or endorsed by the College of Policing.
College of Policing NPPF step two candidate handbook 2027 and step two page, read 25 Oct 2026.
The dates
The inspectors' exam is held twice a year, in May and November. The November 2026 exam runs from 3 to 5 November 2026; its registration closed on 5 October. For 2027 the handbook gives these dates, and you may sit on any one day within each three-day period:
| Sitting | Registration | Exam | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 inspectors' exam | Closed at 6pm on Mon 5 Oct 2026 | Tue 3 to Thu 5 Nov 2026 | See the College step two page |
| May 2027 inspectors' exam | Mon 15 Mar to 6pm Thu 15 Apr 2027 | Tue 11 to Thu 13 May 2027, 8am to 8pm | By Thu 3 Jun 2027 |
| November 2027 inspectors' exam | Mon 6 Sep to 6pm Mon 4 Oct 2027 | Tue 2 to Thu 4 Nov 2027, 8am to 8pm | By Thu 25 Nov 2027 |
The closing dates are the final national dates. The handbook warns that forces and agencies may have earlier closing dates, so check with your force examinations officer. Results and feedback reports come within three weeks of the exam.
Who can sit the inspectors' exam
Eligibility (handbook 2027)
- On the promotion route, only candidates who hold the rank of sergeant may sit the inspectors' exam. Officers rejoining the service at sergeant or inspector rank follow separate arrangements in the handbook.
- An NPPF-qualified sergeant may sit it once they have completed the NPPF route and been made substantive as a sergeant. Step four of the sergeants' process is a mandatory 12 months that cannot be reduced.
- An OSPRE parts I and II qualified sergeant may sit it from day one of the sergeant posting, if they have not previously passed a recognised police promotion examination (for example, they are not already an OSPRE-qualified inspector).
- All OSPRE- and NPPF-qualified officers must complete at least two years as a substantive sergeant before substantive promotion to inspector.
Candidates must meet the Step One eligibility criteria, verified by their force. The handbook sets out separate arrangements for rejoiners.
The format and marking
| Feature | What the College says |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 multiple-choice questions in a single paper |
| Time | Three hours, in one sitting; a comfort break is taken with the clock running, unless an agreed reasonable adjustment allows scheduled breaks |
| Areas | Crime; evidence and procedure; general police duties |
| Marking | After evaluation against standard criteria, the 10 questions that performed least well are removed; you are scored on 140 and not told which were removed |
| Pass mark | 65%, which is 91 correct answers out of 140 |
| Exceptional grade | 85% and above |
| Low-band fail | Less than 35% |
| Validity of a pass | Five years (less one day) from the date of the exam |
Three hours for 150 questions is 72 seconds a question. The College's subject area breakdown gives the May 2026 paper as approximately 24,309 words for the full 150 questions, about 162 words a question on average, so reading takes a real share of the clock. At 65% you can get up to 49 of the 140 marked questions wrong and still pass, against 63 in the sergeants' exam.
The syllabus
The handbook says questions are drawn solely from the 2027 edition of the Blackstone's Police Manuals, the only resource the College endorses, and that candidates are examined on the law as it appears in that edition. Appendix A lists 47 chapters in three volumes; all of them apply to the inspectors' exam except chapter 1.8, Weapons, which is for the sergeants' exam only. That leaves 46 chapters:
| Volume | Chapters |
|---|---|
| 1. Crime (16 chapters in scope) | Mens rea; actus reus; incomplete offences; general defences; homicide; misuse of drugs; firearms and gun crime; racially and religiously aggravated offences; non-fatal offences against the person; deprivation of liberty; sexual offences; sexual offences against children and people with a mental disorder; child protection; theft; fraud; criminal damage |
| 2. Evidence and Procedure (8 chapters) | Instituting proceedings, summons and warrants; bail; court procedure and witnesses; exclusion of admissible evidence; disclosure; detention and treatment of persons (PACE Code C); identification (PACE Code D); interviews (PACE Codes C, E and F) |
| 3. General Police Duties (22 chapters) | Stop and search; entry, search and seizure; powers of arrest; mental disorder; land and premises; alcohol; injunctions, orders and police powers; processions, assemblies and protests; public order; football; domestic violence and abuse; hatred, harassment and stalking; information and communications; administration of justice; terrorism; diversity, equality and inclusion; complaints and misconduct; unsatisfactory performance and attendance; road policing (four chapters, 3.19 to 3.22) |
The College says other products, including the Blackstone's Q&As, are not affiliated with it. Practice questions written by anyone else, ours included, are independent practice.
How the May 2026 exam went
College of Policing, NPPF inspectors' step-two legal examination May 2026: results and analysis overview.
644 of 1,739 candidates were successful (37.0%), and 1,095 were not (63.0%). The College applied an absolute cut score of 65% to all candidates. The sergeants' exam has a 55% pass mark; see our sergeants' pass mark guide.
In May 2026 the College removed 4 crime questions, 1 evidence and procedure question and 5 general police duties questions from marking. Its subject area breakdown lists the subjects tested, but says it is only valid for that exam and should not be used to work out what will be tested in future.
Inspectors' and sergeants' exams compared
The two step two exams share a paper format and a set of manuals, so it is easy to read sergeants' advice and apply it to the inspectors' exam without noticing what differs. These are the differences the 2027 handbook sets out:
| Feature | Inspectors' exam | Sergeants' exam |
|---|---|---|
| Who may sit | Sergeants on the promotion route (rejoiners follow separate arrangements) | Regular constables who meet the conditions in the handbook |
| Sittings in 2027 | 11 to 13 May and 2 to 4 November | 16 to 18 March and 5 to 7 October |
| Pass mark | 65% (91 of 140) | 55% (77 of 140) |
| Exceptional grade | 85% and above | 75% and above |
| Low-band fail | Less than 35% | Less than 30% |
| Chapter 1.8, Weapons | Not in the syllabus | In the syllabus |
| Paper | 150 questions, three hours, scored on 140 | The same |
The ten-point gap in the pass mark is the difference that matters most for revision. On a sergeants' paper you can drop 63 of the 140 marked questions and pass; on the inspectors' paper you can drop 49. Revising for "a pass" is therefore not the same target on the two papers, even with the same books.
Planning for the May 2027 exam
If you are not sitting in November 2026, the next inspectors' exam is Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 May 2027. Registration runs from Monday 15 March to 6pm on Thursday 15 April 2027, and results are due by Thursday 3 June 2027. From late October 2026 that leaves about 28 weeks to the exam. Your force's registration deadline may be earlier than 15 April, so ask your force examinations officer for the local date before you plan backwards from it.
A pass is valid for five years (less one day) from the date of the exam, and the handbook gives a table of the date by which the final stage of step three must be undertaken. For the November 2026 sitting that date is 4 November 2031.
Rules that can cost you the result
From the handbook
- The exam must be done in one sitting, and attempts to pause the timer are logged as unusual activity.
- Using artificial intelligence tools during the exam, or adding any part of a question to one, is a breach of the rules.
- Copying or sharing questions in any form is a breach; a result can be removed and a candidate banned from the exam.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass mark for the NPPF inspectors' exam?
65%, which is 91 correct answers out of the 140 marked questions. 85% and above is an exceptional grade; less than 35% is a low-band fail.
When is the next inspectors' exam?
Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 November 2026. After that, Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13 May 2027, with registration from Monday 15 March to 6pm on Thursday 15 April 2027.
How many questions are in the inspectors' exam?
150 multiple-choice questions in three hours. Ten are removed during marking, so you are scored on 140.
Is the weapons chapter in the inspectors' syllabus?
No. Chapter 1.8, Weapons, is for the sergeants' exam only. All areas of the Appendix A syllabus apply to inspectors except chapter 1.8.
How many people passed the May 2026 inspectors' exam?
644 of 1,739 candidates, 37.0%, of whom 41 achieved an exceptional grade.
Who can sit the inspectors' exam?
On the promotion route, sergeants only. An NPPF-qualified sergeant must first complete the NPPF route and be substantive in rank. An OSPRE parts I and II qualified sergeant may sit from day one of the sergeant posting, if they have not already passed a recognised promotion exam for inspector. The other eligibility conditions still apply, and rejoiners follow separate arrangements.
Want the full practice test?
Our practice test has two timed mocks at the real length, 150 questions in three hours, scored against the 65% pass line, with every answer citing the Act, regulation or Code paragraph it rests on. See the NPPF inspectors' exam practice test. Independent practice; not made or endorsed by the College of Policing.
Sources
- official — College of Policing: NPPF step two legal examinations candidate handbook 2027 (PDF, September 2026; read 25 Oct 2026): dates, registration, eligibility, structure, pass mark, results, validity, Appendix A chapter list
- official — College of Policing: "NPPF step two" page (read 25 Oct 2026): 2026 and 2027 registration and exam dates
- official — College of Policing: NPPF inspectors' step-two legal examination, May 2026, results and analysis overview
- official — College of Policing: NPPF inspectors' step-two legal examination, subject area breakdown, May 2026
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
