Checked 25 October 2026. Exam facts from the College of Policing's 2027 candidate handbook and step two page, read 25 Oct 2026. The questions rest on the revised law on legislation.gov.uk and the PACE codes on GOV.UK as read on that date.
These are three practice questions for the NPPF inspectors' legal exam, one from each of its three areas: crime, evidence and procedure, and general police duties. Each has four options and one correct answer. Try each question before you open the answer, then read the reason and the provision it rests on.
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.
Question 1: crime
Question 1 · Crime
BARKER's neighbour, ROSS, has abused her for months. One evening ROSS threatens to burn her house down with her children inside. BARKER does nothing that night, but spends the next day planning, then goes to ROSS's flat and kills him, saying she wanted him to pay for what he had done. Charged with murder, she relies on loss of control. Which of the following is correct?
- (A) The defence is unavailable because the threat of violence was made against her children and not against her
- (B) The defence fails simply because her loss of self-control was not sudden but came a day later
- (C) The defence does not apply if, in killing ROSS, she acted in a considered desire for revenge
- (D) The defence succeeds, because a threat against her children is a qualifying trigger whatever her motive
Show the answer
Answer: (C) The defence does not apply if, in killing ROSS, she acted in a considered desire for revenge. Section 54(4) says the defence 'does not apply if, in doing or being a party to the killing, D acted in a considered desire for revenge'. Delay alone is not fatal: s.54(2) says 'it does not matter whether or not the loss of control was sudden', and s.55(3) covers fear of serious violence against 'D or another identified person'. It is the planned revenge that defeats the defence. (Coroners and Justice Act 2009, s.54(4))
An original ProSyllabus question, written from the law on legislation.gov.uk and the PACE codes on GOV.UK. Not a College of Policing question, and no text from Blackstone's manuals.
Question 2: evidence and procedure
Question 2 · Evidence and procedure
PC HARTLEY hears over the radio that a magistrates' court has issued a warrant to arrest DONNELLY in connection with an offence of theft. She sees DONNELLY in the street. The warrant itself is still at the court office, and DONNELLY demands to see it. Under section 125D of the Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, which of the following is correct?
- (A) She may not arrest him, as only an officer holding the warrant may execute it
- (B) She may arrest him now, and the warrant must be shown to him as soon as practicable after it
- (C) She may arrest him, and he has no right to see the warrant once it has been executed by a constable
- (D) She may arrest him, but only once an inspector has confirmed by radio that the warrant is still in force
Show the answer
Answer: (B) She may arrest him now, and the warrant must be shown to him as soon as practicable after it. Section 125D(2) and (3)(a): a warrant to arrest a person in connection with an offence 'may be executed by a constable even though it is not in his possession at the time'. Section 125D(4): on the demand of the person arrested it 'shall ... be shown to him as soon as practicable'. Possession is not needed and no inspector's confirmation is required. (Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, s.125D(2))
An original ProSyllabus question, written from the law on legislation.gov.uk and the PACE codes on GOV.UK. Not a College of Policing question, and no text from Blackstone's manuals.
Question 3: general police duties
Question 3 · General police duties
PC ORME stops a man in a shopping centre because he 'looks nervous'. She has no grounds to suspect him of carrying anything. The man says, 'Search me if you like, I've got nothing to hide.' Under PACE Code A, which of the following is correct?
- (A) She must not search him: consent cannot replace a legal power to search
- (B) She may search his bag but not his person, because he has consented to it
- (C) She may search him, provided she records his consent on the search record
- (D) She may search him, as his consent makes a voluntary search lawful
Show the answer
Answer: (A) She must not search him: consent cannot replace a legal power to search. Code A, para 1.5: 'An officer must not search a person, even with his or her consent, where no power to search is applicable.' The only exception is a search with consent given as a condition of entry to sports grounds or other premises. (PACE Code A, para 1.5)
An original ProSyllabus question, written from the law on legislation.gov.uk and the PACE codes on GOV.UK. Not a College of Policing question, and no text from Blackstone's manuals.
The three questions at a glance
| Question | Area | Provision | What it tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crime | Coroners and Justice Act 2009, s.54(4) | Whether a considered desire for revenge rules out loss of control |
| 2 | Evidence and procedure | Magistrates' Courts Act 1980, s.125D | Executing an arrest warrant that is not in the officer's possession |
| 3 | General police duties | PACE Code A, para 1.5 | Whether consent can replace a legal power to search |
ProSyllabus practice test, each of two mocks of 150 questions. This is our own mix: the College of Policing warns that previous subject breakdowns do not indicate what future exams will cover.
A timing drill
The real paper allows 72 seconds a question, and the College's May 2026 breakdown puts its length at approximately 24,309 words for 150 questions, about 162 words each. Reading is a large part of the time. A useful drill before you sit a full mock is a block of 25 questions in 30 minutes, which is the exam's pace. Mark any question you cannot settle in about a minute, move on, and come back to it at the end of the block. In the full mock, the same habit helps keep time for the questions you can answer.
Where the handbook points you for practice questions
The handbook says practice questions can be found on the Candidate Online Examination Guidance Knowledge Hub group. It also says the exam is drawn solely from the 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals, and that other products, including the Blackstone's Q&As, are not affiliated with the College. Our questions are written from the primary law, not from the manuals, so treat them as practice in applying the law, and check the manual for how a point is examined.
Whatever question bank you use, ours included, check each answer against the 2027 edition of the manuals before you rely on it. The handbook says candidates are examined on the law only as it appears in that edition, and advises against relying on previous editions, which may contain out-of-date material.
If you got one wrong
Each explanation names the Act and section, the regulation, or the Code paragraph that decides the question. Read that provision in full on legislation.gov.uk or GOV.UK, then find the same point in the matching chapter of the manual. Knowing which words of a section decide the outcome matters more than remembering the section number.
Then write the rule in one line in your own words, and add a second line naming the trap: in question 1, that a delay before killing does not by itself end the defence, but a considered desire for revenge does; in question 2, that an officer may arrest on a warrant she does not have with her; in question 3, that consent is not a power to search. In the last weeks before the exam, a list of one-line rules and traps is something you can revise from in short sessions, alongside the chapters.
What our practice test is, next to the real exam
| Fact | Real exam | ProSyllabus practice test |
|---|---|---|
| Who sets it | The College of Policing | Independent practice; not made or endorsed by the College of Policing |
| Length | 150 questions in three hours, scored on 140 | Two mocks of 150 questions, each timed at three hours |
| Pass line | 65% (91 of 140) | Your score is shown against 65%; a practice score does not predict a result |
| Content | The 2027 Blackstone's Police Manuals, all chapters except 1.8 | Our questions on the same three areas, written from legislation.gov.uk and the PACE codes, with no weapons chapter |
For the dates, eligibility and the May 2026 results, see our inspectors' exam format, syllabus and dates guide.
Want the full practice test?
These three questions are the free part. The two full mocks are paid: 150 questions in three hours each, your score by area against the 65% pass line, your time per question, and the reason behind every answer with the provision it cites. See the NPPF inspectors' exam practice test. Independent practice; not made or endorsed by the College of Policing.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real NPPF inspectors' exam questions?
No. They are ProSyllabus's own questions, written from the law on legislation.gov.uk and the PACE codes, and are the free sample of our practice test.
Does the College of Policing publish practice questions?
The handbook says practice questions are on its Candidate Online Examination Guidance Knowledge Hub group.
How many questions are in the real exam?
150 multiple-choice questions in three hours. Ten are removed during marking, so you are scored on 140.
What score do I need?
65%, which is 91 of the 140 marked questions.
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 — legislation.gov.uk: the revised Acts and regulations our practice questions cite (Open Government Licence)
- official — GOV.UK: Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) codes of practice
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.
