Sergeants’ exam: candidates will be spread over three dates

29 October 2020

There will be three separate sessions for next month’s sergeants’ exams to avoid the issues with last week’s inspectors’ exams.

The online exam will be accessible between 10 and 12 November with some candidates being asked to sit the exam on a different date to the one originally set.

Mike Cunningham, chief executive officer of the College of Policing, said: “We are aware that officers will have concerns about how the issues experienced during the inspectors’ exam could also impact on the delivery of the sergeants’ exam scheduled for Tuesday 10 November.

“We have also undertaken urgent work to endure candidates will not experience IT issues during this exam. As a precaution, we are extending the time period the sergeants’ exam will be open, and working with forces and the candidates themselves to ensure a spread of candidates over the time period.”

Technical issues caused the college to suspend last week’s inspectors’ exams. Around two thirds of around 3,000 officers who took the exam were able to complete it to a level where marking was possible and, of these, half passed.

Candidates who were unsuccessful and those unable to complete the exam to a point where it could be marked can now re-sit on 30 or 31 October and 1 or 2 November.

A further re-sit, for any candidate who does not pass on those dates, has been planned for 19 November.