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Examination Updates

 The Chair of the PPEB has approved the 2012 Rules & Syllabus document for publication. Download

The Assessment Process

Candidates are given a booklet containing all the materials to prepare for five, rank-specific, problems. Each candidate has 33 minutes to prepare after which they meet role actors who interact with them in relation to the issues presented in the booklet (five minutes each).

While this takes place, a trained assessor observes and evaluates the candidate's performance against a marking guide. At the end of the assessment, all the assessment forms are scanned into a database for scoring and analyses. The following competencies are measured for Sergeant and Inspector:

• Serving the Public
• Leading Change
• Leading People
• Managing Performance
• Professionalism
• Decision Making
• Working with Others.

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How to Apply

Entry to Part II is restricted to candidates who have achieved a pass in Part I or have been unsuccessful at their first attempt at Part II and are eligible to make *subsequent attempts under the 'five year' rule (see under Part II resit section of the Rules and Syllabus).

*Please note all candidates who are successful in Part I of the OSPRE® examination, are eligible to three attempts.

Candidates who are sucessful in Part I are required to take Part II at the first opportunity i.e. within 12 months unless they are from a force who are participating in the Police Promotion Trials to the rank of Sergeant and Inspector. Eligible candidates are automatically entered into Part II.

You will be issued with a Notification of Entry Form approximately five months prior to the Part II Assessment Centre.

Candidates should use the Notification of Entry Form to inform NPIA of any changes to their personal details, any dates that they are not able to attend the Part II, and/or their intention to withdraw from the Part II, if they are eligible to do so (see Page 16 of the Rules and Syllabus).

You must keep a copy of your entry form and a record of both the date it was sent back to their force and to whom it was addressed. It is the responsibility of each candidate to ensure, via their Force Examinations Officer, that their completed entry form has been submitted to and received by NPIA.

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Candidate Guidance

The following guidance is offered to all OSPRE® Part II candidates.

Candidate resources

Candidates should download the Rules and Syllabus which can be found in the download section to the right of this page. In the event that you are unable to complete the download please email us.

Please note: Your Force Examinations Officer will also have an electronic copy of the Rules and Syllabus. 

What will the exercise look like?

The exercises are designed around the day to day tasks of an operational sergeant or inspector. The interactive exercises are designed to assess competence against a recognised criteria believed to indicate successful performance in a particular role.

How will I be assessed?

Candidates are assessed against a behavioural checklist using a 1-5 rating scale, 1 indicating a purposeful approach, while 5 indicates a vague approach. Please refer to the download box on this page to obtain a copy of an example checklist.

An overall grade is awarded based on the number of observed behaviours performed and the numerical value awarded for each competency area. The grading system ranges from A -D, with A being the highest grade and D the lowest.

There is little likelihood that the assessors will know the candidates. However, in the event that this occurs candidates are briefed not to let their acquaintance with a role actor affect their performance.

Important Note - Training Providers

NPIA does not endorse any training provider and is not affiliated to any commercial training company. OSPRE® is a trademark owned by the Home Secretary, and NPIA is the only licensee. Therefore, any other person or organisation that uses the logo or trademark without permission is likely to be in breach of Intellectual Property legislation. Some of the training companies are using the trademark and this tends to suggest that NPIA endorses their product. This is not correct and NPIA will pursue any alleged breach. 

If you require any further information regarding the design process of the Assessment Centre exercises please email us

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This report must be completed by a specialist in their form of disability and must be submitted to NPIA no later than two months prior to the closing date for entries for Part I and no later than one month prior to the withdrawal date for Part II. Consideration will then be given as to what, if any, reasonable adjustments may be made during any part of the Part I or Part II procedure.

Candidates will be advised in good time, prior to their attendance, of any adjustments to be made.

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Results and Feedback

All candidates receive a comprehensive feedback report following their performance at the Assessment Centre which provides comparative data, including the maximum, average, and minimum scores, for each competency area.  

Organisational Feedback: An organisational feedback report is produced to provide forces with information about the overall performance of their candidates. Information is provided about how candidates performed in each competency area and each exercise. This helps to highlight any competency areas where service-wide development may be required.

Assessment Centre Feedback: We are always interested in the views of candidates. Your views help to form our opinions in preparing future assessment centres. Post-assessment centre reports are produced in relation to both candidate and assessor views, as well as individual exercises.

Please contact us to obtain a copy of the most recent reports.

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