Prior to 1991 the Police Service in England and Wales assessed Police Officers' potential for promotion to the ranks of Sergeant and Inspector by one exam. The questions in the exam required an essay style of answer and only tested the legal knowledge of the candidate. Potentially, a qualified solicitor in criminal practice could pass the promotion exams! The Police Service realised that the role of Sergeant and Inspector required management and supervisory skills but these were not being assessed by this system. They therefore produced the Objective Structured Performance Related Examination - better known as OSPRE (pronounced 'Osprey') which is a two part examination.
Part 1 of the OSPRE exam involves a 3 hour multiple choice examination to test the candidates' knowledge of the law. The exam takes place once a year - the Sergeants' exam being in March and the Inspectors' in September - and has 150 questions. Originally the pass mark for the exam was set at 75% but in recent years this has changed so that the pass mark is changed each year to achieve a pass rate that is consistent with the pass rate from previous years. Candidates need to pass Part 1 before they can take part 2.
While part 1 of the OSPRE exam tests the candidates' knowledge of the law, part 2 tests their management and supervisory potential. This is carried out during a 1½ hour exam involving role playing in a variety of situations.
Those interested in learning more about preparing for police promotion exams should visit
www.offduty.co.uk .
Promotion Exams
