College confirms dates for ‘virtual’ exams
The College of Policing has confirmed it will be delivering officer exams ‘virtually’ through an online platform from September.
This will allow the college to maintain social distancing and ensure the safety of officers and invigilators.
Changes to the exam format will also be made to ensure it is “appropriate for this new method of delivery”.
“Covid-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the delivery of this year’s National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF) Step Two Legal Exams and the National Investigators’ Exam (NIE),” said the college. “This has affected the ability of forces to promote and progress their officers into supervisory and investigative roles.”
The college said it has been working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to monitor the impact of Covid-19 on all policing events and activities.
“We are working hard to maintain activity that supports and enables policing to continue frontline operations and protect the public,” it added.
“From September onwards, we will be delivering exams through an online platform, which will enable officers to take their NIE or NPPF exams virtually, without the need to sit the exam at a physical examination centre alongside their fellow candidates.
“We will be making changes to this year’s exams to ensure that they will be appropriate for this new method of delivery. As soon as we fully understand the nature of these changes, we will provide updates on the college website, via social media and through direct email to forces. The syllabus to be examined and the assessment standard will both remain unchanged.”
The college said the NIE scheduled for 2020 would be held, as planned, on September 8 and November 24.
This year’s Direct Entry Superintendents’ Examination will be held, as planned, on November 17.
“Although dates are yet to be fully confirmed, we intend for the NPPF Sergeants’ and Inspectors’ Exams to take place in autumn 2020. Dates for these exams will be confirmed by Friday, June 12,” the college said.
It added that all exams held in 2020 would be examined against the existing syllabus for 2020, which can be found in the relevant candidate handbook.