National Graduate Leadership Programme

Online assessment

What does the Police Now online assessment involve?

Police Now refuses to accept that where you’re born or where you live should affect your life chances.

We are committed to transforming communities and we are looking for a diverse range of exceptional graduates to join us to become leaders on the frontline of policing.

The right people for the job will come from all backgrounds and walks of life. They will also have the right attributes to be successful in a challenging and constantly changing environment. The online assessment has been designed to measure some of these key attributes that are important for success in the Police Now National Graduate Leadership Programme.

It is split into two components:

A week on the Police Now National Graduate Leadership Programme
Based around situations that you might experience in the role of a neighbourhood police officer; you will be asked to provide responses in relation to several scenario-based questions. For some questions you will be presented with multiple choice answers and be asked to choose the most effective and least effective option. Other questions will require a typed response, and some require you to video your responses. We include both written and video responses in our online assessment so that applicants get an understanding of the various communication methods you’ll need to utilise on the programme and to immerse you in the role of a neighbourhood police officer.
Personality questionnaire
The personality questionnaire contains a series of questions to help understand your preferred style at work. It is not based on ability, it’s simply designed to explore your behavioural preferences, focusing on those aspects that we think are vital to being successful in the role.

The online assessment should take you around 60-90 minutes to complete. There is no time limit, and should you need to log off for any reason, you will be able to return to your assessment later as you had left it. However, we highly recommend for you to complete it in one sitting for the best results.

Do you have any further questions or need some guidance and support? See below.

What will a week on the National Graduate Leadership Programme involve?

Throughout this part of the assessment we will be asking questions that are designed to assess how well you are likely to perform as a neighbourhood police officer on the Police Now National Graduate Leadership Programme. The assessment has been developed by drawing upon real experiences and situations you are likely to face and takes you through events in a five-shift week of work in a busy station.

It will therefore give you a good insight into the hugely varied situations you might encounter in the role, and how these scenarios might link and unfold over time. While completing the week on the Police Now National Graduate Leadership Programme you should imagine that you are on the programme and have already secured a role within the force.

You will be asked to respond in three ways: 

Scenario questions: you will be presented with a scenario and four possible courses of action. You must choose a “Most effective” and “Least effective” option relating to the scenario from the four statements provided. There is no time limit for responding to these questions. 

Written responses: you will be presented with a situation and asked to type your responses to the question in a text box, within a recommended word limit. There is no time limit for responding to these questions but it should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Make sure to complete your responses before selecting “Next” as you will be unable to return to this page again.

Video responses: you will be presented with a scenario and asked to record yourself answering the question. You will have three minutes’ preparation time and up to three minutes to record your answer.

You will have the opportunity to complete practice questions. These are designed to help you familiarise yourself with how to respond to the scenario questions and allows you to be comfortable with using the technology to video your response. The practice questions are not scored.

Tips for completing the week on the Police Now National Graduate Leadership Programme assessment

Read the question and possible responses carefully to ensure you understand what is being asked. Don’t assume any prior knowledge of the scenarios presented.
We are not assessing your technical knowledge of policing but this is your opportunity to show us why you would make a fantastic participant on our programme.
 Take time before starting the assessment to research the Police Now National Graduate Leadership Programme, our values and our mission. We suggest you also consider your motivations for wanting to be part of our programme and why you think you would make a good neighbourhood police officer – the more you research, the more you’ll be able to convey your knowledge and passion for Police Now.
Please try to find a quiet environment so that you can complete the assessment with minimal or no interruptions or distractions. Think about what will help you to feel confident and in the correct frame of mind – have a pen and paper to hand, have a clear and tidy environment around you.
You will not be able to return back to a previous question once you’ve clicked next.

How should I prepare for the video responses?

Part of the ‘week in the life’ will include recording responses to questions via a video. The content of the questions will relate to the scenarios presented and there is no preparation required beforehand.

You will have up to three minutes to read the question and prepare your response, after which time the video will start recording automatically. Your recording can be up to three minutes, but if you would like to end your answer before the three minutes, you can click to submit your response. You will only be able to record your answer once.

Before the assessment begins, you will have the opportunity to answer a practice question to ensure that your system is set up correctly and that your video and sound are recording.

Tips for completing a video interview

We are interested in your initial reaction to the question, so you won’t be able to re-record your video responses. Use your three minutes of preparation time to think through your answer in advance.
Choose a place to complete the interview that where you can complete without distractions and background noise. If you’re using a mobile phone, turn off any notifications that may interrupt your recording. You will have the chance to review your video response during the live assessment, so at this point, if there is no audio or the video has not recorded, please contact the selection team and don’t progress further with the assessment.
Make sure you have a stable internet connection and ensure you are familiar with how the microphone and webcam work – remember you can use your mobile device, tablet or laptop to complete the assessment.
Whilst we may have got more familiar with it recently, it can be quite daunting talking to a camera instead of a person but we want to hear about how you would respond to the questions posed.

Why is there a mixture of written and video responses in the online assessment?

We include both written and video responses in our online assessment so that applicants get an understanding of the various communication methods you’ll need to utilise on the programme and to immerse you in the role of a neighbourhood police officer.

What will the personality assessment involve?

The personality assessment is designed to explore your behavioural preferences, focusing on those aspects that we think are vital to being successful in the role.

There is no perfect personality profile for these roles, but we are interested in the ways that you like to work and how that might fit with the demands of the programme and the role. Your preferences will be considered alongside the other information we are gathering about your skills and outlook.

You will be asked to work through a number of statements and to rate them in order of what is ‘most like me’ to ‘least like me’. You will have the opportunity to complete a practice question.

Tips for completing the personality assessment

Online assessment FAQs

Why do we use the online assessment as part of the recruitment and selection process?
We want you to experience what it is like to be as a neighbourhood police officer. You should prepare to face situations like the ones presented to you in the online assessment as part of the role. This will also help you decide if the role is the right fit for you.

How long will the online assessment take?
The online assessment is likely to take between 60-90 minutes. We encourage people to go at their own pace but for the best results, we advise you to do it in one sitting. You will be given ten days to complete your online assessment.

How should I prepare for the online assessment?
When sitting down to start your online assessment, ensure you are in a quiet environment. Allow enough time to complete the online assessment in one sitting. Make sure you have completed comprehensive research into Police Now, the National Detective Programme and the role of a detective before you start. You can have your notes near you but try not to read from them completely.

Am I able to review my video responses before I submit?
You are able to review your video responses in the online assessment, however you are not able to re-record your video response. Therefore we advise you to ensure you have reviewed our technical guidance page before starting the assessment, to ensure your audio and video is functioning correctly.

Who should I contact if I have a technical issue?
We advise candidates to look at our technical guidance page before contacting us and try to resolve the issue. If you have tried these solutions and the issue is not fixed, we recommend getting in touch with a member of the team via the contact details on this website.

Technical guidance for the online assessment

Are you having technical issues completing the online assessment? Please see below for our technical guidance.

What browser should I use for the online assessment?

The online assessment is supported by all web browsers. However, we find some candidates experience problems with Safari and Internet Explorer. We suggest using Google Chrome where possible.

I have reached a video response, but the video screen stays black and will not allow me to record and/or is displaying an error message of ‘waiting for hardware.’ What do I do?

Please try the following options:

A pop up should appear in the top corner of your screen asking you to authorise the hardware. You must authorise this hardware for the website to allow you to record. If you have a pop-up blocker, please disable it for this website.
If you have already authorised the hardware, please close your browser and try to complete the assessment in another browser. Your progress will be saved from wherever you have left off, so your answers to the previous section of the online assessment will be saved.
If you are using Safari or Internet Explorer, please try Google Chrome.

How will I know if my recording has worked and can I re-record a response?

The practice question is designed to ensure you are comfortable with recording video questions and that this has recorded correctly on your device. For the practice question after your recording you will have the option to review or re-record. We suggest you review your recording to ensure the audio and video have recorded correctly. For the practice question, you can re-record as many times as you would like until you feel comfortable.

For the assessed questions, once you have finished recording you can ‘review’ the recording and ‘accept’ the recording. You will only be able to record one response. If you notice any issue with the audio and/or video of your recording upon your review, please contact the team and do not progress further with your completion of the online assessment. We will then look to reset your assessment if this is required.

If you are using a mobile phone, please close all apps running in the background as this may interfere with your audio. Please also avoid touching the screen while recording your video responses as this will save and submit your response.

Technical issue checklist

Here are our quick fixes, which we find work in most instances, when facing technical difficulties:

Use Google Chrome.
Make sure you selected ‘Accept’ or ‘Allow’ when asked for permission to access your microphone/webcam. If you have a pop up blocker, please disable it for this website.
Use an incognito tab when completing the online assessment.
Clear cache and cookies from the browser and device.
Use a different device (tablet, mobile, laptop) - your assessment will begin where you left off, so please don’t worry.
Use a different Wi-Fi network or Hotspot.

Top tips for mobile or tablet users

Here are the top tips if you are using your mobile phone or tablet to complete the online assessment:

Complete the assessment indoors or in a quiet environment to avoid noise or wind in the background.
Close all apps running in the background as this may interfere with your audio.
Have the front-facing camera turned on when recording video responses.
Position the phone to be able to record your face and shoulders.
Keep fingers away from the microphone area of the device.
Avoid moving the device around when recording video. You could mount it on a static surface for minimal movement.
Avoid touching the screen while recording your video responses as this may save and submit your response.
Position yourself in a well-lit environment, so your face is clearly visible.
Use a consistent internet connection. A Wi-Fi or wired connection is preferable but the assessment will work over a stable mobile data connection.
Make sure to have sufficient battery on the device before starting or have a charger to hand.
Avoid using Huawei devices as some of these devices are not compatible with this assessment.

Further information and assistance

Do you need to chat with someone about the online assessment?

Our team will be happy to support you with any technical queries or guidance on completing the online assessment. You can contact us here.

What if I require any reasonable adjustments?
The online assessment is completed on your own laptop or mobile device, so you should be able to access any software or platform you may use for support as required. Similarly, as the assessment is not timed, any additional time provisions are unlikely to be required.

We do also have an alternative assessment, if your circumstances mean you are unable to complete the online assessment in the format currently provided. If you would like to discuss this alternative assessment provision, or do fell you require any further reasonable adjustments to be made, please contact the team to discuss your particular circumstances.