Overview
The Standard Entrance Test (SET), also referred to as the Police Scotland Entrance Test (PSET), is the written assessment used in Police Scotland's officer recruitment process to test numeracy, literacy and information-handling skills. It is called the Police Scotland Entrance Test on the current selection page.
Exam pattern
The SET is a single examination paper covering three elements — numeracy, literacy and information handling — with 49 questions to be answered in 60 minutes. A calculator may be used for the numeracy section. Candidates must pass all three elements of the paper to proceed.
Marking and results
Candidates who do not pass are generally given automatic re-sit opportunities, up to three attempts, before needing to wait out any standard reapplication period.
How to apply
Apply through Police Scotland's recruitment portal. The application form has two parts: an eligibility assessment and the main police officer application form, which you complete in your own words. You can ask for reasonable adjustments at any point.
Later stages
The Police Scotland selection process page lists the stages as: application form (an eligibility assessment, then the main application form), the Police Scotland Entrance Test (PSET), a fitness test, an assessment day, and final stages.
Fitness test. The multi-stage fitness (bleep) test, running between two lines 15 m apart in time with beeps that get faster. The standard required for a police officer is 5.4. The test must have been done within 6 months of being given a start date, or it must be repeated before a formal offer.
Assessment day. All exercises are assessed against the Police Scotland Competencies and Values Framework, and no policing, legal or procedural knowledge is required. The morning has an unassessed ice-breaker, a group task (50 minutes in total, including 10 minutes of reading a short scenario of about 500 to 600 words, a 30-minute group discussion and a 10-minute assessor Q&A), and a situational judgement exercise (60 minutes, presented verbally with no reading time). Those who succeed in the morning go on to an afternoon 20-minute competency-based interview of four questions.
Final stages. A medical assessment including an eyesight test and BMI check, substance misuse testing, employer references and full vetting checks. Random substance misuse testing can happen at any stage.
Preparation tips
Since all three sections (numeracy, literacy, information handling) must be passed individually, practising each skill area separately — rather than assuming a strong score in one section offsets a weak one — matters.
What does the Police Scotland SET test?
Numeracy, literacy and information handling, in a single 60-minute paper of 49 questions.
How many times can a candidate re-sit the Police Scotland SET?
Candidates are generally given automatic re-sits, up to three attempts, if they do not pass.