Police Scotland Entrance Test (PSET): Practice Guide

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Police officer recruitment in Scotland uses the Police Scotland Entrance Test (PSET). Candidates and older materials may still say SET; treat SET as a historical or informal alias. Current official recruitment wording leads with PSET.

PSET is a Scotland-specific literacy, numeracy and information-handling entrance test. It is not the College of Policing police online assessment process used for many England and Wales constable campaigns, not Police Fast Track, and not a SEARCH classroom centre.

According to Police Scotland recruitment guidance, you do not need prior qualifications to join as an officer, but applicants must pass the entrance test. Police Scotland states that it does not endorse commercial study materials. Use official example questions where published, then treat any paid pack as optional familiarisation only.

Key Takeaways

• Current official name: Police Scotland Entrance Test (PSET).
• SET is a common informal or legacy label, not the preferred current official name.
• England and Wales College of Policing online assessment is a separate jurisdiction and process.
• Fitness tests and assessment-day exercises are not the same as the PSET written paper.
• Exact question counts, timings and retake rules belong to live Police Scotland instructions, not commercial landing pages.

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The drills below are original educational exercises. They are not official Police Scotland, College of Policing or JobTestPrep items, and they do not recreate live exam papers.

Optional third-party practice

After using the official Police Scotland PSET examples, independent commercial practice can support additional literacy, numeracy and information-handling familiarisation. Commercial pages may still use legacy SET branding or publish older timings and stage claims. Do not use them to establish the current stage order, question count, time limit, calculator rules or retake policy. Confirm what is free versus paid before purchasing.

Review JobTestPrep UK Police Scotland entrance-test practice options

How PSET fits the wider Police Scotland pathway

Official police officer recruitment guidance describes creating an account on the job portal, then completing an application form and an eligibility pre-screening. If you do not pass pre-screening, official guidance states you can reapply once you meet the criteria, and Police Scotland provides a route to request a correction if you believe a question was answered in error. Later stages can include the entrance test, fitness assessment, and an assessment day; exact sequencing and invitations are managed through your candidate account, and vetting checks follow once the application process is successfully completed. Contact routes such as RecruitmentPoliceOfficer@scotland.police.uk appear on the jobs pages if you need corrections or help.

Entrance test shape (official framing)

Police Scotland’s current recruitment pages describe the PSET as evaluating:

• understanding of language (literacy)
• information handling
• numeracy skills

The current Police Scotland recruitment page confirms these three skill areas and links to official example questions and answers. It does not publish a universal current question count, time limit, calculator rule, section pass rule or retake policy on that page.

Use the official examples and the instructions issued through your candidate account for those details. Older SET guides, cached wording and commercial summaries must not be treated as current process authority.

Fitness and assessment day (context, not the PSET paper)

Separately from the written entrance test, Police Scotland’s current recruitment pages describe:

• a multi-stage fitness (bleep) test on a 15-metre track, with a published pass standard of level 5.4 (running in time with the bleeps for four lengths at level 5). The fitness test must normally be completed within six months of a start date; a further test is required if more than six months has passed, and an additional fitness check may be requested at any point in the process.
• an assessment day built around the Police Scotland Competencies and Values Framework (CVF), currently described as: a group task (50 minutes total: 10 minutes independent reading of a short policing-related scenario, a 30-minute group discussion and briefing, then 10 minutes of assessor questions); a situational judgement exercise (60 minutes, a reactive exercise with no reading or preparation time, where assessors verbally present an unfolding scenario); and, for candidates who pass those two exercises, a competency-based interview (20 minutes, four questions, each aligned to a named CVF competency).

Those exercises sit in a policing context but official guidance states you do not need prior policing, legal or procedural knowledge for the day. Do not confuse them with the PSET paper itself, and do not assume the group task or interview timings apply to the written entrance test.

Reasonable adjustments

Police Scotland describes itself as a Disability Confident employer and states it will consider reasonable adjustments to the selection process, including for neurodivergent conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism or ADHD, where it is reasonable to do so. Official guidance asks candidates to flag adjustment needs at the eligibility stage of the online application, before the full application form, so the recruitment team can discuss and arrange support ahead of the entrance test, fitness assessment or assessment day. You do not have to disclose a disability, but doing so early is how the official process is designed to provide support for specific stages.

Contrast with England and Wales online assessment

Police Scotland PSET versus England and Wales College pathway

Topic	Police Scotland	England and Wales
Early ability assessment	Police Scotland Entrance Test (PSET): literacy, numeracy, information handling	National or in-force sift plus online assessment process (CBI, written, briefing)
Governing materials	Police Scotland jobs and recruitment pages	College of Policing candidate guides
SEARCH	Not the Scotland PSET paper	Older SEARCH centres are not the current national online process for many forces

If you are applying in England or Wales, use the Police Online Assessment Process guide instead of treating Scotland packs as interchangeable.

How to prepare

1. Read Our recruitment process and complete any official example papers first.
2. Drill mental arithmetic, percentages, averages and reading tables under a minute-per-question pace.
3. Practise literacy items: grammar, vocabulary in context, factual precision.
4. Practise information handling: extract only what a chart or short brief supports.
5. Prepare fitness and CVF evidence separately; they are not substitutes for the written paper.
6. Use third-party packs only as extras; Police Scotland does not endorse them.

Practice questions

Educational practice only. 32 original items spanning numeracy, literacy and information handling. Not live PSET questions.

Numeracy

1. A neighbourhood team records 36 calls before noon and 27 after noon. What is the day’s total?

A. 63 B. 53 C. 83 D. 73

Correct answer: A Explanation: 36 + 27 = 63. A common mistake is misadding the units column and landing on 53 or 83 instead.

2. Fuel for a marked vehicle costs £64.50 for 45 litres. What is the cost per litre?

A. £1.30 B. £1.35 C. £1.40 D. £1.45

Correct answer: B Explanation: £64.50 / 45 = £1.35 per litre. Common mistakes come from rounding the division to a nearby figure such as £1.30 or £1.40 instead of dividing exactly.

3. Shift pattern: 4 days on, 2 days off, repeating. Starting Monday on-duty, is the following Monday on or off? (Count day 1 as first on-duty Monday.)

A. Off B. Cannot determine without roster software C. On D. Always off

Correct answer: C Explanation: The cycle length is 6 days. Seven days later is day 8, which is equivalent to day 2 of the cycle, still inside the four on-duty days. A common mistake is treating “the following Monday” as day 7 rather than day 8, or assuming a 7-day cycle.

4. A store reports loss values (£): 120, 80, 100, 140. Mean loss?

A. £100 B. £120 C. £130 D. £110

Correct answer: D Explanation: Mean = (120 + 80 + 100 + 140) / 4 = 440 / 4 = £110. A common mistake is dividing the correct total by 3 instead of 4, or misadding the four values.

5. 15% of a £240 fine notice (education figure for maths only) is?

A. £36 B. £24 C. £48 D. £30

Correct answer: A Explanation: 15% of £240 = 0.15 × 240 = £36. A common mistake is treating 15% as 10% (giving £24) or as 20% (giving £48).

6. A route is 18 km outbound and 18 km return. Completed in 50 minutes total. Average speed for the round trip?

A. 36 km/h B. 43.2 km/h C. 50 km/h D. 40.5 km/h

Correct answer: B Explanation: Total distance is 36 km in 50/60 hours. 36 × (60/50) = 36 × 1.2 = 43.2 km/h. A common mistake is using only the outbound 18 km or forgetting to convert 50 minutes to hours before dividing.

7. Inventory of hi-vis jackets: start 85, issue 23, return 6, condemned 4. Remaining?

A. 68 B. 70 C. 64 D. 66

Correct answer: C Explanation: 85 - 23 + 6 - 4 = 64. A common mistake is adding the returned jackets but forgetting to subtract the condemned ones, or subtracting the returns instead of adding them.

8. Ratio of day to night incidents is 5:3. Total incidents 64. How many night incidents?

A. 20 B. 30 C. 40 D. 24

Correct answer: D Explanation: Total ratio parts = 5 + 3 = 8. Night share = 3/8 × 64 = 24. A common mistake is calculating the day figure (40) instead of the night figure, or splitting 64 evenly between the two groups.

9. A briefing lasts 35 minutes starting at 14:50. Finish time?

A. 15:25 B. 15:15 C. 15:30 D. 15:20

Correct answer: A Explanation: 14:50 + 35 minutes = 15:25 (10 minutes to reach 15:00, then a further 25 minutes). A common mistake is rounding the 35 minutes to 30 or 40 and landing on 15:20 or 15:30.

Literacy / language

10. Choose the sentence that is grammatically correct.

A. The officers were late for briefing. B. The officers was late for briefing. C. The officers is late for briefing. D. The officers be late for briefing.

Correct answer: A Explanation: “Officers” is a plural subject, so the verb must agree in number: “were,” not the singular forms “was” or “is,” or the uninflected “be.” Subject-verb agreement rule: a plural subject takes a plural verb.

11. Closest meaning of impartial in: “Witnesses must remain impartial when describing events.”

A. Entertaining B. Angry C. Unbiased D. Silent

Correct answer: C Explanation: “Impartial” means not favouring one side, which matches “unbiased.” Entertaining, angry and silent describe unrelated qualities that do not fit a witness giving an account.

12. Best replacement for the underlined error: “There waiting outside the station.”

A. Their waiting outside the station. B. They waiting outside the station. C. Theres waiting outside the station. D. They’re waiting outside the station.

Correct answer: D Explanation: “They’re” is the contraction of “they are,” which is the verb the sentence needs. “Their” is possessive, “theres” is not a standard word, and “they waiting” is missing the auxiliary verb “are.”

13. Which sentence uses affect / effect correctly?

A. The weather will effect travel times. B. The weather will affect travel times. C. The affect was delayed trains. D. Rain effected heavily.

Correct answer: B Explanation: “Affect” is normally the verb, meaning to influence; “effect” is normally the noun, meaning a result. “The weather will affect travel times” uses affect correctly as a verb, while the other options misuse effect as a verb or affect as a noun.

14. Most precise paraphrase of: “The victim declined medical attention at the scene.”

A. The victim refused care offered at the scene. B. The victim demanded surgery. C. The victim was already in hospital. D. The victim assaulted paramedics.

Correct answer: A Explanation: “Declined” means “refused,” and the paraphrase must stay close to the original meaning without adding facts the sentence does not state, such as surgery, hospital admission, or an assault.

15. Spelling: which word is correct?

A. Recieve B. Receve C. Receive D. Receieve

Correct answer: C Explanation: The spelling rule “i before e except after c” applies here: after the c in “re-c-eive,” e comes before i, giving “receive.”

16. “Neither of the statements ____ consistent with the footage.”

A. are B. be C. were D. is

Correct answer: D Explanation: “Neither” takes a singular verb even when followed by a plural-looking phrase, so “is” agrees correctly. “Are” and “were” wrongly treat “neither” as a plural subject.

Information handling

17. Log extract: “Vehicle AR62 CXT seen at 21:10 on High Street, then at 21:25 near the harbour.” Statement: “The same vehicle was at the harbour before High Street.”

A. Contradicted B. Supported C. True if traffic was light D. Not determined

Correct answer: A Explanation: The log places the vehicle on High Street first (21:10) and at the harbour second (21:25), the reverse of the order the statement claims. This is precise evidence against the statement, so it is contradicted rather than merely unsupported.

18. Table - community events attended:

Week	North	South
1	4	6
2	5	5
3	7	3

Which week had the highest combined attendances?

A. Week 1 B. Tie C. Week 2 D. Week 3

Correct answer: B Explanation: Combined totals are 10, 10 and 10 for Weeks 1, 2 and 3, so no single week has a higher combined attendance than the others; the evidence supports a tie, not one week standing out.

19. Brief: “Only blue bags are accepted at Site A. Site B accepts blue and green.” Statement: “A green bag must go to Site A.”

A. Supported B. Insufficient data about other sites C. Contradicted D. Supported if the bag is large

Correct answer: C Explanation: The brief states that Site A accepts only blue bags, and that Site B, not Site A, accepts green bags. A green bag being sent to Site A directly contradicts the stated rule; nothing about bag size changes this.

20. Chart values: Monday 12, Tuesday 18, Wednesday 9. Tuesday as a share of the three-day total?

A. 30% B. 50% C. 60% D. about 46%

Correct answer: D Explanation: Three-day total = 12 + 18 + 9 = 39. 18 / 39 ≈ 0.4615, so about 46%. A common mistake is comparing Tuesday only to Monday, or rounding to a cleaner figure such as 50%.

21. Statement pair: (1) “All supervisors completed Module C.” (2) “Kara is a supervisor.” Conclusion: “Kara completed Module C.”

A. Must be true if both statements are true B. Must be false C. Unrelated D. True only if Kara is new

Correct answer: A Explanation: If all supervisors completed Module C, and Kara is a supervisor, Kara falls inside the group the first statement describes, so the conclusion follows necessarily from the two statements without needing any outside assumption about Kara.

22. Incident note lists times for three units but omits Unit 4. Statement: “Unit 4 arrived at 16:00.”

A. Supported by the note B. Cannot say from the note C. Contradicted D. True by default

Correct answer: B Explanation: The note records information only for the three units it lists. Omitting Unit 4 is not evidence about when, or whether, Unit 4 arrived; assuming a time for Unit 4 would be an unsupported assumption the note does not provide.

23. Two percentages: Area X has 40% of city burglaries and 10% of population. Best cautious reading?

A. Proves residents in X commit burglaries B. Proves policing is unnecessary in X C. Shows a disproportionate share of offences relative to population size, without proving offender residence D. Proves the percentages are fake

Correct answer: C Explanation: The two figures describe where offences are recorded relative to where population is concentrated, not who commits them or where offenders live. Concluding anything about offender residence, or about policing need, goes beyond what these two percentages alone support.

Situational / values-style micro items (assessment-day transfer, not PSET scoring)

These mirror public-service judgement habits for Scotland assessment-day practice. They are not a substitute for the written PSET.

24. You see a phone left unlocked on a cafe table showing what looks like someone else’s bank app.

A. Keep the phone in sight, ask staff to secure it, and avoid accessing private data. B. Browse the accounts. C. Pocket the phone to “teach a lesson”. D. Post the screen online.

Most defensible response: A Explanation: Securing the phone without accessing private data is proportionate to an accidental exposure. Browsing (B), pocketing © or posting the screen (D) all turn an accident into a deliberate privacy or property breach.

25. A neighbour shows you phone footage of an incident and asks you to “decide who is guilty” before any process.

A. Declare guilt on social media. B. Delete their footage. C. Avoid premature findings; encourage proper reporting and preserve what you know accurately. D. Mock both parties.

Most defensible response: C Explanation: Avoiding a premature finding and pointing towards proper reporting respects due process. Declaring guilt (A) or mocking those involved (D) pre-empts a process that has not happened, and deleting footage (B) destroys potential evidence rather than preserving it.

26. During a group exercise, one person dominates and another is spoken over.

A. Join the pile-on. B. Walk out silently. C. Attack the loud person personally. D. Make space for quieter input and keep the group on the assigned task.

Most defensible response: D Explanation: Making space for quieter input keeps the exercise inclusive and on task, which is what a group task assessor is looking for. Joining the dominance (A), walking out (B) or attacking someone personally © does not address the imbalance constructively.

27. Interview prompt practice: Give a short STARR plan for challenging unfair treatment of a teammate at a previous job.

Explanation: A strong STARR answer (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection) names the specific unfair behaviour and its impact, describes a respectful and proportionate challenge you made, states what happened next including any escalation, and reflects on what you learned, mapped to CVF values such as integrity and respect. Vague claims about “being a good team player” with no named situation or action would not meet the same standard.

Mixed PSET-style wrap

28. Numeracy: A sergeant needs three pairs of gloves for each of 16 officers attending training. How many pairs?

A. 32 B. 48 C. 64 D. 19

Correct answer: B Explanation: 3 pairs × 16 officers = 48 pairs. A common mistake is calculating two pairs per officer (32) or misreading the total number of officers.

29. Literacy: Choose the correctly punctuated sentence.

A. Please bring ID a pen, and proof of address B. Please bring ID, a pen and proof of address. C. Please bring ID; a pen and proof of address D. Please bring ID a pen and proof of address.

Correct answer: B Explanation: A simple three-item list needs a comma after the first item, no comma directly before the final “and,” and a closing full stop. The other options misplace the comma, use a semicolon where a comma is needed, or omit the full stop.

30. Information handling: Timetable says Counter A opens 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00. Can a visitor be served at 13:10 at Counter A according to this timetable alone?

A. Yes B. Only with a warrant C. Only on Fridays D. No

Correct answer: D Explanation: The timetable lists opening windows of 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00, so the counter is closed at 13:10, inside the gap between those windows. The timetable alone gives no exception for warrants or specific days, so those options add an assumption the evidence does not support.

31. Best exam integrity behaviour:

A. Work alone, follow invigilation rules, and use only allowed materials. B. Memorise live items to share later. C. Peek at a neighbour’s sheet. D. Phone a friend mid-paper.

Correct answer: A Explanation: Working alone and following invigilation rules protects both the validity of your own result and fairness to other candidates. Memorising items to share (B), copying © or getting help mid-paper (D) all undermine that validity.

32. England applicant asks if PSET practice replaces College online assessment prep. Best reply?

A. Yes - identical process. B. No - Scotland uses PSET and its own assessment day; England and Wales often use the College online assessment process instead. C. SEARCH is mandatory everywhere. D. Fitness alone decides both systems.

Correct answer: B Explanation: Police Scotland’s PSET and assessment day are a distinct, Scotland-specific process, while the College of Policing’s online assessment process is the route described for many England and Wales forces. Practising one does not automatically prepare a candidate for the other, so PSET-only practice should not be treated as a substitute.

Official resources

• Police Scotland recruitment / jobs hub
• Police officer recruitment process (includes PSET, fitness and assessment-day overview)
• Police officer jobs (eligibility, pay, training)
• Police officer reasonable adjustments and support

Follow links from those pages for current example questions, answers, fitness guidance and assessment-day detail.

Related guides

• UK Assessment Tests
• Police Online Assessment Process (England and Wales College pathway - contrast)
• Police Fast Track (leadership pathway for serving officers - different from recruit SET)
• Situational Judgment Test

FAQ

Next steps

Complete official examples, book only through the Police Scotland portal instructions, and keep England/Wales prep separate if you switch nations. Return to the UK Assessment Tests hub for other pathways.