About the Police Scotland Assessment Day
Police Scotland is a single national force covering the whole of Scotland, and it runs its own recruitment process rather than using the SEARCH cognitive test format used by most police forces in England and Wales. After an initial online application, shortlisted candidates attend an assessment day built entirely around the Competency and Values Framework (CVF), the national framework of behaviours and values used across UK policing.
The assessment day consists of three exercises:
- Group Task: you get 10 minutes to read a short policing related scenario (around 500 to 600 words) on your own, then join a 30 minute group discussion where the group works through the scenario together and briefs the assessors on how it addressed each task item
- Situational Judgement Exercise (SJE): assessors describe a series of unfolding, hypothetical policing scenarios to you verbally. You respond individually, one at a time, explaining what you would consider and what action you would take. The exercise runs for around 60 minutes in total
- Competency Based Interview: structured interview questions, each one aligned to a specific CVF competency, which is named to you before the question is asked
Every exercise is scored against the same six CVF competencies, so strong CVF preparation helps across all three parts of the day, not just the interview.
Important: Because every exercise maps to the CVF, candidates who prepare only for a traditional interview and ignore the Group Task and Situational Judgement Exercise are consistently under prepared. All three exercises are assessed, and a weak Group Task performance can outweigh a strong interview.
The CVF: Six Competencies, Three Clusters
- We are emotionally aware and we take ownership (self awareness cluster): understanding the impact of your behaviour on others, and taking personal responsibility for outcomes
- We are collaborative and we deliver, support and inspire (working with others cluster): building relationships across teams and communities, and getting the job done to a high standard
- We analyse critically and we are innovative and open minded (problem solving cluster): gathering information and evidence before deciding, and being open to new ways of working
Alongside the six competencies, the framework sets out core values: Integrity, Impartiality, Public Service and Transparency. Interview and Situational Judgement answers are stronger when they explicitly reflect one of these values, not just a competency.
Key Facts to Know
- Not the SEARCH test: Police Scotland does not use the verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning test format used by most England and Wales forces
- Assessment day format: Group Task, Situational Judgement Exercise, and a Competency Based Interview, all on the same day
- CVF competencies: six in total, clustered into self awareness, working with others, and problem solving
- CVF values: Integrity, Impartiality, Public Service, Transparency
- Group Task timing: 10 minutes individual reading, 30 minutes group discussion and briefing
- Situational Judgement Exercise timing: approximately 60 minutes, responses given individually and verbally
- Preparation technique: structure interview and SJE answers using a clear example format, situation, action you took, and the outcome, tied explicitly to a named competency
- Physical and vetting stages: separate from the CVF assessment day, passing the assessment day does not mean passing the full selection process
The official Police Scotland recruitment pages explain the CVF but provide very few worked examples. Practice Tests UK fills that gap with realistic Situational Judgement scenarios and CVF competency questions with step by step explanations for every answer.
| Feature | Official Police Scotland Guidance | Practice Tests UK |
|---|
| Practice scenarios | Limited examples | Realistic CVF scenarios |
| Answer explanations | General guidance only | Every question |
| Instant feedback | No | Yes |
| Drill by CVF cluster | No | Yes |
Free sample: Try 5 free questions below. Use Drill Mode to focus on the CVF cluster you find hardest.
