Prior to 1991 the Police Service in England and Wales assessed Police Officers' potential for promotion to the ranks of Sergeant and Inspector by one exam. The questions in the exam required an essay style of answer and only tested the legal knowledge of the candidate. Potentially, a qualified solicitor in criminal practice could pass the promotion exams!
The Police Service realised that the role of Sergeant and Inspector required management and supervisory skills but these were not being assessed by this system. They therefore produced the Objective Structured Performance Related Examination - better known as OSPRE (pronounced 'Osprey') which is a two part examination.
Part 1 of the OSPRE exam initially involved a 2 hour multiple choice examination of 60-120 questions to test the candidates' knowledge of the law. However starting with the Inspectors' exam in September 2002 the time was increased to 3 hours and the maximum number of questions to 150. The exam usually takes place once a year - the Sergeants' exam being in March and the Inspectors' in September. Originally the pass mark for the exam was set at 75% but in recent years this has changed to 55% for the Sergeants' exam and 65% for the Inspectors'. Candidates need to pass part 1 before they can take part 2.
The Computerised Study Kit from Advance Training was initially produced with the specific intention of helping candidates for the OSPRE part 1 exams. The Kit contains a large database of exam-style multiple choice questions with fully explained answers. The Kit is structured to ensure that the entire syllabus of the part 1 examination is covered. The Sergeants' Kit has over 1600 questions and answers and the Inspectors' Kit has over 1800 questions and answers.
While part 1 of the OSPRE exam tests the candidates' knowledge of the law, part 2 tests their management and supervisory potential. This is carried out during a 1½ hour exam involving role playing in a variety of situations.
The training required for Part 2 must be carried out in a classroom situation by qualified trainers. The candidates need to practice dealing with possible scenarios they may meet in the exam and get immediate feedback from the trainers. Computer-based training does not lend itself to this type of exam and consequently Advance Training does not offer such a product. However a number of trainers do advertise such courses in the specialist Police press and internal force communications.
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