The syllabus consists of four manuals, Crime, Road Policing, Evidence and Procedure and General Police Duties. Everything in the manuals is in play and therefore your study should include every page of every chapter. Do not be tempted to study from old books. You MUST use the 2010 manuals as this is the exam material and has the current, up to date legislation.

Any new legislation brought in during 2009/2010 is unlikely to be included in the exam. If it is, there will be a directive from NPIA on this. The only time that has ever happened is when PACE was re-written a few years back. If legislation fundamentally changes, like deception did in 2006/7 when the Fraud Act came in, the material will not be tested.

Studying is individualistic as everyone has different styles of learning. That said, there are some tips that can assist you.

• Make sure you have a set plan and timetable to study, taking into account shift patterns, other activities and home life
• Concentrate on the grey boxes (key notes) and examples given. This is likely where the questions will be taken from
• Know the defences to the law and, perhaps more importantly, the exceptions and stated cases
• If you really cannot get to grips with a certain topic, move on. It is better to know 80% well than 100% superficially
• Sometimes writing out the subjects assists the brain to comprehend the material
• Use pneumonics to make sense of legislation. Make up your own or use others that you hear

Certain topic areas cannot be ignored. We use a traffic light system to indicate where you should focus your time and energy. A red light indicates that this subject has featured regularly and is too important to ignore, amber indicates material that is often featured or that is likely to be tested and a green light are those subjects that rarely feature. Whilst this is one method of study, ANY material that is in the books is a potential exam question. There are a number of alternative methods and study material that can be used and these are shown within this guide in the section entitled ‘Further Study Material’

If you are serious about passing the exam, a great deal of time and commitment needs to be dedicated to learning the subjects and practising questions. You will need to ensure that any close family or partners understand this and support you in your endeavours.