UK Police Sift (SJT) study plan
UK Police Sift (SJT) · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Professional standards and ethical judgement
State the three policing principles and all ten Code of Ethics standards from memory without notes
Classify 20 short written scenarios by which standard is engaged and whether the conduct is acceptable
Define the National Decision Model (NDM) code of ethics and its six elements in writing
Distinguish between a lapse in standards and a genuine ethical dilemma in 10 paired examples
Your checkpoint
One-page standards cheat sheet plus 20 scenario classifications self-marked against written justifications, target 18/20 accurate
Professional standards and ethical judgement
Analyse 15 integrity scenarios covering honesty, gifts and hospitality, confidentiality, use of force and off-duty conduct
Write a sentence of justification for each chosen answer explaining why the alternative is weaker
Practise 25 'most and least appropriate' ranked-response items
Identify the three standards you personally misjudged most often and rewrite those answers
Your checkpoint
Timed 20-question domain 1 mini-test with written justifications, scored at 80% or above, plus a three-item personal error list
Decision-making and problem solving
Apply all six NDM elements in order to 10 scenarios and record the reasoning for each step
Separate proportionate from disproportionate action in 12 scenarios with escalating risk
List the information you would gather before acting in 8 scenarios, and name what would change your decision
Explain in writing how you would review and revise a decision after new information arrives
Your checkpoint
Decision log of 10 scenarios with every NDM step evidenced in one or two sentences each
Decision-making and problem solving & Professional standards and ethical judgement
Complete 30 ranked-response items under strict time pressure
Categorise every error as misread stem, missed principle, over-reaction or under-action
Rank five competing demands by priority and justify the top and bottom choice
Re-attempt all previously wrong items and record whether the reasoning changed
Your checkpoint
Error log with a taxonomy count and a stated top three recurring mistakes, plus a re-test score on 20 previously missed items at 85% or above
Communication and working with others
Identify the behaviour that shows active listening in 10 colleague and public-facing scenarios
Draft the exact words you would use to brief a colleague, challenge a poor decision and reassure a distressed member of the public
Apply a written rubric covering clarity, respect, empathy and recording accuracy to your own answers
Rewrite three of your drafts after applying the rubric to remove ambiguity and defensiveness
Your checkpoint
Portfolio of 10 written responses scored against a self-built four-point communication rubric, all rescored at 3 or above out of 4
Communication and working with others & Resilience and personal responsibility
Script responses to 8 situations involving a colleague acting unethically, a supervisor's criticism and a mistake you made
Practise separating the behaviour from the person when giving feedback in writing
Describe how you would escalate a concern through the correct channel and what you would record
Review a peer or self-written answer and give two specific improvement points
Your checkpoint
Eight written 'what would you say and do' responses, each with a one-line rationale and an escalation route where relevant
Resilience and personal responsibility
Analyse 12 scenarios on owning mistakes, pressure, fatigue and work-life balance
Write how you would disclose an error you made and what you would do next in five cases
Explain the difference between taking responsibility and taking blame in three examples
Complete 25 mixed items from domains 1, 2 and 3 to keep prior learning live
Your checkpoint
Timed 25-item mixed test scored at 80% or above, plus a written personal resilience statement of no more than 200 words
Professional standards and ethical judgement & Communication and working with others & Decision-making and problem solving & Resilience and personal responsibility
Sit two full-length timed mocks under exam conditions with no notes
Review every incorrect answer and link it back to a named principle or domain
Redo your 15 weakest items from across the plan and confirm the reasoning is now stable
Condense the whole plan into a single page of decision principles to reread on the day before
Your checkpoint
Two completed mock scores with a written repair list, and a final one-page principles sheet of no more than 10 rules
Milestones
Week 2: Score 80% or above on the timed domain 1 mini-test and explain, in writing, why each rejected option in five items is weaker than your chosen answer
Week 4: Error log shows a falling error count across the three timed sets, and you can name your top three recurring mistakes without checking notes
Week 6: All eight communication responses score 3 or above on your own rubric, and each includes a specific, non-confrontational phrasing choice
Week 8: Both full mocks are completed within time, the second mock score is at or above the first, and every remaining error has a named cause and a fix