National investigators' exam dates 2026
The National Investigators' Exam (NIE) runs on four fixed dates a year, set by the College of Policing. Each sitting is an eight-hour online window rather than a single start time, and registration for it opens and closes weeks in advance.
How the sittings work
Every 2026 sitting is sat online between 8am and 8pm on the date shown below — there's no alternative time slot, so you book a place within that twelve-hour window rather than a fixed appointment. Registration for each sitting has its own opening and closing date, and the College's closing date below is the final national deadline; individual forces sometimes set an earlier internal cut-off, so it's worth checking with your own force's NIE liaison contact rather than assuming the dates below are the ones your force will actually use.
2026 sitting dates
| Sitting | Exam date (8am–8pm) | Registration opens | Registration closes | Results expected by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | Wed 4 March 2026 | Thu 8 January 2026 | Wed 4 February 2026 | Wed 25 March 2026 |
| June 2026 | Tue 2 June 2026 | Wed 1 April 2026 | Wed 6 May 2026 | Tue 23 June 2026 |
| September 2026 | Tue 8 September 2026 | Wed 15 July 2026 | Wed 12 August 2026 | Tue 29 September 2026 |
| November 2026 | Tue 17 November 2026 | Wed 16 September 2026 | Wed 21 October 2026 | Tue 8 December 2026 |
Registration closing dates above are the College's final national deadline (6pm). If you withdraw from a sitting you're not automatically carried over to the next one — you'd need to re-register. Source: College of Policing, NIE candidate handbook 2026 (PDF), "Dates" and "Registration periods".
Dates change every year
The College of Policing sets each year's sittings and registration windows itself, typically publishing the next year's handbook in November. This page reflects the 2026 handbook — for the current, authoritative version, check the College's own page rather than relying on any third-party copy, including this one.
Source: College of Policing, NIE candidate handbook (always hosts the current version).
Whichever sitting you're aiming for
NIE Revision is short daily practice sessions across the whole syllabus, plus mock exams and a readiness estimate against the 55.7% pass mark — built to fit around a working shift pattern. £15 one-off, founding price until 31 August 2026.