Applying to Sussex Police as a constable? Prepare for level 5.4 on the 15-metre bleep test. The Police Constable Entry Programme lists 5.4 among its pre-employment checks. A lower figure mentioned by a serving officer can refer to a different requirement.

A Level Best preparation guide. The app includes a 15-metre police protocol and saves your results and personal bests. Use the force’s requirement to choose your practice target before starting the audio.

Where 3.7 fits

The joint Surrey and Sussex fitness policy, 1140/2025, defines the JRFT as a 15-metre shuttle test. Its procedure distinguishes:

  • Constable applicants, transferees and rejoiners: 5.4 remains the required shuttle standard.
  • Existing officers: the interim position accepts 3.7, while still seeking 5.4, subject to the role exceptions below.
  • Level 3 public-order officers and authorised TASER specially trained officers: 5.4 is required. Other specialist roles have their own listed thresholds.
  • Probationary officers: section 9 requires 5.4 before Public and Personal Safety Training, or the specified alternative-test standard.

These are local, role-dependent rules. They do not establish a new UK-wide recruitment threshold. The policy is marked 1140/2025; the document gives no explicit effective or expiry date for the interim arrangement. This guide checks what it says on 27 September 2026, rather than claiming the change happened this week.

The alternative treadmill assessment has eligibility conditions. If it is relevant to you, use the force’s assessment team to confirm the route and standard. A bleep-test practice result cannot stand in for that assessment.

Read 5.4 as a level and shuttle

Sussex’s JRFT recruitment guidance explains 5.4 as completing four shuttles at level 5. It is not a decimal fraction of a level. The guidance gives a total distance of 525 metres and a duration of 3 minutes 35 seconds.

On a 15-metre course, 525 ÷ 15 = 35 one-way lengths. An out-and-back covers two lengths. This calculation describes the stated distance; it does not replace the audio’s increasing pace or turn the assessment into a timed straight run.

Set up a useful practice record

  1. Write down your own requirement. Include the force, role, assessment stage and the date of your invitation. Keep its instructions with the official source link.
  2. Measure a flat 15-metre course. Select the 15-metre police protocol in Level Best. If you have been using another test, the protocol-selection guide explains what to check.
  3. Follow the audio at each turn. Sussex advises waiting for the bleep if you reach the line early, then adjusting your pace.
  4. Save the result with its context. Keep a separate note of the target and any change to the course or conditions. For a group session, agree each runner’s requirement before comparing their results.

Sussex recommends an initial practice test to establish a baseline and occasional retests to monitor progress. Its guidance treats the bleep test as a progress check, with fitness training between tests. Follow its preparation advice and your assessment instructions.

Before your next session, confirm the target in your current invitation and choose the matching test in Level Best. The app is an independent practice tool; the force conducts the official assessment.

Researched and written with an editorial agent. Automated source checks are not professional review or hands-on testing. WeEvolve makes the apps featured as its own products.

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