The Spanish National Police aptitude test: format and scoring

What the official call says

In the 2026 calls for the Basic Scale (Escala Básica) and the Executive Scale (Escala Ejecutiva), the test consists of “one or more tests designed to assess aptitudes (general and specific intelligence)”, with a maximum total time of sixty minutes. It is eliminatory: candidates are graded as pass or fail, and the examining board sets the minimum score.

In the Basic Scale, the aptitude and knowledge tests share a single session. The calendar below distinguishes the two 2026 processes.

2026 dates: Basic and Executive Scales

Escala Básica (EB43): the written session was held on 26 September 2026. The 21 September instructions put aptitude first, followed by knowledge, personality and the biographical questionnaire. That order belongs to this Basic Scale session.

Escala Ejecutiva (EE41): the notice of 6 October 2026 gives 14 November 2026 as the planned date for the single written session, subject to unforeseen changes. This is a provisional date, not your individual summons.

Before travelling, check the latest notice for your scale and your individual summons on policia.es/portalaspirantes/ for the time and location. Follow the instructions for your own process; do not assume the Basic Scale running order also applies to the Executive Scale.

BAS43 results: keep the two scores separate

In its notice of 15 October 2026, the BAS43 examining board reported that the last candidate invited to the physical tests had scored 7.05 points in the knowledge test. This figure concerns selection for the next stage of the Basic Scale process.

The aptitude-test minimum is set separately by the board under base 6.1.3.c of the call; the 15 October notice does not state that minimum. Check which test each score refers to, then consult your individual summons on the candidate portal for the physical-test venue, date and time.

BAS43 physical tests: your individual summons is available

The 21 October 2026 notice places the BAS43 physical tests in the first week of November. The 23 October notice confirms that individual summonses are now published on the candidate portal. Check your own venue, date and time; the general week announcement does not assign you a day. This is the Basic Scale process, separate from the EE41 calendar above.

The 20 October reminder for EE41/EB43 also gives practical requirements for the physical tests. Read it together with your summons and the applicable call before attending.

1. Check the medical certificate against the official reminder: it must identify you and include the doctor’s registration number, signature and the required statement of fitness. Use the wording in the official notice.
2. Memorise your candidate number and use the same pair of trainers for every exercise, as the reminder instructs.
3. Do not bring a mobile phone: the reminder prohibits its use and tells candidates not to bring one. Recheck the portal for any later instructions before travelling.

• 23 October 2026: individual BAS43 summons published
• 21 October 2026: BAS43 physical-test week
• 20 October 2026: EE41/EB43 certificate and practical requirements

Which exercises to expect

The calls do not list the exercise types, and they allow one test or several. Preparation usually covers these aptitude areas:

1. Verbal: synonyms, antonyms, analogies and sentence meaning.
2. Numerical: number series, mental arithmetic, percentages and short problems.
3. Abstract reasoning: letter series, domino sequences, figure series and matrices.
4. Spatial: rotated figures, cube nets and shapes seen from different angles.
5. Attention and perception: comparing codes, counting symbols and spotting differences.

• How to approach a number series
• How to solve letter series
• How to solve domino sequence questions
• Compare codes without skipping the details
• Policía Nacional 2022 aptitude test: Básica 38
• Policía Nacional aptitude test: Inspector Jefe promotion 25
• Policía Nacional aptitude test: Subinspector promotion 26
• Policía Nacional Inspector 33: paper format and question 27
• Syllogism questions: all, some and none, with worked answers

How it is scored

The calls use the formula [A − E/(n − 1)] × 10/P, where A is correct answers, E is errors, n is the number of answer options per question and P is the total number of questions. Blank answers neither add nor subtract. If there are several tests, the grade is their average.

Should you answer or leave it blank?

With this formula, a blind guess is neutral on average. With 4 options you are right one time in four, and each miss subtracts a third, so the expected gain is zero. The same balance holds for any number of options.

If you can confidently rule out at least one option, answering pays off on average: choosing between the 3 remaining options gives an expected gain of 1/9 of a correct answer. Averages are not guarantees, so the real advantage comes from practicing until you can rule options out quickly.

How to use the weeks before the exam

Short, regular sessions are easier to sustain than a few long ones. A simple plan:

1. Start with a mixed set to see which areas cost you the most time or points.
2. Practice each weak area without a timer until the method is clear, then add time pressure.
3. Every week, take a timed mixed set or a past paper and score it with the formula above, so you get used to leaving blanks deliberately.
4. Review every error and note whether it came from the method, a calculation or misreading the question.

If you need to retake the test

If you did not reach the cut-off or pass the aptitude test this time, the next call is a fresh start: the Basic Scale has been called every year in recent years. Use the months in between to build each skill from the method up, not just to repeat mock tests.

1. Start without a timer: learn how each type of question works with worked examples until you can explain the rule behind every answer.
2. Keep a list of the question types that cost you the most and practice them first, a little every day.
3. Bring the timer back gradually, and score every mixed set with the official formula so that answering or leaving a blank becomes a deliberate choice.

Check the official details

This guide summarises the calls published in the Spanish Official Gazette (BOE) on 10 July 2026. The number of questions, options, time per test and minimum score are set by the examining board and published on the candidate portal at policia.es. Cognik is independent of the examining board, and the past papers in its Archive are for practice: they do not predict your result.