How Many Questions Are in the SIA Exam?
Every SIA exam paper in one place, with the number of questions, the time allowed, the pass mark and how many you can get wrong, for new licences and refreshers.
There isn't one SIA exam. Each licence course is made up of units, and each unit with a written exam has its own multiple choice paper. The SIA sets the standard for the number of questions, the time and the pass mark, and the awarding bodies follow it, so the tables below are what to expect wherever you train.
New licence courses
| Paper | Questions | Time | To pass | You can get wrong |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principles of working in the private security industry (Unit 1) | 72 | 110 minutes | 50 (70%) | 22 |
| Principles of working as a door supervisor | 50 | 75 minutes | 35 (70%) | 15 |
| Principles of working as a security officer | 60 | 90 minutes | 42 (70%) | 18 |
| Principles and practices of working as a CCTV operator | 40 | 60 minutes | 28 (70%) | 12 |
| Conflict management | 20 | 30 minutes | 14 (70%) | 6 |
| Physical intervention | 30 | 45 minutes | 24 (80%) | 6 |
Which papers you sit depends on the licence:
- Door supervisor: Unit 1, door supervisor, conflict management and physical intervention. Four papers and 172 questions in total.
- Security guard: Unit 1, security officer and conflict management. Three papers and 152 questions.
- CCTV operator: Unit 1 and CCTV operator. Two papers and 112 questions.
Refresher courses for licence renewal
Since 1 April 2025, door supervisors and security guards renewing their licence take a refresher course, which replaced the old top up.
| Paper | Questions | Time | To pass | You can get wrong |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door supervisor refresher | 35 | 55 minutes | 25 (71%) | 10 |
| Physical intervention refresher | 30 | 45 minutes | 24 (80%) | 6 |
| Security guard refresher | 28 | 45 minutes | 20 (71%) | 8 |
The door supervisor refresher has both of the first two papers. The security guard refresher has just the one.
Exams are only part of the assessment
Alongside the written papers, your trainer assesses practical skills on the course:
- a witness statement as part of Unit 1
- a recorded conflict management role play
- searching and the use of radios for door supervisors and security officers
- every physical intervention technique, with questions, for door supervisors
- a control room practical and a workbook for CCTV operators
You need to pass every part, but a fail on one paper only means resitting that paper. Booked through BookCourse, an SIA resit costs £50 per unit.
Practise every paper free
Each paper in the tables has a free mock test with the same number of questions and time limit as the real exam:
- SIA door supervisor mock test
- SIA security guard mock test
- SIA CCTV mock test
- SIA Unit 1 mock exam
- SIA conflict management mock test
- SIA physical intervention mock test
- Door supervisor refresher mock test
- SIA security guard refresher mock test
If you would rather read questions with the answers alongside, try our SIA exam questions and answers, with a free PDF.