Door Supervisor Exams Explained: Questions, Timings and Pass Marks

Four multiple-choice exams stand between you and your Door Supervisor certificate. People fail them for two reasons: they did not know the format, or they did not revise the right material. This guide fixes the first and points you at the second. Everything below is taken from the current Highfield qualification specification for the Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry, which is the SIA licence-linked qualification we deliver.

The four papers at a glance

All four are externally set and marked by the awarding body, graded pass or fail, and must each be passed. There is no averaging across papers: a strong Unit 1 score does not rescue a weak Unit 4. The "correct answers needed" column is the percentage applied to the number of questions and rounded up, so treat it as the minimum you must hit, not a target.

Every question is multiple choice with one correct answer. There is no negative marking, so never leave a question blank.

Time per question

The timings are generous if you keep moving:

• Unit 1 gives you about 90 seconds a question.
• Unit 2 gives you 90 seconds a question.
• Unit 3 gives you 90 seconds a question.
• Unit 4 gives you 90 seconds a question.

Most learners finish with time to spare. Use it to go back over any question you flagged, but do not change an answer unless you can say why the new one is right. First instincts on a well-revised topic are usually correct.

Unit 1: the big paper

Unit 1 is the longest exam and the one shared across Door Supervisor, Security Guard and CCTV. It covers the private security industry and the law, the SIA's role and licensing, your responsibilities, health and safety, fire and emergency procedures, effective communication and customer service, record keeping, terror threats and the operative's role, keeping vulnerable people safe, and post-incident management.

Much of this unit is delivered through your Highfield e-learning before the course, which is why we insist it is finished before Day 1. The exam asks about things like which body regulates the industry, what a licence allows, the purpose of the Private Security Industry Act, how to respond to a fire alarm, what to include in an incident report, the signs that someone may be vulnerable and the "Run, Hide, Tell" response to a terror attack.

Unit 2: the door supervisor paper

This paper is about the job itself: licensing objectives and licensed premises, entry conditions and lawful refusals, drugs and the signs of drug use, search procedures and consent, dealing with incidents and preserving a crime scene, queue management, dispersal, recording, and safeguarding vulnerable people, including children and people who have had too much to drink. The questions are practical. You will be asked what to do, in what order, and why.

Unit 3: the conflict management paper

Twenty questions on the principles behind the practical scenario you also do on the course: why conflict happens, how to assess and reduce risk, the stages of escalation, problem-solving, de-escalation techniques, working with colleagues and post-incident support. It is short, and learners sometimes under-revise it because of that. Fourteen correct out of twenty leaves little room for error.

Unit 4: the physical intervention paper and the 80% pass mark

The physical intervention paper has the highest pass mark, 80 per cent, because getting physical intervention wrong can hurt or kill someone. Expect questions on the law and the implications of using force, the risks of physical intervention, positional asphyxia, acute behavioural disturbance, prolonged restraint, dealing with interventions on the ground, monitoring a person's safety during a hold, and when to disengage. This is underpinning knowledge for the practical, where the assessor also asks you the same kind of questions out loud.

How the exams are run

• Each paper is sat under exam conditions with a clock in view, after the unit has been delivered.
• The trainer who taught you that unit does not invigilate it or sit in the room while you take it. The specification requires this to avoid any conflict of interest.
• Papers are returned to the awarding body. We mark the digital paper on the day so you know where you stand, and the certificate follows once Highfield has processed the course.
• Reasonable adjustments, for example extra time for a diagnosed condition, are available through the awarding body's policy, but they have to be requested before the exam, so tell us when you book.

How to revise

1. Finish the e-learning properly. Not clicked through: read. Unit 1 is mostly in there.
2. Do the mock exams by unit. Our free SIA mock exams are sorted by course and unit. Sit them timed, mark them honestly and go back to the topics you lost marks on.
3. Learn the numbers and the names. Exam writers like facts that have one right answer: which Act, which authority, how long a licence lasts, the order of actions in a procedure.
4. Ask in the room. Anything that has not landed by the end of a session, say so. I would rather go over search procedures again than see someone lose a mark on it.
5. Sleep. The Unit 1 paper is nearly two hours of concentration. Tired learners misread questions.

If you do not pass first time

You resit only the paper you did not pass. On courses that include the ASA Exam Warranty, your next two attempts at that exam are covered at no extra cost, as long as you attended, took part and book the retake promptly. Use the time between attempts on the mocks for that unit.

Ready to practise?

Open the mock exams and start with Unit 1. Then read how the practical assessments work, because the exams are only half of the qualification. Course dates and current prices are on the calendar.

FAQ