The SAARL Model: BETTER Than STAR for Police Promotion | Sergeant Board Answer Structure
The SAARL Model: How to Structure Perfect Police Promotion Board Answers (And Why CVF Buzzwords Are Killing Your Chances)
If you've been preparing for your police promotion board by cramming CVF buzzwords into your answers, stop right now. You're making a critical mistake that could cost you your promotion to sergeant or promotion to inspector.
Today, I'm going to share the SAARL model - our proven framework for structuring promotion board answers that actually work. More importantly, I'll explain why those CVF buzzwords everyone talks about are actually sabotaging your success.
The Truth About Promotion Board Marking
Here's something that might shock you: the chief inspectors and superintendents interviewing you understand the CVF and the "wheel of confusion" just as much as you do - which isn't much. The training they've had to be interviewers is probably zero, or they might have had training when they were a sergeant or inspector about 15 years ago.
So what are they really judging you on? How persuasive you can be that you're the right person for 4 AM when all those young student officers are coming to you saying "Sarge, what do we do?" and the inspector isn't available. You're it. Your job is to keep the wheel on.
This is where you persuade them that when they're rocking up to work at 7 AM or 8 AM, they're happy because you were the sergeant on duty last night. Whatever happened, the wheel might be wobbling a little bit, but it'll still be on - as opposed to "Oh my god, John was on last night. Whatever I'm coming into is going to be a train wreck."
Introducing the SAARL Model
The SAARL model isn't too dissimilar from STAR, SAR, or CAR frameworks, but it's specifically designed for police promotion success. We have a more advanced version, but let me share the basic structure that will transform your answers.
S - Situation: Set Your Stall Out Right
The situation isn't just about describing what happened. You need to ensure two things are true:
It was a difficult or challenging situation that's relevant to the question being asked
You clearly establish the impact if nothing was done
If it's a question about collaborating with partner agencies, your difficult situation needs to be about a problem in dealing with partner agencies. You're setting your stall out right at the beginning, making it crystal clear this is an answer about exactly what they're asking about.
Talk about impact factors - if nothing was done about this challenging situation, what would be the impact on team members, the community, partner agencies, you, the victim, reputation? By covering these different angles, you're probably ticking lots of boxes on their marking guide.
A - Aim: What Does Success Look Like?
Instead of talking about "the task I set myself" or "the objective I set myself" (seriously, no one talks like that, even in the police), focus on your aim. What were you aiming to achieve? What would success look like?
This creates space for you to talk about the options you considered - no more than three - and which option you chose with clear rationale. This links in nicely with the National Decision Model. You're talking their language.
A - Action: The Secret to Describing What You Did
This is where people often go wobbly, and it's the most crucial part of your answer. Don't just talk about what you did - talk about how you did it. The "how" is what describes the behaviours they'll be able to score highly on their marking guide.
Critical warning: Don't try to insert CVF buzzwords here. Seriously. I promise you, the people interviewing you understand the CVF just as much as you do, and they're not impressed by buzzword bingo.
Instead, focus on demonstrating the specific points to prove for different types of questions. Whether it's about culture, standards, expectations, change management, performance, or challenging inappropriate behaviour, there are certain key things you need to get in your answer.
It's not about making things up - it's about reflecting on your experience and shining a torch on the bits that demonstrate what they're looking for. This is where you persuade them you're the right person for the job.
R - Result: Be Honest About What Happened
Here's where most people go wrong with their results. Don't try to pretend everything went perfectly. I'll call nonsense on you, and so will the panel. They've been in your shoes - they know that challenging situations don't go 100% perfectly.
In your result, talk about how you got the result you were looking for, but acknowledge the parts that were unexpected or didn't go to plan. This shows authenticity and real-world experience.
The panel wants to see that you can handle when things don't go exactly as planned, because that's the reality of policing.
L - Learning: Real Learning, Not Clichés
For learning, avoid clichéd statements like "I learned it's good to collaborate with partner agencies" or "I learned it's good to ask open questions." That's not learning - that's stating obvious facts.
I want some learning that links directly with your specific result and situation. What did you genuinely learn from this experience that you can apply in your future role? How did this situation change your approach or thinking?
Why This Approach Works
The promotion board process is far more subjective than you might think. When you walk out the door, the interviewers will be having a subjective conversation about where you sit on their marking guide. This is why some people say "I delivered the same answer that got a four or five last time, and this time it got a two."
It's because of subjectivity. If you're thinking "Well, that seems a bit unfair" - I didn't invent the promotion system. It's no different now to what it was in 1987 when I went for my first board (which I failed miserably, by the way).
Same thing: big table, people with lots of stuff on their shoulders lined up in front of you, you in a chair that's probably been placed four feet away from the desk just to make you feel extra uncomfortable. That's just the way it is.
The Real Secret Question They're Asking
Behind every question in your promotion board, there's a secret question they're really asking: "Can we trust this person to hold the fort when things get difficult?"
They want to know that when they're not there, you'll make the right decisions, support your team, and keep everything together. That's what they're really assessing, not whether you can recite CVF buzzwords.
Common Mistakes That Cost Promotions
Mistake #1: Using CVF buzzwords instead of demonstrating real behaviours Mistake #2: Describing what you did instead of how you did it Mistake #3: Pretending everything went perfectly in your examples Mistake #4: Giving generic learning statements instead of specific insights Mistake #5: Not clearly linking your situation to the question being asked
Points to Prove for Different Question Types
Different types of questions have certain key things you need to get in your answer:
Culture and standards questions
Change management scenarios
Performance management situations
Challenging inappropriate behaviour
Collaboration with partner agencies
It's not about making things up - it's about reflecting on your experience and highlighting the parts that demonstrate what they're looking for in that specific answer type.
Making Your Answers Authentic and Compelling
The panel wants to see the real you, not a robot spouting buzzwords. They want to understand how you think, how you approach problems, and how you learn from experiences.
Your answers should tell a story that demonstrates your competence, your judgment, and your ability to handle the responsibilities of the role you're seeking. This is about showcasing your genuine leadership potential, not playing buzzword bingo.
Mastering the SAARL Structure
The SAARL model provides the structure, but the content comes from your unique experiences and insights. Every challenging situation you've handled, every difficult decision you've made, every time you've had to step up - these are the building blocks of compelling promotion board answers.
The key is knowing how to identify the right examples, structure them effectively using SAARL, and present them in a way that demonstrates your readiness for the next level.
Remember, they're not just promoting the best police officer - they're promoting the person they believe will be the best sergeant or inspector. That's a crucial distinction that should inform every aspect of your preparation.
Your Path to Promotion Success
The SAARL structure - Situation, Aim, Action, Result, Learning - gives you a proven framework for delivering compelling answers that demonstrate your leadership potential. But remember, it's not just about following the structure; it's about using it to showcase your authentic experiences and genuine learning.
Focus on the "how" you did things, not just the "what." Be honest about results that didn't go perfectly. Share real learning that shows growth and development. This is what separates successful candidates from those who fall short.
Ready to Accelerate Your Police Promotion Journey?
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📺 Watch the Full Video
Want to see the complete explanation of the SAARL model in action? Watch the full video on our YouTube channel for deeper insights into structuring winning promotion board answers.
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Don't let poor answer structure hold you back from the promotion you deserve. With the right framework and support, you can confidently tackle any question the board throws at you.
Take care out there - you're doing an amazing job keeping our communities safe.
