Getting started with SIA Exam Prep
From your first practice question to a full mock exam: what each part of the app does and how to get the most from it.
What SIA Exam Prep is
SIA Exam Prep is a revision app for the multiple-choice parts of the UK Security Industry Authority licence-linked qualifications. It has 700 original questions across six courses. Each one is written against the qualification's published specification, and after every answer the app shows a plain-English explanation and the specification reference it was written for.
It is a study aid, not the real paper and not a promise of a pass. SIA Exam Prep is made by LetsGetStashd Ltd as an independent revision tool; it is not produced, approved or endorsed by the SIA or by any awarding body.
Choose your course
Open the app, tap Get started, then pick the course for your licence. The Refresher courses are for renewing a licence you already hold; the others are for first-time candidates.
- SIA Door Supervisor - 4 units
- SIA Door Supervisor - Refresher - 2 units
- SIA CCTV Operator - 2 units
- SIA Security Guard - 3 units
- SIA Security Guard - Refresher - 1 unit
- SIA Close Protection - 6 units
Each unit is built to mirror its real written exam, and the unit card shows that exam's question count, time limit and pass mark so you know what you are practising for.
Your first practice session
- Choose your course.
- On a unit, tap Practice.
- Tap All chapters, or pick a single chapter to focus on.
- Tap an answer. The app tells you straight away whether it was right, shows the correct answer, a plain-English explanation and the specification reference.
- Tap Next until Finish, and see how many you got right.
Questions and answer options are shuffled every session, a session never repeats a question, and there is no timer in practice mode, so you can take your time.
Sitting a mock exam
Mock Exam runs a whole unit in one go: the unit's full question set in random order, a countdown clock set to the real exam's time limit, and the real pass mark. For example, Door Supervisor Unit 1 is 72 questions in 110 minutes with a 70% pass mark, and the physical intervention unit has an 80% pass mark.
You get no feedback while the clock is running. You can move back and forward and change answers, and the exam submits itself when time runs out. Afterwards you see Pass or Not yet, your score against the pass mark, and you can review every answer or only the ones you got wrong. There is no pause, so leaving an exam abandons that attempt. Every completed mock is saved in your course history.
Mixed practice, bookmarks and progress
- Mixed practice (from the course list) mixes questions from the courses you choose, in a set of 5 to 100 questions.
- Bookmarks: tap the bookmark icon on a practice question to save it, then read your saved questions later.
- Progress: see how many questions you have seen in each unit, review the ones you got wrong (a question leaves that list when you later answer it correctly) and look back at your mock exam history.
- Streak: finishing a practice or mixed session, or submitting a mock exam, keeps your daily streak going.
Everything is stored on your device. There is no account to create.
What is free and what is unlocked
SIA Exam Prep is free to download. Every unit has a small fixed set of practice questions you can try without paying, with full explanations, bookmarks, progress and streaks. Unlocking a course is a one-time purchase that gives you every question in that course plus its Mock Exam mode, and there is a single purchase that unlocks all six courses. There is no subscription. If you reinstall or change phone, tap Restore purchase on the unlock screen.
Languages, offline and iPad
The menus come in English, Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Polish, Romanian and Urdu, and follow your phone's language; change it any time in Help (the ? icon). The questions and explanations stay in English because the real SIA exams are sat in English. Studying works fully offline, and SIA Exam Prep runs on iPhone and iPad.
Questions people ask
Does passing the practice questions mean I will pass the real exam?
No. SIA Exam Prep is a revision tool, not a promise of a pass. Mock exams use each unit's real question count, time limit and pass mark, but the questions are original, not the real paper.
Are these the real exam questions?
No. Every question is original and written against the course's published specification. No awarding body publishes its real questions, and each answer shows the specification reference it tests.
Which course should I choose?
Pick the course for the licence you want. The Refresher courses are for renewing an existing licence; the others are for first-time candidates.
Do I need an account or an internet connection?
No account is needed and studying works fully offline. You only need a connection to buy or restore a purchase.
I changed phone. How do I get my unlock back?
Open the unlock screen for the course, or Unlock all courses, and tap Restore purchase. Your progress, bookmarks and streak are stored only on the device, so they do not move with the purchase.
Does it cover the practical parts of my course?
No. It covers the multiple-choice written exams only. Practical demonstrations and workbooks are not included.
Can I study in my own language?
The menus are available in eight languages. The questions and explanations are in English, because the real SIA exams are sat in English.