Steve,
Concerning Bae entrance tests, I don't know how accurate this is these days, but when I was looking at the PASS scheme run by Bae some years ago I sat most of their in house tests.
In effect they had 3 major sections. The first realted to eye-hand co-ordination and spatial awareness for which they used the GAPAN tests. These were computer based tests and very similar to the tests used by the armed forces. I don't know if Bae still use them, but plenty of practice at computer games can't hurt!
Further to this there were timed mutichoice papers for basic aritmetic and phyics eg. speed/time/distance stuff. Lastly, there were a few papers for psychological evaluation.
This was a few years ago (like 7 years!) and was for a part sponsorship scheme, so I honestly don't know how much or how little they may still use.
Yeboin,
Don't forget that the modular route is very useful once you are a serving police officer. I am a reactive police officer, and am ploughing my way through the modular system. The shift system means that I get plenty of midweek days off in which to go flying. What I would say is don't overestimate how much your take home pay from the police is. The initial salary seems very nice, but policing is my fall back should I not get a flying job. To that extent, I am in the federation, the pension setup (11% of your salary) and various other insurance options which drastically reduce my money. I had to buy a house and wait until the capital could be released by re-mortgaging.
By careful use of my leave and rest days owed, I figure that I can get all bar the IR completed whilst still working, meaning I will be able to have up to 5 years as a career break to find and hold my first flying job. If the market takes another dip in that 5 year period, I could still go back to policing relatively easili, and at the point I left it.
Good luck with both sets of plans.
Obs cop