How To Pass Armed Forces Tests

Psychometric tests have been in use in the Armed Forces for many years. They are simply used as a tool to assess a candidates ‘ability’ to perform specific tasks that are similar to the ones they will have to undertake in a real life scenario. If we break down the word ‘psychometric’ we can see that ‘psycho’ means mind and ‘metric’ means to measure.

The selection tests vary depending on whether you are applying to join the Army, the Royal Air Force or the Royal Navy. Unsurprisingly, the tests for the Royal Air Force are the toughest, simply because many of the roles within the Force are of a highly technical nature.

ARMY – The British Army Recruit Battery Test (BARB)

The BARB test is a computer-based, psychometric assessment that was developed by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and Plymouth University. It is a series of timed questions that assess a candidate’s ability to absorb information quickly and logically. The computer automatically calculates the candidate’s score, based on the number of correct answers and the time taken. The final score is referred to as the GTI (General Trainability Index). The BARB test has been in use since July 1992. The pass mark for the BARB test is currently 26 although you will need to confirm this with your local Armed Forces Careers Office. This effectively means that you must get 26 questions correct, but as I mentioned earlier don’t just settle for a minimum pass. You need to achieve as high a score as possible as this will give you more career options depending on your academic results.

RAF – The Airman/Airwoman selection test

The Airman/Airwoman Selection Test (AST) consists of a number of different aptitude tests which are designed to assess which careers in the RAF you are most suited to. There are many different career opportunities available and each one requires a different level of skill.

The AST consists of seven timed multiple choice aptitude tests as follows:

– A verbal reasoning test which assesses how well you can interpret written information. During this test you will have 15 minutes to answer 20 questions

– A numerical reasoning test which determines how accurately you can interpret numerical information such as charts, graphs and tables. The test will also assess your ability to use fractions, decimals and different formulae. There are two parts to this test. During the first test you will have just 4 minutes to answer 12 questions that are based on fractions, decimals and formulae. During the second test you will have 11 minutes to answer 15 questions that relate to different graphs and tables

– A work rate test which is used to assess how quickly and accurately you can carry out routine tasks. During this test you will have 4 minutes to answer 20 questions

– A spatial reasoning test designed to examine your ability to work with different shapes and objects. During this test you will have just 4 minutes to answer 10 questions

– A mechanical comprehension test which is used to assess how effectively you can work with different mechanical concepts. During this particular test you will have 10 minutes in which to answer 20 questions

– An electrical comprehension test which will assess your ability to work with different electrical concepts. During this test you will have 11 minutes to complete 21 questions

– A memory test which determines how accurately you can remember and recall information. There are two parts to this test and you will have a total of 10 minutes in which to answer 20 questions

Royal Navy – The Royal Navy Recruiting Test

The main purpose of the Royal Navy Recruiting Test is to establish how effective you are at figuring out problems, how good you are at English and Mathematics, and if you can understand basic mechanical concepts. Just like the BARB tests, they show the Royal Navy what type of jobs you will most suited to.

The Royal Navy Recruiting Test covers the following four areas:

• A reasoning test (30 questions to be completed in 9 minutes)

• A verbal ability test (30 questions to be completed in 9 minutes)

• A numeracy test (30 questions to be completed in 16 minutes)

• A mechanical reasoning test (30 questions to be completed in 10 minutes)

The tests are usually carried out at the Armed Forces Careers Office and will be under strict timed conditions. Details of the time restrictions and number of questions per exercise will be provided in your recruitment literature. The pass mark for the RN Recruiting Test will very much depend on the technical ability level required for the post you are applying for; although a pass mark of 50% is normally sufficient for the majority of branches.

Regardless of which service you are applying to join, I believe it is good practice to work through the sample tests for all three of the Armed Forces.

How To Pass Armed Forces Tests