OASC Aptitude Test Advice Needed

[Toby Gee]

Hello Team! Hope all is well with everyone. I'm currently studying an aircraft engineering degree and due to sit the 4 day grilling at Cranwell early August. All in the hope of later training as a rotary pilot, just recieved OASC notice this morning. I'm worried about the aptitude calculations as my mental arithmatic is not good ('C' grade GCSE), although i've an IQ of 135. I'm currently revising speed distance time calculations. Should i fear the worst? and what sort of time scale do i have for each question? Any relevant info from fresh flying officers or anyone in the know would be most appriciated.
Kind regards,
Toby.

[South Bound]

Toby

standby for a mountain of flak - I do hope Toby G is not your real name, or if so that no-one from OASC reads this!

You are just about to get abused for wanting to go rotary and not wanting to be fast jet, for being young enough to do GCSEs and not O-levels and for knowing your IQ and quoting it! Be warned!

As for the tests, don't worry about them, just find some on the web and practise practise practise.

[dallas]

I do hope Toby G is not your real name, or if so that no-one from OASC reads this!

Oh I don't know, I think being called Toby he's already half way through selection! If he was Lee or maybe Wayne he might struggle.

[Toby Gee]

Mike.... Exellent! thankyou.
Southbound.... As for OASC knowing my use of this site, well they should surely realise that i'll want to be as preped up as possible, after all i'm certainly not asking for questions in advance, this action should only display my determination and will to serve. Just out of curiosity why should being eager to fly rotary be frowned upon.... I've grown up just outside RAF benson, with the hercs, and now the agile merlin EH101 (HC1) and aging puma HC3, fast jets, flash, and challanging as they may be, just don't appeal........yet! Anyway i'll certainly keep practising, thanks.

[Stringy]

As someone who recently (Jan is recent I guess) did the aptitude test, and passed with flying colours (well I got in :E) I feel almost qualified to give you advice on this. Practice your sdt calculations until you can do them in your sleep, and also just general mental arithmetic helps. I think my mathematical ability helped me lots because I was able to answer the simple maths questions in the multi-tasking pretty quickly, enabling me to get back to the other tasks.
Oh, and the obvious stuff, get plenty of sleep the night before as you start relatively early, have a big breakfast so you're not distracted by tummy rumblings, and take drink(s) in with you so you can keep hydrated - not only benefits you during the aptitude test, but in the afternoon you need to give a urine sample, and then there's the fitness :)

[dhurst]

Toby Gee like yourself i will be going through Officer selection. but instead of the usual trade of a pilot i am applying for Engineer Officer. Does anyone know on here that in terms of the apptitude tests , does every person have to do the same. as i am not applying for pilot do i still have to do the same aptitude tests as them?

Cheers :)

[South Bound]

dhurst, yep, everyone does all the apptitude tests, just many of them won't be relevant to you as an Eng O. They will be far more interested in your leadership, teamwork, and inter-personal skills, as well as your academic background etc. Long time since I did any tests - can anyone else advise which, if any, of the actual aptitude tests are relevant...?

[jonny5]

Rotary is the way forward Toby,
you will breeze through with that name and quoting your IQ is right up crab alley!

[8 ball]

As for the tests, don't worry about them, just find some on the web and practise practise practise.[/quote]

Do you have any sites in particular?

would be helpful.

Thanks

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

[quote=South Bound]
You are just about to get abused for wanting to go rotary and not wanting to be fast jet quote]

I remember being asked at my OASC interview what I wanted to fly. Vulcans, I said. They were totally perplexed why I didn't pick Lightnings or Buccaneers. I didn't get the job.

[airborne_artist]

If you want rotary, and won't argue about wearing your hat when on duty, why not join the Dark Blue (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.4994).

[dhurst]

Yea if anyone does know what part of the aptitude tests are relevent to a Engineer Officer then please let me know.

[TMJ]

Yea if anyone does know what part of the aptitude tests are relevent to a Engineer Officer then please let me know.

None of the apptitude tests are relevant to EngO. You have to sit them:

a. So that if it looks like you have the potential be God's gift to the winged or breveted fraternity this fact can be pointed out to you, allowing you to add it as your second or third choice of branch; and

b. To provide the head-shrinkers who devise and refine the tests data from as broad a population as possible to ensure no biases are creeping in.

You will be assessed for EngO purely on the interviews and medical in the Part 1. If you get through to part 2, all the excercises (leadership, planning etc) are important. If you want any more gen, contact the Engineer Liaison Team at Cranditz who will be happy to give you all the info you need and might be able to organise a visit to Cranwell before your board (though hurry, as they're being disbanded next year and will only be running a few more visits). PM me for ELT's contact details if you need them.

ObAnecdote: Back when I went through OASC I was asked which ac I'd like to work with; I lied through my teeth and said Sentry. When asked why, I said it'd be challenging because of the unique structural and electronic fits. I don't know whether they believed me, but I got offered my bursary...