RAF Aptitude Tests

[Jenny R]

I am about to go for selection at RAF Cranwell and need some help. Does anyone have any advice for the maths part of the aptitude tests or some example questions. Perhaps someone knows of a book I could use to improve my mental arithmatic?

Any advice greatly appreciated

Jenny

[This message has been edited by Jenny R (edited 18 September 1999).]

[Fox in sox]

Jenny,

I did the tests about fifteen years ago (passed) and from what i remember (if they ain't changed) the Maths wasn't too bad. There was more emphasis on the IQ/logic/reasoning tests but the main ones appeared to be the group exercises and the "hanger (leadership) exercises".

If ya need more info on them let me know.

[Big.Bird]

Jenny - I'm an exRAF pirate who spent a short time, on ground hold, involved in recruitment. 2 sections ; 1 for computer generated tests, medical & interview ; 2 for leadership tests, verbal & written reasoning. Maths-use O level revision books. Aptitude tests-sorry but you either have it or you haven't (you'll know soon enough). They'll be interested in your depth of life) have you an interest in current affairs, do you have any sporting prowess, are you mature, can you be trained? In the short period that I was involved I was surprised by the total lack of preparation and relative immaturity of most candidates-you are trying to persuade an organization to spend nigh on £4 Million on your training.
This is not a £60,000 BA deal although the selection process is much the same the RAF want fast jet pirates willing to face a completly different task to that of an airline pilot ( I know 'cos I now fly big 'uns ). Take it seriously-it's alot of fun flying when you're in - definately the best sort of flying out there ( pays crap though! ). Good luck !

[This message has been edited by Big.Bird (edited 19 September 1999).]

[Darren Lindley]

im also thinking of joining the RAF as a pilot but how strict are they on eyesight?
i am short sighted (0.50 in both eyes) would they even consider this amount of short-sightedness? or would it be 'sorry but how about a becoming a navigator' thing

[TBone]

Unless the tests have changed radically in the last ten years (and nothing in the RAF changes that quickly !), the maths aptitude testing is actually set at a lower level than GCSE (or 'O' levels as I remember them !).

They do, however, put you under a great deal of pressure, timewise, and any book you can find dealing with time/speed/distance problems will aid you greatly.

The IQ Testing-style books will also help you a great deal with the pattern recognition and spatial awareness sections.

As Big Bird rightly points out though - those tests are the least of your problems. From now until your interview you will need to read a quality newspaper every day. You will need to know who is who in the governments of the world, what the trouble spots are and why, where the RAF is (and why !). Find out about your training - stand out, basically.

There are no quick fixes to this one, I'm afraid. Either you're the gung-ho, rip-the-clothes-off-and-charge-stark-naked-at-Welshmen type (just for you WWW), can command a group of spotty teenagers with aplomb across a make believe mine-field, drink like a fish with the rest of the course and still turn up at 4am perfectly sober, crack a dirty joke and then whip round and discuss the problems of financial restructuring in the former Yugoslavia... or yer not.

Maturity and life experience, I believe, are the key, and they are rare qualities in people the age the RAF need to recruit. Rambling aside, I'm sure you know what is required. And remember, if you don't succeed first time, just keep going back until they get so fed up with you they let you in.

Worked for me... three times I went to Biggin Hill to be told to come back a year later. Not mature enough they said, and looking back, they were right.

Best of luck - if you want it enough, you'll get in.

[Jenny R]

Thanks for the information everyone. I think I'm OK in the beer drinking stakes but I need to brush up on the "Whats happening in the world?" thing.
Big.Bird - I've brushed off my old school maths books and it all seems to be flooding back - thankfully!! Thankyou for the advice.

TBone - I'll bear your comments about being a "Gung-ho rip you clothes off type person" in mind.Although I don't think I'll practice that part prior to selection!!!!
Thanks for the help.

Darren - My friend had a similar problem with eyesight. The had an eyetest at their opticians and sent it to RAF Cranwell via their careers office to find out if they we're good enough before they put an application in.

Jenny

[This message has been edited by Jenny R (edited 22 September 1999).]

[The Scarlet Pimpernel]

I'd go along with everything said so far....be yourself, gen up on current affairs, get lashed and pitch up on day 2 bright eyed and bushy tailed (I don't seem to be able to do that any more for some reason!)
What I would say is have a clear idea of what you want to achieve... what happens if they offer you Nav or Ops support? Nav's a great job, but isn't for everyone and Ops Support can be v.challenging, but v. boring in some jobs. Don't be afraid to say no to an offer and walk away......once you're in it's a long contract to be stuck in a job you don't want.
Good Luck though......tell us how it went!

[Brakes to Park]

Jenny R:

Don't UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES accept any offer from the RAF other than for pilot training. If you desperately want to fly at all costs it may be very tempting to accept Nav or Flt Engineer or something similar but that is pure short termism and you'd regret it in the long run. I've been there and got the T-shirt.
If you get to choose between an airline sponsorship and RAF though I'd definitely recommend airline. In civvy street you're paid to fly first and foremost whereas in the RAF you must be an ace pilot during the day and Officer in Charge of Tiddlywinks Club or other such meaningful secondary duty the rest of the time.

Good luck.

[This message has been edited by Brakes to Park (edited 22 September 1999).]

[TBone]

OC Tiddlywinks ?? We would have given our right arms for that.... try OC Wives Club, or OC barrack block 'X' (insert name of dive, full of unwashed rock apes).

Jenny, I'd just like to paraphrase my comrade-in-arms, the Wee Welshman - there will be some people there, probably with a surname like Whittle or Gibson, distantly related to men of yore, who claim to have single-handedly flown a hang-glider around the world, pausing only to save the Massasui tribe from certain extinction by hand-digging a series of wells and then erecting a global communications system in the new hospital block they constructed to attract foreign aid investment.

Ignore... smile politely, learn their names, hope you're not on the team exercise with them.

I found it very useful on the first night (every time I went !) to invite the boys and girls to the bar and get to know them, by name. By the end of the evening you will know who to entrust the construction of the obligatory tripod to (all will become clear) and who to abandon to their doom when the time runs out.

Here's some discussion points that came up time and time again...

What do you think of marriage ?
Should homosexuals be allowed in the Armed Forces ?
Why is country X ravaged by civil war ?
What would you do about it ?

or..

How many variants of Harrier are there ?
What are they ?
Why are they ?

You get the drift...

If you haven't already, I highly recommend an Outward Bound course or similar. Quite a learning experience, especially the tougher ones, and the RAF absolutely *love* stuff like that. Experiences like that are invaluable.

As always, best wishes

[3Greens]

Jenny R,

Remember the RAF want you to be an officer first and pilot second so you have to convince them this is what interests you (although in reality it's the other way around).

I would recommend having some idea what would be invloved should you be offered the job/sponsorship. Things like how long you will be at IOT.

Also know how old you are in years and completed months - that one caught me out a few years ago.

Good luck...

[cubes]

Jenny,

I started as a spotty 18 yr old and am now Red 6, so there is definitely hope for anyone! As far as the latest trends go, the buzz words are "Leadership" and "Teamwork". The maths is dead easy, but learn your own history with dates and how old you were etc. And for Pete's sake, know the political allaince of the newspaper that comes through the door.

(Knowing the difference between a Bulldog and a Nimrod helps too!)

((Not once you're in tho!!!!!))

[cubes]

Jenny,

I started as a spotty 18 yr old and am now Red 6, so there is definitely hope for anyone! As far as the latest trends go, the buzz words are "Leadership" and "Teamwork". The maths is dead easy, but learn your own history with dates and how old you were etc. And for Pete's sake, know the political allaince of the newspaper that comes through the door.

(Knowing the difference between a Bulldog and a Nimrod helps too!)

((Not once you're in tho!!!!!))

[Dunx]

Cubes,, r u retiring from the stresses of the job this year????? (You aviating guru you!)

Jenny,

Go to OASC with an open mind, having kept up to speed with a couple of good newspapers (Guardian and Times are spot on!!) and BE YOUR SELF!

If you try to be some other bugger that you think the board will like, THINK AGAIN!!

Remember the RAF wants you as an Officer first and a Pilot second. No use being sh*t-hot at flying if you can't pass IOT.

Convince them that the RAF cannot function without you!!! Be BOLD but not so bold as to appear arrogant within the group discussion.

Make all descisions based on fact or be prepared to back them up with a reasonable argument. The board will not dispute your reasoning if it has sound backup!!!!

GOOD LUCK!

If you believe in your abilities as a leader and as an aviator, then Cranwell should be a piece of p*ss!!!!

NOTHING IS OUTSIDE YOUR REACH! JUST WORK FOR IT!

I am just about to leave the RAF on Medical grounds...after 3 years "officer" service. I am therefore reasonably up to speed on current selection procedures!

If you succeed, then have a ball!!!! If not, then have fun earning shed loads of money reflecting on the good times!!!!!

I wish you all the best!!

D.

[This message has been edited by Dunx (edited 25 September 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Dunx (edited 25 September 1999).]

[Trog]

Hi Jenny – you’ve received some sound and authoritative advice. If you are bothered by the current affairs part of the interview, here are some tips.

- Listen to the Today Programme on Radio 4 in the mornings. Your interviewers listen to it on their way to work and many use it as their primary source for current affairs.

- Go to your local library and look up back copies of a broadsheet newspaper for the last 12 months. Choose 6 overseas topics and 6 UK topics that you find interesting, and study them in more depth. The topics should be ‘serious’ and not ‘trivial.

- The questions you will be asked will go something like this:

- Q. What interest, if any, do you have in current affairs?

- Q. How do you keep yourself up to date?

- A. I read X newspaper (don’t say the Sunday Sport)/listen to Y programme on the radio/watch Z programme(s) on the box.

- Q. Cast you mind back over the last 12 months and tell me a half dozen topics which hit the headlines overseas.

- A. Reel off your 6 topics, putting your favourite 3 in the middle somewhere.

- Qs. You’ll get a series of questions on 2 or 3 of the topics you mentioned.

- Q. Cast you mind back over the last 12 months and tell me a half dozen topics which hit the headlines in the UK.

- Qs. You’ll get a series of questions on 2 or 3 of the topics you mentioned. To get maximum marks you should demonstrate depth of knowledge, come up with topics that cover the whole of the last 12 months rather than those that are current in the news today, discuss ‘serious’ topics (e.g. Diana Ross’ behaviour at Heathrow is “tabloid”, the constitutional implications of the West Lothian question post the implementation of Scottish Devolution is ‘serious’) and be prepared to express your own (reasoned) opinions.

This may all seem a little over the top. To be fair, current affairs are only one part of a comprehensive interview, which is only one part of the whole selection process. However, it is one that you can do something about.

The best of luck Jenny. You have had some first class advice from the contributors above. My own advice is based on 22 years in the RAF as a pilot, including a tour as a selection officer. Go for it!

[Mowgli]

-

[Mowgli]

Jenny

When I went for selection I practiced on IQ tests.

WH Smiths sell "Test your own aptitude" by Jim Barret, and"The IQ Booster" by Erwin Brecher" - I found it very useful. Also. exam technique: don't dwell on any Qs that you can't answer quickly - skip them and come back to them later. Finish as many as you can quickly.

I've bought them to prepare for airline interviews having had a ball flying fast things - sometimes with Cubes (Feb 93 NVG).

I can't add anything else to the good advice given already.

Go for it, and if you don't make it, try again - they like that, it shows you're determined and keen.

Otherwise, see you in the civvy world - must get back to my air law!!!

Good luck!

[Mowgli]

Jenny

When I went for selection I practiced on IQ tests.

WH Smiths sell "Test your own aptitude" by Jim Barret, and"The IQ Booster" by Erwin Brecher" - I found it very useful. Also. exam technique: don't dwell on any Qs that you can't answer quickly - skip them and come back to them later. Finish as many as you can quickly.

I've bought them to prepare for airline interviews having had a ball flying fast things - sometimes with Cubes (Feb 93 NVG).

I can't add anything else to the good advice given already.

Go for it, and if you don't make it, try again - they like that, it shows you're determined and keen.

Otherwise, see you in the civvy world - must get back to my air law!!!

Good luck!

[Jenny R]

Thankyou everyone. If I can't get through with all that advice I never will. If I do it will have been a definite team effort!!(I got the buzz word in Cubes!!)

[Slimbitz]

Cubes...smoke on go mate! I didn't know you were in the Tiller Girls!! Should try our Classics, everyone else seems to!

Jenny, sorry to poach your post to make a response to Cubes. Much of above advice good, but IMHO Nav is a dying trade, so don't be persuaded to do anything other than pilot stuff. Nevertheless, you are an Officer first and a Pilot second. It always had me baffled!

Good luck!

Twice edited 'cos I can't spell today! They wouldn't select me for that.
[This message has been edited by Slimbitz (edited 28 September 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Slimbitz (edited 28 September 1999).]