JTIDS
2nd Mar 2000, 17:38
I thought I'd do a write up of the stage one tests I did for BA recently, mainly because firstly I seem to be incapable of finding the correct threads when I look on the archives (Computer incompetency at its best I'm afraid) and also becuase I know that I found some of the threads I did find very useful when I got to the testing.
The first and most important point is that BA does not allow the use of calculators in the maths test. Full stop, at all, despite what the paperwork ( and indeed the practice tests) say when you get the info in the post. They claimed at the day that this was a mis-understanding,though the paper-work did seem very clear when I got it.
The day divides down into four parts.
Firstly everyone arrives at nine-thirty and once the tests actually kick off at around ten (following on from cheesy video and a quick explination of the test procedures)the day moves very quickly. The first test everyone does together, and its a half an hour physcological test, where you answer yes or no to around three hundred questions. Yes they do ask if you'd like to see a film about Otters, and whether you'd know where to start building a boat! The reasoning behind these questions, even some of the most obscure ones is not hard to work out, it just takes a bit of thought, exactly what you don't have if your answering one question every 20 sec (approx.) They are looking for consistancy, and the silly questions more often than not are the control questions. Take the Otter for example. If you've said in other parts that your interested in what people do, and find lots of different things fasinating then saying you wouldn't watch a film about an Otter shows inconsistancy. However as has already been said you won't have time to think like this, so your best bet is to be honest throughout.Its stated that this is not a part of the test procedure, but just something that may be used later to help structure an interview if you get through to the next stage. Don't worry too much here.
The group then breaks down into two, half to do the maths and the English, half to do the computer tests. I'll deal with the computers first.
The computer tests are standard apptitute micro pats, and anyone whose been to Cranwell, or done the UAS tests will find them familiar to an extent. The best practice to be had is probably the RAFs web-site for careers, where the "missions" are very similar to those found in these tests.
(www.raf.mod.uk -follow the links to careers.)
The first test involves two lines like an = sign moving from side to side of the screen. You have to keep a ball in the middle of the = sign, using a joystick, controlling left/right. The better you do the harder it gets, if you start doing badly the level decreases. The levels vary between one-17
IMPORTANT NOTE 1. when you get the chance to see how the ball moves note that it can go off one side of the screen (e.g. to the left) and will keep moving to the other (e.g. the right.) This will make more sense when your sat infront of the computer, but is important, as it gets very confusing when this happens in the test for the first time.
Test two is the same as test one, but you control the level it moves at. i.e. you set the level between one and 17. My own advice is to move up to around ten quickly, then as you get in the grove move up to level 17 at a slower rate.
IMPORTANT NOTE 2. You can also drop down levels of your own choice. If you get very confused or are losing control, do so, as if the computer thinks you are losing control it will drop down for you, and you lose marks!You can tell how well your doing by the bar chart at the bottom of the screen.
Test three is the "hold the cross in a square as the computer trys to move it left/right and up/down." The joystick controls up down in the natural pilot sense. i.e. pushing forward on the joystick pushes the cross down. Left/right is controlled by rudder pedals. Pushing left pushes the cross left etc. This is all fairly straight forward.
Test Four is more unusual. You are in charge of a missile battery ( GULP! ) which will fire a missile at a plane automatically unless you tell it not to within 1.5 sec (More gulp!) The problem is friendly and enemy planes looks the same (gulp, gulp, gulp!) The only difference between the planes is slightly different wing spans. The only advice here I can give is trust your sense, if you think its enemy blat it, if not don't. The test seems to give lots of one type of a plane at once, so you might think that your, by the chance of averages, shooting or not shooting down the worng type of plane. You just have to trust yourself.
NB ENEMY WING-SPANS BIG, FRIENDLY WING-SPANS SMALL. The test is in three parts, each time the difference between the two gets less. (enemy planes getting more aerodynamic?!?!)
Test 4. Land the plane. Simple way to do it.Split it into five stages.
a) line up on centre line.
b)dive off height to 100ft. DO NOT GO BELOW THIS YET.
c) cut all power to the engine and wait for speed to come down to around 105kts.
d)check your still on the centre line.
e)dive off remaining height.
This will make sense again when your sat in front of the computer, but it does seem to work.
The last two tests are more straight forward again. The space awareness test is man holding a briefcase. Is it in his left or right hand? The best way to do this I found was to put my watch on the side of the computer screen which meant their left, and then rotate the man in my head till he was facing me on the screen. If it was on the side of the watch it was the left hand, if not right.
Finally the mental artithmatic test. 30 quick fire subtractions. Answer true or false. I leave the way you work this one out to you, as I almost certainly failed on this point.
Once you've done these there will be a break for lunch, where a nice young lady/ man will answer your questions on the next stage and the like.
The next set of tests are the quick fire maths. 25 questions, 11 minutes, NO CALCULATORS, five possible answers. Best advice, just do it. If you don't know how to do a question move on. Some are v.easy, some are hard ( I thought anyway.) There doesn't seem to be any negative marking so if in doubt guess. Important points to note are that the area of a triangle is half its base times by the height ( slightly embarrased I couldn't remeber this) and that 24 divided by 3 equals 8, not 6. (An example of a complete brain collapse on my part, resulting in extreme embarresment) An ability to think logically to work out missing dimensions, and also quickly work out volumes helps here too.
The last test is the verbal reasoning. 25 statements, 4 questions per statement, 20 minutes in which to do it. All questions are answerd by true, false or need further infomation. Think sensibly. These start off easy and get harder. I think I did reasonably with these, and the best way to go about it is just to say before answering true or false, "Are you sure this info is in the statement." I had time to just go through each question twice, once slowly, and once just to check. Again it appears there is no negative marking.
And then your day is done. You can expect to be finished by around three at the latest.
Hope this helps you all. Big apologises for spelling and the like. If I've made any huge mistakes on timings or the actual tests change, or if Cranebank, who it has to be said ran some of the most professional and fast testing I've seen so far, have any complaints about how I've represtented the tests please let me know.
Finally, good luck.
The first and most important point is that BA does not allow the use of calculators in the maths test. Full stop, at all, despite what the paperwork ( and indeed the practice tests) say when you get the info in the post. They claimed at the day that this was a mis-understanding,though the paper-work did seem very clear when I got it.
The day divides down into four parts.
Firstly everyone arrives at nine-thirty and once the tests actually kick off at around ten (following on from cheesy video and a quick explination of the test procedures)the day moves very quickly. The first test everyone does together, and its a half an hour physcological test, where you answer yes or no to around three hundred questions. Yes they do ask if you'd like to see a film about Otters, and whether you'd know where to start building a boat! The reasoning behind these questions, even some of the most obscure ones is not hard to work out, it just takes a bit of thought, exactly what you don't have if your answering one question every 20 sec (approx.) They are looking for consistancy, and the silly questions more often than not are the control questions. Take the Otter for example. If you've said in other parts that your interested in what people do, and find lots of different things fasinating then saying you wouldn't watch a film about an Otter shows inconsistancy. However as has already been said you won't have time to think like this, so your best bet is to be honest throughout.Its stated that this is not a part of the test procedure, but just something that may be used later to help structure an interview if you get through to the next stage. Don't worry too much here.
The group then breaks down into two, half to do the maths and the English, half to do the computer tests. I'll deal with the computers first.
The computer tests are standard apptitute micro pats, and anyone whose been to Cranwell, or done the UAS tests will find them familiar to an extent. The best practice to be had is probably the RAFs web-site for careers, where the "missions" are very similar to those found in these tests.
(www.raf.mod.uk -follow the links to careers.)
The first test involves two lines like an = sign moving from side to side of the screen. You have to keep a ball in the middle of the = sign, using a joystick, controlling left/right. The better you do the harder it gets, if you start doing badly the level decreases. The levels vary between one-17
IMPORTANT NOTE 1. when you get the chance to see how the ball moves note that it can go off one side of the screen (e.g. to the left) and will keep moving to the other (e.g. the right.) This will make more sense when your sat infront of the computer, but is important, as it gets very confusing when this happens in the test for the first time.
Test two is the same as test one, but you control the level it moves at. i.e. you set the level between one and 17. My own advice is to move up to around ten quickly, then as you get in the grove move up to level 17 at a slower rate.
IMPORTANT NOTE 2. You can also drop down levels of your own choice. If you get very confused or are losing control, do so, as if the computer thinks you are losing control it will drop down for you, and you lose marks!You can tell how well your doing by the bar chart at the bottom of the screen.
Test three is the "hold the cross in a square as the computer trys to move it left/right and up/down." The joystick controls up down in the natural pilot sense. i.e. pushing forward on the joystick pushes the cross down. Left/right is controlled by rudder pedals. Pushing left pushes the cross left etc. This is all fairly straight forward.
Test Four is more unusual. You are in charge of a missile battery ( GULP! ) which will fire a missile at a plane automatically unless you tell it not to within 1.5 sec (More gulp!) The problem is friendly and enemy planes looks the same (gulp, gulp, gulp!) The only difference between the planes is slightly different wing spans. The only advice here I can give is trust your sense, if you think its enemy blat it, if not don't. The test seems to give lots of one type of a plane at once, so you might think that your, by the chance of averages, shooting or not shooting down the worng type of plane. You just have to trust yourself.
NB ENEMY WING-SPANS BIG, FRIENDLY WING-SPANS SMALL. The test is in three parts, each time the difference between the two gets less. (enemy planes getting more aerodynamic?!?!)
Test 4. Land the plane. Simple way to do it.Split it into five stages.
a) line up on centre line.
b)dive off height to 100ft. DO NOT GO BELOW THIS YET.
c) cut all power to the engine and wait for speed to come down to around 105kts.
d)check your still on the centre line.
e)dive off remaining height.
This will make sense again when your sat in front of the computer, but it does seem to work.
The last two tests are more straight forward again. The space awareness test is man holding a briefcase. Is it in his left or right hand? The best way to do this I found was to put my watch on the side of the computer screen which meant their left, and then rotate the man in my head till he was facing me on the screen. If it was on the side of the watch it was the left hand, if not right.
Finally the mental artithmatic test. 30 quick fire subtractions. Answer true or false. I leave the way you work this one out to you, as I almost certainly failed on this point.
Once you've done these there will be a break for lunch, where a nice young lady/ man will answer your questions on the next stage and the like.
The next set of tests are the quick fire maths. 25 questions, 11 minutes, NO CALCULATORS, five possible answers. Best advice, just do it. If you don't know how to do a question move on. Some are v.easy, some are hard ( I thought anyway.) There doesn't seem to be any negative marking so if in doubt guess. Important points to note are that the area of a triangle is half its base times by the height ( slightly embarrased I couldn't remeber this) and that 24 divided by 3 equals 8, not 6. (An example of a complete brain collapse on my part, resulting in extreme embarresment) An ability to think logically to work out missing dimensions, and also quickly work out volumes helps here too.
The last test is the verbal reasoning. 25 statements, 4 questions per statement, 20 minutes in which to do it. All questions are answerd by true, false or need further infomation. Think sensibly. These start off easy and get harder. I think I did reasonably with these, and the best way to go about it is just to say before answering true or false, "Are you sure this info is in the statement." I had time to just go through each question twice, once slowly, and once just to check. Again it appears there is no negative marking.
And then your day is done. You can expect to be finished by around three at the latest.
Hope this helps you all. Big apologises for spelling and the like. If I've made any huge mistakes on timings or the actual tests change, or if Cranebank, who it has to be said ran some of the most professional and fast testing I've seen so far, have any complaints about how I've represtented the tests please let me know.
Finally, good luck.