RE: The sample questions BA sent you?

[Slipslide]

Hi there chaps,

I have a question regarding the sample Q's BA send out as part of the preliminary tests. In the pack are contained 2 different styles of Q's. One (the orange one) I find hard to believe you can finish in 12-15 mins without using a calculator. The blue pack seems more like what i would expect is this true?

I'd just like to know if anybody out there can enlighten me as to the style of numerical questions they provide on the big day, are they anything like those in the packs - a small example would be nice.

Cheers for any input.

[This message has been edited by Slipslide (edited 27 April 2001).]

[Hob78]

It tells you which ones you have to be able to do, namely verbal test 1 in the pink booklet and numerical test 6 in the blue one. All the numerical questions are of the form: calculating areas, volumes, costs etc as in test 6.

Hope this helps, Hob.

[Hard Rider]

Get yourself the book "How to Pass Graduate Recruitment Tests" by Mike Bryon. Do the chapter "Great Candidate - Except for the Maths !" and leave no stone unturned. If you can do everything in this chapter - quickly and accurately - you WILL pass the numerical tests. I'm not saying anything new here. It's not rocket science.

The verbal reasoning is another matter. They will give you a lot of stuff written mainly in management double speak. There will statements about each passage. In most cases the passage implies that the statement is true or false, but it's very hard to decide whether it actually says that or "not enough information given". You have to read it very carefully. You will be able to finish this if you can keep concentrating and make your decisions at a goodly pace. It's not easy by any means.

To pass the computer tests the best training I would recommend are Space Invaders and Missile Command. And I thought my youth was wasted !

Good luck. They are scrupulously fair and you will pass if you meet their criteria...

[SpeedBird22]

I don't suppose you would be as kind as to give us an ISBN number for the book you mentioned above, purlease??

Cheers,

BAW22

[Hard Rider]

ISBN 0-7494-0994-0

Seem to remember it was on Amazon last time I was looking for something.

[Cuban_8]

Slipslide,

To answer your question, the questions on the day are in exactly the same style as those in the example booklet. Ex 6 in the blue book is the one to take note of for the maths - calculating areas, percentages, prices etc. I would suggest that you brush up on mental aritmatic if your not too hot - do a search on this forum for past posts with the location of more examples. My only advice would be that all the tests are multiple choice - concentrate on working out approximations to answers fast.

Same goes for the verbal reasoning - very simalar to the example. The problem, I found, was assimilating all the information in the passage in one pass. Things get a bit confusing when you have to do 40 od of them in a row!! My strategy was to read the passages twice first, whiz through the quetions and then move on. I think you'll find it's not as bad as you think!

Good Luck!

Cuban_8

[Slipslide]

Cheers.

I've heard there are 36 maths questions, how many did you manage to complete in what is it...12 mins?

[everybody]

There are 25. If you're extremely good at this sort of thing you'll be able to do all but one or two. Nobody knows the pass mark, but if you're accurate and reasonably fast you'll get far enough. I've done it twice without a problem.

[Rescue115]

Hi Folks,

I've heard plenty about the verbal and maths tests but not about the computer test...what's the story??

Cheers

[everybody]

I wasn't making it up.

1. Space Invaders

2. Missile Command

If you want to add a bit of ILS practice on Microsoft Flight Sim you'll do even better.

[Frederic]

Hi,
To everyone: try typing in "IQ tests" in your search engine, I found some really helpfull info and practice tests. Also, go to the SHL website, they give a very thourough explanation of how the tests are conducted and what the company might be looking for.
By the way, has anyone already passed on to the next day? What happened to the group test, has this been moved to day 2? I expected it to be on day 1, really. So if yes that means that on day 2 you'll have to do the group test, simcx, 2 interviews and a medical. Pheww, I hope they start with the medical! Thanks for the info, guys.

[BreakRight]

I'm with everybody on this, just practice the maths like mad, try space invaders and missile command, the EFIS approach to O'Hare on Microsoft FS3 is a good one to practice on (its more basic) and try the missions on the RAF careers website especially the refuelling one. Good Luck :)