Army Cognitive Test practice
Practise every section of the Army Cognitive Test — the assessment that replaced the BARB for British Army applicants. Five short, sharply timed sections: deductive reasoning, error detection, number fluency, word rules and orientation.
Deductive reasoning
Short relational statements — work out who is taller, faster or older, against a very fast clock.
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Error detection
Letter checking — count how many pairs of letters match, ignoring upper and lower case.
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Number fluency
Number distance and fast mental arithmetic — no calculator, and no time to write anything down.
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Word rules
Odd one out — spot the word that does not belong with the other three.
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Orientation
Symbol rotation — decide whether the second symbol is the first turned round, or a mirror image.
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New to the ACT? Start with what's on the Army Cognitive Test.
What the Army Cognitive Test is
The Army Cognitive Test replaced the British Army Recruit Battery, the test most people still call the BARB. It is a computer-based assessment made up of five short, separately timed sections, and it produces a score used to indicate which Army roles you may be suited to. If you are applying to the RAF or the Royal Navy you will sit the Defence Aptitude Assessment instead — a different, longer test.
The questions themselves are not hard. Almost all of the difficulty comes from the pace: the sections are short, the clock is unforgiving, and your score reflects both how many you get right and how quickly you answer. That is why every section here is timed by default, and why tapping an answer moves you straight on rather than waiting for you to confirm it.
The five sections
Short relational statements — work out who is taller, faster or older, against a very fast clock.
Letter checking — count how many pairs of letters match, ignoring upper and lower case.
Number distance and fast mental arithmetic — no calculator, and no time to write anything down.
Odd one out — spot the word that does not belong with the other three.
Symbol rotation — decide whether the second symbol is the first turned round, or a mirror image.
The pace shown is the pace our practice sections run at. Question counts and timings for the real assessment are set by the Army and can change — always check the current process with your Armed Forces Careers Office.
These are original practice questions written to reflect the publicly described format of the Army Cognitive Test (ACT). They are not the official questions and this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the British Army or the Ministry of Defence — always follow the official guidance from your Armed Forces Careers Office.