What is the RAF verbal reasoning test?
The RAF verbal reasoning test is designed to assess your capacity to read, analyse, interpret and understand written information. This information is sometimes quite dense or written in a way that can be confusing, just to make the test that bit more challenging.
Taking written instructions and analysing information are considered to be really key skills in the RAF, and this section of the RAF DAA (formerly AST) is there to see how comfortable you are with both.
Practising example verbal reasoning tests will really help you to improve your skills and widen the career opportunities available to you across the RAF.
The format of the RAF verbal reasoning test
The test is split into four different sections. You'll have 20 minutes to answer 15 questions — which means speed is as important as accuracy when it comes to answering.
All of the questions are multiple choice and require you to read through a passage of text before answering based on what you've read.
No prior knowledge of the subjects is required, but it's really important to concentrate on the information in front of you and ensure you read everything through carefully.
How is the RAF verbal reasoning test scored?
Unlike most tests, there isn't a score you need to hit to pass (or at least if there is, it's not published by the RAF). This is largely because each area of the test is designed to get to know you better and help work out which career opportunities within the RAF you're best suited to.
Once you've finished your test, it'll be scored straight away. You'll go through the results with a qualified RAF recruit who will help you to understand your options going forward.
The better you do overall, and across the different sections, the more opportunities you'll have when it comes to making career choices — so it's really important to practice and prepare as much as you can for each section of the test.
How to pass the RAF verbal reasoning reasoning test
Practice — the best way you can set yourself up for success is to practice as many verbal reasoning tests as you can to get used to the question format, and ensure you are as fast and accurate as you can be on the day.
Try new things — if you're struggling to get yourself to practice, thinking outside the box and revising in a new way can really help you to stay motivated. Why not ask a friend to quiz you on a passage of your favourite book, or find online games with a verbal reasoning tilt?
Don't panic — not knowing the answer to a question is stressful, but it's important not to panic. Instead, try and eliminate any answers you know to be incorrect. Or read the answers before the question and see if a change of perspective helps.
Timing is important — you'll have just over a minute to answer each question, so it can be helpful to keep a close eye on the time so you don't spend too long on challenging problems, at the expense of answering questions further into the test that you might find easier.
Check out our full RAF DAA (formerly known as AST) and CBAT aptitude tests page here that include free tests.
