Babcock adds a one-way video interview only for degree and graduate apprentices; every other level goes straight to the assessment centre

Babcock says apprentices sit an online assessment designed to measure suitability for the role, and candidates describe online English and maths tests at that point. Our reasoning test drills reading and number work under time, and for engineering trades our mechanical test covers the forces, gears and circuits that dockyard and plant roles lean on.

Babcock does not publish what its apprentice online assessment contains, how long it is or what score is needed. Our reasoning test uses business tables, which are harder than a basic maths paper, and no source we found confirms a mechanical paper for Babcock apprentices. Neither test covers the assessment centre or the degree route's video interview.

Babcock publishes two slightly different journeys. Intermediate, advanced and higher apprenticeships, Levels 2 to 5 in England and SCQF Levels 6 to 8 in Scotland, run application, online assessment, assessment centre. Degree apprenticeships at Level 6 and graduate apprenticeships at SCQF Level 10 add a one-way video interview between the online assessment and the centre.

Knowing which journey you are on helps you plan. If you are applying for a craft or technician route, you can put all your early effort into the online assessment. If you are on a degree route, keep a free evening for the video once the online stage is done, and practise speaking to a camera beforehand with our video interview guide.

Babcock keeps the description short: an online assessment designed to measure your suitability for the role. Candidate reviews say it included an English test and a maths test. A sixth-form college page about Babcock apprenticeships says shortlisted applicants may sit a range of online ability tests. For its graduate scheme, Babcock separately describes screening with selection questions, online testing and a situational judgement test scored pass or fail, which hints at the style it favours, though that is not stated for apprentices.

So prepare for basic numeracy and literacy under time pressure, with the possibility of scenario questions. Ten minutes a day on percentages, ratios, unit conversion and reading short passages carefully will do more than one long session the night before.

Babcock maintains warships and submarines, supports nuclear sites and services military aircraft and vehicles. Many apprentices become fitters, electricians, welders and technicians. No source we found says Babcock sets a mechanical comprehension test for apprentices, but prep sites note that engineering-track apprenticeships often include one, and the assessment centre interview may well ask what interests you about how things work.

If you are aiming at a trade, a quick run through our mechanical aptitude test is a low-cost check on levers, pulleys, gears and simple circuits. Treat it as readiness, not as a preview of Babcock's test.

Babcock calls the centre a series of structured activities for shortlisted candidates and publishes separate guidance for it. Candidates describe a group activity, a short presentation and face-to-face interviews, sometimes run online. One mentions a two-day event, which may reflect a particular site or scheme.

Prepare a two-minute talk about why you want this trade at this site, and know a little about the work done there, whether that is Devonport, Rosyth or another location. In the group task, help the team reach a decision on time.

Babcock says the window for most apprenticeship levels opens in December and that assessments continue until May. Continual assessment means places can fill before the formal close, so applying in December or January gives you the widest choice of sites and programmes.

One candidate reports the process taking about four months, so expect gaps between stages and keep an eye on your email.

These come from anonymous reviews, university careers pages and prep guides. They often disagree, and Babcock has not confirmed them. Read them as leads, not rules.

• Candidates on Glassdoor describe an online English test and an online maths test at the first stage.
• One candidate describes a full-day online assessment centre with a group activity, a presentation and face-to-face interviews.
• Another candidate mentions a two-day assessment event.
• A candidate review says the whole process took about four months.
• Prep sites claim that engineering-track apprenticeships commonly add a mechanical reasoning test, though none we found says this of Babcock specifically.