The British Army Cognitive Test is five tests, and your score decides which jobs you can choose

The British Army says every soldier applicant sits the Army Cognitive Test, a series of five computer-based tests that measure speed as well as accuracy, and that the score decides which jobs are open. Our CCAT-style test trains working quickly and accurately across mixed reasoning items, which is the habit the Army describes.

The Army does not list the five tests' content on the pages we read, so we cannot say our questions match them. The Army offers its own practice version, which you can repeat as often as you like, and that is the right preparation. Required scores differ by role and are not published.

The British Army says everyone takes the same series of five tests, the Army Cognitive Test, taken on a computer and designed to measure soldier potential. The point is placement as much as selection: your score determines which jobs you can go for, and the standard differs by role.

Decide which jobs interest you before you sit it, and ask your recruiter what score they need. Knowing the target tells you whether to sit the test soon or practise for another few weeks.

The Army's practice version can be taken as many times as you want, and the results are not recorded. That is a generous offer, and the best preparation available: repeat it until the instructions and pace feel routine.

The Army says the test measures speed and accuracy, and advises finding a rhythm. A recruiter answer on the Army's Ask a Soldier forum adds that the real test is on a touch screen, so it may feel slightly different from practice even though the questions are the same kind.

Speed and accuracy together reward a steady pace more than bursts. Decide in advance how long you will spend on a hard item before choosing your best answer and moving on, and stick to it.

Short daily sessions build rhythm better than one long one. Our CCAT practice test mixes number, word and shape items under a tight clock, which is useful general practice for working fast without careless errors.

If you do not have grade 4 (C) or above at GCSE, or the equivalent, in Maths or English, the Army says you will need to sit a literacy and numeracy test. Some roles may also call for a Technical Selection Test of maths, English and learning ability, according to an Ask a Soldier answer.

For the numeracy side, revise fractions, percentages and simple formulae; our numerical reasoning page has worked examples. For literacy, practise reading a short passage and answering exactly what is asked.

The Assessment Centre lasts two days and includes a full medical, physical and mental tests, team exercises and a career discussion. The fitness tests are a mid-thigh pull, a seated 4kg medicine ball throw and a 2km run after an 800m warm-up, and assessors judge effort throughout the stay.

Officer candidates follow a different route: an online recruiter interview, then the Army Officer Selection Board at Westbury, whose Main Board lasts four days and includes psychometric tests you can practise online beforehand.