The Royal Navy aptitude test has six timed sections, and the run became a bleep test in October 2026

The Royal Navy's Defence Aptitude Assessment has six timed multiple-choice sections, including mechanical comprehension, numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning. Our mechanical test covers the mechanical section, and our reasoning test covers the verbal and numerical ones.

We have no electrical comprehension, work rate or spatial reasoning section in the Navy's format, and our questions are original. The Royal Navy publishes practice questions in the same format as the real assessment, which are the best guide. Section timings and branch score requirements are not in the pages we read.

The Defence Aptitude Assessment is multiple choice throughout, and each of its six sections is timed separately. The Royal Navy lists numerical reasoning, mechanical comprehension, work rate, verbal reasoning, electrical comprehension and spatial reasoning.

Separate clocks mean you cannot borrow time from a strong section to rescue a weak one. Practise each section on its own timer, and learn when to make your best choice and move on rather than stall on one item.

The Royal Navy's aptitude page says its practice questions are in the same format as the real assessment. Start there: it is the only free source that matches the layout you will see.

Then build depth where you are weakest. Our mechanical aptitude test covers forces, gears and pulleys with worked answers, and the numerical reasoning page covers the arithmetic. For electrical items, revise current, voltage and simple circuits.

The Royal Navy says that from 1 October 2026, candidates no longer run 2.4km for the Pre-Joining Fitness Test. Instead they take the Multi-Stage Fitness Test, the bleep test, to level 6.6, plus a mid-thigh pull and a seated medicine ball throw. Divers must reach level 10.5 and complete press-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups.

Older guides and forum posts still describe the run, so check the date of anything you read. Training for the bleep test is different from training for a steady run: practise repeated short shuttles with turns.

The Candidate Preparation Course assesses fitness and medical eligibility and is pass or fail. The Royal Navy says rating candidates attend a four-day course before basic training; an overseas candidate guide describes a three-day version after arrival in the UK.

After all eligibility criteria, including a security check, you are offered a place at HMS Raleigh for initial training. Reserves follow a shorter route with a medical and fitness assessment of up to two days.

Commonwealth and other overseas candidates can sit the aptitude assessment online in their home country, according to the Royal Navy's overseas candidate guide. That guide lists the same six sections, so preparation is the same wherever you sit it.

Plan for the travel and timing of the later stages, which happen in the UK. Our spatial reasoning test is free practice for the shapes section if that is your weakest area.