Preparation and Tips for The Admiralty Interview Board Tests

*Please note that this page focuses on the activities that test your mental aptitude and not your physical prowess.

The Admiralty Interview Board, or AIB, is a two and a half day assessment centre which includes aptitude tests, group and individual tasks and physical challenges. Day one starts with a briefing and settling in session with other candidates. This is also the first time you will meet your three assessors who will be a Captain or Commander, a Lieutenant Commander and a Lieutenant. You are given various instructions and directions on settling in and it is the first chance you get to meet the other hopeful recruits. Days two and three are full of tests and tasks to complete as part of the full assessment, culminating in the final interview.

• AIB Q101 Form
• Testing Day
• Service Knowledge Test
• AIB Aptitude Tests
• AIB Assessment Centre

During this three day assessment,  you are put to the test in countless different activities. Throughout the entire Admiralty Interview Board, you are assessed on the following attributes:

• Effective intelligence - this means that you have to show that you can use common sense to deal with difficulties and to solve psychological and mental challenges.
• Leadership - you have to show that you can lead a team to a correct conclusion whilst creating a great group atmosphere. You also need to show that you can be part of an effective team.
• Powers of communication - you need to be able to communicate both verbally and with the correct body language.
• Values - this means that you need to demonstrate the following:
• Commitment
• Courage
• Discipline
• Respect for others
• Integrity
• Loyalty
• Motivation - you need to show that you really want to join the Naval Service.

Try to keep these in mind throughout every single activity you encounter, particularly the group activities, of which there are many. A big part of being in the Navy is working together as a team, so make sure to show your team spirit throughout. 

The first task that you must do at the AIB is complete the Q101 form. In some cases you have to have submitted this form before the AIB takes place. This is essentially a competency questionnaire where you are required to answer questions pertaining to the key values and competencies of the Royal Navy. The questions are similar to those you can expect in the AIB Interview; in fact, many interviews are based around the answers you gave in the Q101. You have to provide examples of when you have shown leadership skills, been part of a successful team, and shown respect amongst other things. See how we can help you prepare for competency questions. 

The first full day at the AIB is the testing day where you will face a series of mental and physical aptitude tests. We will go through each of the sections of this day below.

This starts off the day and is a multiple-choice test assessing your knowledge of everything to do with the Royal Navy and any other defence issues. Questions cover everything do to with the defence forces, such as:

“Which one of the following is a real armed forces minister?”

“What is the defence budget?”

There are also questions on the myriad of transportation vehicles used by the armed forces. The simple advice to everyone here is to try and glean as much information about the Royal Navy as you can from their website and the internet as you can. There are 100 questions on this test so it is imperative that you study as much as you can for this test. 

There are a number of different AIB aptitude tests that you have to take, and achieve scores that are high enough to pass. Practising for these tests is essential to future success when actually taking them for real.

There are two main difficulties you encounter when dealing with the tests. The first difficulty is the actual content. The tests include verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning and abstract reasoning. Whilst some of the material you face in the tests will use information that you have used before, some of it, particularly so with abstract reasoning tests, is difficult to grasp to begin with.

The second difficulty you will face is that of time. All of the tests give you on average less than a minute to answer each question, and some of the tests give you approximately 20 seconds per question. You cannot have a look at the question, analyse what they want you to do and work out the solution in such a short amount of time if you are not already familiar with the content you are facing. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that you prepare and familiarise yourself with the style of questions in order to do yourself justice in the actual test. 

In this test, you are assessed on your ability to understand and process written information. The test is 15 minutes in length and has 40 questions. You have to demonstrate that you can absorb information in a passage and ascertain whether a given statement is true, false or impossible to say. You can also expect questions concerning word choice and word comparisons.

In this test, you are asked questions that test your mental arithmetic skills. There are 36 questions to answer in 30 minutes. No calculator is allowed in this test and the questions centre on your ability to calculate speed, time and distance. Check out our numerical reasoning pack for more information and practise.

In this test, you are presented with a sequence of different shapes and matrices that have a specific logical pattern running through them. There is a logical sequence that you have to grasp and then it is your job to complete the pattern. This test is especially challenging as you have just 12 minutes to answer 70 questions. Our abstract reasoning package can help you improve your skills and work through this test quickly.

The Navy will send you a booklet with sample questions ahead of your AIB, which will give you a great start in knowing the types of questions to expect. However, these questions are easier than the questions you can expect in the real test, and you are also not given answers or explanations for the questions. Practice with our complete preparation for these tests to get all the preparation you need for the tests. Our tests come in timed or untimed practise modes with full explanations to each question, helping you understand the questions and improve your skills.

 For the other activities you will be involved in at the Admiralty Interview Board, including tips on the writing exercise, group tasks and Board interview, click here.