Try This RAF AST/DAA Free Test and Become an Airman
The Royal Air Force Defence Aptitude Assessment (formerly Airman Selection Test) is used by the RAF to screen for potential Airmen. It has 148 question divided into 7 categories, with 90 minutes to complete everything.
Try this free DAA Practice Test to get a feel for the real thing, and use the detailed solutions to figure out how to ace the test!
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What is the DAA/AST?
The Defense Aptitude Assessment (formerly Airman Selection Test) is a test administered by the RAF. It is a qualifying test for the following roles:
- Aerospace Battle Manager
- Air Traffic Controller
- Air Traffic Control Officer
- Weapons Systems Operator
And the RAF Regiment as a whole. It is administered at a local Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO).Your results in this test will determine the preferences and positions you will be offered in the RAF.
Click here for our full AST/DAA Preparation Pack, with practice materials for every question type and full solutions to help you master the test!
DAA Practice Test
Verbal Reasoning
This section includes 20 questions that must be answered in 15 minutes. You are presented with short passages containing many details. You must read each passage and then answer questions related to it. While most questions are not too difficult, they do require attention to detail and the ability to sift through text and filter relevant data. Moreover, the short time frame adds to the pressure.
DAA Sample Question #1 - Verbal Comprehension
Edwin, Rajiv, Sheryl and Mildred are four buddies who share a love of extreme sports. Edwin is mad for skydiving. Following skydiving, his favourite sport is rock-climbing, then quad-biking, and then jet-skiing. Rajiv most adores jet-skiing. Besides that he loves rock-climbing more than quad-biking, but less than skydiving. Sheryl likes skydiving least and quad-biking most. Between rock-climbing and jet-skiing, she prefers rock-climbing. Mildred tries to avoid jet-skiing. She'll choose skydiving over quad-biking, but will always prefer rock-climbing.
Which activity would Edwin and Rajiv be most likely to do together?
General Explanation:
It is recommended to summarise the information from the paragraph in a table on your draft sheet.
Interpretation of the passage:
Edwin's preferences are detailed in an orderly manner. He always prefers skydiving (skydiving > all the rest). After skydiving, his favourite is rock-climbing, then quad-biking, and then jet-skiing. Edwin's preferences are:
skydiving > rock-climbing > quad-biking > jet-skiing.
Rajiv's preferences are less ordered. He most adores jet-skiing (jet-skiing > all the rest). He loves rock-climbing more than quad-biking (rock-climbing > quad-biking), but less than skydiving (skydiving > rock-climbing). Rajiv's preferences are:
jet-skiing > skydiving > rock-climbing > quad-biking.
Sheryl's and Mildred's preferences are described in an even more complex manner.
Sheryl least prefers skydiving (all the rest > skydiving) and most prefers quad-biking (quad-biking > all the rest). Between rock-climbing and jet-skiing, she'll choose rock-climbing (rock-climbing > jet-skiing). Sheryl's preferences are:
quad-biking > rock-climbing > jet-skiing > skydiving .
Mildred tries to avoid jet-skiing (all the rest > jet-skiing). She'll choose skydiving over quad-biking (skydiving > quad-biking), but will always prefer rock-climbing (rock-climbing > all the rest). To conclude, Mildred's preferences are:
rock-climbing > skydiving > quad-biking > jet-skiing .
Using a table may turn out to be a better alternative. It would take time to create it at first, but once completed, will allow you to answer all questions in a row. Try to use abbreviations in order to save time:
Since we were acquainted with people who have different preferences, your logic should be that each sub-group of the four will choose to do together their common most preferred activity. This logic is also implied in the phrasing of the question – "doing their favourite extreme sport".
Specific Explanation to Q1:
Edwin's most favourite activity is skydiving, while Rajiv's is jet-skiing. It makes sense to address these two activities as the possible answers. Note that while skydiving is Rajiv's second priority, jet-skiing is Edwin's last priority. Therefore, their common most favourite activity is skydiving.
DAA Sample Question #2 - Verbal Comprehension
Five of your employees are nominated for promotion. Which of them would you recommend to be promoted, based on their characteristics?
(The same person could fit more than one description)
Josh is 29 years-old. He has five years of experience, has an energetic temperament and works quickly. . He is very authoritative and popular among the other workers, but has quite weak managerial skills.
David is 40 years-old. He has fifteen years of experience, has a calm temperament, and works moderately fast. He is moderately authoritative, moderately popular among the other workers and has superb managerial skills.
Samuel is 35 years-old. He has twelve years of experience, has an energetic temperament, and works quickly. He is very authoritative, but unpopular among other workers and he has high managerial skills.
Chris is 28 years-old. He has seven years of experience, has a calm temperament, and works quickly. He is not very authoritative, but he is very popular among other workers, and has superb managerial skills.
Greg is 32 years-old. He has six years of experience, has a mild temperament, and works slowly. He is authoritative, very popular among other workers and has moderate managerial skills.
You need a "sly old fox" – as experienced as possible and very authoritative.
Numerical Skills
This section contains two sub-sections: basic arithmetic and data interpretation. You are given four minutes to answer the first section. It consists of 12 questions that require the four basic operations, decimals, and fractions. You have 11 minutes to answer the 15 questions in the second section. These rely on graphs and tables. The second section is the more difficult of the two as it requires critical reasoning skills.
DAA Sample Question #3 - Numerical Reasoning
Calculate: 22/3 + 2/9
DAA Sample Question #4 - Numerical Reasoning
What is the value of X?
7x – 35 = 5 – 3x
Spatial Reasoning
This section is comprised of two parts. Part one is four minutes long and contains 10 questions that measure your 2D orientation skills. Shapes are broken into pieces, and you are asked to reconstruct them. The second part measures your 3D orientation skills. You have 3 minutes to answer 10 questions in which three-dimensional shapes are depicted from different views. You must choose the set of shapes that changes only the perspective and not the nature or type of shapes.
DAA Sample Question #5 - Spatial Reasoning
Below are two separate objects, each has a dot placed in one corner, and each has five possible rotations. Choose the answer option in which the dots are placed in the same corners of the objects as in the model.
DAA Sample Question #6 - Spatial Reasoning
Below are two separate objects, each has a dot placed in one corner, and each has five possible rotations. Choose the answer option in which the dots are placed in the same corners of the objects as in the model.
Work Rate
Here there is a table with codes that consist of letters, numbers and shapes You must find alternative codes for a given sequence according to the table. This section lasts 4 minutes and contains 20 questions.
DAA Sample Question #7 - Work Rate
Which could be an alternative code for RDG?
| R | D | G | F |
| 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| ♦ | ♠ | ♣ | ♥ |
DAA Sample Question #8 - Work Rate
Which could be an alternative code for EQZ?
| G | E | Q | Z |
| 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| ♦ | ⇔ | ■ | ▼ |
DAA Sample Question #9 - Electrical Reasoning
A parallel circuit consists 4 branches, A, B, C, and D. Branch A has a resistor of 50 Ω, Branch B has a resistor of 30 Ω, branch C has a light bulb with a resistance of 30 Ω, and branch D has a light bulb with a resistance of 10 Ω. Which branch will draw the most current?
DAA Sample Question #10 - Electrical Reasoning
What is expected to happen to a circuit’s total resistance when an additional resistor is added in series?
DAA Sample Question #11 - Mechanical Reasoning
Which kayak rider needs to put in more effort?
As with every test, adequate preparation is essential for your success. However, it is perhaps more so with the RAF aptitude test, as it may not only be your ticket into the Royal Air Force, but it will also determines your eligibility for specific positions within the organisation based on your score. Therefore, it is paramount to practise effectively, focusing on your desired position and making sure to hone the skills in the sections most relevant to it.
Our AST preparation PrepPack™ contains clear and comprehensive explanations to enhance your understanding and has recently undergone an extensive update to faithfully reflect the changes that have occurred in the real test.
It is worth mentioning that the AST is not the only aptitude test candidates might take as part of the recruitment process. Some applicants, including Officers, Non-Commissioned Aircrew, and Non-Commissioned Air Traffic Controllers candidates, also have to attend a series of aptitude tests at the Officers and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC) at RAF Cranwell.
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Practising for the RAF Aptitude Test is Your Key to Success
All of the aforementioned sections can and should be practised prior to sitting the real test. That is not to say that a three-month prep course should be taken but, rather, that limited, concise practice of concepts can help improve your test score. The main advantages such practice will give you are:
- Knowledge – Some areas of the test – especially numerical, verbal and physical concepts – rely heavily on knowledge, the kind of knowledge some people tend to forget over time. This could be knowing how to multiply decimals, being familiar with the meaning of certain unpopular words in the English vocabulary, or understanding the principal laws of motion and gravity.
- Response times – The act of practice is rewarding. At first, everything seems complicated and time-consuming. With even little practice, these feelings start to change as performance improves. Even the memory and work rate sections are worth rehearsing, as they represent cognitive elements that are now known to be affected by training. For example, the memory section is popularly given to older people to help increase their memory abilities.
- Confidence – Pre-exposure to the content of tests removes uncertainty. This is key for test success.
Prepare with JobTestPrep to Land the Job You Deserve
The AST is designed to test a range of skills, some of which you may possess more than others. The AST is taken early in the application process, so preparation for each aptitude test is essential in order to move on to the later stages. JobTestPrep's comprehensive practice PrepPack™ includes all the tools you need to equip yourself for the challenge. As the package consists of a rigorous simulation which reflects the precise length, difficulty level and time limit of the ATS itself, you will be thoroughly prepared and substantially more confident when you face the real thing on your way to get the position you desire!
Read more about:
RAF Recruitment FAQ
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