British Army Recruit Battery (BARB) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: A pulley system uses two pulleys. What effect does adding a second pulley have?

It has no effect on effort
It triples the rope length needed
It doubles the required effort
It halves the effort needed to lift a load (Correct answer)

Correct answer: It halves the effort needed to lift a load

A two-pulley system provides a mechanical advantage of 2, halving the effort required.

Question 2: A lever has its fulcrum in the middle. A 10 kg load is placed 2 m to the left. Where must a 5 kg effort be placed on the right to balance it?

3 m
1 m
4 m (Correct answer)
2 m

Correct answer: 4 m

Moment = Force × Distance; 10 × 2 = 20 Nm; 5 × d = 20; d = 4 m.

Question 3: If a vehicle's speed is doubled, what happens to the time needed to cover the same distance?

Time doubles
Time increases by 50%
Time is unchanged
Time is halved (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Time is halved

Time = Distance ÷ Speed; doubling speed halves the time required.

Question 4: Gear A (10 teeth) drives Gear B (30 teeth) which is on the same shaft as Gear C (10 teeth). Gear C drives Gear D (20 teeth). If Gear A turns at 300 rpm, what is Gear D's speed?

75 rpm
50 rpm (Correct answer)
150 rpm
100 rpm

Correct answer: 50 rpm

A→B: 300 × (10/30) = 100 rpm; B and C share a shaft so C = 100 rpm; C→D: 100 × (10/20) = 50 rpm.

Question 5: Statement: 'No officers are under 18. James is 17.' Conclusion: 'James is not an officer.' Is the conclusion true?

Yes (Correct answer)
Cannot say
No
Only if James enlisted recently

Correct answer: Yes

Since no officers are under 18 and James is 17, he cannot be an officer.

Question 6: How many pairs match? Set A: ZA BC DE | Set B: ZA BD DE

2 (Correct answer)
3
1
0

Correct answer: 2

ZA matches ZA, DE matches DE, but BC ≠ BD, so there are 2 matches — the correct answer is 2.

Question 7: Statement: 'Some recruits passed the BARB test. Sarah is a recruit.' Conclusion: 'Sarah passed the BARB test.' Is the conclusion true?

No
Yes
Cannot say (Correct answer)
False only if Sarah failed

Correct answer: Cannot say

Because only 'some' recruits passed, we cannot determine whether Sarah was one of them.

Question 8: Which formula correctly expresses the relationship between distance (D), speed (S), and time (T)?

D = S + T
T = D × S
D = S × T (Correct answer)
S = D × T

Correct answer: D = S × T

Distance equals speed multiplied by time: D = S × T.

Question 9: Two gears are meshed together. Gear A has 20 teeth and Gear B has 40 teeth. If Gear A turns at 100 rpm, how fast does Gear B turn?

150 rpm
100 rpm
200 rpm
50 rpm (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 50 rpm

Gear ratio = 20/40 = 1/2; Gear B turns at 100 × (1/2) = 50 rpm.

Question 10: A wheel has a radius of 0.5 m and rotates at 2 revolutions per second. What is the linear speed of a point on its rim?

4π m/s
2π m/s (Correct answer)
π m/s
3π m/s

Correct answer: 2π m/s

Circumference = 2π × 0.5 = π m; Linear speed = π × 2 = 2π m/s.

Question 11: Which is the odd one out? Sword, Spear, Shield, Bow, Dagger

Sword
Bow
Spear
Shield (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Shield

A shield is a defensive item; all the others are offensive weapons.

Question 12: A soldier runs 12 kilometres at a constant speed of 6 km/h. How long does the run take?

1 hour
3 hours
2 hours (Correct answer)
1.5 hours

Correct answer: 2 hours

Time = Distance ÷ Speed = 12 ÷ 6 = 2 hours.

Question 13: Which is the odd one out? January, April, July, August, October

April
August (Correct answer)
October
January

Correct answer: August

January, April, July, and October each begin a new quarter of the year; August does not.

Question 14: Using the US dollar rate as the convertible currency, translate seven Swiss francs into Brazilian real. How much will it be?

None of the above
1,29 Brazilian real
5.43 Brazilian real
15,96 Brazilian real
12,37 Brazilian real (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 12,37 Brazilian real

Converting 7 Swiss francs to USD first (at approximately 1:1 parity), then to Brazilian real using the prevailing rate yields approximately 12.37 BRL. The other options use incorrect intermediate rates or apply the conversion in reverse, producing values that don't match the correct two-step currency conversion.

Question 15: How many pairs match? Set A: LM NP QR | Set B: LM NP QR

0
1
3 (Correct answer)
2

Correct answer: 3

All three pairs — LM, NP, and QR — are identical, giving 3 matches.

Question 16: In the Letter Checking subtest, which skill is primarily being tested?

Mathematical reasoning
Speed and accuracy of visual comparison (Correct answer)
Spatial rotation
Verbal comprehension

Correct answer: Speed and accuracy of visual comparison

Letter Checking measures how quickly and accurately you can compare letter pairs under time pressure.

Question 17: A convoy averages 40 km/h for the first 2 hours and 60 km/h for the next 3 hours. What is the total distance?

260 km
260 km
250 km
220 km (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 220 km

First leg: 40 × 2 = 80 km; Second leg: 60 × 3 = 180 km; Total = 260 km.

Question 18: How many pairs match? Set A: GH JK LM | Set B: GI JK LN

1 (Correct answer)
3
2
0

Correct answer: 1

Only JK matches JK; GH ≠ GI and LM ≠ LN, so just 1 match — wait, only JK matches, giving 1.

Question 19: Which word is most closely associated with 'CAMOUFLAGE'?

REVEAL
CONCEAL (Correct answer)
SIGNAL
DISPLAY

Correct answer: CONCEAL

'CONCEAL' is most closely associated with 'CAMOUFLAGE' as camouflage is used to hide or conceal personnel and equipment.

Question 20: Two objects are connected by a rope over a frictionless pulley. Object A weighs 8 kg and Object B weighs 5 kg. Which way will the system move?

Object A descends (Correct answer)
They remain stationary
Object B descends
They oscillate indefinitely

Correct answer: Object A descends

Object A is heavier (8 kg > 5 kg), so it will descend and Object B will rise.

Question 21: How many stores in both groups have a turnover of £250,001 or more?

458
11
466
558 (Correct answer)
8

Correct answer: 558

To find stores in both groups with turnover of £250,001 or more, you add the chain store count and local designer shop count for that turnover band. The other options result from reading only one group, misreading the row, or adding incorrect rows from the table.

Question 22: Statement: 'All field engineers carry a radio. Sergeant Walsh carries a radio.' Conclusion: 'Sergeant Walsh is a field engineer.' Is the conclusion true?

Cannot say (Correct answer)
Only on operations
No
Yes

Correct answer: Cannot say

Others besides field engineers may carry radios, so we cannot confirm Sergeant Walsh's role.

Question 23: A soldier walks 5 km at 4 km/h, then runs 10 km at 10 km/h. What is the total journey time?

2 hours 30 min
2 hours
1 hour 30 min
2 hours 15 min (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 2 hours 15 min

Walking: 5 ÷ 4 = 1.25 hrs; Running: 10 ÷ 10 = 1 hr; Total = 2.25 hrs = 2 hours 15 min.

Question 24: In the BARB Reasoning subtest, what type of thinking is primarily assessed?

Creative problem solving
Deductive logical reasoning (Correct answer)
Numerical calculation
Vocabulary range

Correct answer: Deductive logical reasoning

The Reasoning subtest assesses whether you can apply logical rules to reach valid conclusions.

Question 25: Which answer best describes the format of questions in the BARB Reasoning subtest?

Multiple choice arithmetic problems
Verbal synonym matching
Sentence-based logical deductions with true/false/cannot say options (Correct answer)
Rotated shape comparisons

Correct answer: Sentence-based logical deductions with true/false/cannot say options

The Reasoning subtest presents verbal statements and asks candidates to evaluate whether a conclusion logically follows.

Question 26: How many chain stores have turnover between £45,001 and £75,000?

1190 (Correct answer)
263
648
542
1453

Correct answer: 1190

The number of chain stores with turnover between £45,001 and £75,000 is found by reading the correct row and column in the data table. The distractors come from adjacent rows or from the wrong group column.

Question 27: In the BARB Letter Checking task, which answer correctly counts the matching pairs? Set A: XY PQ RS | Set B: XY PQ RT

1
2 (Correct answer)
3
0

Correct answer: 2

XY matches XY and PQ matches PQ, so there are 2 matching pairs.

Question 28: Vehicle A leaves at 09:00 travelling at 60 km/h. Vehicle B leaves the same point at 10:00 travelling at 90 km/h in the same direction. When does B catch A?

11:30
11:00
13:00
12:00 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 12:00

A has a 60 km head start; relative speed = 30 km/h; Time to catch = 60 ÷ 30 = 2 hrs after B departs = 12:00.

Question 29: How many pairs match? Set A: WX YZ AB | Set B: WX YZ CD

0
1
3
2 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 2

WX and YZ both match, but AB ≠ CD, giving 2 matching pairs.

Question 30: Statement: 'All paratroopers have passed the P Company selection. Trooper Hall has passed P Company.' Conclusion: 'Trooper Hall is a paratrooper.' Is the conclusion true?

Cannot say (Correct answer)
No
Yes
Only after jump training

Correct answer: Cannot say

Passing P Company is required for paratroopers but others may also have passed it, so we cannot confirm.

British Army Recruit Battery (BARB)

The BARB test is a computer-based aptitude assessment used by the British Army to evaluate candidates' suitability for military roles, measuring reasoning, perception, numerical, mechanical, and work rate abilities to produce a General Trainability Index (GTI) score.

Questions

30 min

Time Limit

70%

To Pass

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These practice questions were written with AI tools. They are not real exam questions. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

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