DAA practice tests & Defence Aptitude Assessment prep
Free practice questions with instant explanations for the RAF & Royal Navy Defence Aptitude Assessment — all six sections, and the full timed test on DAA Ready.
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Understand the DAA before you sit it.
A clear picture of what the test is, why it counts, and what preparation genuinely does for your score — no jargon, no hard sell.
What is the DAA?
The Defence Aptitude Assessment is a timed, multiple-choice test used across RAF and Royal Navy selection. It has six sections — verbal, numerical and spatial reasoning, work rate, and electrical and mechanical comprehension — that measure reasoning and technical aptitude rather than revised knowledge.
Why it matters
Your DAA result is one of the most important stages of selection: it affects whether you progress and which roles you can apply for. Some sections weigh more heavily for aircrew, others for technical and engineering trades — a strong score keeps the widest set of options open.
Can you actually prepare?
Yes. You can't revise the answers, but you can learn each section's format, get faster and more accurate under a clock, and refresh the technical principles behind the electrical and mechanical questions. That's exactly what focused practice delivers.
Try real DAA-style questions now.
Pick a section and answer — you'll get instant feedback and a worked explanation on every question. Completely free, right here on the page.
Verbal Reasoning
Q1 / 15
A candidate needs a car that is automatic, red and under £10,000. Which one fits?
Your run
Every DAA Ready test works like this — instant feedback and a clear reason for the answer, so you learn the pattern, not just the result.
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The six DAA sections — what each is, and how to train for it.
Open any section for a plain-English write-up, what to expect, and how to prepare — then practise it free on DAA Ready.
The DAA's verbal reasoning section — deductive puzzles, not vocabulary. Match options to a scenario, work out people's preferences, and read rules tables to reach the one correct answer. Every sitting is graded 4 easy, 4 medium and 4 hard, using only the information given.
What to expect
- Best-match items — pick the option that fits a scenario.
- Preference items — three people rank things; deduce the favourite or best compromise.
- Rules-table items — read the table, infer a blank cell, or apply a special rule.
How to prepare
- For best-match, cross off options one requirement at a time until one is left.
- For preferences, score each choice by rank for every person, then add them up.
- Answer only from the information given — never from outside knowledge.
The DAA's numerical reasoning section, run as three sections that step up in difficulty: quick mental arithmetic, then fractions and simple equations, then data interpretation — reading charts and tables and calculating from them. No calculator throughout.
What to expect
- Section 1 (easy) — times tables and decimal sums, answered fast.
- Section 2 (medium) — fractions and 'solve for x' equations.
- Section 3 (hard) — charts, tables and records to read and compute from.
How to prepare
- Estimate first to rule out wrong options, then compute the exact answer.
- Convert awkward fractions to decimals (or vice-versa) — whichever is faster.
- In data questions, read the axis labels and units before you touch the numbers.
The DAA's spatial reasoning section, in two parts: 2D shape assembly — join labelled pieces into the whole shape — then 3D, matching solid objects by their orientation using reference markers. It weighs heavily for aircrew and technical roles.
What to expect
- Part 1 — flat pieces with edges labelled x / y; pick the shape they make.
- Part 2 — two 3D objects with marker dots; pick the matching orientation.
- Multiple-choice answers (A–E), timed, getting trickier as you go.
How to prepare
- In Part 1, watch for the mirror image — it's the most common trap.
- Assemble around one fixed piece rather than moving everything at once.
- In Part 2, use the marker dots as anchors before comparing the rest.
The DAA's work-rate section — a fast letters, numbers and pictures coding grid. You're shown a short code and pick the option that repeats it using the same grid columns in the same order, swapped for their number or picture. Every item is easy; the challenge is speed with accuracy.
What to expect
- A 3-row grid (letters, numbers, pictures) across four columns.
- A code of three items, each from a separate column.
- Five options (A–E) — pick the one using the same columns in the same order.
How to prepare
- Read the code column-by-column, not left-to-right on the answers.
- Watch the order — the right items in the wrong order is the most common trap.
- Keep a steady rhythm; accuracy matters as much as speed.
The DAA's electrical comprehension section. Read simple circuit diagrams and answer questions on current, voltage, resistance and how components behave in series and parallel. It weighs most for technician and engineering roles, and assumes no prior electronics qualification.
What to expect
- Circuit diagrams with batteries, bulbs, switches and resistors.
- Questions like which bulb lights, or what happens when a switch opens.
- Multiple-choice answers, timed.
How to prepare
- Remember V = I × R — more resistance means less current for the same voltage.
- In series, one break stops everything; in parallel, other branches keep going.
- Trace the current path from the battery all the way round.
The DAA's mechanical comprehension section. Apply everyday physics to simple machines — levers, gears, pulleys, springs and forces — and predict what happens. It's about understanding principles, not memorising formulae, and weighs most for technical and engineering roles.
What to expect
- Diagrams of simple machines — a see-saw, gear train, pulley system or beam.
- Questions on which way something turns, which side is heavier, or the force needed.
- Multiple-choice answers, timed.
How to prepare
- For balance, compare force × distance on each side of the pivot.
- Meshed gears turn opposite ways; a bigger gear turns slower.
- Count the rope sections supporting a load — that's your mechanical advantage.
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DAA questions, answered
The Defence Aptitude Assessment is a timed, multiple-choice test used across RAF and Royal Navy selection. It has six sections — verbal, numerical and spatial reasoning, work rate, and electrical and mechanical comprehension — measuring reasoning and technical aptitude rather than revised knowledge.
Yes. You can't revise the answers, but you can learn each section's format, get faster and more accurate under a clock, and refresh the technical principles behind the electrical and mechanical questions. Focused practice under timed conditions is what moves your score.
Six: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Spatial Reasoning, Work Rate, Electrical Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension. Different roles weight the sections differently — some matter more for aircrew, others for technical trades.
Your performance across the six sections builds an aptitude profile that affects whether you progress and which roles you can apply for. A strong, balanced score keeps the widest set of options open.
No. The DAA is a broad aptitude assessment used in RAF and Royal Navy selection, while the CBAT is a separate, pilot-and-aircrew-specific battery. They test different things, and many aircrew candidates encounter both.
Here on this page, with instant feedback and explanations on every question, and on DAA Ready (iOS, Android and web) for full timed versions of each section.
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