British Army Interview Questions and Selection Tests

The British Army recruits soldiers into a wide range of roles, from infantry and engineering to logistics, IT and healthcare, and selects officers for training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Whichever route you take, you will be tested on paper and in person: a computer-based cognitive test, fitness tests, team tasks and at least one interview.

This page walks through the soldier and officer selection process as the Army describes it, gives you practice questions in the style of the cognitive test, and lists the interview questions recruiters and assessors ask most, with example answers that sound like real candidates.

The soldier selection process, step by step

The Army describes the soldier route as a three-stage journey, with a local recruiter supporting you throughout. You can track progress in the online Candidate Portal.

Stage 1: Army Briefing

After you apply, you are given a local recruiter, who may ask extra questions. You are then invited to an online Army Briefing, where you learn more about Army life and can ask questions. You also receive a personal development plan to help you prepare for the Assessment Centre. Treat the recruiter conversations as part of the selection: they notice who follows the plan and who does not.

Stage 2: The Assessment Centre

The Assessment Centre takes place at one of the Army's centres in the UK, and the Army pays for your travel. Its application page describes a two-day visit, while its assessment page describes a "3 day / 2 night" stay, so plan for up to three days. During the visit you complete:

  • A full medical examination. No needles or blood tests, but a full health review and a head-to-toe examination. The final medical decision is made after the doctor has seen you in person.
  • Computer-based tests. Everybody takes the Army Cognitive Test (Verifier), a series of five tests designed to measure your soldier potential. Your score determines which jobs you can apply for. If you do not have GCSE grade A to C / 9 to 4 (or equivalent) in Maths or English, you also sit a literacy and numeracy test.
  • Fitness tests. Three tests: a mid-thigh pull (pulling a bar for 5 seconds, then rest and repeat), a seated throw of a 4kg medicine ball, and a continuous 2km run after an 800m warm-up. The standard depends on the role you want.
  • Team tasks to see how you work with other people.
  • An interview, which the application page calls a career discussion.

The Army stresses that you are assessed throughout your whole stay, not just during the activities. You find out your result and next steps at the end of the visit.

Stage 3: After assessment

The Army checks your references and runs background checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service, Disclosure Scotland, Access Northern Ireland and National Security Vetting. If all is in order you receive an offer of employment and a start date for Phase 1 training. How quickly you start depends on your job and the grade you were given at assessment.

About the "Army Entrance Test" or BARB

You will see the names BARB (British Army Recruit Battery) and Army Entrance Test in older guides and forums. The Army's own site now refers to the Army Cognitive Test (Verifier). The Army offers a free practice version you can take as many times as you like, and it does not see your practice results. Use it: the format is the most reliable guide you will find. Our overview of aptitude tests for military selection explains how these batteries compare across the services.

The officer route and the Army Officer Selection Board

The officer process has four stages, according to the Army:

  1. Apply online and complete a medical history form. There are three yearly intakes for officers (January, May and September), and the Army says it can take around six months from application to starting at Sandhurst.
  2. Interview with a recruiter, conducted by online video call. You also get advice on preparing for the next stage.
  3. Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB) in Westbury, Wiltshire, in two parts:
    • Briefing: two days of physical and practical exercises, plus teaching on how to prepare for the Main Board. If you show you are ready, you are put forward for a place.
    • Main Board: a four-day residential assessment. The Army publishes a day-by-day outline of the shorter version for professionally qualified officers, which includes psychometric tests of cognitive ability and personality, a group discussion with a short introduction from each candidate, a short essay, a five-minute lecturette, interviews, leaderless and command tasks, a planning exercise and the Multi-Stage Fitness Test.
  4. After assessment: background checks, a pre-commissioning course, then the 44-week commissioning course at Sandhurst.

The Army lists officer fitness pass levels as a 76kg mid-thigh pull, a 3.1m medicine ball throw and level 7.10 on the Multi-Stage Fitness Test. At Main Board, the Army adds that candidates should aspire to reach level 8.7 on the MSFT, which is run up to level 11.6. The planning exercise is a written test of conceptual problem solving, covering aims, factors, options and your plan, followed by a group discussion. The Army's own advice for AOSB is to research the part of the Army you want to join, comfortably meet the fitness standards and keep up with current affairs, especially on society and defence.

Practice questions in the style of the Army tests

These are our own items, written to reflect the skills the cognitive tests and literacy and numeracy test measure. They are not real Army questions.

Practice question 1

A section of 8 soldiers needs 3 ration packs each per day for a 4-day exercise. How many ration packs are needed?

A. 32 B. 72 C. 96 D. 128

Answer: C. 8 x 3 = 24 packs per day, and 24 x 4 = 96.

Practice question 2

A vehicle covers 180km on 30 litres of fuel. How far can it travel on 45 litres at the same rate?

A. 225km B. 240km C. 270km D. 300km

Answer: C. 180 / 30 = 6km per litre. 6 x 45 = 270km.

Practice question 3

Read the statement: "All drivers on the course must hold a full licence. Sam is on the course." Which conclusion must be true?

A. Sam is a good driver B. Sam holds a full licence C. Sam will pass the course D. Sam drives every day

Answer: B. Only B follows from the two sentences. The others may or may not be true, but nothing in the statement tells you.

Practice question 4

What comes next in the sequence: 3, 6, 12, 24, ...?

A. 30 B. 36 C. 42 D. 48

Answer: D. Each number doubles, so 24 x 2 = 48.

Practice question 5

During a team task at the Assessment Centre, your group is struggling to lift a heavy item over a barrier, and two members are arguing about the method. What is the best response?

A. Wait for the assessor to step in B. Suggest a quick plan, check everyone agrees, and get the group working on it C. Do the task on your own to show initiative D. Tell the two arguing members to stop and leave it to the rest

Answer: B. It moves the team forward and keeps everyone involved, which is exactly what team tasks look for. A is passive, C ignores the team, and D removes two people from the task.

Practice question 6

A march of 12km starts at 07:30. The section moves at 4km per hour with one 15-minute rest. What time does it finish?

A. 10:15 B. 10:30 C. 10:45 D. 11:00

Answer: C. 12 / 4 = 3 hours of marching, plus 15 minutes of rest, so 3 hours 15 minutes after 07:30 is 10:45. For more practice, see our numerical reasoning practice questions.

The Army interview: format and what assessors look for

Soldier candidates have conversations with their recruiter and an interview or career discussion at the Assessment Centre. Officer candidates have an online interview with a recruiter and further interviews at AOSB. The common thread: motivation, knowledge of the role, fitness, teamwork and resilience. Prepare short examples using the STAR method, drawing on school, work, sport, cadets or volunteering.

1. Why do you want to join the Army?

Example answer: "I want a job where what I do matters to the people next to me. I played rugby for eight years and the part I liked most was the team relying on each other. I also want a trade, and the Army trains you properly and pays you while you learn."

2. Why have you chosen this role?

Example answer: "I have applied for vehicle mechanic. I already help my uncle at his garage on Saturdays, and I like finding the fault rather than just swapping parts. I have read that the training covers wheeled and tracked vehicles, which I could not get anywhere else."

3. What do you know about Phase 1 training?

Example answer: "It is basic training, where you learn drill, fieldcraft, weapon handling, fitness and how to look after your kit and yourself. It is hard on purpose, and the aim is to turn civilians into soldiers before you go on to your trade training."

4. How have you prepared for the fitness tests?

Example answer: "I followed the development plan from my recruiter. I run three times a week, including one timed 2km, and I do strength work twice a week. My 2km time has come down by over a minute since I started, and I log every session."

5. Tell me about a time you worked in a team under pressure.

Example answer: "At my warehouse job a lorry arrived late on a Friday and had to be unloaded before the weekend. I suggested we split into two lines, one unloading and one scanning, and I took the scanning so nothing got missed. We finished on time and the supervisor used the same set-up after that."

6. How will you cope with being away from home?

Example answer: "I spent six weeks working at a summer camp last year, so I have been away before. I kept in touch with my family once a week and got stuck in with the staff team. My family support my application, which helps."

7. Tell me about a time you made a mistake.

Example answer: "I once mixed up two orders at work and a customer got the wrong delivery. I owned up to my manager straight away, rang the customer and helped re-pack the order. I now double-check labels before anything leaves the bay."

8. What do the Army's values mean to you?

Example answer: "The Army's six values are courage, discipline, respect for others, integrity, loyalty and selfless commitment. For me, integrity is the one I already live by: if I say I will do something, I do it, even when nobody is checking."

9. Officer: Tell me about a time you led a group.

Example answer: "As captain of my university hockey team, we lost our first four games. I set up a short meeting, asked what was not working, and we changed training to focus on defence. We won five of the next eight games, and two first-year players stayed on because they felt listened to."

10. Officer: What current defence issue interests you?

Example answer: "I have been reading about how drones have changed the battlefield in Ukraine, and what that means for how the British Army trains and equips soldiers. It makes me think the officers who do well will be the ones who keep learning."

Practical tips for Army selection

  • Start fitness training on day one. The Army lists fitness as one of the factors that affects how long your application takes.
  • Use the official practice test for the cognitive test, and practise basic arithmetic without a calculator.
  • Know your role inside out. Read the role page, then talk to your recruiter or a serving soldier about the real day-to-day work.
  • Behave well at all times. You are assessed throughout your stay.
  • Officers: read the news daily and practise speaking for five minutes on a topic, ready for the lecturette.
  • Common mistakes: vague reasons for joining, no knowledge of the chosen role, and turning up unfit.

The Army does not publish one pay figure that applies to every candidate, so check the current rate for your role on the Army's site. For structured preparation, our interview and test training package includes numerical, verbal and reasoning practice alongside interview preparation. You can also compare this process with the RAF and Royal Navy routes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What test do you take to join the British Army?

Soldier candidates take the Army Cognitive Test (Verifier), a series of five computer-based tests at the Assessment Centre. Your score determines which jobs you can apply for. Candidates without GCSE grade 4/C (or equivalent) in English or Maths also sit a literacy and numeracy test.

Is the Army test the same as the BARB test?

Older guides and forums still use names such as BARB or Army Entrance Test. The Army's own site now calls it the Army Cognitive Test (Verifier). Prepare with the official practice test, as the format there reflects the current version.

How long is the Army Assessment Centre?

The Army describes the soldier Assessment Centre as a two-day visit on its application page and as a three-day, two-night stay on its assessment page. Plan for up to three days and check your joining instructions.

What do they ask at the Army interview?

Expect questions about why you want to join, why you chose your role, what you know about Army life and training, your fitness preparation, teamwork and how you cope with pressure and being away from home.

How do officers get selected?

Officer candidates apply online and complete a medical history form, have a video interview with a recruiter, then attend the Army Officer Selection Board in Westbury: a two-day Briefing followed by a four-day Main Board.

About the author

Ingmar van Maurik is a specialist in test and interview preparation who helps candidates perform better in recruitment processes.

References