RAF Interview Questions and Aptitude Test Guide

The Royal Air Force recruits enlisted aviators (the term the RAF now uses for what used to be called airmen and airwomen) and officers into roles ranging from engineering, cyber and intelligence to catering, logistics, the RAF Regiment and aircrew. Every candidate goes through an aptitude test, a medical, a fitness test and at least one interview, and officers also attend the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC).

This page sets out the RAF selection process as the RAF describes it, gives practice questions in the style of the aptitude test, and covers the interview questions you are most likely to face, with example answers.

Eligibility in brief

The RAF says you must be aged between 16 and 54 to join, and you can start your application at 15. Qualification requirements vary by role: some need none or are offered as apprenticeships, others need GCSEs, A-levels or a degree. Officers need A-levels (or equivalent) or a degree, depending on the role. Nationality and residency rules also differ by role. The RAF screens all candidates for sickle cell trait and sends a family origin questionnaire after you apply.

The RAF lists common reasons applications fail: incomplete applications, uploading only your most recent or highest qualification, missing further communications, not meeting nationality and residency rules, and not meeting minimum fitness requirements. All of these are avoidable.

The enlisted aviator selection process

The RAF describes six stages for full-time enlisted aviators.

Stage 1: Aptitude test

The Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA) has six multiple-choice sections, each focused on a different skill:

  • Verbal reasoning: using and interpreting written information
  • Numerical reasoning: basic fractions, decimals and formulae
  • Work rate: speed and accuracy on simple tasks
  • Spatial reasoning: how shapes and objects work
  • Electrical comprehension: working with electrical concepts
  • Mechanical comprehension: grasp of mechanical concepts

The RAF offers an online practice test. Your results matter for which roles you can be offered, so treat the practice seriously. Older guides call this the Airman Selection Test or AST; the RAF now uses the DAA name. Our guide to aptitude tests for military selection compares it with the Army and Navy tests.

Stage 2: Selection interview

The interview takes place at a local Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO). The RAF lists the topics: family life, education, work experience, special interests and hobbies, interest in the RAF, training, the role you have applied for and the RAF itself. You are asked a series of standard questions and can ask your own during the debrief afterwards.

Some roles need a second interview or test, which the RAF says is normally held over one to three days at an RAF base, so you can see the environment you would work in.

Stage 3: Health assessment

An occupational health assessment checks your overall health, including hearing, eyesight and body mass index, and screens for past illnesses or conditions that could stop you doing the role.

Stage 4: Fitness test

The Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT) is a 2.4km run at a fitness centre near you; the RAF's role pages describe it as a treadmill run set to zero incline. The required standard differs by age and gender. Some roles add further tests: RAF Regiment Gunner applicants, for example, attend a four-day RAF Regiment Selection Course at RAF Honington, which includes a 2km run to be completed in 9 minutes 30 seconds or under, a seated 4kg medicine ball throw to 3.1m, a 95kg mid-thigh pull, specialist briefs, an introduction to the assault course and an immersive exercise.

Stage 5: Acceptance

Once you have completed every stage, you are invited to a provisional offer of service interview at your nearest AFCO, which checks you understand the terms and conditions of service and are fully committed.

Stage 6: Basic training

Basic Recruit Training lasts 10 weeks at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire and includes a four-day field exercise, Exercise Blue Warrior.

The officer selection process and OASC

The RAF describes seven stages for officers: aptitude test, health assessment, fitness test, OASC, a familiarisation visit, acceptance and training. The aptitude test covers the same six areas as above, with some variation for specialist roles such as medical officers.

OASC is your first visit to the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre. The RAF says it lasts one day, but you arrive the day before. Officers assess your leadership, teamwork, communication, motivation and problem solving, and the day ends with an interview in two halves:

  • First half: your achievements at school and college, in sport, in your community, at work, and as a cadet, scout or guide.
  • Second half: your motivation for joining, current affairs and the RAF's role nationally and internationally, current RAF operations, and your knowledge of the RAF and the role you have applied for.

The familiarisation visit lasts two days: you are issued initial kit, attend lectures and repeat the fitness test taken at OASC. Training is the Modular Initial Officer Training Course at Cranwell. Candidates for aircrew roles report extra computer-based aptitude testing at OASC; check your joining instructions for what applies to you.

Practice questions in the style of the RAF aptitude test

These are our own items, written to reflect the six DAA areas. They are not real RAF questions.

Practice question 1

Which is the same as 3/4?

A. 0.34 B. 0.6 C. 0.75 D. 1.25

Answer: C. 3 divided by 4 is 0.75.

Practice question 2

A Hercules-style transport flight is loaded with 12 pallets weighing 450kg each. What is the total load?

A. 4,500kg B. 5,000kg C. 5,400kg D. 6,000kg

Answer: C. 12 x 450 = 5,400kg.

Practice question 3

If speed = distance / time, how long does an aircraft take to fly 900km at 600km per hour?

A. 1 hour B. 1 hour 20 minutes C. 1 hour 30 minutes D. 2 hours

Answer: C. Time = distance / speed = 900 / 600 = 1.5 hours, which is 1 hour 30 minutes.

Practice question 4

Read the passage: "All personnel must sign in at the guardroom before entering the hangar. Visitors must also be escorted." Which statement is true according to the passage?

A. Visitors do not need to sign in B. Personnel need an escort C. Visitors must sign in and be escorted D. Only visitors sign in

Answer: C. "All personnel" sign in, and visitors must "also" be escorted, so visitors do both. Our verbal reasoning practice questions cover this style in more depth.

Practice question 5

Gear A has 20 teeth and drives gear B, which has 40 teeth. If gear A turns 10 times, how many times does gear B turn?

A. 5 B. 10 C. 20 D. 40

Answer: A. Gear B has twice as many teeth, so it turns half as many times: 10 / 2 = 5. Meshed gears also turn in opposite directions.

Practice question 6

Two identical bulbs are connected in series to a battery. One bulb fails and breaks the circuit. What happens to the other bulb?

A. It gets brighter B. It stays the same C. It goes out D. It flickers

Answer: C. In a series circuit there is only one path for the current. If one bulb breaks it, current stops and the other bulb goes out. In a parallel circuit, it would stay lit.

Practice question 7

Work rate style: find the code. If A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 and so on, what does the code 18-1-6 spell?

A. RAF B. RAG C. SAF D. QAF

Answer: A. R is the 18th letter, A is 1 and F is 6. Work rate sections reward speed and accuracy, so practise against the clock.

The RAF interview: format and example answers

Enlisted aviator interviews follow a standard set of questions on the topics above. Officer interviews at OASC are deeper, with more on achievements, current affairs and RAF operations. In both, assessors want honest, specific examples. Structure them with the STAR method and keep each answer to around two minutes.

1. Why do you want to join the RAF?

Example answer: "I have been in the Air Cadets for four years and the parts I enjoy most are the engineering visits and working as a team on camps. I want a career where I get proper technical training, qualifications and a real purpose, and the RAF offers all three."

2. Why have you chosen this role?

Example answer: "I applied for aircraft technician. I am doing a level 3 engineering course and I like fault-finding. I have read that the training leads to an apprenticeship, and I spoke to a technician at an open day who explained what a normal shift on the line looks like."

3. What do you know about the RAF's current operations?

Example answer: "The RAF provides Quick Reaction Alert to protect UK airspace around the clock, contributes to NATO air policing in Eastern Europe, and supports humanitarian and evacuation missions. I try to follow the RAF news pages to keep up to date."

4. What do you know about basic training?

Example answer: "It is 10 weeks at RAF Halton. You are sworn in, learn drill, core values and the code of conduct, then do force protection training and a four-day field exercise called Blue Warrior before adventurous training and graduation."

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

Example answer: "At my supermarket job, two colleagues called in sick on a Saturday. The supervisor asked me to cover the tills and the click-and-collect desk. I set up a quick rota with another colleague so the desk was never empty, and we got through the day without a single complaint."

6. How do you handle pressure?

Example answer: "I break things down. During my exams I also had a part-time job, so I wrote a weekly plan and stuck to it. When things go wrong, I focus on the next step instead of the whole problem."

7. What are the RAF's core values?

Example answer: "Respect, Integrity, Service and Excellence, sometimes shortened to RISE. Service is the one that stands out to me, because it means putting the team and the task before yourself."

8. How are you preparing for the fitness test?

Example answer: "I run three times a week, including one timed 2.4km, and I have added interval sessions. My time has improved every month since I started, and I am now comfortably inside the standard for my age."

9. What would you find hardest about RAF life?

Example answer: "Probably being posted away from home and not choosing where I live. I have thought about it and talked it through with my family. I think the friendships people describe from training and postings will make it easier."

10. Officer: Tell me about a time you led others.

Example answer: "As a Sergeant in the Air Cadets, I organised a fundraising day with ten cadets. I split them into three teams with clear jobs, checked in every hour and swapped people when one stall got busy. We raised more than we had planned and the squadron used it for a new tent."

11. Officer: What current affairs issue affects the RAF?

Example answer: "Air defence has become much more important since the war in Ukraine, especially against drones and missiles. It affects what the RAF buys and trains for, and it shows why working closely with NATO partners matters."

Practical tips for RAF selection

  • Practise every DAA section, not just the ones you like. Mechanical and electrical comprehension catch out many candidates who have never studied physics.
  • Know your role and the RAF. Read the role page, visit an AFCO event and learn the basics of current operations.
  • Start running now. The RAF lists not meeting minimum fitness requirements as a common reason applications fail.
  • Upload all your qualifications, not just the highest, and check your email and portal regularly.
  • Dress smartly for interviews: a suit or smart trousers and shirt.
  • Common mistakes: vague answers about why you want to join, not knowing what the role involves, and saying you want to fly when you applied for a ground role.

The RAF does not publish a single pay figure for all candidates, so check the current rate on your role page. For structured preparation, our all tests package includes numerical, verbal, mechanical and spatial reasoning practice plus interview preparation. If you are also considering the British Army or Royal Navy, the tests are similar but the interviews differ.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is in the RAF aptitude test?

The RAF aptitude test, the Defence Aptitude Assessment, has six multiple-choice sections: verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, work rate, spatial reasoning, electrical comprehension and mechanical comprehension. The RAF offers an online practice test.

What questions are asked at the RAF selection interview?

The RAF says the enlisted aviator interview covers family life, education, work experience, interests and hobbies, your interest in the RAF, training, the role you applied for and the RAF itself. You are asked a series of standard questions and can ask your own in the debrief.

What happens at OASC?

OASC is the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre. The RAF says it lasts one day, with arrival the day before, and assesses leadership, teamwork, communication, motivation and problem solving. The day ends with an interview about your achievements and your motivation and knowledge.

What fitness test does the RAF use?

Candidates take the Pre-Joining Fitness Test, a 2.4km run, which the RAF describes as a treadmill run at a local fitness centre. The standard differs by age and gender, so check the current entry requirements for your role.

Is an airman the same as an enlisted aviator?

Yes. The RAF now uses the term enlisted aviator for non-commissioned personnel, the group previously described as airmen and airwomen.

About the author

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

References