Advice re: Son failed navy pyschometric test please

bluetimone97

My son who is 18 and still at college(studying public services) until July applied for the navy, when he sat his pyschometric test he failed the maths part.
He has always struggled with maths, he has sat his maths GCSE twice and got a D both times.
He is not allowed to apply again for a year, does anyone know if all army/navy tests are at a similar level please?

He is really annoyed at himself for failing.

Esoog

I'm not sure if they are different between the services to be honest, I suspect they may be.. However get on over to the Armyjobs site, there's a few sample questions on there somewhere.

I personally wouldn't advise just trying the Army because he failed the Navy one and thinks it'll be easier, if he's serious about the Navy he should/could (personal opinion) spend the next year preparing for his next try, maybe join the RNR as well...

Anyway, like I said there's samples on the site and you can get practice sheets from an Armed Forces Career Office too

http://www.army.mod.uk/join/20084.aspx

Rainmaker_uk

I feel for him. I hate pyschometric testing and always fail. I just don't get the boxes and triangles stuff!

There are a number of resources available to help him prepare for next year's tests. Please be aware that there are many different types of tests numerical reasoning is one such type - it sounds like this may have been the one that caught him out?

http://www.psychometric-success.com/

This is just one site but if you do some searches on Google you will find loads. As with many things there is a knack to these tests and you can prepare!

bluetimone97

Thanks guys, there was a 5 year wait anyway (according to the careers office), so another year is not the end of the world, it is the navy he wants so will make sure he revises more next time, am hoping he is going to travel for a few months so he does not get stuck in the full time wage slave habit

Fergie76

The Navy is currently cutting 5000 jobs and although they will still be recruiting to avoid the blackhole of the last redundancies, they will be able to be much pickier in who they choose.

If I was him and was serious about joining, I try and go to college and re-sit my maths, but also maybe do a trade, as a fail-safe should, he not get in.

Be able to go back to the careers office in 12 months time and say look I've passed my maths, will show the AFCO that he is serious.

As someone else mention, also try and join the RNR.

What branch does he want to join? Also on Rum Ration there are a couple of AFCO workers there, one of them is Ninja_Stoker.

Oldernotwiser

Rainmaker_uk wrote: »

I feel for him. I hate pyschometric testing and always fail. I just don't get the boxes and triangles stuff!

There are a number of resources available to help him prepare for next year's tests. Please be aware that there are many different types of tests numerical reasoning is one such type - it sounds like this may have been the one that caught him out?

http://www.psychometric-success.com/

This is just one site but if you do some searches on Google you will find loads. As with many things there is a knack to these tests and you can prepare!

I'd bear in mind that it's not just a question of acquiring the "knack" to pass the tests. As the OP's son's struggling with Maths generally, he'd be much better spending the time concentrating on improving his Maths, much of which will actually be needed in many aspects of technical training.

bluetimone97

He was in the air cadets for 3 years, but yes he does struggle with what he sees as complicated maths, equations etc. I am sure half the trouble is that he panics when he sees something that he struggles with. I have suggested that he resits Maths again.
I think he is just slightly disallusioned with studying, he works as hard as he can, as he is not what I would call an academic child and knows he has to work alot harder than his classmates to achieve similar results.

The_Matelot

The navy is still recruiting just at a much slower rate so he will still be able to get to raliegh (its a great nine weeks by the way!) i would advise he goes back to the AFCO and speaks to the chief and he/she may be able to help because at the end of the day its thier job to get people in. and the sites others have suggested would be beneficial to. just out of interest (and noseiness) what branch is he looking at joining?

mountainofdebt

OP

Have been meaning to reply for a couple of days now but have now only chance so apologies.

Firstly the thing that your son may have found is that it's not so much maths is the problem but with the amount of questions that has to be answered as opposed to the time to answer them in.

He can deal with this by practising the type of questions he was asked - the BBC GSCE bitesize site has been recommended. Also there is a site where you can practise the questions but as I think it charges on a per month basis perhaps this would be better to access nearer the time.

However if he goes to the rumration website, on the newbies forum there are examples of similar questions again on there (I think they're under the threads that have been stuck - I think its under FAQs)

Also what does he want to do in the RN? He needs to bear in mind that its not simply a case of passing these tests....he needs to obtain satisfactory scores for the trade he wants to go in as.

I was talking to a recruitment advisor recently and for rating trades there is an 18 month to 4 year wait :eek: - I don't know what the waiting time for officer entry is but there is a longer application process for them anyway (having said that I know that the RN aren't even processing applications for pilots until early next year and even then there are rumours that the numbers will be limited to 20 entrants next year :eek::eek:)

In the meantime, I would advise he works on his level of fitness making sure that when the time comes, he is able to run the distance in the required time.

bluetimone97

Thanks guys, he ideally wanted to be a handler, he was open to suggestion though. You are right in the fact he did not have time to complete the test.
His fitness level is high as has played semi pro football until recently and still plays 3 times a week amongst going to the gym.
Will get him to practice more. Lol
I am not sure if it is relelvent but he was tested for dyslexia twice by his school/college, but he is not, I think he reads slower than a comparable age group too to ensure he fully understands.

mhoc

A bit depressing isnt it.:mad:

My youngest is about to start 3 years of uni - taking outdoor sports studies and he is thinking of joining the services after. it sounds like he needs to start his application now as he might be one who fails the isometric tests on the 1st or 2nd attempt becasue his maths is also at the D level. And by the time he has passed these he could be on a waiting list to join or years ....:eek: