Technical exercise · ~2 min a run · free
Mechanical Reasoning
Apply everyday physics: gears, levers and more.
Session mode
Pace
12 items, ~50 s/item. The full set at the pace a longer technical block is set at.
Difficulty
Auto sets the level from your recent results: up when you are acing it, down when it is too hard.
How to play
- 1Read the scenario and picture how it works.
- 2Apply the basic physical principle involved.
- 3Choose the answer that physics supports.
See a worked example
A block and tackle with four supporting rope sections lifts a 100 kg load. What effort is needed? Mechanical items reward one idea above all others: you never get something for nothing. Four sections share the load, so the effort drops to about a quarter, 25 kg, and the price is paid in distance, because you must pull four times as much rope. That trade shows up everywhere on this exercise. A lever gives you force and takes away travel. A hydraulic jack gives you force and takes away travel. A gear that turns more slowly turns with more torque. So when you meet an unfamiliar mechanism, ask which quantity it multiplies and which one it must therefore divide, and you can usually answer without knowing the device. The trap is the option that multiplies force AND keeps the distance, which is the answer people pick when they reason from the picture instead of from the trade.
Mechanical reasoning tests your grasp of basic physical principles: gears, levers, pulleys, pressure, buoyancy and stability. Read each scenario and choose the answer that physics gives.
About this test
About this test
What this test measures
This measures understanding of basic mechanical principles: gears, levers, pulleys, pressure and motion applied to simple physical scenarios. It rewards applied feel for how things work over memorised formulas, the practical understanding that later aircraft-systems study rests on.
How to improve your score
- Reason from the principle each time, which way the force or motion must go, rather than recognising the picture.
- Learn the basics of gears, levers, pulleys and pressure, then apply them to new cases.
- Notice mechanisms in everyday machines so the ideas become intuitive.
Good to know
Good to know
Name the principle first
Before reading the options, decide what kind of mechanism the scenario shows: a lever, a gear pair, a pulley system, a hydraulic balance, or a stability question. Each type has its own short rule set: moments must balance about a lever's fulcrum, the larger driven gear in a pair turns slower but delivers more torque, and connected fluid columns carry equal pressure at the same depth. Naming the type points you at the right rule and avoids reasoning from scratch.What selection tests for
Questions use everyday objects and pictures rather than formulas, because the aim is to check whether you have an intuitive grasp of how physical systems behave. A pilot who understands why a longer lever arm needs less force, or why a smaller hydraulic piston travels faster, will find aircraft systems easier to learn and quicker to diagnose when something goes wrong. Strong candidates name the principle behind each scenario in a few seconds and apply it confidently.
Frequently asked questions
What topics are covered?
What topics are covered?
Do I need an engineering background?
Do I need an engineering background?
Why is it part of selection?
Why is it part of selection?
Training for an airline assessment?
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