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Ramsay mechanical aptitude tests

Ramsay Mechanical Aptitude Tests

  • 10 tests
  • 80 questions
Ramsay mechanical aptitude tests

The Ramsay mechanical aptitude test (Ramsay MAT-4) is an aptitude test used in the pre-employment process for entry-level positions in careers that involve engineering and mechanical skills. Like the Bennett mechanical comprehension test and others, it assesses mechanical knowledge and comprehension.

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What is a Ramsay mechanical aptitude test?

The Ramsay Corporation is an HR Consultancy firm established in 1973. It specialises in helping businesses with their pre-employment selection process, using bespoke aptitude tests to allow for screening of potential employees.

The Ramsay MAT was first developed in 2004, and is now in its fourth iteration, known as the Ramsay MAT-4. The premise of the Ramsay MAT-4 is to use mechanical and physical principles to assess the problem-solving skills of the candidate.

Like many aptitude tests, there is no previous knowledge of the job or role needed in a mechanical reasoning assessment, but a sound understanding of mechanics and physics is important. It is designed to seek out the potential of the applicant, without inference of social or cultural background.

Which professions use the Ramsay test?

As the Ramsay MAT-4 is designed to assess applicants for entry-level positions, it is widely used in a range of different professions. Future learning potential is important in these roles, and with this assessment recruiters can see how the candidate applies mechanical reasoning to solve problems.

This might be for engineering roles, as well as maintenance technicians and machine operators, tool setters and installers. Those entering into production management will need to have mechanical aptitude too, so this is a good indicator for recruiters.

There are a wide range of employers that use Ramsay mechanical aptitude tests as part of their pre-employment screening process. These include well known industrial businesses like Aerotek and Essity, as well as more generalised businesses like Coca-Cola and Amazon.

The format of the Ramsay MAT-4 test

The Ramsay MAT-4 is a multiple-choice assessment, presented as a series of images, diagrams or illustrations – usually of everyday objects – with a mechanical or physics-related question.

The test can be taken on paper as a supervised test, or as an online test in your own time. Ramsay creates tests based on specific industries and job roles, so the assessments themselves can differ depending on the job applied for.

There are 36 questions that need to be answered in 20 minutes, and the subjects can include:

  • Thermodynamics

  • Velocity

  • Force/Movement

  • Acoustics

  • Optics

  • Fluids

  • Electricity

None of the questions require deep theoretical scientific knowledge, but they do require a sound understanding of basic science (especially physics).

Each question has a number of multiple-choice answers, and only one is correct. To answer the questions, you need to be able to demonstrate mechanical comprehension and apply that knowledge for the solution.

The pass mark for the Ramsay MAT-4 will depend on the organisation. Scores are presented on a score sheet that includes the raw score for each section, with the total translated into a percentile.

This percentile may be compared on a local or national level, depending on the role applied for.

How best to prepare for a Ramsay mechanical test

As with any aptitude test, specific knowledge is not required – but you do need to have a solid scientific and mechanical knowledge to be able to answer the questions correctly.

This means understanding and applying basic principles of:

  • Gravity

  • Acceleration

  • Newton’s Laws

  • Voltages

  • Currents

  • Circuits

  • Pressure

  • Contraction

  • Expansion

  • Light

  • Reflection/Refraction

  • Sound and Acoustics

  • Equilibrium

  • Torque

  • Cooling/Heating

  • Condensation/Evaporation

Each test is developed to be relevant to the industry function, so alongside scientific knowledge, try to look for what might be included in your chosen job function.

If you are applying for an entry-level or apprenticeship position as an electrician, it is safe to assume that there will be a number of questions around the principles of electricity, for example.

Practice is important – and as with any aptitude test, practicing the specific publisher tests can make all the difference in your performance. This will give you confidence in the way the test is administered, as well as highlighting any shortcomings in your mechanical knowledge.

We have some more advice on how to pass mechanical reasoning tests, if you are looking for more general advice about mechanical reasoning.

Prepare yourself for leading employers

  • BBC
  • Deloitte
  • HSBC
  • Amazon
  • Google
  • NHS
  • Civil Service

Free practice mechanical questions

The Ramsay MAT-4 has a specific question and answer structure. As mentioned, there will be a question about an image, with multiple possible answers.

To understand what the assessment might look like, there are some practice questions below for you to try out.

Mechanical practice question 1

ramsay mechanical aptitude test

If two cogs are turning together, one with 30 teeth and the other with 20, how many revolutions would the smaller cog have turned if the larger cog had rotated 15 times?

  • A) 21
  • B) 21.5
  • C) 22
  • D) 22.5

Mechanical practice question 2

ramsay mechanical aptitude test

Which magnets will repel each other?

  • A) None of them
  • B) All of them
  • C) Pairs B and C
  • D) Pairs A and D

Mechanical practice question 3

ramsay mechanical aptitude test

Which container is being represented in this graph as it is filled with water?

Solutions

Question 1: The smaller cog rotates 1.5 times quicker than the larger as there are 1.5 times more teeth on the latter cog. This means that is the cog with 30 teeth has rotated 15 times, the smaller cog will have turned 1.5 times more. So 15 x 1.5 = 22.5 (D).

Question 2: Opposite poles on magnets attract, the matching poles repel. So the answer is A and D.

Question 3: The steepest lines on the graph represent the thinnest part of the container, as this is the part of the container that would become fuller quicker. This graph represents a container that starts thin, gradually becomes wider and then becomes thin again at the top. The answer is B.

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Ramsay Mechanical Aptitude Tests FAQs

Is the MAT-4 test hard?

Although the MAT-4 test is designed to assess a candidate for their ability to learn, successful applicants must be able to understand and apply scientific knowledge. The tests themselves describe common household objects and recognisable scenarios – like hand and power tools, or general everyday things like cars and microwaves.

The basic nature of the topics can make it seem simple, but the images themselves are often low on detail and the questions deliberately vague to make it more challenging.

The MAT-4 tests are relatively short, with only approximately 55 seconds per question, so they do not allow much time for deliberation on harder questions.

What are basic mechanical skills?

There are several laws and principles that you should be able to understand and apply in mechanical reasoning tests. These include (but are not limited to):

  • Newton’s three laws of motion, gravity, friction, acceleration (force and movement)

  • Ohm’s Law, circuits, currents and voltages

  • Rotational and linear velocity, wheels

  • The Doppler effect, attenuation, refraction, reflection (in both acoustics and optics)

  • Hydraulics, the ideal gas law, displacement, Bernoulli’s principle

  • Heating/cooling, condensation, evaporation and thermodynamics

  • Gears and pulleys

Where can I practice mechanical reasoning tests?

Here! We have several mechanical reasoning tests available for practice, including answers and explanations to help you understand how mechanical reasoning assessments work.

How are the test results displayed?

Test results are presented to the recruiter as a score sheet. This includes the raw scores for each question – which ones you got right, and which ones you got wrong.

As a general rule, employers are more interested in your percentile score, which shows how well you have performed against another group of test takers. So if you scored 80%, you have outperformed 79% of the other candidates in the comparison group.

As with other aptitude tests, the Ramsay mechanical aptitude test is administered as part of a screening process during recruitment, so scoring well helps your application as a whole and could mean progressing to the next stage.

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Ramsay Mechanical Aptitude Tests Tips

1Revise mechanics and science

Although the Ramsay mechanical aptitude test does not require any job-related knowledge, successful candidates need to be able to demonstrate an understanding of the application of basic mechanical concepts.

Use practice tests to uncover any gaps in your knowledge, and make sure that you spend some time making the most of learning resources to get up to speed. Applying your mechanical understanding to the questions is the only way to answer them correctly.

2Understand the job role

If you know that the job role is likely to be focused on plumbing, for example, it is more than likely that many of the questions will relate to fluids. You can focus your attention on this area, but remember that there are likely to be other questions too. Having an understanding of the job role will give you an inkling of what to expect – but remember, they won’t be looking for role-specific answers.

3Use the information given

The questions in the Ramsay MAT-4 are not difficult, but they are intentionally vague. The images are often low detail, even with diagrams, so it is important that you can quickly assess what the question is asking. There will only be one correct answer.

There are no ‘trick’ questions in the Ramsay test; just tricky ways of describing things.

4Be quick and accurate

Answering 36 questions in 20 minutes does not allow much time for deliberation. This means that you need to be quick when you are answering the questions – but you also need to be accurate. This is why practicing can make all the difference to your performance.

If you come across a question that poses more of a challenge in the test, leave it and move on to the next one. You can always come back to it at the end if you have time, and then you will be less likely to leave the test incomplete due to lack of time.

5Practice

Our practice tests will help you get familiar with the format and layout of the questions, with a time limit similar to the real test. This will make you more comfortable when it comes to the assessment, and you will notice where there are any gaps in your knowledge, so you can revise some more.

Mechanical Reasoning Video Tutorials

Mechanical Reasoning Tests

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Reviews of our Mechanical Reasoning tests

What our customers say about our Mechanical Reasoning tests

  • United States of America

    October 14, 2023

    Clear questions and good graphics

    I liked how the questions were framed. I also thought the graphics were fairly easy to understand. I wish there could be more questions, and that it would score you as you go.

  • Australia

    September 13, 2023

    Good

    Even though I had plenty of time left it made me feel a little nervous. I was trying to rush a little. But good questions

  • United States of America

    September 05, 2023

    Decent warm-up

    I like how this short test gives you a taste of quick decision-making in a timed environment without knowing what to expect in the next question

  • United States of America

    May 23, 2023

    Kroger's test

    I was able to attempt 6/8. It was due to external distraction. Make sure that your surroundings are calm.

  • Pakistan

    May 03, 2023

    Good diversity in questions

    Having done more than a few mechanical tests on the internet today, I found this test has a more diverse set of question than the others.

  • United States of America

    April 21, 2023

    Interesting and challenging

    I like the fact that it has a wide array of questions. It makes you think about what your answer might be, so you don't rush to an answer

  • Australia

    April 13, 2023

    I like the 'show solution' feature

    I like how there is a solution with reasoning. It helps with understanding concepts that I'm not sure of.

  • United States of America

    March 24, 2023

    Understanding polarity and revolutions per second concept

    I liked that this test switch up the thinking method to find each answer. Each question made you think with a different logic.

  • United States of America

    March 22, 2023

    Pay attention to detail

    I like that it was simple, however it doesn’t have much detail on its questions forcing you to imagine and use as much logic as possible.

  • United States of America

    February 08, 2023

    Easy to learn

    I like how much they explain every answer to the question thoroughly to help understand the answer better

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