I liked that this test switch up the thinking method to find each answer. Each question made you think with a different logic.
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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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
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
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
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):
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Newton’s three laws of motion, gravity, friction, acceleration (force and movement)
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Ohm’s Law, circuits, currents and voltages
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Rotational and linear velocity, wheels
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The Doppler effect, attenuation, refraction, reflection (in both acoustics and optics)
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Hydraulics, the ideal gas law, displacement, Bernoulli’s principle
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Heating/cooling, condensation, evaporation and thermodynamics
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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.
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
Try Ramsay Mechanical Aptitude Tests for Free
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Free
Mechanical Reasoning 01
20 Questions|20 Minutes
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Mechanical Reasoning 02
20 Questions|20 Minutes
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Mechanical Reasoning 03
20 Questions|20 Minutes
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Reviews of our Mechanical Reasoning tests
What our customers say about our Mechanical Reasoning tests
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DMack
United States of America
March 24, 2023
Understanding polarity and revolutions per second concept
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Valentin Nuñez
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.
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Russell Clanton
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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Rick Granato
United States of America
January 18, 2023
The type of questions to expect
I like that I was given an idea on what to expect. I am going to need to take a test if I am offered a job that I signed up for.
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Chris Shannon
United States of America
December 29, 2022
thank you
i liked the test, it challenged me a lot, hopefully i do well on my real life test with this knowledge.
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Nate Pellerin
United States of America
December 09, 2022
Math
I thought it was pretty straightforward but maybe a couple questions could use a little more clarity
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Lopes Jorge Macuácua
Mozambique
November 08, 2022
The most important thing to know about machinery
I liked all things, the questions were easy and clear too, I'm so happy to be able to participate in these classes.
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Miss Thomas
United States of America
October 05, 2022
Perfect Pre-Test
The explanation for each question is helping to understand the scenario and prepare for my aptitude test.
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Glenn Alexander II
United States of America
September 23, 2022
Great test
I like that this gave different situational questions I had never been asked before. It made me think about some of them.
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William Thompson
United States of America
September 22, 2022
I learned a few things
I was able to really understand why I got questions wrong and it explained it to me very well for me to understand