The test is easy to introduce you into pulleys and calculating the amount of force needed to lift/pull the weight!
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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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.
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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Brandon Bais
United States of America
June 12, 2022
Great introduction to pulleys
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Mike Caruthers
United States of America
June 11, 2022
Cool
Have worked with engines all my life. First time I failed this test, second time it was a breeze – just slow down and read.
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Tracey Davis
Canada
May 30, 2022
I'm testing to see if it could apply to our workplace
The first question could have given more context. Which gave the best point of view. Give a description of "a man is standing in a room at each point, which gives him the best view of the wall in front of him" or something like that.
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Mr Bird
United States of America
May 19, 2022
Seems fine
This is the first practice test I've done, but it seems alright. I wonder if it will show me how to figure out the answers? I’m not sure of one.
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Emile De Wilde
South Africa
May 18, 2022
Read Carefully
On the one answer originally, I had the right answer but still clicked on the wrong answer because I was scared of running out of time.
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Christian NunezHernandez
United States of America
May 12, 2022
It's OK
The test is not very engaging to participate with the questions. It's a good test website, and overall test. However, it's not the best I've seen. Would, however, recommend to people.
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Madi Harris
United States of America
May 05, 2022
Basic Understanding of Gears
I liked the variety of questions, the only downside was the few easy question such as which car color would overheat.
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Martin
Czechia
April 27, 2022
Basic physics
I like that you do not need to know any specific language to complete the test, as it's mostly pictographic.
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Adellia Ingrim
United States of America
April 22, 2022
Complicated
It's complicated but it's how the Ramsay test would be at a job site. Expect to be asked a lot of random things.
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Prabodh Kumar mahawar
India
April 15, 2022
It seems good for prep
In this test figures are very clear and easy to understand. Questions are also very relevant to the subject, though sometimes questions change but their figures remain unchanged.