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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1

Mechanical reasoning questions are used to select for a wide range of jobs including the military
(Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), police forces, fire services, as well as many craft,
technical and engineering occupations. These questions measure your knowledge of straightforward
mechanical and physical concepts. For example:

Levers
Pulleys
Gears
Springs
Simple Electrical Circuits
Tools
Shop Arithmetic

Mechanical reasoning questions vary widely in difficulty from test to test. For example, if you are
taking a mechanical reasoning test as part of the selection process for the emergency services or the
military then the questions will tend to concentrate on principles rather than on making calculations.
For example, you may be shown three diagrams of a lever and asked which one is the most
efficient.
If however, you are taking a test for a craft or technical job then you may be expected to calculate
the actual force required to move a particular lever. In this case, knowing the principle is not
enough, you need to know the formula.
The questions in this practice paper are most applicable to technical and engineering jobs.
If you are taking a test as part of the selection for a craft or apprenticeship job you should also
expect some shop arithmetic questions. These questions approximate the type of reasoning and
maths that are needed to estimate materials costs. You will need to know the formulae for
calculating the areas and volumes of simple shapes, as well as familiarity with imperial units
including: inches, feet and yards. For example, you need to know that there are nine square feet in a
square yard, something which surprises many people brought up using only metric units!
One final point, many of the questions in mechanical reasoning tests are industry specific. For
example, tests used by the fire service tend to frame the questions in terms of fire-fighting whereas
tests used to select for an aircraft maintenance job would tend to frame the questions in aviation
industry terms. It doesnt matter if the questions you practice on arent specific to the industry you
are applying for. It is the substance of the question that is important the scenario is incidental.

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1


40 Questions
Answer as many questions as you can in 30 minutes. Circle the letter below the question
which corresponds to the correct answer. You are advised to use a calculator.
1) How much weight is required to balance the lever?

A
15Kg

B
5Kg

C
10Kg

D
7.5Kg

E
20Kg
A

2) How far from the fulcrum does the 60 lb weight need to be to balance the lever?

A
9 ft

B
7 ft

C
14 ft

D
12 ft

E
10 ft
A

3) How much weight is required to balance the lever?

A
15 lbs

B
12 lbs

C
18 lbs

D
16 lbs

E
20 lbs
A

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1


4) How much weight is required to balance the lever?

A
30 lbs

B
25 lbs

C
28 lbs

D
40 lbs

E
35 lbs
A

5) How far from the fulcrum does the 78 lb weight need to be to balance the lever?

A
6 ft

B
11 ft

C
10 ft

D
8ft

E
12 ft
A

6) Approximately how much force is needed to lift the weight?

A
9 lbs

B
18 lbs

C
6 lbs

D
24 lbs

E
10 lbs
A

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1


7) Approximately how much force is needed to lift the weight?

A
24 lbs

B
10 lbs

C
48 lbs

D
12 lbs

E
18 lbs
A

8) Approximately how much force is needed to lift the weight?

A
36 lbs

B
10 lbs

C
18 lbs

D
9 lbs

E
14 lbs
A

9) How far does B need to move to lift the weight 6 feet?

A
3 ft

B
6 ft

C
12 ft

D
8 ft

E
18 ft
A

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1


10) Which of the pulley systems shown are stable?

A
X only

B
Y only

C
Z only

D
X&Z

E
Y&Z
A

11) If gear X turns clockwise at a constant speed of 10 rpm. How does gear Y turn?

anti c/w 10 rpm

c/w 10 rpm

c/w 5 rpm

anti c/w 5 rpm

c/w 20 rpm

12) If gear X turns clockwise at a constant speed of 10 rpm. How does gear Y turn?

anti c/w 10 rpm

c/w 10 rpm

c/w 5 rpm

anti c/w 5 rpm

c/w 20 rpm

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1


13) If gear X turns clockwise at a constant speed of 10 rpm. How does gear Y turn?

anti c/w 10 rpm

c/w 10 rpm

c/w 5 rpm

anti c/w 5 rpm

c/w 20 rpm

14) If gear X turns clockwise at a constant speed of 10 rpm. How does gear Y turn?

anti c/w 10 rpm

c/w 10 rpm

c/w 5 rpm

anti c/w 5 rpm

c/w 20 rpm

15) If bar Y moves left a constant speed. How does bar X move?

A
Left, Faster

B
Left, Same

C
Left, Slower

D
Right, Same

E
Right, Slower
A

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1


16) If drive wheel X rotates clockwise at a speed of 10 rpm. How does wheel Y turn?

anti c/w faster

c/w slower

c/w faster

anti c/w slower

anti c/w same

17) If drive wheel X rotates clockwise at a speed of 10 rpm. How does wheel Y turn?

anti c/w faster

c/w slower

c/w faster

anti c/w slower

c/w same

18) If drive wheel X rotates clockwise at a speed of 10 rpm. How does wheel Y turn?

anti c/w faster

c/w slower

c/w faster

anti c/w slower

c/w same

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1


19) If drive wheel X rotates clockwise at a speed of 10 rpm. How does wheel Y turn?

anti c/w faster

c/w slower

c/w faster

anti c/w slower

c/w same

20) A force of 5 Kg compresses the springs in series 10cm. What will be the total distance
that the springs in parallel are compressed?

A
10 cms

B
5 cms

C
2.5 cms

D
7.5 cms

E
15 cms
A

21) A force of 5 Kg compresses the springs in series 10cm. What will be the total distance
that the springs in parallel are compressed?

A
2.5 cms

B
5 cms

C
7.5 cms

D
10 cms

E
15 cms
A

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E
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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1


22) In the circuit shown, how many switches need to be closed to light up one bulb?

A
None

B
One

C
Two

D
Three

E
Four
A

23) In the circuit shown, how many bulbs will light when the switch is closed?

A
None

B
One

C
Two

D
Three

E
Four
A

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1

24) Which is the most suitable tool for breaking up concrete?


A
None

B
1

C
2

D
3

E
4
A

25) Which is the most suitable tool for assembling a friction fit wooden frame?
A
None

B
1

C
2

D
3

E
4
A

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1

26) Which tool or combination of tools would be most useful for general woodwork?
A
4&2

B
3, 5 & 7

C
2, 4 & 6

D
4&7

E
3&6
A

27) Which tool or combination of tools would be most useful for repairing a broken radio?
A
1&8

B
3, 5 & 7

C
8

D
1&9

E
3&6
A

28) Which tool or combination of tools would be most useful for working with sheet glass?
A
4&2

B
6

C
9

D
4

E
3&6
A

29) Which tool or combination of tools would be most useful for auto body repair work?
A
1&8

B
3, 5 & 7

C
8

D
1&9

E
3&6
A

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1

The sketch shows the floor plan of a bathroom. The shower tray is 2'6" square and is
fixed to the floor. The toilet and washbasin are both wall mounted.

30) Allowing for 15% wastage, approximately how many square yards of floor tiles should
be ordered?
A
7.25

B
6.25

C
9.25

D
5.50

E
8.50
A

31) The floor tiles measure 6" square and can be laid at a rate of 30 per hour.
Approximately how long will it take to tile the floor?
A
14 hrs

B
4 hrs

C
12 hrs

D
8 hrs

E
10 hrs
A

32) The bathroom is 8' high, the window measures 2' square and the door measures 7' x
2'6". How many square yards is the remaining wall area of the room?
A
32

B
22

C
24

D
25

E
27
A

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1

The sketch above shows a component which is stamped out of sheet steel. The square
in the center is discarded. These components are stamped out of a continuous steel coil
with a width of 70 cms. The stamping process requires a gap of 25mm between each
component. The steel coil is supplied in lengths of 25 meters costing $200.

33) What is the approximate area of the remaining shape in square centimetres?
A
1938

B
1855

C
1926

D
1880

E
1760
A

34) What is the approximate percentage of steel wasted including the center square?
A
56%

B
50%

C
62%

D
48%

E
52%
A

35) Assuming minimal wastage, how many components can be produced from each 25
meter coil?
A
38

B
40

C
36

D
42

E
37
A

36) What is the approximate cost of a component if the scrap is sold at 50% of cost?
A
$3.60

B
$3.15

C
$3.55

D
$5.00

E
$4.85
A

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1

The sketch shows a component made from 5cm square bar and 5cm diameter rod. The
density of steel is 8g per cubic centimetre. For shipping purposes the components are
packed into individual boxes before being packed into shipping crates measuring
approximately 0.25m x 0.3m x 0.4m. Shipping crates are packed on pallets to a
maximum weight of 800 Kg.

37) What is the approximate total volume of the component in cubic centimetres?
A
655

B
788

C
967

D
422

E
892
A

38) What is the approximate weight of the component?


A
72.4 Kg

B
7.14 Kg

C
7.34 Kg

D
14.4 Kg

E
5.14 Kg
A

39) How many boxed components can be fitted into a shipping crate?
A
48

B
24

C
22

D
20

E
18
A

40) How many shipping crates can be fitted onto a palette?


A
5

B
4

C
7

D
6

E
12
A

End of Mechanical Reasoning - Test 1

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Mechanical Reasoning Test 1


Answers
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)

B
D
A
E
C
A
D
D
B
D
A
A
B
D
B

16)
17)
18)
19)
20)
21)
22)
23)
24)
25)
26)
27)
28)
29)
30)

C
E
E
D
B
A
C
E
D
C
B
D
B
C
A

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31)
32)
33)
34)
35)
36)
37)
38)
39)
40)

D
E
C
A
B
C
E
B
D
A

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