BARB Test flashcards
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- BARB
- British Army Recruit Battery: a computer-delivered cognitive aptitude battery used in British Army selection to estimate reasoning, numerical, spatial, and perceptual abilities.
- Cognitive aptitude
- Cognitive aptitude is a person's capacity to reason, solve problems, and process information quickly and accurately; aptitude tests estimate this capacity rather than taught knowledge.
- Computer-delivered test
- A computer-delivered test is presented on screen and answered using a keyboard or mouse; responses and timing are recorded automatically by the testing system.
- Multiple-choice format
- In multiple-choice format, each item offers several answer options and the candidate selects one; only one option is intended to be correct.
- Subtest timing
- Subtest timing means each section of a test battery has its own time limit; candidates cannot usually return to an earlier section after time expires.
- Letter Checking
- Letter Checking is a BARB subtest in which candidates compare letter strings and decide whether they are the same or different under time pressure.
- Letter string comparison
- Letter string comparison is the act of matching or distinguishing sequences of letters by position and identity, ignoring meaning, to judge same or different.
- Perceptual speed
- Perceptual speed is the rate at which a person can compare, scan, and identify visual symbols accurately; it underpins letter-checking and symbol-matching tasks.
- Number Distance
- Number Distance is a BARB subtest requiring judgments about which number is closer to a target or farther along a number line, without a calculator.
- Numerical comparison
- Numerical comparison is the process of judging the relative size, order, or distance of numbers; it does not necessarily require arithmetic calculation.
- Number line
- A number line is a straight line on which numbers are placed in order by value; it supports judgments of distance and relative magnitude.
- Symbol Rotation
- Symbol Rotation is a BARB subtest in which candidates decide whether a rotated symbol matches a target or is a mirror image of it.
- Mental rotation
- Mental rotation is the cognitive process of imagining an object turned in space to determine whether it matches another object or its mirror image.
- Mirror image
- A mirror image is a reversed copy of a shape, as if reflected in a mirror; it cannot be made to match the original by rotation alone.
- Odd One Out
- Odd One Out is a BARB subtest in which candidates identify the symbol or shape that does not follow the rule shared by the other items.
- Pattern rule
- A pattern rule is the underlying relationship or feature that links items in a set, such as shape, orientation, number, or position.
- Map Reading
- Map Reading is a BARB subtest requiring candidates to trace routes or locate points on a simplified map using direction and distance cues.
- Route tracing
- Route tracing is following a path on a map from a start point to an end point while applying turns, directions, and distance information.
- Spatial reasoning
- Spatial reasoning is the ability to understand and manipulate shapes, positions, directions, and relationships in two or three dimensions.
- Working memory
- Working memory is a limited-capacity mental workspace that briefly holds and manipulates information during reasoning, such as keeping a rule in mind while checking items.
- Distractor
- A distractor is an incorrect answer option designed to be plausible; it tests whether the candidate can discriminate the correct response from near misses.
- Raw score
- A raw score is the unadjusted number of correct answers, or points earned, on a test before any conversion to a standardized scale.
- Standardized score
- A standardized score is a converted score placed on a common scale, such as a stanine or standard score, so results can be compared across candidates.
- Percentile rank
- A percentile rank indicates the percentage of a comparison group scoring at or below a given score; it is not the same as percent correct.
- Practice effect
- A practice effect is improvement in test performance caused by prior exposure to the item format or task, rather than a real change in ability.
- Accuracy–speed tradeoff
- The accuracy–speed tradeoff is the tendency for faster responding to increase errors and slower responding to increase accuracy; timed tests reward balancing both.
- Trade eligibility
- Trade eligibility is the set of army roles a candidate may enter, determined partly by aptitude scores plus interview, medical, and fitness results.
- Selection battery
- A selection battery is a group of tests administered together to measure several abilities; scores are combined or reviewed jointly for decision-making.
- Timed test
- A timed test imposes a fixed limit for completion, so the score depends on both correctness and the number of items attempted within that limit.
- Response accuracy
- Response accuracy is the proportion or number of responses that are correct; in timed aptitude tests it is interpreted alongside response speed.
- Visual comparison
- Visual comparison is the process of examining two or more visual displays to identify similarities or differences in features such as shape or position.
- Nonverbal reasoning
- Nonverbal reasoning is reasoning with shapes, symbols, and patterns rather than words or numbers; it is used to assess abstract problem-solving ability.