Irish Defence Forces Cadetship Aptitude Assessment study plan
Irish Defence Forces Cadetship Aptitude Assessment · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Verbal Reasoning & Numerical Reasoning
Complete a 40-question diagnostic in both verbal and numerical reasoning
Tag every wrong answer by cause: knowledge gap, misread, time pressure or guess
Build a timing log recording seconds per question for each item attempted
Rank your weakest question types across both domains from the diagnostic
Your checkpoint
A baseline score sheet for Domains 1 and 2 showing accuracy percentage, average seconds per question, and a ranked top-three list of weakest question types
Verbal Reasoning
Drill 60 verbal items spanning synonyms, antonyms, analogies, odd-one-out and passage logic under strict time limits
Write a one-line decision rule for each verbal question type and apply it to 20 unseen items
Re-attempt every item missed in Week 1 without a time limit, then again at exam pace
Reduce average verbal time per question by 15 percent versus the Week 1 baseline
Your checkpoint
A three-page verbal rule sheet plus a timed 30-question score of at least 75 percent
Numerical Reasoning & Abstract / Inductive Reasoning
Solve 50 numerical items covering percentages, ratios, averages, rate-distance-time and table interpretation
Memorise 20 fraction-decimal-percentage conversion cards and self-test them without notes
Attempt 30 abstract series and matrix items and label each with the rule type used
Practise estimating answers before calculating to cut working time
Your checkpoint
Formula card recall scored at 18 of 20 or higher, plus a numerical accuracy log above 70 percent on a timed set
Abstract / Inductive Reasoning
Solve 80 abstract and inductive items across series, matrices, odd-one-out and figure classification
Catalogue recurring rule families such as rotation, progression, alternation and element addition
Tag every practice item with its rule family so patterns become recognisable on sight
Complete two 25-minute timed blocks leaving no more than 20 percent unanswered
Your checkpoint
A rule-family catalogue of at least 12 named patterns, each illustrated with three solved examples
Milestones
Week 2: Verbal timed accuracy reaches 75 percent or better on a 30-question set; if not, add one extra verbal block to Week 3
Week 4: On a mixed 60-question set from Domains 1 to 3 under exam timing, score at least 65 percent in each domain; any domain below 60 percent absorbs two hours from Week 5
Week 6: Mechanical accuracy reaches 70 percent on a 30-item set and abstract accuracy holds above 70 percent on a 25-item check
Week 8: Final mock averaging 75 percent or better across Domains 1 to 5, with no single domain below 65 percent