Pakistan Army Medical Cadet Route key terms

A reasoning item that gives a pair of items with a clear relationship and asks you to choose another pair, or complete a second pair, that shows the same relationship.

A reasoning task in which numbers, letters or figures follow a hidden rule; you work out the rule and pick the item that comes next in the sequence.

A question that lists several items sharing a common feature and asks you to identify the single item that does not belong to that group.

A puzzle in which letters, words or numbers are replaced by symbols or shifted positions according to a fixed rule, and you must convert between the coded and plain form.

Non-verbal questions that require you to rotate, fold, reflect or assemble shapes mentally, such as mirror images, paper folding and counting hidden cubes.

A logic problem giving two or more statements assumed true, from which you decide whether a stated conclusion must follow, may follow, or cannot follow.

The smallest unit of a living organism able to carry out life processes; it has a membrane, cytoplasm and, in most organisms, genetic material enclosed in a nucleus.

A type of cell division in which one cell splits into two daughter cells with identical chromosome sets; it underlies growth, repair and asexual reproduction.

A protein that acts as a biological catalyst, speeding up one specific reaction by lowering its activation energy while not being used up itself.

The process by which green plants, algae and some bacteria use light energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into glucose, releasing oxygen as a by-product.

The body's ability to keep internal conditions such as temperature, blood pH and glucose level within narrow limits despite changes in the surroundings.

A double-stranded molecule that stores genetic instructions as a sequence of bases (A, T, G, C) and is copied before a cell divides.

The amount of a substance containing 6.02 × 10^23 particles; its mass in grams equals the relative molecular mass of that substance.

A scale from 0 to 14 expressing the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution: below 7 is acidic, exactly 7 is neutral and above 7 is alkaline.

One of two or more forms of the same element whose atoms have equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons, giving different mass numbers.

A chemical bond formed when two atoms share one or more pairs of electrons, typical between non-metals as in water or methane.

The breakdown of a molten or dissolved ionic compound by passing a direct electric current through it, with new products formed at the electrodes.

A physical quantity that has both size and direction, such as force or velocity; vectors are combined using arrow diagrams rather than ordinary arithmetic.

The resultant force on an object equals its mass multiplied by its acceleration (F = ma), with the acceleration pointing in the direction of the resultant force.

For a conductor kept at constant temperature, the current through it is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, giving V = IR.

The change in direction of light, or another wave, as it passes from one transparent medium into another of different optical density.

The time taken for half of the radioactive nuclei in a sample to decay; it is fixed for each radioisotope and does not depend on sample size.

A word that has the same, or very nearly the same, meaning as another word in the same language, such as 'begin' and 'start'.

A word whose meaning is directly opposed to that of another word in the same language, such as 'hot' and 'cold' or 'expand' and 'contract'.

A fixed group of words whose overall meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words, such as 'to break the ice'.

The grammar rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, so a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject a plural verb.

One of two or more words that sound alike but are spelled differently and carry different meanings, such as 'their' and 'there'.

A way of comparing two quantities of the same kind by division, written as 3:4, meaning three parts of the first for every four of the second.

A fraction or ratio rewritten as a number out of one hundred, so 45% means 45 parts in every 100 parts.

The lowest common multiple: the smallest positive whole number that is an exact multiple of each of two or more given numbers.

An equation of the form ax² + bx + c = 0 where a is not zero; it has up to two roots, found by factorising, completing the square or the formula.

A number between 0 and 1 showing how likely an event is, calculated as the number of favourable outcomes divided by all equally likely outcomes.

A person's natural or learned capacity to acquire a particular kind of skill, often estimated through reasoning, numerical and spatial test items.

A test item describing a realistic scenario in which you choose the most effective and appropriate response, revealing judgement, integrity and awareness of others.

The physical and mental tension a person feels when demands are seen as greater than their ability and resources to cope with them.

Posture, facial expression, gesture and eye contact that carry meaning alongside spoken words; in an interview it should stay open, calm and attentive.

A friendly, trusting connection built with another person by listening, showing genuine interest and matching tone; it helps an interviewer see you as approachable.

The way members of a small group influence one another's behaviour, roles and decisions, including leadership, conflict, cooperation and pressure to conform.

A position or decision the whole group can accept and support, reached by open discussion and adjustment rather than by majority vote alone.

Giving full attention to a speaker, summarising their point and asking clarifying questions, instead of silently rehearsing your own reply while they talk.