PMA Long Course Initial Test key terms

A word that carries the same or a very similar meaning as another word, such as 'brave' and 'courageous', and is used in verbal reasoning to test vocabulary range.

A word whose meaning is opposite to another word, such as 'expand' and 'contract'. Antonym questions check whether you can identify contrast relationships quickly under time pressure.

A question format stating a relationship between two words and asking you to find a pair with the same relationship, for example 'doctor is to hospital as teacher is to school'.

A reasoning item giving several words or numbers where all but one share a common property; you identify the item that does not fit the shared rule.

A sequence of numbers following a hidden rule, such as adding 3 each time or doubling, where you must predict the next term or spot the wrong entry.

A reasoning task where letters or words are shifted or substituted by a fixed rule, and you must apply the same rule to decode a new word or encode a given one.

A reasoning problem tracking movement north, south, east and west, often asking for final distance or facing direction after a series of turns and walks.

A reasoning topic using family statements such as 'A is the brother of B' to determine how two people are related, requiring careful mapping of gender and generation.

A logic problem presenting two or more premises, such as 'All officers are leaders', and asking which conclusions necessarily follow regardless of real-world knowledge.

A comparison of two quantities by division, written as a:b, and an equation stating two ratios are equal. Used to split amounts, scale recipes and solve mixture problems.

A fraction expressed out of one hundred. Converting between fractions, decimals and percentages quickly is essential for profit, discount and data interpretation questions.

The sum of a set of values divided by how many values there are. Average questions often involve a new member joining a group and changing the mean.

The lowest common multiple is the smallest number divisible by each given number; the highest common factor is the largest number dividing each. Both are used in fraction and timing problems.

The relationship that distance equals speed multiplied by time. Questions involve trains, boats against currents, or conversion between km/h and m/s.

Problems where several people or pipes complete a task at different rates; you combine their one-day work fractions to find the total time taken together.

Three statements describing inertia, the relation force equals mass times acceleration, and equal opposite reaction forces. They underpin nearly every mechanics question in the test.

A push or pull that changes or tends to change an object's state of rest or motion, measured in newtons. It is a vector, so direction matters as much as size.

Work is force applied over a displacement in the direction of the force, measured in joules. Energy is the capacity to do work and is conserved in isolated systems.

The rate at which work is done or energy is transferred, measured in watts, where one watt equals one joule per second.

The product of an object's mass and velocity, a vector quantity measured in kilogram metres per second. Total momentum is conserved in collisions without external forces.

The statement that current through a conductor is directly proportional to voltage across it and inversely proportional to resistance, written as V equals IR.

The rate of flow of electric charge past a point, measured in amperes. It flows from higher to lower potential in a closed circuit.

The bending of light as it passes from one transparent medium into another of different optical density, caused by a change in the speed of light.

The bouncing back of light from a surface, following the rule that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, both measured from the normal.

A curved transparent piece of glass or plastic that refracts light to converge or diverge rays. Convex lenses form real or virtual images depending on object distance.

The grammar rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, so a singular subject takes a singular verb even when words sit between them.

The form of a verb showing when an action happens, such as past, present or future, and whether it is simple, continuous, perfect or perfect continuous.

Active voice makes the doer the subject ('The sergeant issued orders'); passive voice makes the receiver the subject ('Orders were issued by the sergeant').

Direct speech quotes exact words in quotation marks; indirect speech reports them, shifting pronouns and tense, as in 'He said that he was ready'.

A word such as in, on, at, by or between that links a noun or pronoun to another element, showing place, time or direction.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as 'to bite the bullet' meaning to endure something difficult.

The five core acts of worship: declaration of faith (Shahadah), prayer (Salah), charity (Zakat), fasting in Ramadan (Sawm) and pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj).

The recorded life and biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), covering his birth, prophethood, migration to Madinah and later years.

The migration of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions from Makkah to Madinah in 622 CE, which marks the start of the Islamic calendar.

The lunar Hijri calendar of twelve months beginning with Muharram, used to fix Ramadan, Eid and the Hajj season each year.

The supreme law of Pakistan, adopted in 1973, defining the federal structure, fundamental rights and the role of Islam in the state.

The two-nation theory holding that Muslims of the subcontinent formed a separate nation with a distinct culture and faith, providing the basis for the creation of Pakistan in 1947.

An international organisation founded in 1945 with headquarters in New York, aimed at maintaining peace, security and cooperation among member states.

A screening measure calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, used at the medical examination to check whether weight is proportionate to height.

The eyesight requirements set for selection, covering corrected visual acuity and colour perception, since certain roles demand normal colour vision.

A structured check of height, weight, vision, hearing, blood pressure and general health by a military medical board to confirm fitness for training.

A set of timed tests such as push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups and a distance run, scored against age and gender standards to judge stamina and strength.