Advice please :)

New to the forum so ill introduce my self fist, My name is Liam i am 22 and from Nottingham.
I applied for the Navy about a year and a half ago, and got to the stage of sitting my maths and English etc test. I failed, and i think i failed miserably. I was told that if i got tutoring i could resit the test in 6 months, other than that i can sit it again in 12 months. After i failed i did a number of jobs my latest being a tree arborist in Sweden for 6 months which was good. But now im back in England and feel like i was to give the test another shot. I have been trying to teach myself abit of maths and English from old school books i had. I've never really been clever, highest grade i got at school was a D.
Im just wondering if anyone can point me in the right direction of certain sites or other material to help me study for the test again? and any other relevant information regarding me applying again such as if the navy is still employing at the moment?
Also last time i went to the careers office someone told me i can only try the test twice?
Thanks in advance
Liam

 

http://www.navy-net.co.uk/newbies/44820-rn-recruiting-test-psychometric-test-examples.html

 

Thanks for the reply, will check the link out

 

for my maths i hired a personal tutor and still only just passed god knows what i would of got without out him, it cost some money but in the grand scheme of things was well worth it.

 

Yeh, wish i could afford one at the moment . Am i right in thinking i can only take the test twice, then not possible to take again?

 

Serious questions that I would need answering before I would commit to an answer.

1/Are you below average intelligence?
2/Did you not pay attention/attend school?
3/Are you up to the mark, did attend school, but feel the RN's standards are higher than you were taught?

An honest answer to at least one of these questions posed would point you in the right direction for honest advice in these forums.
In honesty if the answer to number one is yes, you may need to re think your ambitions.
At least the other two put you in a position to attain better results.

 

1/ I dont belive i am below average no, i personally think the timing got me.
2/ I attended school, but didnt pay much attention if i am being honest
3/ Yes

Hope that helps

 

Well in that case as you were man enough to be honest and admit your to blame not the system, then you have hope.
As you will be aware there are stacks of avenues to lead to better education when you WANT to learn, and most failure is due to non commitment or genuine inability.
There are site just google for them that can help you learn a number of subjects, and help you along.
W h Smiths sell self help maths books with the answers in the back to check yourself through, and they cover a multitude of standards.
I do not know if the maths paper changes as do most exam test papers, but if they do ask one of the afco staff if you can have a copy of old tests to see if you can get nearer the target required before you attend for retesting.

Edited to add;- Good luck.

 

Thank you very much for you time and help will let you know how i get on

 

There is a technique to scoring highly on these tests, and without trying to be funny, the trick is to answer as many of the questions as possible. The amount of time that you get is barely enough to complete it, so you can't afford to waste time checking to see if the answer you think is right really is right. The examples you'll find are fine, but tend to give you more time than the real thing, so practice using them by all means, but don't get lulled into a false sense of security if you do better on them than you expected.

 

The best book I found was the one they give you to practice. Granted it will not help you learn but it will point you too the areas that you need to focus on. I personally would try BBC bitesize and practice stuff like your times tables so you can do it without even thinking. I personally would also use the book the office gives you to practice against the clock as that is probably the hardest part.

To answer your question about how many times you get to take the RT. I believe it is 3 attempts in total but happy to be corrected if that is wrong.

Best of luck with it and practice lots.

Kal

 

Unless there is a long period between Recruiting Test re-takes (several years), two attempts is all you are permitted.

Best of luck, don't waste the opportunity.

 

I would recommend spending out on a tutor.

This time round, you will more than likely pay attention as your now aware that its in your best interest to learn!

Good luck.

 

Thanks a bunch guys really appreciate it, coming back from Sweden about 2 weeks ago has left me back here unemployed at the moment so have alot of time to practice, and practice i will . Thanks again for the advice

 

Good for you for being honest and for giving it another go. Your English skills are better than the majority of newcomers, and that will stand you in good stead. My advice is the same as everyone else, practise as much as you can.

Improve your basic maths skills (multiplication/division/subtraction/addition) as they are reasonably easy points. My advice on improving your English skills would be Bitesize on the BBC of course, but also reading good quality newspapers and books will help. One of the only ways to learn a language and be proficient is to read - even in your own language. There is a thread in the Newbie forum put together by Ninja which contains practise psychometric tests - give them a go and find what your weak areas are, then work at them.

Good Luck Liam.

 

Use the links provided, the practice test booklets but at speed, a personal tutor would be worth it again if you passed and use a library, the silence is a gift from heaven when your trying to learn. Good luck!

 

Like others have said - you seem to have a mature and honest attitude.

Good luck.

 

I can't believe nobody has picked up on the fact that the only reason his English could be so good is cos he's actually Swedish!

Serious though, good luck Roadkill, if you work hard you'll do fine