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Mechanical Aptitude Test Practice

Levers, pulleys, gears, inclined planes, hydraulics, basic electricity, tools and spatial reasoning as tested on employer and apprenticeship mechanical aptitude tests.

211 questions · 7 topics · free, no sign-up

Mixed practice test

10 questions, graded as you go, with the reason for every answer. No sign-up.

Timed mock exam

50 questions in 60 minutes, drawn from every topic. No answers shown until the end, then a score, your weakest topics and a review of what you missed.

Practise by topic

Sample questions

Why is oil rather than air used to transmit force in a hydraulic jack?

  1. Oil is lighter than air
  2. Oil is nearly incompressible
  3. Oil cannot ever leak out
  4. Oil expands under load
Show the answer

B. Oil is nearly incompressible

A liquid hardly changes volume under pressure, so movement at the pump piston is passed directly to the ram. Air would squeeze down like a spring before the load moved.

Reference: Hydraulics: incompressibility of liquids

Three gears are meshed in a straight row. The first gear turns clockwise. Which way does the third gear turn?

  1. Counterclockwise
  2. It stays still
  3. It rocks back and forth
  4. Clockwise
Show the answer

D. Clockwise

Direction reverses at each mesh: the second gear turns counterclockwise and the third turns clockwise again. In a simple train, odd-numbered gears turn the same way as the first.

Reference: Gear drives: direction of rotation

Which of these tools works as a third-class lever, with the effort applied between the fulcrum and the load?

  1. A wheelbarrow
  2. A pair of tweezers
  3. A pry bar on a block
  4. A bottle opener
Show the answer

B. A pair of tweezers

In tweezers the joined end is the fulcrum, the fingers squeeze in the middle and the load is at the tips. A bottle opener puts the load (the cap) between the fulcrum and the hand, which makes it second class.

Reference: Simple machines: the three classes of lever

A toolbox is taken from the Earth to the Moon. What happens to its mass and its weight?

  1. Mass is less; weight is the same
  2. Mass is the same; weight is less
  3. Mass and weight are both less
  4. Mass and weight are both the same
Show the answer

B. Mass is the same; weight is less

Mass is the amount of matter and does not change with location. Weight is the pull of gravity on that mass, and the Moon's gravity is weaker.

Reference: Gravity: mass and weight

Which simple machine is a screw thread most closely related to?

  1. An inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder
  2. A lever that pivots about the screw head
  3. A pulley that runs along the screw shank
  4. A wheel and axle joined at the screw tip
Show the answer

A. An inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder

Unwinding a thread gives a long, gentle ramp, which is why a small turning force produces a large clamping force. The thread itself does not act as a lever or pulley.

Reference: Simple machines: screw

Exams this helps with

ExamWho runs itWhere
Mechanical aptitude tests (Bennett, Ramsay, Wiesen) readyEmployersUnited States
ASVAB technical subtests (auto, shop, mechanical, electronics) readyUS militaryUnited States
Apprenticeship aptitude (math, mechanical, spatial, reading) readyUnions, NJATC, UA, carpentersUnited States

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