ACER MECHANICAL REASONING TEST

The ACER Mechanical Reasoning Test is ideal for the recruitment and selection of technical and trade personnel.

The ACER Mechanical Reasoning Test is a test of mechanical reasoning ability. This ability can be broadly defined as the ability to perceive and understand relationships between components within a mechanism.

In order to successfully solve problems in technical trades, an understanding of the very basic principles of physics in general, and mechanics in particular; the ability to visualize movements of objects through space (three dimensional spatial ability); and, most importantly; an understanding of the cause-effect relationships between mechanical components is important.  Specific item content is wide ranging and includes: wheels, gears, clamps, levers, sliding rods, shafts, pulleys, weights, conveyor belts, fixed and non-fixed pivots, and springs.

Performance on the ACER Mechanical Reasoning Test is intended to be as independent as possible of mechanical knowledge and industry specific information. For this reason, diagrams used in the test show idiosyncratic mechanisms, rather than real-life mechanisms, with which some of the candidates may familiar with. For similar reasons, the use of technical terms within the test has been kept to a minimum.

Performance on the test is also intended to be independent of reading ability and the amount of written text within the test has been kept to a minimum.