Module overview
What the test trains
This module focuses on Short Term Memory / Capacity — fast encoding of information you get exactly one look at. It is designed to make the underlying process easier to recognise, repeat and review before you add more speed or workload.
How this trainer relates to CFAST
In this trainer's Pilot (PLT) domain breakdown, Digit Recognition is grouped under Short Term Memory / Capacity (STM/C). The Academy tracks this domain separately rather than combining it with an overall weighted index. This is the Academy’s training model, not an official CAF scoring calculation.
Task profile
What the task looks like
What it involves
- View a digit string for a short, fixed window.
- Encode it before it disappears — there's no second look.
- Answer a question using only what you retained, not what you can reconstruct.
- Questions can ask about count, position or a specific subsequence.
Practice screen example
These screenshots show CBAT Academy’s independent practice version of the task.
Interface briefing
Controls and test flow
Controls
A digit sequence is shown briefly, then you select the sequence you saw from on-screen multiple-choice options.
How the Academy version works
CBAT Academy presents an independently developed browser exercise with its own questions, graphics, timing and scoring. The instruction screen explains the current workload before launch; it does not claim to reproduce an official assessment screen or confidential question set.
Performance briefing
Difficulty and scoring
Difficulty and settings
The digit count rises from 6 to 9 while the display time you get to view it drops from 3 seconds to 2, within a fixed 4-minute session.
How scoring works
The result reflects performance in this Academy module. Accuracy is the main signal for decision tasks, while timing, missed targets, false responses or control error can also contribute where the task requires them. Assessment mode is more suitable for trend comparisons than adjustable practice runs.
Read how practice scores and estimates work →Training plan
Build a method that holds up under pressure
Why this becomes difficult
- A longer string exceeds what most people hold effortlessly.
- Repeated digits blur together with their positions if you're not deliberate about it.
- You don't know what the question will ask while you're still looking at the string.
- Rushing the answer can overwrite a correct memory before you've used it.
Preparation tips
- Chunk the string into small groups rather than treating it as one long run.
- Actively flag repeated digits instead of letting them blend in.
- Scan the same direction every time — left to right, no jumping around.
- Answer from what you stored first, then let the choices confirm it, not the other way round.
Common mistakes
- Treating every digit as a separate, isolated fact to hold.
- Reordering the string slightly during silent rehearsal.
- Fixating on one repeated digit and losing the rest.
- Guessing toward whichever answer choice looks most likely instead of what was actually stored.
Useful practice drills
- Flash strings of 6-10 digits for two to five seconds.
- Mix count, position and subsequence questions on the same string.
- Increase length only once accuracy is holding at the current one.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as an official Digit Recognition test?
No. It trains related skills with an independently developed task. Rules, controls, timing, visuals and scoring can differ from an official assessment.
What's the most common mistake on this task?
Treating every digit as a separate, isolated fact to hold.
What actually helps here?
Chunk the string into small groups rather than treating it as one long run.
Transparency
Sources and information status
Task guidance on this page describes CBAT Academy’s own software. Broad aptitude context is checked against the public references in the source register. Details not established by an official source are treated as independent training methodology.
The official CFASC candidate-guide PDF (22 January 2015) describes named test examples. Use it for historical familiarisation and follow your current joining instructions. The exercise mechanics and practice advice here describe the Academy version; domain mappings and scores are independent.
This guide describes CBAT Academy’s independently developed practice modules. It is not an exact specification of any current RAF, Canadian Forces or Ministry of Defence assessment. Official content, timings, scoring and administration may differ.
Continue the briefing
Turn the method into repeatable performance.
Launch the interactive trainer, begin with accuracy and review the pattern behind each mistake before increasing pace.