Module overview
What the test trains
This module focuses on Psychomotor Ability — coordinated, proportional control across two independent axes. 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, Sensory Motor Apparatus is grouped under Psychomotor Ability (PA). 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
- Control two axes of movement using separate inputs at the same time.
- Use joystick and pedal together to bring a moving target toward a crosshair.
- Read both the size and direction of the current error from the screen.
- Ease off as the target nears centre instead of driving straight through it.
Practice screen example
These screenshots show CBAT Academy’s independent practice version of the task.
Interface briefing
Controls and difficulty
Controls
Keep a moving element aligned continuously using the mouse or a calibrated gamepad — this is a continuous tracking task rather than a series of discrete questions.
Difficulty and settings
Target speed rises from 60 to 150 while the reaction window you have to correct drift narrows from 1.5 seconds to under 1.
Read how practice scores and estimates work →Training plan
Build a method that holds up under pressure
Why this becomes difficult
- Hand and foot inputs need coordinating simultaneously, not one after the other.
- A big correction on one axis tends to let the other axis drift unattended.
- The controls are sensitive enough that an abrupt input costs you more than it fixes.
- Watching the controls instead of the screen quietly kills your accuracy.
Preparation tips
- Get seating and controls comfortable before the run starts, not during it.
- Fix the larger error first, always.
- Match correction size to error size — small error, small input.
- Return toward neutral before the target crosses the centreline, not after.
Common mistakes
- Holding a correction too long and overshooting.
- Trying to fix both axes with equally large movements.
- Looking down at the pedals instead of the screen.
- Staying tense enough that fine control becomes difficult.
Useful practice drills
- Joystick centring drills with the sensitivity varied.
- Practise vertical hand control and horizontal foot control separately before combining.
- Bring a moving cursor to centre smoothly, without crossing through it.
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.
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.