Module overview
What the test trains
This module focuses on Visual & Auditory Perception — sustained scanning that has to survive its own repetition. 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, Vigilance is grouped under Visual & Auditory Perception (Percpt). 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
- Scan a grid for routine targets, then respond with coordinates.
- Break away instantly for a higher-value target that won't wait.
- Enter row and column in the same order every time.
- Get back to a normal scan after answering, rather than starting over.
Practice screen example
These screenshots show CBAT Academy’s independent practice version of the task.
Interface briefing
Controls and test flow
Controls
Watch the display for the target condition and respond with a click or key press only when it appears, avoiding false responses.
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 target condition becomes rarer (from a 10% to a 6% chance per interval) and the display refreshes faster (from every 3 seconds to every 1.5) as difficulty rises.
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
- Routine repetition is exactly what makes attention drift.
- A priority target demands you break the pattern you've settled into.
- Coordinate entry is a second step that can go wrong even after a correct detection.
- The effect compounds over a long run — minute one and minute five are not the same task.
Preparation tips
- Use a fixed scan path instead of letting your eyes wander toward whatever catches them.
- Handle priority targets first, then resume scanning from a known point, not from scratch.
- Enter coordinates in a consistent order until it stops needing conscious thought.
- Notice when your pace speeds up as concentration drops — that's the moment to reset deliberately, not push through.
Common mistakes
- Re-scanning the same section while another area goes unchecked.
- Entering column before row, or vice versa, inconsistently.
- Letting routine targets pile up while chasing one priority target.
- Looking down at the input controls instead of keeping the grid in view.
Useful practice drills
- Timed coordinate-search runs on an 8x8 or larger grid.
- Mixed routine and priority symbols with different response windows.
- A three- to five-minute block, comparing your first minute against your last.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as an official Vigilance 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?
Re-scanning the same section while another area goes unchecked.
What actually helps here?
Use a fixed scan path instead of letting your eyes wander toward whatever catches them.
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.