Module overview
What the test trains
This module focuses on critical reading, distinguishing stated facts from inference, and resisting outside knowledge. It is designed to make the underlying process easier to recognise, repeat and review before you add more speed or workload.
Task profile
What the task looks like
What it involves
- Read a passage from one of five categories: technical, science, operations and logistics, business, or general factual.
- Read a statement about the passage and decide whether it is TRUE, FALSE, or CANNOT SAY.
- Base the answer only on what the passage states, not on outside knowledge or plausibility.
- Work through more, and longer, passages as difficulty increases.
Interface briefing
Controls and test flow
Controls
Read the passage, then answer each statement using the keyboard or a click on the TRUE/FALSE/CANNOT SAY buttons.
How the Academy version works
Each exercise has its own questions, graphics, timing and scoring, generated fresh for every attempt. The instruction screen explains the current workload before you launch, so nothing about the task or its rules is a surprise once the timer starts.
Performance briefing
Difficulty and scoring
Difficulty and settings
Question count rises from 10 to 20 and total time from 480 to 720 seconds, with longer and more complex passages at higher difficulty.
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
- CANNOT SAY is often mistaken for FALSE when a statement merely isn’t confirmed.
- Outside knowledge or plausible assumptions can override what the passage actually says.
- Explicitly stated items and items requiring inference are graded the same way but need different reading strategies.
- Longer passages at higher difficulty increase the amount that has to be held in mind at once.
Preparation tips
- Treat CANNOT SAY as its own answer, not a fallback for “probably true but unconfirmed.”
- Re-read the exact sentence the statement relates to before answering, rather than relying on a general impression of the passage.
- Ignore outside knowledge entirely — the passage is the only source of truth for this task.
- For inference items, check that the conclusion is fully supported by the text, not just consistent with it.
Common mistakes
- Marking a plausible-but-unstated claim as TRUE instead of CANNOT SAY.
- Marking an unconfirmed claim as FALSE instead of CANNOT SAY.
- Answering from memory of the passage’s general gist instead of checking the specific sentence.
- Letting real-world knowledge override what the passage actually says.
Useful practice drills
- Practise sorting statements into explicit vs. inference items before answering, to build the habit of checking which kind of claim it is.
- Drill CANNOT SAY specifically, since it is the answer most often confused with the other two.
- Read passages once fully before looking at any statements, rather than skimming and jumping to the questions.
- Review your explicit-vs-inference accuracy split in results to see which reading skill needs more work.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as an official Verbal Reasoning 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?
Marking a plausible-but-unstated claim as TRUE instead of CANNOT SAY.
What actually helps here?
Treat CANNOT SAY as its own answer, not a fallback for “probably true but unconfirmed.”
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.
This guide describes CBAT Academy’s independently developed practice modules. It is not an exact specification of ADAPT, COMPASS, Aon’s Aviation Suite (cut-e), PILAPT or any other provider’s proprietary 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.