Module overview
What the test trains
This module focuses on eye-hand coordination, pursuit tracking, prediction, precision and sustained motor control. 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
- Use a joystick or pointer to track moving and stationary objects.
- Control a moving aim point while the viewpoint itself changes.
- Predict an object’s path when it becomes temporarily obscured.
- Respond accurately to target events while maintaining smooth pursuit.
Practice screen example
These screenshots show CBAT Academy’s independent practice version of the task.
What the practice module actually rewards
Each round names a target in the moving scene and asks for three centred photographs before that target changes. The result separates valid photographs, photograph accuracy, centred-tracking time and completed targets, so repeatedly pressing the camera control is not an effective shortcut.
- Acquire the named object first and bring it toward the centre with small corrections.
- Match its movement instead of chasing its last position; once relative motion settles, take a photograph.
- Keep tracking between photographs. A sudden correction made only to capture one frame usually damages the wider tracking score.
- If terrain hides the object, continue its likely path and prepare to reacquire ahead of where it disappeared.
Review photograph accuracy and centred tracking separately after a run. Low photograph accuracy points to poor trigger timing; acceptable photographs with weak tracking usually indicate overcorrection or late reacquisition.
Interface briefing
Controls and test flow
Controls
Track and select moving targets with the mouse, keyboard, or a calibrated gamepad, joystick or pedal set; calibrate hardware in Settings before a measured run.
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
Target speed rises from 75 to 185 (more than doubling) and the acceptable targeting window narrows from 16 to 9 as difficulty rises, alongside more object types to distinguish.
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
- Overcorrection causes oscillation around the target.
- A moving viewpoint changes the apparent target motion.
- Occlusion removes visual feedback when prediction matters most.
- Trying to centre perfectly can be worse than stable close tracking.
- Motor fatigue reduces precision over time.
Preparation tips
- Use small, continuous corrections rather than large jerks.
- Look slightly ahead along the target’s path.
- When a target is obscured, continue the existing velocity mentally.
- Relax your grip; excessive tension makes fine control harder.
- After losing a target, intercept its path smoothly rather than snapping to it.
Common mistakes
- Chasing the target from behind instead of leading its motion.
- Making large corrections that overshoot.
- Freezing when the target is obscured.
- Confusing viewpoint motion with target motion.
- Using excessive grip pressure and fatiguing the hand.
Useful practice drills
- Mouse or joystick pursuit-tracking games with a moving target.
- Track a target that periodically disappears for one or two seconds.
- Keep a cursor within a small moving zone rather than hitting exact centre.
- Use short precision blocks with relaxed grip and review average tracking error.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as an official Rapid Tracking 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?
Chasing the target from behind instead of leading its motion.
What actually helps here?
Use small, continuous corrections rather than large jerks.
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.
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.