Module overview
What the test trains
This module focuses on visual scanning, cross-referencing, selective attention and work rate. 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
- Identify the correct table from the question.
- Use row and column references to find the required intersection.
- Cross-reference more than one table when the first result leads to another lookup.
- Read the final value accurately from a screen table or reference card.
Practice screen examples
These screenshots show CBAT Academy’s independent practice version of the task.
Worked lookup: keep the row anchored
In the example shown above, the first value is −3 and the second is −9. Either axis order works in Part One. One way is to locate the −3 row, hold that line while moving across to the −9 column, and read the intersection: 4. Because 4 is the second displayed option, select option 2 and then submit it.
- Say “row −3” internally and anchor that line before moving sideways.
- Find column −9 from the header without releasing the row.
- Read the intersection once, match the value to its numbered choice, and press Enter.
Part Two adds air speed, wind velocity and wind angle, but the principle is unchanged: identify the correct reference, follow its labelled inputs and read the table rather than trying to invent a formula.
Learn by doing
Table lookups: three checks before you submit
This excerpt uses values from the Academy trainer’s symmetric Part One table. Either number can be found on either axis: swapping them gives the same result. Choose whichever lookup direction is easier, keep both signs correct and read their intersection. Try each question before opening its answer.
| Row / column | −7 | 0 | +4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| −7 | 10 | 3 | -1 |
| 0 | 3 | 10 | 6 |
| +4 | -1 | 6 | 10 |
1. Find the intersection, then the option
The two numbers are −7 and +4. Options are 1: 3, 2: −1, 3: 1. Which option should you select?
Show answer and method
- Find −7 on one axis and +4 on the other.
- Their intersection contains −1, whichever axis you start from.
- The value −1 appears beside option 2.
Select option 2; the lookup value is −1.
Watch out: Keep the minus sign when matching the value to an option. The lookup value is −1; the choice number is 2.
2. Check the same pair in either direction
If you use row +4 and column −7 instead of row −7 and column +4, does the answer change?
Show answer and method
- Row −7, column +4 contains −1.
- Row +4, column −7 also contains −1.
- The Part One table is symmetric: neither number is tied to a particular axis.
No. Both lookups give −1.
Watch out: Swapping the axes is not an error in this table. Look for wrong labels, missed signs or a slipped line if your two readings disagree.
3. Recover after losing your place
For the numbers 0 and +4, you read 10. What check exposes the mistake?
Show answer and method
- Check that the two axis labels are 0 and +4.
- Their intersection contains 6 in either direction.
- The value 10 appears where both labels are the same, so it does not match this pair.
The correct value is 6.
Watch out: After an interruption, check both labels again. A nearby cell may contain a plausible answer for a different pair.
A short drill before you start
Do six lookups without a timer, using whichever axis is easiest to locate first. Record errors in signs, labels, line tracking or matching the answer option. Swapping the two numbers is valid for Part One; for Part Two, follow the separate labels and units on its reference tables.
Try free Table Reading practice →Build the next skill
Original CBAT Academy training examples. These are not official RAF questions.
Interface briefing
Controls and difficulty
Controls
Cross-reference rows and columns in the on-screen table and answer using the keyboard or a click.
Difficulty and settings
Question count rises from 12 to 20, the time allowed drops from 3 minutes to 90 seconds, and the table itself grows from an 8×8 to a 12×12 grid.
Read how practice scores and estimates work →Training plan
Build a method that holds up under pressure
Why this becomes difficult
- Signs and similar-looking labels are easy to misread.
- Eyes can drift to an adjacent line during long tables.
- Multiple tables create another selection step before the lookup.
- Skipping all verification increases misreads, but re-reading everything costs time.
Preparation tips
- Anchor the row visually before moving horizontally.
- Use whichever axis is easier to locate first in Part One.
- Use a finger on a physical reference card if allowed.
- Verify the most error-prone part: correct table and row/column labels.
- Practise scanning without returning repeatedly to the top-left corner.
Common mistakes
- Missing a minus sign in a label or answer.
- Sliding into a neighbouring row while moving across.
- Using the right coordinates on the wrong table.
- Re-reading the whole table after every lookup.
- Transposing digits in the final value.
Useful practice drills
- Timed spreadsheet coordinate lookups.
- Two-table cross-reference tasks where the first result identifies the second lookup.
- Dense tables containing similar numbers.
- Measure lookups per minute and error rate, increasing speed only while accuracy holds.
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 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.