Module overview
What the test trains
This module focuses on visual search, divided attention, prioritisation, task switching and sustained detection. 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
- Search for imagery, colour patterns, alphanumeric strings, codes, symbols and warnings.
- Keep the active target rule distinct as the display changes.
- Prioritise warning or high-value targets while continuing other searches.
- Register as many valid targets as possible without creating false alarms.
Practice screen example
These screenshots show CBAT Academy’s independent practice version of the task.
Interface briefing
Controls and difficulty
Controls
Identify and click the correct targets as they appear among distractors on screen.
Difficulty and settings
Question count rises from 8 to 16 and the number of distractors on screen at once grows from 6 to 14, within a fixed 4-minute session.
Read how practice scores and estimates work →Training plan
Build a method that holds up under pressure
Why this becomes difficult
- Different target types require different visual features.
- Frequent switching creates rule confusion.
- High sensitivity can increase false alarms.
- Priority signals may need attention while another search is in progress.
- Visual clutter causes repeated coverage of already-cleared areas.
Preparation tips
- Keep each target rule distinct and know what feature makes a valid hit.
- Use a repeatable visual scan pattern rather than random searching.
- Respond to warning targets promptly, then return to the interrupted search.
- Balance speed with response threshold; a false alarm can be as disruptive as a miss.
- After every response, reset your scan from a known location.
Common mistakes
- Applying the previous task’s rule to the current display.
- Overfocusing on the most visually obvious target type.
- Random eye movement that repeatedly covers the same area.
- Guessing at ambiguous targets and creating false alarms.
- Failing to resume the interrupted search after a priority event.
Useful practice drills
- Mixed visual-search sheets containing letters, symbols and colour targets.
- Timed detection with separate penalties for misses and false alarms.
- Alternate between two target rules every few seconds.
- Use a fixed scan route and compare it with unstructured searching.
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.