Module overview
What the test trains
This module focuses on visual discrimination, scanning speed, 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
- Encode a target letter or line figure shown separately.
- Search a dense grid of numbered tiles for the exact match.
- Reject near-matches by checking the most distinctive features.
- Enter the number printed on the matching tile.
Practice screen example
These screenshots show CBAT Academy’s independent practice version of the task.
Search the pattern, not only the letter
The target’s number is hidden, while the matching tile in the grid still shows its number. Similar letters can appear more than once, so the useful target is the complete printed pattern—its strokes, gaps and proportions—not merely the character name.
- Encode one or two distinctive visual features before looking at the grid.
- Sweep in a fixed row or column order and reject tiles as soon as one defining feature differs.
- When the exact pattern matches, read its visible number immediately and hold only that number.
- Type the number and press Enter; the complete layout changes after every response, so begin the next search from a fresh starting point.
If accuracy is high but work rate is low, practise rejecting obvious mismatches sooner. If responses are fast but inaccurate, spend an extra moment encoding the target before the sweep begins.
Interface briefing
Controls and test flow
Controls
Locate the matching tile among distractors and type its number into the on-screen field.
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
Question count rises from 10 to 20 while distractors on screen grow from 30 to 60, and the time allowed drops from 3 minutes to 2.
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
- Similar distractors create false matches.
- Random scanning causes repeated coverage of the same area.
- Large grids make it easy to lose your scan position.
- Time pressure encourages responding before every defining feature is checked.
Preparation tips
- Identify the target’s most distinctive feature before beginning.
- Use a consistent row-by-row or column-by-column sweep.
- Reject candidates using one obvious mismatch before checking fine detail.
- Verify the unique feature and capture the tile number immediately.
- Increase display density gradually during practice.
Common mistakes
- Searching without first encoding the target.
- Returning repeatedly to already-scanned regions.
- Choosing a near-match based on overall appearance.
- Forgetting the tile number while moving to the response control.
- Inspecting every detail of every distractor.
Useful practice drills
- Symbol-cancellation sheets with one target among similar symbols.
- Letter searches using confusing pairs such as E/F, P/R or mirrored figures.
- Numbered-grid searches where the answer is the match number or coordinate.
- Compare scan patterns and keep the one with the best speed-error balance.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as an official Visual Search 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?
Searching without first encoding the target.
What actually helps here?
Identify the target’s most distinctive feature before beginning.
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.