Free RAF DAA practice app for the Defence Aptitude Assessment (2026)
Free RAF DAA practice for the 2026 Defence Aptitude Assessment: Brain Preflight gives RAF and Royal Navy applicants 5 free iPhone sessions every day for reasoning, work rate, spatial and technical skills.
Start your 5 free daily sessionsBy Brain Preflight, the app developer · Updated 29 October 2026
What is the Defence Aptitude Assessment?
The Defence Aptitude Assessment, or DAA, is the assessment described on the RAF’s familiarisation page. Older RAF material may use the name Airmen Selection Test (AST). Begin with the official practice linked below, then use the app to build a routine around the areas you want to revisit. The UK aptitude test guide helps distinguish this route from Army ACT and RAF CBAT.
The Royal Navy also publishes DAA preparation advice. Follow the instructions from your own service and application: delivery arrangements and role requirements should come from your careers adviser or invitation. App practice is useful for organising a routine, but it does not establish an official score or role eligibility.
Which DAA sections can I practise in the app?
| Area | Practice in the app |
|---|---|
| Verbal reasoning | Verbal reasoning: read a short scenario and apply the information or rules. |
| Numerical reasoning | Numerical reasoning: arithmetic plus questions using charts, tables and practical data. |
| Work rate | Work rate: use a reference code accurately while responding under time pressure. |
| Spatial reasoning | Shape assembly and Object rotation: practise two-dimensional joins and rotations of marked objects. |
| Electrical comprehension | Electrical comprehension: reason about circuits, current, resistance and basic electrical ideas. |
| Mechanical comprehension | Mechanical comprehension: gears, levers, pulleys, pressure and springs. |
Choose RAF / Royal Navy — Defence Aptitude Assessment with the app in English. There are seven app exercises across six assessed areas, because the spatial work uses two separate exercises. These are the app’s original practice items and feedback, not a copy of the official assessment.
Can I try DAA-style practice questions with answers?
Yes. Try these original examples, then open each explanation. They illustrate related reasoning skills and are not official DAA items or official timings.
Numerical example: a budget rises from £240 to £300. What is the percentage increase?
The increase is £60. Divide by the original £240: 60 ÷ 240 = 0.25, so the increase is 25%. Using the final value as the denominator would answer a different question.
Work-rate example: A → 7, B → 2, C → 9. Which code represents CABA?
CABA becomes 9–7–2–7. Translate each position in order and check the repeated A. When practising, accuracy with the reference comes before trying to accelerate.
Electrical example: a 12 V supply is connected across an ideal 6 Ω resistor. What current flows?
Using I = V ÷ R, the current is 12 ÷ 6 = 2 A. Keep the units distinct: volts describe potential difference, ohms resistance and amperes current.
For another technical skill family, try the mechanical comprehension examples with worked answers.
How should I prepare for RAF or Royal Navy DAA?
Try the official familiarisation first, then note which instructions need a second reading. In the app, sample verbal, numerical, work-rate, spatial and technical exercises. Use your five daily sessions to revisit a specific weakness and review the correction, rather than treating a single high practice score as proof of readiness.
- Numerical errors: separate the calculation from reading the chart, unit or percentage base.
- Verbal errors: check every condition against the question rather than adding assumptions.
- Work-rate errors: identify the correct reference row before translating each symbol.
- Spatial errors: distinguish a permitted rotation from a reflection.
- Technical errors: explain the principle before calculating or selecting an answer.
The Royal Navy recommends preparing the test environment and checking technology. Phone practice does not mean a phone is suitable for the formal assessment: use the device requirements in your invitation.
What DAA score do I need, and is it the same as CBAT?
The required DAA result depends on the role; use your service’s guidance and careers adviser rather than a universal pass mark from a practice website. App levels are separate from the official result. Ask the recruiter about current eligibility and any retest arrangements for your application.
DAA and CBAT are separate assessments. The RAF CBAT preparation guide explains the app’s related-skills aircrew routine. The British Army ACT guide covers another distinct test. For a civilian pilot assessment, start instead with the provider’s named battery, such as cut-e / Aon.
Start practising in Brain Preflight
Download Brain Preflight free on iPhone. You get 5 free exercise sessions immediately and 5 new sessions every day, choosing any exercise available in your selected language. No purchase or subscription is required for the daily allowance. Installed exercises work offline; purchases, rewarded ads and other online services need a connection. The UK programmes are available in English. Optional Premium adds unlimited sessions, ad-free practice, the app’s own timed series or mock-exam routines and detailed diagnostics. The free plan may show ads.
Start your 5 free daily sessionsFrequently asked questions
Can I practise RAF DAA for free?
Yes. Brain Preflight gives 5 free iPhone sessions immediately and every day, with any available exercise. Select the English RAF / Royal Navy — Defence Aptitude Assessment programme for its seven DAA-related exercises.
Does DAA have six sections or seven?
The RAF describes six assessed areas: verbal, numerical, work rate, spatial, electrical and mechanical. Brain Preflight has seven exercises for those areas because Shape assembly and Object rotation are separate spatial exercises.
Is RAF DAA the old Airmen Selection Test?
The RAF familiarisation page describes DAA as previously called the Airmen Selection Test. Use current DAA instructions and familiarisation for your application instead of relying on an old AST preparation schedule.
What is the DAA pass mark?
The RAF says different roles require different scores. Ask your careers adviser which requirements apply to your application. Brain Preflight practice levels are not DAA results and cannot establish eligibility.
Are these official DAA practice questions?
No. The app and this guide use independently written practice items. The official RAF familiarisation is linked in the sources; start there for the published assessment instructions.
Official sources and familiarisation
Selection sources checked 29 October 2026. Use your current invitation for individual arrangements.
Independent app developed by Brain Preflight. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the RAF, Royal Navy, British Army, Ministry of Defence or Mindmill. Practice scores are not official selection results.