How Army Word Rules works
Each item has three screens. First come three categories in order, for example “Tree, Drink, Fish”. Press Next and three words replace them, for example “Oak, Tea, Salmon”. Press Next again and the words disappear.
You then choose how many of the words belonged to the category in the same position: 0, 1, 2 or 3. A word that fits one of the other categories does not count. Mindmill, which hosts the Army’s practice test, describes it as working memory and word rule processing.
How to count matches without losing track
Count as you go, so the vanishing words do not matter:
- Read the three categories once as a chant: “tree, drink, fish”.
- When the words appear, check them strictly in position: first word against first category, second against second, third against third.
- Keep a running count as you check, and take that one number to the answer screen.
- Ignore a word that fits a category in a different position. It scores nothing.
Worked example
The categories are “Bird, Colour, Vehicle”. The words are “Purple, Robin, Lorry”.
Purple is a colour, but it sits under Bird: no. Robin is a bird, but it sits under Colour: no. Lorry is a vehicle under Vehicle: yes. The answer is 1, even though every word belongs to one of the three categories.
Tips for the real Word Rules section
- Expect position traps on the harder items: a word that fits a category, just not its own.
- A repeated category, such as “Fish, Fish, Fish”, is not a trick. Count normally.
- Do not try to remember the words. By the time they vanish, your count should be finished.
- If you lose the count, take your best guess and move on, as the Army’s practice site advises.
Practise Word Rules on CogniPrep
Our Word Rules drill runs for 7.5 minutes with no countdown on screen, giving you categories, then words, then the count, until the time is up. Every word is an everyday one, and we leave out words that could fit a category either way. Answers carry BARB’s guessing correction, right minus wrong divided by three, and you get a score out of 100 and an estimated GTI. The 7.5 minutes is a preparation site’s figure.