Admiralty Interview Board (AIB)

The tests are designed to assess whether you have the personal qualities required to become a satisfactory officer after training, and include:

The biographical questionnaire
Before you arrive at the AIB you’ll be sent a questionnaire. This helps us begin to make our assessment, so it’s important that you complete the form as fully and as accurately as possible.

The first evening (day one)
This is when you’ll report to the candidates’ reception and find out where you’ll be staying for the next two days. You’ll also hand in your completed questionnaire.

The first full day (day two)
During your first full day, you’ll need to do the following: 

1. 20-minute verbal test designed to demonstrate your general reasoning and ability with words

2. 13-minute non-verbal reasoning test, again measuring your reasoning power, but this time without the emphasis on verbal skills

3. 25-minute numerical test covering numerical fluency, reasoning and statistics

4. 15-minute speed and accuracy test, measuring your concentration and mental agility

5. 15-minute spatial orientation test, involving directions, relative positions and movement

6. A short general service knowledge test to provide the Board with an indication of your research into the Royal Navy

Essay: To assess your written communication skills, we’ll ask you to write about a subject chosen from a list of four topics in a 45-minute time frame.

Fitness assessment: You’ll need to do a multi-stage fitness test (commonly known as the ‘bleep test’). This is not a pass or fail test, but you need to put in maximum effort and your performance will be graded. We will send you some preparation guidelines before you come, but it’s a good idea to start doing regular exercise as early as possible beforehand.

The first full day (day two)

Practical leadership task: Working within a team in the gym, we observe how you solve a practical problem, put a plan into action and respond to emerging difficulties. The task is designed to test your teamwork and leadership ability, your verbal powers of communication, and your resilience and strength of character.

Planning exercise: You’ll be given a written brief containing the details of a fictitious scenario, which you will have 15 minutes to study. We’ll then introduce a problem into the scenario setting, and you’ll have 15 minutes to discuss possible solutions with your group and reach an agreed plan. This will then be presented to the Board. Each person in the group will be questioned in turn to examine their grasp of the situation, before you individually present your final solution to the problem.

Competency interview: We’ll question you for 30 minutes about things you have done throughout your life. In preparation, you should think about times when you have been a leader, organised something, been in a team and shown courage. We will ask you about why you want to join the Royal Navy, your understanding of your chosen specialisation and your hopes and ambitions. We’ll also expect you to demonstrate your wider knowledge about the Royal Navy, and in particular to find out if it extends beyond a simple reading of the leaflets we provide.

The results
We’ll give you your results individually in the afternoon. If unsuccessful, you‘ll be free to leave, but if you have passed, you will be asked to complete a medical examination.

Success at the AIB does not guarantee entry into training. All successful candidates are placed in order of merit, and the final selection will depend on the number of vacancies available and the number of successful candidates who reach the required medical and educational standards.

Whatever the result, most people enjoy their visit to the AIB and learn something about themselves in the process.