How long is the BMCT-II?

Pearson TalentLens publishes it as 55 items in 25 minutes, taken unsupervised. That works out at 27.3 seconds an item, which is the pace this page runs at. It is one of the few figures in this category that comes from the publisher rather than from a prep site.

What score do I need to pass?

There is no published pass mark. The test is item-banked, so Pearson scores it by weighting each item for difficulty and reports a percentile alongside the number correct; the employer decides what it wants from that. Nobody outside your employer can tell you their cut-off.

Is the real test drawn or written?

Drawn, mostly. A typical Bennett item shows a mechanism and asks a question about it, so on the day you are reading a picture. The reasoning is identical to what these questions ask for, but if you want practice at the picture-reading half, the free FCTC firefighter study guide linked on this site’s firefighter hub has drawn mechanical items and worked answers.

Can I use a calculator?

Pearson does not publish a rule either way, so nobody honestly can tell you. The arithmetic in mechanical items is small by design — ratios and halves rather than long division — and these questions are written so that none of them needs one.

Bennett mechanical comprehension test

The Bennett is the test most employers mean by “mechanical aptitude test”, and Pearson TalentLens publishes its shape plainly: 55 items, 25 minutes, unsupervised — twenty-seven seconds an item. That is the run on this page. The questions are this site’s own and the physics behind them is the published content: mechanical reasoning and spatial perception, with items coded to areas including electricity, heat and hydraulics.

55 questions. 25 minutes.

That is 27.3 seconds a question. The clock starts when you press the button and submits the test when it runs out. You will not be told whether an answer was right until the end — that is the point of a timed run.

27.3s a question Neither publisher publishes a guessing rule; the Wiesen is scored as the number right out of 60 No account, nothing saved off your device

2 free full-length runs left on this test. Unlimited for $24.99, one payment.

Frequently asked

How long is the BMCT-II?: Pearson TalentLens publishes it as 55 items in 25 minutes, taken unsupervised. That works out at 27.3 seconds an item, which is the pace this page runs at. It is one of the few figures in this category that comes from the publisher rather than from a prep site.
What score do I need to pass?: There is no published pass mark. The test is item-banked, so Pearson scores it by weighting each item for difficulty and reports a percentile alongside the number correct; the employer decides what it wants from that. Nobody outside your employer can tell you their cut-off.
Is the real test drawn or written?: Drawn, mostly. A typical Bennett item shows a mechanism and asks a question about it, so on the day you are reading a picture. The reasoning is identical to what these questions ask for, but if you want practice at the picture-reading half, the free FCTC firefighter study guide linked on this site’s firefighter hub has drawn mechanical items and worked answers.
Can I use a calculator?: Pearson does not publish a rule either way, so nobody honestly can tell you. The arithmetic in mechanical items is small by design — ratios and halves rather than long division — and these questions are written so that none of them needs one.

Practise one type at a time

Untimed sets with the explanation right after each answer — where the timed run tells you what is going wrong, these are where you fix it.

Simple machines Forces and motion Fluids, heat and electricity Wiesen test of mechanical aptitude

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from one of the documents below, with the date it was read. Requirements change; if a source has moved on since that date, the source is right and this page is out of date.

Pearson TalentLens — Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test (BMCT-II) assessment page Read September 3, 2026
Criteria Corp — Wiesen Test of Mechanical Aptitude (WTMA) Read September 3, 2026
Firefighter Candidate Testing Center (Cal-JAC) — FCTC Written Test Study Guide (free candidate guide, 25 pages) Read September 3, 2026

Hiring Test Practice is independent practice material and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by Criteria Corp, Wonderlic, Inc., National Testing Network, the electrical training ALLIANCE, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, NECA, Biddle Consulting Group, Inc., Pearson Education, Inc. or its TalentLens business, the California Firefighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee or the Firefighter Candidate Testing Center, Fire and Police Selection, Inc., I/O Solutions, Inc., Ergometrics & Applied Personnel Research, Inc., the International Association of Fire Fighters or the International Association of Fire Chiefs. CCAT® is a registered trademark of Criteria Corp; Wonderlic® is a registered trademark of Wonderlic, Inc.; CritiCall is a trademark of Biddle Consulting Group, Inc.; Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test is a trademark of Pearson Education, Inc.; FCTC and CPAT are used to name tests administered by others. Test names are used only to describe what this material prepares you for. Every question here is original and none is taken from any actual assessment. Cal-JAC and FCTC publish that materials supplied directly by them are the only authorized FCTC Written Test materials; this site is one of the outside sources that warning refers to, and it links their free study guide rather than reproducing it.