Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test (BMCT): Scoring System & Results
What is the Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test (BMCT)?
The Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test II is an updated version of the original Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test (BMCT or BMCT I). The Bennett mechanical comprehension test II has fewer questions and therefore the time allotted is also shorter.
The Bennett Mechanical is used as a prerequisite during the hiring process for various technical roles. Employers use BMCT to identify the most suitable candidates for mechanical, industry, and repair positions.
If you have applied for a job role and have been asked to take the BMCT you’ll want to achieve test success the first time you take this exam, to prove you have the skills to succeed in the job you have applied for. A proven way to do this is to practice beforehand.
BMCT Free Quiz
What Does the Bennett Mechanical Aptitude Test Assess?
The Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test is intended to identify individuals who display good mechanical reasoning abilities. The questions in the Bennett Mechanical Comprehension test cover your spatial visualization, mechanical aptitude, application of physics, and capacity to understand how things function. You will be presented with questions related to pulleys and levers, gravity, hydraulics, velocity, structures, planes and slopes, gears and belt drives, and more.
The test places emphasis on spatial perception and knowledge of tools rather than on manual adeptness. It is particularly useful for assessing job candidates for roles that demand a firm understanding of the principles underlying the repair and operation of intricate devices.
The questions that you will be presented with on the test will be generated, randomly, from a question-banked system.
- 1:A, D, F
- 2:C & F
- 3:A, B, D, E
- 4:None
Explanation:
As it useful to note that all questions are delivered in a multiple-choice format, with only one correct answer.
What You Need to Know About the BMCT
The Bennett mechanical comprehension test II test features 55 multiple-choice questions from a bank of 300 questions. The test needs to be completed within 25-minutes, which means that you will only have about 30 seconds to answer each question.
While the original BMCT test was 30 minutes long and featured 68 multiple-choice questions.
The Bennett mechanical comprehension test II consists of 55 questions and has a raw score given out of 55. Based on the answers given, Pearson provides a number of norm reference groups from which the percentile performance of the candidate is derived. This allows for an accurate assessment of competence in relation to a given field. The current norm groups available for the BMCT-II are:
- Engineers
- Energy and Utilities
- General Labor
- Industrial/Technical Sales
- Installation/Maintenance/Repair
- Machine Operators/Machinists
- Manufacturing and Production
- Mechanics
- Skilled Trades
- Vocational/Technical Students
Scoring System
Norms were most recently updated in 2018 in order to more accurately reflect the demographics and requirements of each industry. Pearson updates their norms roughly every 5 years in order to adhere to industry-wide and internal standards.
As questions vary in difficulty, the scoring of each question is weighted, which accounts for the need for a calculated score rather than using raw score data. In total, there are five scoring metrics provided in the report:
- Number correct (Raw score): Only an indication of the number of correct responses on the test. As questions vary in difficulty it is very common for two candidates to achieve identical raw scores but different calculated scores.
- T-scores (Theta scores): The standardized scores used to compare a candidate’s results. T-scores have a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.
- STANINE (Standard Nine) scores: A standardized score, with a maximum score of 10, a mean of 5, and a standard deviation of 2
- STEN (Standard Ten) scores: A standardized score, with a maximum score of 10, a mean of 5.5, and a standard deviation of 2.
- Candidate Percentile: A percentile rank based on the performance of the candidate in relation to others. A helpful tool for identifying the performance of a candidate compared to others in the same norm reference group.
Test Results
The interpretation of results given in the report provides a qualitative description of the candidate’s capability based on the percentile score on the following criteria:
- Understanding of physical principles and laws and their application
- T-scores (Theta scores): The standardized scores used to compare a candidate’s results. T-scores have a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.
- Installation of devices or equipment
- Diagnosis of problems involving machinery or equipment
- Repairs and rework
- Proficiency in mechanical roles or functions
- Proficiency with complex machinery/equipment
- Learning new or unfamiliar mechanical concept
Which Companies Use BMCT?
Many major companies use the BMCT test today in order to screen potential employees. The exam helps companies in recruiting, training and assessing risk. The test is often used for engineers, mechanics, sales representatives, tradespeople and more. Keep in mind that in addition to the exam you will often be asked to participate in interviews, other assessments, group exercises, and more.
Here are some of the companies using the test:
- Delta
- Nestle
- DuPont
- Coca-Cola
- Valero
- Paragon Pacific
How to Increase Your BMCT Passing Score by up to 10 Points
Prepterminal’s preparatory Bennett Mechanical course has been meticulously designed, making use of years of expertise to put together the most comprehensive and concise BMCT preparation course available on the market. Our in-house mechanical and educational specialists have composed the text-based and video Bennett Mechanical Comprehension test study guides for this course in order to ensure that you are equipped with everything you could possibly need for the test.
This course will help you increase your Bennett Mechanical Aptitude test results by up to 10 points, meet the passing score of the behavioral assessment, and get your dream job. All this will happen within 5 hours of the video-based Bennett mechanical study section and computer-based practicing with our Bennett Mechanical Comprehension practice tests. Compared to the average 36% passing rate, our BMCT students enjoy an outstanding 84% passing rate.
Specifically, our course includes 8 Mechanical Instructional videos and 15 Mechanical Written guides. We have also included 3 Full-Length time mode tests (50 questions each), 3 Numerical Reasoning videos and written guides, and 3 Spatial/Abstract Reasoning videos and written guides. And, to make sure you get all the practice you need to ace your test we have provided you with 200 practice questions with explanations. Our course is suitable for all applicants to companies administering any mechanical test.
