Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test-II

NOTICE

The BMCT-I, Form S, Form T, and all Randomized versions have been discontinued and replaced with the new BMCT-II.
As of 2024 the Bennett is now offered exclusively online.

Screen candidates for mechanical understanding and ability using the Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test-II.

The Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test® II measures the ability to apply physical and mechanical principles in practical situations. The assessment evaluates an applicant’s problem solving skills and ability to learn new mechanical concepts quickly. It is ideal for use in a wide variety of occupations in production and maintenance.

When you need to determine quickly and surely if a job applicant has the aptitude to learn mechanical skills, you need the Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test-II.

Primary Use: Selection
Assessment Type: Cognitive, Mechanical Reasoning
Job Level: All
Job Type: Manufacturing and Maintenance
Number of Items: 55
Estimated Time: 25 minutes (timed)
Administration Format: Unproctored

What It’s Best Used For

This screening instrument is best used during the hiring or internal promotion phase to quickly identify technical potential and reduce onboarding and training costs.

• Targeting Technical Trades: Ideal for a wide variety of roles in production, manufacturing, and industrial maintenance.
• Evaluating Practical Skill Learning: Measures a candidate’s baseline capacity to comprehend the operation of complex devices and absorb mechanical concepts quickly.
• Isolating Spatial Logic Over Dexterity: Focuses strictly on physical reasoning and tool logic rather than manual dexterity, requiring no specialized prior engineering knowledge.
• Robust Multi-Language Reporting: Delivers an immediate score report broken down via percentiles, T-scores, stanines, and “can-do” proficiency summaries.

The test must be administered in a secure, proctored environment, supports English, French, Spanish, and Dutch configurations, and is fully legal for use in Canada.

The BMCT-II results help you decide who is best suited for jobs requiring a grasp of the principles of operation and repair of complex devices. The BMCT-II test items are presented in terms of simple, frequently encountered mechanisms and require no special knowledge. Items do require the application of a physical law or mechanical operation and focus on spatial perception and tool knowledge rather than manual dexterity.

The BMCT-II may be self-administered in paper format or online, read aloud by an examiner; or administered using a taped recording of the questions. You may administer it to a single applicant or a group. The first forms of the BMCT-II were prepared for use in the US military and many of the Allied countries. Current forms have been refined in more than 50 years of research and use. The manual was revised in 1994 and contains 18 new norms tables, based on cases collected in 1993 and 1994. Updated test booklets retain original items but have a contemporary look. Answer sheets and score keys have been redesigned to make them easy to use.

In response to client requests and preferences, the new report also presents the score in five different ways:

• Percentile against a norm reference group
• T-scores that are standardized scores used to compare a test taker’s results. A
• T-score has a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10
• STANINE (Standard Nine) scores are standardized scores based on a 9-point scale, with a mean of 5 and standard deviation of 2
• STEN (Standard Ten) scores are standardized scores based on a 10-point scale, with a mean of 5.5 and a standard deviation of 2

No matter which method of presenting scores is preferred, they all allow for comparison of a test taker’s score relative to the normative reference group. No score is more accurate than another.

Each administration will present 55 items. Administration time is 25 minutes.

The BMCT-II is available in both paper and online formats.

Languages

Spanish – Castilian/US
French – France/Canadian
Dutch
English – US/UK

Updates to the new BMCT-II score report that will help you find and interpret the results of the assessment. This additional information includes:

• maximum time allowed
• item format (e.g. multiple choice)
• number of items answered correctly
• number of items attempted
• total number of questions in the test
• percentile against a norm reference group (as in previous reports)
• T-scores which are standardized scores with a mean of 50 and standard deviation of 10
• STANINE (Standard Nine) scores which are standardized scores based on a 9-point scale, with a mean of 5 and standard deviation of 2
• STEN (Standard Ten) scores which are standardized scores based on a 10-point scale, with a mean of 5.5 and a standard deviation of 2
• “Can do” statements have been added which describe a candidate’s skill level based on the work activities which they can likely complete

Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test II Norms

• Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting
• Architecture and Engineering
• Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
• Cognitive Ability
• Construction
• Construction and Extraction
• Entry Level / Hourly
• Farming, Fishing and Forestry
• Individual Contributor / Professional
• Manager / Executive
• Manufacturing
• Mining, Quarrying and Oil and Gas Extraction
• Production
• Selection
• Supervisor / Hourly
• Transportation and Material Moving
• Transportation and Warehousing
• Utilities
• Waste Management and Remediation

This assessment is only to be administered in a proctored setting. The test administrator will take necessary steps to ensure the test is always administered in a proctored and secure environment.

© Pearson Assessment, Inc.