Mechanical Reasoning Assessment: Sample Questions | Bryq
Fluid Mechanics and Pressure
Gravity, Weight, and Equilibrium
Gears, Pulleys, Belts and Transmission
Forces, Levers, and Simple Machines
These are four sample questions from Bryq’s Mechanical Reasoning assessment, an aptitude test for hiring technicians, engineers, maintenance staff, and other roles that work with machines and physical systems. The full assessment covers four skills: forces, levers and simple machines; gears, pulleys, belts and transmission; gravity, weight and equilibrium; and fluid mechanics and pressure. Each question pairs a schematic diagram with a practical problem to solve, with four options and one correct answer.
Fluid Mechanics and Pressure
Intermediate
Question
A tank of water has three small holes of the same size in its side. From which hole does water leave fastest?
Select your answer
Hole 3
Hole 1
Hole 2
Water leaves all three holes at the same speed
WHY IS THIS THE CORRECT ANSWER
Water pressure increases with depth, because more water is pressing down from above. Hole 3 is deepest below the water level, so the pressure there is highest and the water leaves fastest.
Gravity, Weight, and Equilibrium
Intermediate
Question
Three identical display cabinets each hold the same heavy crate, placed on a different shelf. Which cabinet is hardest to tip over?
Select your answer
Cabinet A
Cabinet B
Cabinet C
All three are equally stable
WHY IS THIS THE CORRECT ANSWER
An object is more stable when its center of gravity is lower, because it has to be tilted further before the center of gravity passes beyond the edge of its base. The boxes weigh the same, but Box A has its heavy block at the bottom, giving it the lowest center of gravity.
Gears, Pulleys, Belts and Transmission
Intermediate
Question
Pulley A, with a 30 cm diameter, turns clockwise at 50 rpm and drives Pulley B, with a 10 cm diameter, through an open belt. How does Pulley B turn?
Select your answer
150 rpm, clockwise
150 rpm, anti-clockwise
17 rpm, clockwise
50 rpm, clockwise
WHY IS THIS THE CORRECT ANSWER
An open belt makes both pulleys turn in the same direction, unlike meshing gears, which reverse it. Because Pulley B is one third the diameter of Pulley A, it must turn three times as fast to keep up with the belt: 50 × 3 = 150 rpm.
Forces, Levers, and Simple Machines
Intermediate
Question
A 300 N load sits 0.5 m from the fulcrum of a lever. What effort, applied 1.5 m from the fulcrum on the other side, is needed to balance the lever?
Select your answer
100 N
900 N
300 N
150 N
