Firefighter Aptitude Tests: The Complete Guide to the NFA Selection Tests

What Are the National Firefighter Ability (NFA) Tests?

The National Firefighter Ability tests are a nationally standardised set of online assessments used by most fire and rescue services in England and Wales. Because they are standardised, preparing for them prepares you for almost any service you apply to. They are sat online, are strictly timed, and use fire-service contexts so the content feels relevant to the role.

There are three core ability tests plus, for many services, a behavioural questionnaire. Together they assess whether you can reason accurately and quickly, and whether your natural attitudes and behaviours fit the demands of operational firefighting.

• ✓Working with Numbers — numerical reasoning
• ✓Understanding Information — verbal reasoning (True / False / Cannot Say)
• ✓Situational Awareness & Problem Solving — situational judgement
• ✓National Firefighter Questionnaire (NFQ) — behavioural / personality assessment

Working with Numbers

This test assesses your ability to interpret and work with numerical information — the kind of data a firefighter encounters in tables, charts, gauges, and floor plans. It is typically around 32 questions in 45 minutes, with no calculator permitted, so quick and accurate mental arithmetic matters.

You will not face advanced mathematics. The challenge is applying basic operations — percentages, ratios, reading tables, simple calculations — accurately and at speed. Practicing mental maths and the specific question formats is the most effective preparation.

Understanding Information

Understanding Information is a verbal reasoning test. You read written passages — often based on fire-service procedures or scenarios — and answer statements as True, False, or Cannot Say, based only on the information in the passage. It is typically around 25 questions in 35 minutes.

The skill being tested is careful, literal reading: distinguishing what the passage actually states from what you might assume or infer. The 'Cannot Say' option catches people who bring in outside knowledge or read too much into the text. Slow down enough to answer on the evidence in front of you.

Situational Awareness & Problem Solving

This is a situational judgement test (SJT). You are presented with realistic workplace and operational scenarios and asked to choose the most appropriate response. It assesses judgement, safety-consciousness, teamwork, and decision-making — the practical thinking a firefighter applies on the job.

There are objectively better and worse answers, scored against a key developed by experienced firefighters and occupational psychologists. No firefighting knowledge is needed — strong answers come from good values, common sense, and a focus on safety and teamwork.

The National Firefighter Questionnaire (NFQ)

Many services also use the National Firefighter Questionnaire, a behavioural assessment that measures how closely your attitudes and natural style match the qualities important for a firefighter. You rate how strongly you agree or disagree with a series of statements. There are no right or wrong answers in the conventional sense — but consistency and honesty matter.

The NFQ is considered alongside the rest of your selection results. The best approach is to answer honestly and consistently rather than trying to game it; we cover the NFQ in detail in its own guide.

How to Prepare Efficiently

The single most effective thing you can do is practice under realistic, timed conditions. Familiarity with the format removes hesitation on test day, builds your pacing, and surfaces your weak areas while you still have time to fix them. Treat practice as diagnostic — review every question you get wrong and understand why.

Spread your preparation across all the tests rather than over-focusing on the one you find easiest. Most candidates are strongest on one test and weakest on another; closing the gap on your weakest test usually moves your overall standing more than perfecting your best one.