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Directions and Distances
CBAT Directions and Distances: What to Expect & How to Prepare
The CBAT Directions and Distances (DAD) test assesses your ability to judge direction and distance accurately using visual information. It is a spatial awareness test that focuses on interpreting how far and in what direction an object has moved relative to a reference point, often under time pressure.
This page explains how the test works, the types of direction and distance judgements you’ll be required to make, common mistakes candidates make, and includes a question walkthrough to help you become familiar with the format before test day.
Directions and Distances Format & Conditions
You have approximately 16 minutes to answer as many questions as possible, whereby there will be 2 types of questions provided.
An example of the first style of question is as follows:
The cinema is 500 metres North of the barbershop, the barbershop is 200 metres South of the swimming pool
What direction is the cinema from the pool?
1. North
2. East
3. South
4. West
The question style will then change and the second style of questions will be shown:
A ship leaves port and sails North for 500 miles. It then turns East and sails for a further 200 miles. The ship then turns South West and sails for 200 miles before turning South for another 600 miles.
What direction is the ship from the port?
1. North
2. East
3. South
4. West
What Candidates Highlight After Taking CBAT
Based on feedback from candidates who passed CBAT, the most common challenge in DAD came from:
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Trying to visualise the locations. A tried and tested method used by myself and many others is to use your hands to plot points on the table in front of you.
Directions and Distances FAQs
How do I prepare for DAD? Directions and distances can be practiced easily with CBAT Ready. This test is free within the app therefore you can practice till you're comfortable. The more complex direction questions mentioned above are not on the app yet. These can be replicated easily by using AI to generate practice questions.
Will the questions in the real CBAT differ from the difficulty found within CBAT Ready? As mentioned in the above FAQ, the app does not yet have the more complex DAD questions. You will however find the easier questions very similar to the real test.
Does DAD require as many questions to be answered as possible within the overall time limit? Yes, however you should simply ensure you are working at a smooth pace as accuracy will get you further than speed.
Practising DAD Effectively
The Directions and Distances (DAD) test is not a calculation-heavy task. Performance is driven by visual judgement, spatial awareness, and speed of interpretation under time pressure. Success comes from quickly understanding where an object is in relation to a reference point — and selecting the closest answer without overthinking it.
Why timed exposure matters
In DAD, candidates must judge direction and distance from a visual display and choose the best option within a short time window. Even candidates with good spatial awareness can underperform if they are not used to making fast, confident visual decisions.
Practising under timed conditions trains you to:
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Make quicker distance and direction judgements
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Avoid “checking” the same visual repeatedly
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Commit to the closest match without hesitation
Candidates who underperform often report they knew what they were looking at, but spent too long comparing options or doubting an initial judgement.
Why direction and distance judgement improves with repetition
DAD rewards consistent estimation, not perfect precision. This improves rapidly with repetition.
By repeatedly practising DAD-style questions, candidates begin to:
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Build an internal “calibration” for common distances on the display
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Recognise typical movement patterns quickly
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Eliminate distractors that are clearly too far, too near, or in the wrong direction
Over time, these judgements become more automatic, reducing mental effort and improving speed.
Why familiarity with the format reduces stress
Many DAD errors happen before an answer is chosen — during the initial interpretation of the visual.
Repeated exposure to DAD-style visuals helps candidates:
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Immediately identify the reference point and target position
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Separate direction from distance (instead of trying to solve both at once)
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Ignore irrelevant visual detail and focus on the key cues
This familiarity reduces hesitation, lowers stress, and leads to more consistent performance across questions.
Practising with CBAT Ready
CBAT Ready includes timed DAD-style practice with realistic visuals (free), designed to reflect the pacing and structure of the real test.
This allows candidates to:
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Practise rapid spatial judgement under pressure
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Improve speed without sacrificing accuracy
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Track performance and consistency over time
For most candidates, structured practice is the difference between understanding what DAD is testing and reliably scoring well under real test conditions.
