Practice Test: Mechanical Comprehension
Key Takeaways
- This practice set simulates the OAR MCT with 20 mixed-topic questions at the 30-second-per-question pace.
- Recognize the physics concept first, then apply the formula — do not spend time figuring out which formula to use.
- Many MCT questions can be answered through logic and elimination without full calculations.
- Diagram-based questions (gears, pulleys, levers) are the most common — practice interpreting mechanical images.
- If you are running low on time, prioritize questions you can answer quickly and guess on complex calculations.
Practice Test: Mechanical Comprehension
Time yourself: 10 minutes for 20 questions (30 seconds per question). This matches the MCT pace. Work quickly and trust your first instinct on concept recognition.
A 10 kg box is pushed across a floor with a net force of 20 N. What is the acceleration?
A block and tackle system has 5 rope segments supporting the load. To lift a 250 N load, what effort is needed?
Two gears mesh: Gear A has 24 teeth and turns at 200 RPM. Gear B has 12 teeth. What is Gear B's speed?
A car traveling at 30 m/s brakes to a stop in 6 seconds. What is the deceleration?
If the area of a hydraulic piston doubles, and pressure stays constant, the force on the piston:
A 50 kg box sits on a frictionless inclined plane at 30°. What force parallel to the ramp does gravity exert? (sin 30° = 0.5, g = 10 m/s²)
Three resistors of 6Ω each are connected in parallel. What is the total resistance?
A lever has a 300 N load 2 m from the fulcrum. If the effort arm is 6 m, what effort is needed?
An object with density 1,200 kg/m³ is placed in water (1,000 kg/m³). What happens?
A 24V battery is connected to two 6Ω resistors in series. What is the current?
If a ball's speed triples, its kinetic energy becomes:
Four meshing gears are arranged in a line: A → B → C → D. If A rotates clockwise, which direction does D rotate?
An engine does 6,000 J of work in 3 seconds. What is its power output?
According to Bernoulli's Principle, what happens to air pressure above an airplane wing compared to below?
A spring with k = 200 N/m is compressed 0.1 m. What is the elastic potential energy stored?
Heat travels from the Sun to the Earth primarily by:
A ramp is 8 meters long and 2 meters high. What force is needed to push a 400 N box up the ramp (ignoring friction)?
A step-down transformer has 1,000 primary turns and 100 secondary turns. If input voltage is 240V, what is the output?
A motor belt connects a 20 cm pulley to a 5 cm pulley. If the larger pulley turns at 100 RPM, how fast does the small one turn?