QFD / QFES Firefighter Test: Free Practice Questions (2026)
The Queensland Fire Department (QFD), known as Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) until its rename on 2024, requires all Recruit Firefighter applicants to pass an Online Cognitive Ability Test as part of a 10-stage recruitment and selection process. The test is delivered through Pearson VUE in a proctored, timed format on the candidate's own device, with no calculators, notes, or pens permitted. It covers three components: Mechanical Reasoning (gears, circuits, kinetic energy), Core Abilities (literacy, numeracy, problem solving, and analytical aptitude), and Written Comprehension (reading and interpreting large volumes of text). Other stages in the same campaign include a Beep Test (pass mark: Level 9.6), the Operational Focused Abilities Test (OFAT), a Firefighter Panel Interview, and a Psychological Assessment.
Getting through the QFD written test isn't about luck. It's about knowing exactly what's coming before you sit down in front of that webcam. Below are twelve real-style questions, three each across Mechanical Reasoning, Core Abilities (Numerical, Analytical Aptitude, and Literacy), worked through step by step, so you can see exactly how QFD/QFES candidates are expected to think under time pressure. When you're ready for full-length, timed practice across all three components of the real test, our QFD Exam PrepPack is built specifically for this test and has already helped thousands of firefighter candidates pass on exam day.
When people talk about the "QFD written exam" or "QFES written test," they're referring to the Online Cognitive Ability Test, the formal name QFD (Queensland Fire Department, previously known as Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, or QFES) gives to the assessment. It's one stage within a much longer, 10-stage Recruit Firefighter selection process that also includes a Beep Test, a physical Operational Focused Abilities Test (OFAT), a panel interview, and a psychological assessment. But the Online Cognitive Ability Test is the first major filter, and the one candidates search for most, since it's the stage where reasoning and reading skills, not fitness, decide who moves forward.
The test is not a test of firefighting knowledge. It doesn't ask about hose diameters or fire behaviour. Instead, it measures the underlying cognitive skills QFD has identified as essential to the job: the ability to reason through a mechanical problem, work with numbers and logic under pressure, and extract the right information from a page of text quickly and accurately.
1. Mechanical Reasoning
Mechanical Reasoning evaluates your ability to understand and apply basic mechanical and physical concepts, things like gears, levers, circuits, pulleys, and kinetic energy, and to predict how a mechanical system will behave. You won't need trade-level technical knowledge, but you will need to reason logically about cause and effect in physical systems, often from a diagram rather than a written description.
2. Core Abilities
The broadest of the three components. It covers literacy, numeracy, problem solving, and analytical aptitude, essentially your general reasoning and academic skill set. Expect numerical calculations (including fractions and decimals), logical sequences, and inductive reasoning questions where you identify a pattern and predict what comes next.
3. Written Comprehension
Tests your ability to read and process large volumes of text efficiently, then answer questions that require you to identify key details, draw conclusions, and think critically about what you've just read, all under a strict time limit.
The Online Cognitive Ability Test is delivered through Pearson VUE in a proctored (supervised) online format, similar to Pearson's OnVUE remote proctoring system. That means:
Importantly, QFD is explicit that these assessments are designed to test a wide range of applicants, and it is not expected that every candidate will answer every question correctly. The goal isn't a perfect score, it's meeting the minimum standard QFD has set for that intake, since the assessments exist to reflect the real occupational requirements of the firefighter role.
Source: QFD Firefighter Recruitment Candidate Information Pack.
Mechanical Reasoning questions test whether you can look at a physical system, a bridge, a lever, a set of gears, and reason through how it actually behaves under force. QFD isn't checking for trade experience here, it's checking whether you can apply basic physical logic to a diagram you've never seen before.
Don't try to recall a rule from memory, work through the diagram itself. Trace what happens to the object under the forces shown, where weight is pulling, where something is anchored, where tension or pressure would build, and follow that logic to its conclusion rather than guessing based on which option looks more "solid."
This is the numeracy strand of the Core Abilities component: arithmetic, fractions, decimals, and quick mental math, done without a calculator and under a visible timer. The questions themselves are rarely advanced, the challenge is doing them fast and accurately.
This is the numeracy strand of the Core Abilities component: arithmetic, fractions, decimals, and quick mental math, done without a calculator and under a visible timer. The questions themselves are rarely advanced, the challenge is doing them fast and accurately.
This is the analytical aptitude strand of Core Abilities, non-verbal, inductive reasoning. You're shown a sequence of shapes or grids and asked to identify the rule governing how they change, then apply that rule to pick what comes next.
Choose the correct answer
The yellow color keeps switching between the upper right and lower right square. The upper and lower right squares in shapes three and four of the question are green because of the mixture with blue (yellow+blue=green). The answer therefore, must consist of a yellow or green color in the lower right corner thus eliminating answers two and three.
The blue color moves in clockwise form. The answer should have the blue color in the upper left corner, which leaves you with either the first or fourth shape as your answer.
The plus sign moves from the top, to the middle, to the bottom and goes back to the top and repeats this sequence. The plus sign therefore, must be on the bottom in the answer. The circle shape jumps between the right side and the middle of the whole shape. Since the circle in the last shape of the question is on the right, the answer must have a circle in the middle.
The answer thus is -
Choose the correct answer
.
Choose the correct answer
Isolate one variable at a time instead of looking at the whole grid at once, track just the colour first, then just the position, then just the shape, and work out the rule for each independently. Most sequences change more than one thing at once, so the answer is usually the option that satisfies every rule simultaneously, not just the most obvious one.
Written Comprehension questions test whether you can read a longer passage under time pressure and apply it precisely, not just recall the general gist. QFD describes this component as the ability to evaluate large volumes of text, identify the important details within it, and respond accurately to what's actually written, exactly what a question like this is built to measure.
This is a negatively phrased question, one of the most common traps in Written Comprehension sections: you're asked to find the one option that is NOT supported by the passage, among several that are. Work through each answer option one at a time and try to locate the specific phrase or sentence in the text that supports it. Whichever option you can't find any textual support for is your answer. Don't rely on your general impression of what the passage was about, ground every elimination in an actual line from the text.
The practice test you just finished covers the basics, but the real QFD Firefighter exam is timed, and speed under pressure is what actually separates a passing score from a failing one. For full-length simulations, complete section-by-section practice, and detailed explanations for every question, please visit the QFD prep page by clicking on the link below.
Becoming a firefighter with QFD (Queensland Fire Department, formerly Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, or QFES) is a competitive, multi-stage process that typically takes 8 to 10 months from application to job offer, not including the 16-week Recruit Training Program itself. QFD recruits in campaigns rather than on a fixed annual calendar, so applications only open when a campaign is announced, and once open, there are no exceptions made for late submissions.
Before you can apply, you must meet the following mandatory criteria:
A current, valid, paid Working with Children Blue Card from Blue Card Services is highly desirable at application and becomes mandatory before you can start the Recruit Training Program.
Once you apply, every candidate in that campaign moves through the same 10 stages together, in order: application, the Online Cognitive Ability Test, Beep Test, Operational Focused Abilities Test (OFAT), Firefighter Panel Interview, Psychological Assessment, Criminal History Check and referee reports, State Selection, Medical Assessment, and pre-course requirements. Missing or failing any one stage generally means waiting for the next campaign to try again.
<p> Candidates who clear all 10 stages are offered a place on the 16-week Firefighter Recruit Training Program, run at either the School of Fire and Emergency Services Training (SFEST) in Brisbane or the Northern Campus Training Academy in Townsville. You're paid at the recruit rate for the full duration, and a 12-month probationary period applies from the start of the course. Attendance for the full 16 weeks is treated as essential, since missing three or more days is considered a significant risk to meeting the required competency standards. </p> <p> After graduation, you'll serve a minimum of four years at your first appointed employment location before becoming eligible for a transfer, and transfers are never automatic, they depend on vacancies and waiting lists. </p>
Once on shift, firefighters enter Q-STEP, a three-year, four-stage training and assessment program that runs alongside your operational duties. Completing it takes you from Firefighter Recruit through 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Class Firefighter, and results in three nationally recognised qualifications: a Certificate II and two Certificate III awards in Public Safety.
Source: QFD Recruit Firefighter and the QFD Firefighter Recruitment Candidate Information Pack.
When people search for the "Pearson VUE Core Abilities Test," they're really referring to the Core Abilities component of QFD's Online Cognitive Ability Test, one of three sections (alongside Mechanical Reasoning and Written Comprehension) that make up the assessment, delivered on QFD's behalf by Pearson VUE.
Pearson VUE, now operating under the name Pearson Professional Assessments, is a division of Pearson, the global education company, and runs one of the largest secure testing networks in the world, delivering high-stakes certification, licensure, and screening exams across more than 175 countries. It's the same underlying platform and security infrastructure that government agencies, professional bodies, and emergency services organisations use when they need a standardised, tamper-resistant way to assess large numbers of candidates fairly and consistently.
For QFD's Online Cognitive Ability Test specifically, there's no need to travel to a physical test center. The assessment is delivered remotely, in a proctored (supervised) format, on your own laptop or computer at a location of your choosing, with your webcam active for the duration and an offsite proctor monitoring the session in real time. You won't be permitted to use pens, paper, phones, or calculators, and each component is timed, with a visible countdown you manage yourself. Organisations like QFD typically turn to platforms like Pearson VUE for exactly this kind of high-stakes, large-volume selection testing because it standardises the experience for every applicant regardless of where they're sitting the test, a consistency that matters for a role like firefighting, where the selection process needs to be defensible, fair, and repeatable across thousands of candidates in a single campaign.
Passing the QFD Online Cognitive Ability Test isn't just about knowing the concepts, it's about performing under the exact conditions you'll face on test day: a strict timer, a proctor watching through your webcam, no pen or calculator to fall back on, and three different question types switching in quick succession. Most candidates who don't make it through this stage aren't lacking the underlying reasoning skills, they lose marks to time pressure, unfamiliar question formats, or simply not knowing what to expect walking in.
That's exactly why we built a dedicated QFD / QFES PrepPack, designed specifically around this test rather than adapted from a generic aptitude course. It's built around three principles:
The twelve practice questions on this page are a preview of what to expect, but they're not a substitute for full, timed preparation across all three components of the real test.
It's the written assessment stage of QFD's (Queensland Fire Department, formerly Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, or QFES) Recruit Firefighter selection process. It has three components, Mechanical Reasoning, Core Abilities, and Written Comprehension, and is delivered on QFD's behalf by Pearson VUE.
Pearson VUE (operating under the name Pearson Professional Assessments) delivers the test on QFD's behalf, in a proctored, timed, remote format. QFD sets the content and standards, Pearson VUE handles secure delivery and identity verification.
QFD recruits in campaigns rather than on a fixed annual calendar. A new campaign opens when there's an operational need for more recruits, so there's no guaranteed yearly intake, and the exact timing can vary from year to year.
According to QFD's official Calendar of Events, applications for the 2027 campaign are scheduled to open in May-June 2026, with online assessments running August-October 2026 and the resulting recruit courses starting in 2027-2028. QFD notes this calendar may change due to operational requirements.
You'll sit it remotely on your own laptop or computer, with your webcam on and an offsite proctor monitoring the session. No pens, paper, phones, or calculators are permitted. Each component is separately timed, with a visible countdown, and depending on the component you may be able to flag and revisit questions if time remains.
It's designed to filter a large, general applicant pool, so the individual questions aren't advanced, most people can solve a Mechanical Reasoning or Core Abilities question given unlimited time. The real difficulty is the combination of a strict timer, no calculator or notes, webcam pressure, and three different reasoning styles back to back. Most candidates who don't progress at this stage lose marks to pace and unfamiliarity with the format, not a lack of underlying ability.
QFD doesn't publish a fixed pass mark for this test, unlike the Beep Test, which has a published minimum of Level 9.6. Instead, QFD sets minimum standards each campaign that reflect the occupational requirements of the role, and candidates are assessed against that standard rather than a single public cut-off score.
No. QFD's own guidance is explicit that pens, pencils, note paper, phones, and calculators are not permitted during either online assessment. All numerical reasoning has to be worked through mentally, which is exactly why timing practice matters more here than in a typical school-style maths test.
Nothing beyond what's typically covered by the end of Year 10-12: whole numbers, fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, and basic problem solving. The challenge isn't the difficulty of the maths itself, it's doing it quickly, accurately, and without a calculator, under a visible timer, alongside logical and pattern-based reasoning questions in the same sitting.
A PDF can show you what a Mechanical Reasoning or Core Abilities question looks like, but it can't put you under the actual conditions you'll face on test day: a live countdown per section, the pressure of a webcam and proctor, and no way to pause and think as long as you like. Practising untimed, on paper, with no pressure, builds a false sense of readiness, since the real test is measuring how you perform when all of that is stripped away. A time-simulated practice test is built to replicate that pressure in advance, so test day is the second time you've felt it, not the first.
QFD doesn't publish a fixed turnaround time for the Online Cognitive Ability Test specifically. In general, you'll be notified whether you're progressing after each stage of the process is completed in full for that campaign, rather than immediately after you finish the assessment itself.
Yes. Alongside the written Online Cognitive Ability Test, candidates must pass a Beep Test (Level 9.6) and the Operational Focused Abilities Test (OFAT), a series of pass/fail physical tasks that simulate real emergency incident work, completed in Brisbane or Townsville.
It depends on the assessment. QFD's Psychological Assessment results are explicitly valid for 12 months, so you may not need to redo them if you were assessed within the last year. Other stages, including the Online Cognitive Ability Test, are generally tied to the specific campaign you're applying in, so check current guidance from QFD Talent Acquisition for that campaign before assuming a past result will carry over.
