The Spanish Civil Guard aptitude test: format and scoring

What the official call says

The 2026 call for the Escala de Cabos y Guardias, with 3,240 places, splits the psychometric test into two parts: intellectual aptitudes and personality profile. The aptitude part is a battery of 80 questions with four options and a single correct answer. The total time is 55 minutes, including reading the instructions.

Aptitudes are scored from 0 to 30 points, with a minimum of 12 to stay in the process, and that score is added to the final total that ranks candidates. The personality profile has no score of its own, but its results may be taken into account to judge whether you fit the Guardia Civil’s professional profile.

The examining board decides the order of the tests. The call warns that once you start the first test of the day, you must complete every test scheduled for that date: if you drop out of any of them, you are excluded from the process.

How it differs from the Policía Nacional test

The exercises are similar, but the strategy changes. In the Policía Nacional the aptitude test is pass or fail, so clearing the cut-off is enough. In the Guardia Civil every net correct answer improves your ranking, so it pays to aim for the best possible score, not just a pass.

1. Score: 0 to 30 points added to your final total, compared with pass or fail in the Policía Nacional.
2. Format: the call sets 80 questions in 55 minutes; in the Policía Nacional the examining board decides the number of questions within a maximum of 60 minutes.
3. Tie-breaks: if final totals are tied, the aptitude score is the third criterion, after general knowledge and English.

• The Spanish National Police aptitude test: format and scoring

2026 dates and the next call

In the 2026 process, the call was published in the BOE on 8 May. The intellectual aptitude test was held on 11 July 2026, in the same session as spelling, grammar, general knowledge and English. The psychophysical tests took place between 2 and 26 September in Valdemoro, and the final results and the list of candidates proposed for admission as trainees were published on 6 October.

If you are preparing for the next call, the 2026 process gives a reference point: about two months between the publication of the call and the written tests. It is only a reference; check each year’s call and notices on the Guardia Civil recruitment website.

Which exercises to expect

The call refers to “general intelligence tests and/or specific scales” measuring learning ability, analysis, reasoning and cognitive potential, but it does not list the question types. Preparation usually covers these aptitude areas:

1. Verbal: synonyms, antonyms, analogies and sentence meaning.
2. Numerical: number series, mental arithmetic, percentages and short problems.
3. Abstract reasoning: letter series, domino sequences, figure series and matrices.
4. Spatial: rotated figures, cube nets and shapes seen from different angles.
5. Attention and perception: comparing codes, counting symbols and spotting differences.

• How to approach a number series
• How to solve letter series
• How to solve domino sequence questions
• Compare codes without skipping the details

How it is scored

Base 7.3 of the call applies the formula (30/80) × [A − E/(4 − 1)], where A is correct answers and E is errors. Each net correct answer is worth 0.375 points, and each error subtracts a third of a correct answer, or 0.125 points. Blank answers neither add nor subtract.

The 12-point minimum is equivalent to 32 net correct answers: 40% of the battery once errors are deducted.

Pace and uncertain questions

With 55 minutes for 80 questions, you have about 41 seconds per question, and that time includes reading the instructions. Some questions take less time than others: if you get stuck on one, move on and come back to it at the end if time allows.

A blind guess is neutral on average: with 4 options you are right one time in four, and each miss subtracts a third. If you can confidently rule out one option, choosing among the 3 remaining pays off on average, but only slightly: 1/9 of a correct answer, about 0.04 points. What really adds up is practicing until you can rule options out quickly.

How to prepare

Because the score is added to your final total, every net correct answer you gain improves your ranking. A simple plan:

1. Take a timed mixed set to see which areas cost you the most points or seconds.
2. Practice each weak area without a timer until the method is clear, then work towards about 40 seconds per question.
3. Every week, score a mixed set out of 30 with the official formula and record your score and net correct answers to track your progress.
4. Review every error and note whether it came from the method, a calculation or misreading the question.

Check the official details

This guide summarises the Escala de Cabos y Guardias call published in the Spanish Official Gazette (BOE) on 8 May 2026 and the calendar published by the Guardia Civil. The rules, dates and minimum scores may change with each call: always check the BOE and the recruitment pages at guardiacivil.es. Cognik is independent of the Guardia Civil and offers general reasoning practice.