RANRA for Public Health ST1: the two question types and how to practise without a calculator
Last updated 9 October 2026
The RANRA is the paper that catches out confident numerate applicants, because it is sat without a calculator, under time, straight after the Watson-Glaser. This page explains its two question types using the publisher's own directions and gives two practice questions with worked answers.
The Rust Advanced Numerical Reasoning Appraisal is the second paper of the day at the Public Health ST1 assessment centre: 32 questions in 40 minutes. NHS England says it immediately follows the Watson-Glaser, so you go from 40 reasoning questions into 32 numerical ones with no pause. It also says that no calculators, other stationery or paper are permitted, and that a wipeable board is provided. The maths is not advanced. The difficulty is doing it accurately at 75 seconds a question with nothing but a board and a pen.
The two question types
The publisher's practice booklet, hosted by Pearson VUE, describes two tests. Each has a fixed set of answer options that you should know before test day.
1. Comparison of quantities
You are shown two quantities, A and B, sometimes with extra information that applies to both. You choose one of four answers:
- A: the quantity under A is greater than the quantity under B.
- B: the quantity under B is greater than the quantity under A.
- E: the quantities are equal.
- I: insufficient information is given to make the comparison.
The booklet's examples are typical: the price of 2 kg of sugar at 46p against 3 kg at 31p, and the probability of drawing a black ball against the probability of drawing a ball that is not black. In the first you must calculate (92p against 93p). In the second you must notice that no calculation is needed. Spotting which kind you are looking at is half the skill.
2. Sufficiency of information
You are given a question and two statements, (1) and (2). You do not answer the question. You decide whether the statements give enough information to answer it, and choose one of five options:
- A: statement 1 alone is sufficient, but statement 2 alone is not.
- B: statement 2 alone is sufficient, but statement 1 alone is not.
- C: both statements together are sufficient, but neither alone is.
- D: each statement alone is sufficient.
- E: statements 1 and 2 together are not sufficient.
The directions say to use your everyday knowledge of the world and of mathematics together with the statements. In the booklet's example, "Sean is worth his weight in gold. How heavy is he?" cannot be answered from statements about his siblings' weights, and the gold is a distraction. The jet-versus-propeller example needs both statements, because each gives one aircraft's speed.
Practice question 1: comparison of quantities
Comparison of quantities
A Director of Public Health has a total staff budget of £1.2 million. Staff costs are rising by 4% this year. Without any new investment, the budget would need to increase to maintain the same staffing level.
Quantity A: the funding gap if the budget remains at £1.2 million.
Quantity B: £46,000.
A is greater / B is greater / The two are equal / Cannot be determined
Show the answer and working
Answer: Quantity A is greater.
Required budget after a 4% rise: £1,200,000 × 1.04 = £1,248,000. Funding gap: £1,248,000 − £1,200,000 = £48,000. A (£48,000) is greater than B (£46,000).
Without a calculator, 4% of £1.2 million is quickest as 1% = £12,000, so 4% = £48,000. You never need the £1,248,000 figure at all.
Practice question 2: sufficiency of information
Sufficiency of information
Question: What is the total number of confirmed measles cases in an outbreak affecting two schools?
Statement 1: School A reported 14 confirmed cases and School B reported 9 confirmed cases.
Statement 2: The attack rate at School A was 7% and at School B was 6%.
A / B / C / D / E as defined above
Show the answer and working
Answer: A. Statement 1 alone is sufficient, but statement 2 alone is not.
Statement 1 gives both case counts, so the total is 14 + 9 = 23. Sufficient on its own. Statement 2 gives attack rates but not the school populations, so no case numbers can be recovered from it. Not sufficient. Because statement 1 works alone and statement 2 does not, the answer is A rather than D.
Both questions are from our Full Test 2, which uses public health data throughout: budgets, outbreak figures, screening uptake, prevalence and rates. The real paper may use everyday contexts as well.
How to prepare
Practise without a calculator from day one. Every practice session should be done with a pen and one sheet of paper, or better still a small whiteboard, so that your mental arithmetic is test-ready. Percentages, ratios and fractions of round numbers should become automatic: 1% of a number, 5% as half of 10%, a third of £1.2 million.
Ask "do I need to calculate?" before calculating. Many comparison questions resolve by reasoning. If both quantities share a factor, cancel it. If one quantity is obviously bounded above and the other below, you have your answer. Calculating everything is how applicants run out of time.
Never solve a sufficiency question. Test each statement alone: could the answer be found from it? Then, only if neither works alone, test them together. Write A, B, C, D, E on your board as a checklist if it helps.
Respect the "insufficient information" options. Both question types include an answer for "cannot be determined". It is a real answer that appears in the key, not a trick. If a comparison depends on something you are not told, choose it with confidence.
Rehearse the transition. Because the RANRA follows the Watson-Glaser immediately, do at least one practice session where you sit a 30-minute Watson-Glaser and then go straight into a 40-minute RANRA. The second half of that session is the real test of your concentration.
The other two papers are covered in our Watson-Glaser guide and SJT guide. All the 2027 dates are on the timeline page.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the RANRA at the Public Health assessment centre?
40 minutes for 32 questions, which is 75 seconds a question. It starts immediately after the Watson-Glaser, with no break between them.
Can I use a calculator in the RANRA?
No. NHS England states that no calculators, other stationery or paper are permitted, and a wipeable board is provided at the test centre.
What are the two RANRA question types?
Comparison of quantities, where you decide whether quantity A or B is greater, they are equal, or there is insufficient information. And sufficiency of information, where you decide whether two statements, alone or together, give enough information to answer a question.
Do I have to calculate the answer in a sufficiency question?
No. You only decide whether the answer could be worked out from the statements. Working it out fully wastes time you do not have.
What level of maths is needed?
The published practice material uses percentages, ratios, probability, areas and unit conversions. Nothing beyond GCSE methods appears, but you must do it quickly, in your head or on a wipeable board, under time pressure.
Is there a free official practice test?
Yes. Pearson VUE publishes the publisher's RANRA practice booklet as a PDF, linked in the sources at the end of this page.