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Reference guide

Airline pilot aptitude tests explained

Airlines and flight schools screen pilot candidates with computer-based aptitude tests. Here is a plain-English guide to the best-known systems, what each one assesses, and how to practise those skills for free.

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SkyStudy is also not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to SkyTest, which is named on this page as another preparation product rather than as a selection system. SkyTest is a trademark of its owner, named here only to describe factually what it is.

The main test systems

COMPASS

European Pilot Selection and Training (EPST)

A computer-based screening battery used by a number of airlines and flight schools. It typically covers psychomotor coordination, multitasking, short-term memory, instrument orientation, mental arithmetic and technical questions, with optional English and verbal reasoning.

  • Psychomotor coordination
  • Multitasking
  • Short-term memory
  • Instrument orientation
  • Mental maths
Read the full COMPASS guidePrep for COMPASS: Coordination & Screening Path

PILAPT

People Technologies Ltd, now owned by Multi-Health Systems (MHS)

A pilot aptitude battery used widely for many years, now owned by Multi-Health Systems (MHS). Tasks commonly include compensatory tracking, multitasking, spatial transformation, pattern recognition and mental arithmetic under time pressure. It is now a legacy system: most schools and airlines that once used it have moved to online cut-e screening.

  • Tracking
  • Multitasking
  • Spatial reasoning
  • Pattern recognition
Read the full PILAPT guidePrep for PILAPT: Tracking & Spatial Path

DLR test

German Aerospace Center (DLR)

A multi-stage selection used by several European airlines. The computer battery spans English, technical understanding, mental arithmetic, memory span, perception, spatial orientation, concentration and a monitoring and instrument coordination task.

  • Mental maths
  • Memory span
  • Spatial orientation
  • Concentration
  • Hand-eye coordination
Read the full DLR test guidePrep for DLR test: Multi-Aptitude Assessment Path

cut-e / Aon

Aon

An online and on-site assessment suite chosen by many airlines. Modules can include numerical, verbal and logical reasoning, working memory, monitoring, spatial orientation, reaction time and aviation multitasking games.

  • Logical reasoning
  • Working memory
  • Monitoring
  • Reaction time
  • Multitasking
Read the full cut-e / Aon guidePrep for cut-e / Aon: Online Reasoning & Monitoring Path

Vienna Test System

Schuhfried

A hardware and software test system with an aviation battery. It includes vigilance, the Stroop task, sensorimotor coordination, memory span, a determination test of reaction under load, mechanical understanding and spatial ability.

  • Vigilance
  • Response inhibition
  • Reaction under load
  • Spatial ability
Read the full Vienna Test System guidePrep for Vienna Test System: Sensorimotor & Vigilance Path

WOMBAT

Aero Innovation

A situational-awareness and multitasking battery. It combines continuous tracking with monitoring and selectable secondary tasks to measure how candidates prioritise under sustained workload.

  • Situational awareness
  • Multitasking
  • Task prioritisation

SkyTest

SkyTest (preparation software)

Commercial preparation software that simulates the kinds of exercises in several airline batteries. Airlines do not administer SkyTest; it is a study tool, much like SkyStudy's free exercises.

  • Preparation software

How the market has changed

Most current cadet pipelines now screen the first stage remotely. Candidates usually sit an online, browser-based assessment from Aon (the cut-e suite) before they are invited anywhere in person, often inside a short booking window. Only after that remote screen do survivors travel to a test centre for the hardware-based batteries, simulator checks, group exercises and interviews. Systems like the DLR test, COMPASS, the Vienna Test System and similar in-person batteries generally sit at that later on-site stage, or are used by particular flag carriers and academies. A browser practice tool like SkyStudy matches the modality of the modern remote stage-1 screen quite closely, while the psychomotor and instrument exercises can only stand in for the dedicated hardware used on site.

PILAPT, from People Technologies (now owned by Multi-Health Systems, MHS), is a good example of this shift. It was used widely for years, but most of the schools and airlines that once ran it have since moved to online cut-e screening, so it is best treated as a legacy system today. The skills it measured, tracking, spatial pattern work and multitasking under time pressure, are still central to selection, which is why practising them remains worthwhile even though you may never meet PILAPT itself.

A newer format worth knowing about is the task-based behavioural assessment, such as the one from Arctic Shores used by some cadet schemes. Instead of right-or-wrong questions, these capture behavioural data from short interactive tasks. They measure work style and decision patterns rather than a single correct answer, so there is nothing to revise in the usual sense; the best preparation is simply to be rested, honest and consistent.

You may also come across older or historical names. Micropat and CASS were early computerised pilot aptitude batteries used in the UK, and the Honourable Company of Air Pilots (historically the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators) has long been associated with pilot aptitude and scholarship assessment. These appear mostly for background and completeness; the systems in active civilian use today are the ones described above. Named systems here are trademarks of their respective owners, mentioned only to describe the kinds of skills they assess. SkyStudy is not affiliated with any of them.

Practise the underlying skills, free

Whichever system you face, the skills overlap. Each exercise below is an original SkyStudy drill you can use right now, no account needed.

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Mental Arithmetic
Numerical fluency and speed under time pressure.
Audio Arithmetic
Numerical fluency when the problem arrives by ear: holding spoken numbers in working memory while calculating an exact answer under a time window.
Speed, Distance and Time
Applied numerical reasoning with aviation units.
Fuel Planning Maths
Multi-step numerical reasoning with rates.
Aviation Unit Conversion
Speed and accuracy applying conversion factors.
Number Series
Inductive reasoning and numerical pattern recognition.
Deductive Logic
Deductive reasoning and logical validity.
Verbal Reasoning
Reading comprehension and logical evaluation of text.
Aviation English
Written English accuracy and range: grammar, spelling, vocabulary, synonyms and idiom, in an aviation register.
Reaction Time
Processing speed and response selection.
Stroop Test
Selective attention and response inhibition.
Mental Rotation
Three-dimensional spatial visualisation.
Visual Memory
Visual and spatial working memory.
N-Back
Working memory and sustained attention.
Concentration Grid
Focused attention and visual scanning speed.
Compass Headings
Spatial orientation and mental compass work.
Tracking Control
Hand-eye coordination and continuous control.
Instrument Coordination
Divided attention and multi-axis control: scanning three coupled instruments while monitoring a concurrent voice task.
Triple-Task Capacity
Spare mental capacity and divided attention: sharing focus across continuous tracking, an auditory rule and a visual search at the same time without any one collapsing.
Cockpit Maths
Calculator-free applied numeracy: table and graph interpolation, speed / distance / time, and proportional reasoning under time pressure.
Time Zones and UTC
Time arithmetic and zone conversion.
Data Interpretation
Reading and reasoning with tabular data.
Verbal Analogies
Verbal reasoning and relationship mapping.
Abstract Reasoning
Non-verbal inductive reasoning and pattern recognition.
Pursuit Tracking
Anticipation and continuous hand-eye coordination.
Go / No-Go
Reaction speed and response inhibition.
Running Memory Span
Working memory updating and recall.
Instrument Monitoring
Divided attention and supervisory monitoring.
Moving Object Monitoring
Sustained multi-object tracking and monitoring under distraction.
Figural Series
Non-verbal inductive reasoning with figures.
Figural Odd One Out
Non-verbal classification and concept formation.
Figural Analogies
Non-verbal reasoning and transformation mapping.
Cube Folding
Spatial visualisation and mental folding.
Paper Folding
Spatial visualisation and mental transformation.
Spatial Orientation
Spatial orientation and instrument interpretation.
Block Counting
Three-dimensional visualisation and counting.
Hidden Figures
Perceptual focus and field independence.
Sustained Attention
Vigilance and sustained concentration.
Divided Attention
Divided attention and task sharing.
Determination Test
Reactive stress tolerance and response speed across mixed visual and auditory channels.
Tunnel Flight
Anticipatory hand-eye coordination and control.
Multitasking Battery
Workload management and task switching.
Mechanical Reasoning
Understanding of basic mechanical principles.
Aircraft Attitude
Spatial orientation and attitude perception from the outside view.
Radio Bearing Orientation
Instrument interpretation and spatial orientation to a fixed point.
Multi-Instrument Orientation
Measures the combined instrument scan and spatial orientation used in instrument flying: fusing heading, attitude and a relative bearing into one coherent picture of where the aircraft is and where it points.
Audio Figure Counting
Spatial left/right re-mapping combined with working memory under an auditory instruction: re-mapping each figure’s own hand to the side you see it on, while holding a three-part spoken rule and counting against a clock.
Instrument Snapshot Recall
Short-term memory for instrument readings under time pressure.
Multiple Object Tracking
Divided attention: sustained multi-object tracking while monitoring for collisions.
Gate Slalom
Sustained lateral tracking precision and fine motor control under forward time pressure, with gate gaps that progressively narrow to demand increasingly accurate steering corrections.
ILS Approach Tracker
Dual-axis compensatory tracking, fine-motor coordination, and sustained concentration under real-time feedback pressure.
Dual Task Manager
Divided attention and multitasking workload capacity under sustained time pressure, combining data transcription accuracy and speed with peripheral visual reaction time.
Clearance Recall
Short-term verbal and numerical working memory under delay and cognitive interference.
IFR Tracking Monitor
Measures divided attention and psychomotor coordination by requiring simultaneous multi-axis instrument tracking and auditory pattern monitoring under time pressure.
Ball Balance
Fine motor control, anticipatory corrections, and sustained psychomotor precision under continuous perturbation across a 60-second timed round.
Dial Speed Reading
Measures perceptual speed and scale-reading precision when identifying analog instrument readings under time pressure.
Planning Puzzle
Sequential planning and forward-looking working memory, measured by how close to the optimal move count you solve each ball-arrangement puzzle.
Sense of Direction
Mental map orientation: the ability to maintain a continuous running compass bearing while mentally following a sequence of straight legs and direction changes on a north-up grid.
Turn Counting
Measures accuracy in mentally tracing a tangled path and counting its directional turns, training the visual-spatial tracking ability evaluated in pilot selection cognitive assessments.
Associative Memory
Measures paired-associate memory: the ability to encode arbitrary links between symbols and values quickly and recall them accurately after a short delay.
Rule Classification
Measures rule-based selective attention and processing speed: how quickly and accurately you can hold a classification rule in mind and apply it to a continuous stream of stimuli.
Radar Orientation
Measures plan-view spatial orientation: reading the position of contacts relative to your own heading and converting between relative clock bearings and magnetic bearings.
Tube in a Cube
Measures three-dimensional spatial integration: the ability to follow a path through a solid in depth and determine where it emerges.
Rotating Maze
Measures visuomotor control under a rotating frame of reference: steering accurately toward a goal while the relationship between your controls and the world keeps changing.
Situational Judgement
Airmanship and crew-resource-management judgement in realistic flight-deck dilemmas.
Data Checking
Measures clerical accuracy and cross-checking speed: how reliably you spot a single altered value between two otherwise identical data tables, the error-catching discipline pilot selection screens assess.
Path Tracing
Measures visual path-tracing and route-following accuracy: the ability to follow a winding, self-crossing line to its exact endpoint, the spatial-tracking skill pilot selection assesses.
Symbol Matching
Measures perceptual speed: how quickly and accurately you compare two short symbol strings and decide whether they match, the rapid visual-comparison ability pilot selection screens assess.
Reverse Digit Span
Measures backward working memory: how many recent items you can hold from a running stream and reorder in reverse, the manipulate-while-holding capacity pilot selection assesses.
Flight-Parameter Memory
Sequential working memory for cockpit parameters: chunking a running stream of flight levels, headings, speeds and frequencies and reproducing it in order under a time block.
Aviation Physics
Measures applied physics reasoning in a flying context: lift and drag, altimetry, airspeed, the magnetic compass, moments and load factor, simple circuits and gas laws, the technical aptitude pilot selection assesses.
Aeronautical Knowledge
Measures practical airman's knowledge: reading flight instruments, weather symbols and reports, standard radio phraseology, aircraft systems and airfield markings and lights, the applied aviation understanding selection and ground school reward.
Radio Comprehension
Listening accuracy and speech comprehension under radio noise: extracting a specific spoken value from a transmission while similar-sounding values compete.
Personality Self-Report
The non-technical traits and motivations that airline selection explores, so you can reflect on your own style and prepare your examples. It is a self-report for reflection, not a measurement of your personality and not a prediction of any selection outcome.
See all aptitude exercises

Frequently asked questions

Do all airlines use the same aptitude test?

No. Different airlines and flight schools use different systems, and many pick their own subset of modules. The skills assessed overlap a lot, which is why general practice helps whichever test you face.

Can I practise for a specific named test here?

You can practise the underlying skills each test measures, such as multitasking, spatial rotation, mental maths and reaction time. SkyStudy's exercises are original and are not copies of any branded test.

Does a good score here mean I will pass selection?

No. These drills build familiarity and speed, but they do not predict or guarantee the outcome of any airline's selection process, which also weighs interviews, simulator checks and more.

The rest of the selection day

Aptitude tests are the first filter, but a full selection day also includes a group exercise, a simulator or flight-device assessment, and a competency-based interview. Our free guides cover each stage.

Selection day guideInterview guide (STAR + EASA)All selection systems, compared

Open pilot vacancies

These tests are one filter among several in a real hiring process. The job board lists the vacancies currently open, with whatever selection system each operator states it uses.

See open vacancies

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