Pilot aptitude test practice for selection day

Numerical exercises train fast, accurate mental maths without a calculator. Pilot selection leans on them because fuel, time, distance and performance figures all have to be worked in your head, quickly and under pressure, on the flight deck.

Mental ArithmeticFast, calculator-free sums against the clock.

~2 min

Audio ArithmeticHear the sum, hold the numbers, key the exact answer.

~3 min

Cockpit MathsRead tables, interpolate and work rates, no calculator.

~60 sec

Speed, Distance and TimeWork a leg in your head: speed, distance or time.

~1 min

Fuel Planning MathsBurn rate, time and fuel, worked in your head.

~1 min

Aviation Unit ConversionFeet to metres, kg to lb, knots, litres and more.

~2 min

Time Zones and UTCConvert UTC to local and work out arrival times.

~1 min

Data InterpretationRead a short table and answer fast.

~1 min

Logical reasoning(7)

Logical reasoning exercises measure how well you spot rules and patterns and draw valid conclusions from them. This is the fluid intelligence that lets a pilot make sense of a new system, a new procedure or an unfamiliar problem quickly.

Abstract ReasoningPick the figure that completes the pattern.

~3 min

Planning PuzzlePlan your moves. Zero wasted steps.

~3 min

Number SeriesSpot the rule, predict the next number.

~1 min

Deductive LogicTwo statements, one conclusion that must follow.

~60 sec

Figural SeriesSpot the pattern and pick the next shape.

~2 min

Figural Odd One OutFind the shape that breaks the pattern.

~2 min

Figural AnalogiesA is to B as C is to which figure?

~2 min

Verbal(3)

Verbal exercises test how precisely and quickly you read, reason about and use language. Crews brief, read clearances and work through written procedures in English, so airlines screen comprehension and vocabulary, often as a non-native-speaker check too.

Verbal ReasoningTrue, false, or cannot say, from the passage alone.

~60 sec

Aviation EnglishGrammar, spelling, vocabulary and idioms in an aviation register.

~2 min

Verbal AnalogiesA is to B as C is to ?

~1 min

Spatial exercises test your ability to picture and manipulate objects, orientations and headings in your mind. It is one of the most flying-specific skills airlines test, because instrument interpretation, mental navigation and attitude awareness all rest on it.

Mental RotationSame shape, or its mirror image?

~2 min

Cube FoldingFold the flat net into a cube in your head.

~2 min

Multi-Instrument OrientationRead three cockpit instruments at once and pick the aircraft that matches all three.

~8 min

Audio Figure CountingListen to a rule, then count the figures that match it.

~4 min

Compass HeadingsTurn onto a new heading in your head.

~1 min

Paper FoldingFold, punch, unfold: where are the holes?

~2 min

Spatial OrientationRead the artificial horizon and call the attitude.

~2 min

Block CountingCount the cubes, including the hidden ones.

~2 min

Hidden FiguresFind the simple shape hidden in the clutter.

~2 min

Aircraft AttitudeRead the view through the windscreen and call the attitude.

~2 min

Radio Bearing OrientationRead the compass and pointer to find the bearing to the station.

~2 min

Sense of DirectionFollow a multi-leg route on a map and report which way you end up facing.

~2 min

Turn CountingTrace the path, count the turns.

~2 min

Radar OrientationRead a heading-up radar and report where each contact lies relative to your nose.

~2 min

Tube in a CubeFollow a bent tube through a transparent cube and name the face it exits.

~3 min

Path TracingTrace a winding line to where it ends, and name the cell.

~2 min

Memory exercises measure how much information you can hold and update over short periods. A pilot constantly carries clearances, frequencies, altitudes and headings in working memory while doing something else, so airlines test that capacity directly.

Reverse Digit SpanHold the last few digits of a stream, then say them backwards.

~2 min

Flight-Parameter MemoryHold a running chain of cockpit values, then recall it in order.

~6 min

Visual MemoryWatch the tiles light up, then repeat the order.

~2 min

N-BackSpot when a letter repeats from a few steps back.

~75 sec

Running Memory SpanRecall the last few digits of a stream.

~2 min

Instrument Snapshot RecallScan a panel of gauges, then answer from memory.

~2 min

Clearance RecallRead a four-item clearance, survive a delay, then recall one value.

~3 min

Associative MemoryMemorise letter-to-number pairings, then recall the right number on cue.

~60 sec

Attention exercises test how well you stay focused, filter distractions and notice what matters. Monitoring instruments for the one reading that has drifted, hour after hour, is core airline work, so vigilance and selective attention are screened closely.

Dial Speed ReadingRead analog gauges at speed with no recall delay

~60 sec

Rule ClassificationLearn a colour-and-shape rule, then apply it to a fast stream of symbols.

~60 sec

Data CheckingCross-check two flight-data tables and flag every mismatch.

~2 min

Stroop TestName the ink colour, not the word.

~60 sec

Concentration GridFind every up arrow against the clock.

~60 sec

Instrument MonitoringCatch each gauge before it redlines.

~60 sec

Moving Object MonitoringTrack the targets, then count how many are in the zone.

~1 min

Sustained AttentionCatch the rare double jump on the clock.

~2 min

Divided AttentionTrack a target and watch for signals at once.

~60 sec

Symbol MatchingSame or different, as fast as you can read it.

~60 sec

Reaction time(3)

Reaction-time exercises measure how fast and how accurately you respond to a signal. Raw speed matters less than making the right response, and not responding when you should not, which is why most tests pair speed with inhibition.

Determination TestReact fast and accurately under a rapid stream.

~60 sec

Reaction TimeHow fast can you respond when it counts?

~45 sec

Go / No-GoRespond to every letter except X.

~75 sec

Psychomotor(8)

Psychomotor exercises test hand-eye coordination and smooth, continuous control, usually by asking you to track a moving target. They are the closest thing on a selection day to actually flying an aircraft by hand.

Tracking ControlHold the drifting marker in the centre.

~45 sec

Instrument CoordinationFly three coupled gauges at once while a voice stream tests your ears.

~5 min

Tunnel FlightSteer through the centre of every gate.

~60 sec

Gate SlalomSteer a constant-speed aircraft through a narrowing column of gates.

~1 min

Pursuit TrackingChase the moving ring and stay on it.

~45 sec

ILS Approach TrackerHold both needles centred against a continuously drifting disturbance.

~2 min

Ball BalanceKeep the ball centred on a tilting plate against continuous disturbance

~60 sec

Rotating MazeSteer a marker to the exit of a maze that keeps turning under you.

~60 sec

Multitasking exercises measure how you cope when several tasks demand attention at once. Airlines care less about doing everything perfectly and more about how you prioritise, shed lower-value tasks and keep the important ones safe under load.

Triple-Task CapacityThree unrelated tasks at once: this is the hardest exercise here by design.

~4 min

Multitasking BatteryTrack, monitor and respond, all at once.

~1 min

Dual Task ManagerType codes and catch peripheral lights at the same time.

~2 min

Multiple Object TrackingTrack a set of targets and call the collisions at the same time.

~2 min

IFR Tracking MonitorFly the instruments. Count the digits. Do both at once.

~1 min

Technical(3)

Technical exercises test your feel for basic mechanical and physical principles: forces, gears, levers, pressure and motion. They reward applied understanding over memorised formulas, the same feel for how things work that aircraft-systems study draws on.

Mechanical ReasoningApply everyday physics: gears, levers and more.

~2 min

Aviation PhysicsReason about lift, altimetry, airspeed and the forces of flight.

~3 min

Aeronautical KnowledgeRead the instruments, weather, radio calls, systems and airfield.

~2 min

Listening(1)

Listening exercises test how accurately you take in spoken information over a noisy radio. Pilots work almost entirely by voice, reading back clearances and copying ATIS and ATC calls through static, so understanding a degraded transmission first time, without losing a digit, is a safety-critical skill airlines value. Radio Comprehension plays audio by default and needs working sound to hear the transmission; if you cannot use audio, choose the transcript-first option on its intro screen and every transmission is shown as text instead.

Radio ComprehensionPull the squawk, runway, QNH or callsign out of a noisy radio call.

~3 min

Situational judgement(1)

Situational judgement exercises test the non-technical side of being a pilot: how you weigh safety, teamwork, communication and pressure in a realistic flight-deck dilemma. Airlines use them because good crew-resource-management judgement, not just cognitive horsepower, is what keeps a crew safe when a situation turns ambiguous.

Situational JudgementRank crew-resource-management responses from best to worst.

~5 min

Personality(1)

Personality exercises are for reflection, not measurement. Airlines look closely at non-technical qualities like conscientiousness, composure, teamwork and the willingness to speak up, and they explore your background and motivation in interviews and biographical forms. These tools help you think honestly about your own style and prepare your examples. They have no score and do not predict any selection outcome.

Personality Self-ReportRate a set of statements and see a reflective profile of your pilot-relevant traits.

~3 min