DLR test preparation: how pilot selection works

DLR selection is multi-stage. It opens with a supervised, computer-based basic examination (the Grunduntersuchung), sat at an individual workstation with a headset and input device, covering the cognitive, knowledge, psychomotor and personality tests above. Candidates who pass are invited to a company or main examination (the Firmenuntersuchung): a full assessment-centre day of role-plays, group exercises, a simulator or flight-device check and a semi-structured interview, ending in an overall risk assessment.

DLR also issues a separate DLR Certificate Cockpit, a computer-based session that documents whether a candidate meets the psychological requirements EASA has required for cockpit crews since 2021. DLR states the certificate reports competency ratings only and contains no pass-or-fail selection decision, and that it is valid for two years. DLR lists the certificate at 417.69 euros plus VAT for 2026; figures change, so confirm the current price on DLR's own site.

DLR does not publish practice material, and the real items are confidential, so no tool can hand you the actual test. What you can do is train the skills DLR says it measures, all of which respond to practice: fast mental arithmetic, especially delivered by audio with no pen and paper; spatial tasks such as folding cube nets and tracking a route; reverse digit-span memory; English; and dual-task multitasking.

Familiarity with these formats lets you spend the exam performing rather than decoding the instructions. Because the later stages are about behaviour under pressure and teamwork, prepare for those separately with honest self-reflection and interview practice rather than rehearsed answers. The free SkyStudy exercises below cover the cognitive and psychomotor side.