Skills Assessment at OAA

[PAPI 32]

I have my skills assessment at Oxford Aviation Academy tomorrow. I've had an entire week brushing up on maths and physics but is there anything else worth knowing before I jump into the Compass and Technical test tomorrow?

Anyone else here at Oxford?

[Pelikanpete]

No - as long as you are not completely hopeless and your cheque book/bank loan is fat enough you should pass.

They are running a business and it's not in their interest to turn down customers unless they think you will not get through the training (which is very rare and means a complete absence of any aptitude).

You should not regard it as them giving you an opportunity but rather as you giving them an opportunity (to make money). Don't get suckered by the glossy brochures and be sure to ask questions like what proportion of students who finished in the last 2 years have jobs as pilots and can afford to pay off the interest on their loans.

[Humberprop]

When they ask whether you have any questions. One I could never a get a straight answer to was...

Can you justify the £160 charge for what accumulates to around no more than an hour of your time?

Unless they decide you can stay another day in which there will be more sitting around and an accommodation charge etc to add on. The test fee charge maybe even higher now as it was some years ago since I attended that farce.

You could put that excess amount of money to much better use by going modular if you really want to be an airline pilot.

HP

[jez d]

Hi Sam,

Pelikanpete's less than helpful comments to one side, I think you're probably as prepared as you need to be at this stage. Remember, this is not a test to see how much you already know, but more about assessing your learning potential. If you show an ability to learn and improve during your tests tomorrow then OAA will likely look favourably on you.

Would recommend you're smartly turned out tomorrow and make certain you have a good night's rest tonight.

An hour or so on the Internet today brushing up on current airline news will help (although it does make for some depressing reading), as will a positive and friendly attitude throughout your tests.

And if Mike Langley is involved in the aptitude tests remember to laugh at his jokes ;)

Best of luck, Jez

[Whirlygig]

Pelikanpete's comments are very, very useful and should be heeded. :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

[jez d]

Pelikanpete & Whirlygig, I'm guessing that the fact that Sam is posting on pprune means he is more than aware of the current climate.

OAA's assessment is one of the best on offer, Sam, and the feedback they will provide you with will help enormously in making a decision about whether to train in the future as a commercial pilot.

You could also undergo an assessment with GAPAN, for a truly independent opinion concerning your training potential. They're a great bunch of people with huge experience in the airline world.

When and where to train are two further topics about which I'm sure Pelikanpete & Whirlygig will have plenty to say, and frankly, I expect I'd agree with them. But there is absolutely no harm in assessing your ability at this stage, and once again I wish you the best of luck.

jez

[PAPI 32]

I should have added I am actually planning to go Modular at Oxford, they run a waypoint scheme where you can break up the training into chunks.

The skills assessment is thus not mandatory as it is with the integrated course but I thought it would be well worth my time to go down there and take part. Like Jez d said I think it would be worthwhile to receive some feedback (hopefully positive) :p and have a good look around to see if it's the right place for me.

[Halfbaked_Boy]

and it's not in their interest to turn down customers unless they think you will not get through the training (which is very rare and means a complete absence of any aptitude)

This is incorrect.

Average success for OAA Skills Assessments circa 30-50%.

Very rarely higher, just thought I should point this out.

To the OP, basic Maths and Physics will do for the PILAP tests, hand eye coordination/memory there's not a lot you can do about.

You *can* however have a think about what you'll talk about in the interview, although if you're intending on pursuing the Waypoint programme (my original plan, but discontinued with OAA following groundschool), how important is this for you... really?

Other things to think about - be smart, be punctual, be professional, hold yourself well and present your ideas in the group exercises firmly, with justification for what you're saying, but don't be the @ss who buts in given every available opportunity!

The above quote aside, the last paragraph written by Pelikanpete is very accurate, and keep it in the back of your mind at all times. Don't let any FTO try and take you for a ride, you're the boss, you call the shots, but you only need to flick through a few pages here to know that don't you. :ok:

All the best.

[whistling turtle]

I have never actually attended a skills assesment for OAA but I have undergone aptitude tests for many airline schemes etc over the years and though they are always useful experiences to have under ones belt I actually do think a bit too much importance is attributed to them.

I have met quite a few people who have scored very highly in these kind of tests who later could never really get past or even to a PPL standard in their training unfortunately and vice versa in other instances.

I have usually scored well in these kinds of test myself and I remember testing for an airline scheme through FTE about 4 years ago and scoring very highly in the tests and making it to the final interview with the airline. I didn't get the place but the interesting part of the story was that a couple of years later I was looking into doing a self-funded intergrated course at FTE(glad I didn't do it now) and sat the exact same tests again in Jerez. - That time I actually got quite poor results. I remember the Interviewer there looking at the scores sheet and smugly saying that I would never be a Pilot - I just smiled and nodded thinking to myself little did he know about my past scores at those tests :)

A year later I was fully qualified through the modular route and in my own personal opinion I think it is the Instrument Rating that sorts the men from the boys so to speak.

Aptitude tests certainly have a value and I can see why companies use them but at the same time I do think that they are quite flawed as well so I wouldn't take the results either way as gospel.

Sitting in an aircraft and flying it safely and efficiently in less than ideal conditions is the real test.