Advice on OAA result

[johnc509]

I now had around a month for it to sink in and for me to think about it but still unsure on how to proceed.
I completed the OAA skills assessment and got FULL marks in:

Team Exercise
Interview
Sim
Compass

However I apparently completely failed the personality test and so they told me to come back in 6 months.

The personality test is 225 questions asked by a computer and the questions were so ambiguous.

I passed the CTC assessment first time however.

I was just wondering, since I failed the personality test at OAA, Would you suggest that being a pilot isn't for me even if I disagree with the results?

(Please could we leave politics out of this, i.e. how these company's are a rip off)

[RTN11]

I have no idea of the selection process you've been through, but personality is a very large part of commercial aviation these days.

You can teach almost anyone anything given enough time, but you can't teach a personality. You're going for a job which now involves being locked in a very small room monitoring a computer with only one other person for company, so personality is going to be a very large part of your selection.

In fact, I was hardly asked any technical questions at my airline interview, it was mostly HR type questions to find out about me, my background and how I was likely to behave. Obviously I still had to pass the sim check, but I was under the impression they didn't mind how much ATPL theory I had forgotten, as I would re-learn the important stuff on the type rating, but they wanted the right personality.

If you have the wrong personality, you are going to rub people the wrong way when locked away with them day after day, then when it really matters the CRM could break down, and something could go wrong. The recent(ish) flybe case where both pilots lost their jobs after fighting comes to mind.

[redsnail]

Personality tests administered and reviewed by any one other than trained professionals is vague at best. They are meant to be viewed as part of the process, not "yay or nay".

However, it is important to understand how they work. You do need to know that there are "cheat" questions through out. They are designed to see if you're lying or at least answering them as you "think" they needed to be answered.

A simple one is "are you always on time?" If you answer "yes" - then it is a strong marker that you're lying. Reason. You might be early.

[DumpingTheRat]

Forget it , put it out of your mind !
Bear in mind the conclusion of all that expensive training at OAA is a possible seat in a multi crew airliner . Personality means a lot . The majority of graduates from OAA are 18-21 yrs olds with parents money behind them who have school and possibly at a push uni behind them . So the Captain is going to have to spend all day in a flight deck with a person of very little life experience . So personality is important but certainly not important enough for OAA to discount you on that basis alone , otherwise they wouldnt have half the students they do have .
Do not think that because you failed OAA's aptitude you are not capable , save yourself 40g and go modular the end product is the same the only aptitude test I ever took I failed ( Cranwell ) they told me I wasnt up to being a pilot , hmm , well I seem to be doing a reasonable job so far .
Rejection is a large part of this business , as in your flying training what has happened has happend it is what will happen that is now important , forget it learn from it move on

[bex88]

umm and this is the same tests that said I would be unlikely to succeed. So the end result, well lets just say it was completely wrong and I now enjoy a career with a world leading airline. If you think about the questions to much it does not work and some people just don't fit the method of assessment. It does have some value though and whilst you cant change your personality you can modify your behaviour. It is also fair to say people change and evolve over their training. Don't worry about it to much. To give you a example if a question says do you drive dangerously what do you answer? Well I said yes and they pulled me up on it. I argued that everyone had driven dangerously at some point. Whilst that is true do you drive dangerously on a daily basis? Well of course not......so the answer is no. Do you see how you can take these questions the wrong way and thus affect the result.

[Turbine Tom]

Hey there,

I am an OAA graduate and one of my mates who has just passed his IR failed his personality exam first go. The results said he was introverted individual. This guy is one of the most extroverted people I've ever met!

If you feel that you're a positive extroverted individual you will

a - not think about not being a pilot (clearly you want to be)

b - do some practice papers online to get used to not contradicting yourself in any questions


All the best, and good luck!

I'd definitely recommend OAA over CTC any day.

[Stocious]

I'd definitely recommend OAA over CTC any day

Why's that then?

[Rigger92]

Let's not get in to a 'who's better than who' thread drift please because unless you have experienced both, how can you possibly have credibility?

As for the personality test (AKA psychometric test), there is a definite knack to answering them. They are looking for a stable extrovert but some candidates undertaking them will probably answer them conservatively rather than naturally.

I sat with a friend last week whilst she completed an online 125 question test that provided immediate feedback. Her results were excellent but she either ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘strongly disagreed’ (those of you who have sat these tests will know where I am coming from). The point is the middle 'unsure' answer is not a safe bet.

Obviously I don't know the OP but I suspect the results of the test aren't a true reflection. Chin up, try again if you really want OAA, but don't be put off. Also, when looking at an integrated provider, it is always worth looking at their recruitment stats and if you have a CTC offer (Wings?), that can only be good news.