Fragrant Harbour WannabesA forum for those applying to Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or any other Hong Kong based airline or operator. Use this area for both Direct Entry Pilot and Cadet-scheme queries
So I received the call from Cathay confirming the date of my stage 1 interview and what is to be expected in it. I am extremely excited...and scared out of my mind for it. And I was wondering if I can ask some questions and get some help from you guys..
First off, are the three tests anything to worry about?
And secondly, the presentation..i need help with it, and i'm wondering if it's safe to post what my topic is on here, or if that's common knowledge already..
Hi, are you having your interview or just the prelim tests? Tests are nothing much you can prepare for, though its pretty much all described in detail here in the forum. Presentation topic, again, hasn't changed in the past decade. so just spend some time looking at past posts and you should have all the info you need. btw. they're more interested in your verbal English rather than the content. Good luck! Oh and getting together with others to prep through the course of the selection is probably a good idea, as Cathay system does not pit you against other wannabes ~ you pass their bar, you get in. but then again you'll probably meet alot of tightmouthed locals that think of you as competition.
Sorry, meant preliminary tests, hehe. So I guess i'll just have to do more searching on these forums eh? And I dunno, just the whole presentation aspect does freak me out. I've done it before for class, and I can keep talking on topic if need be. Just hoping that will be enough. And yeah, i have a friend that is also having an interview set for next next week, and he already sees it as competition...kinda makes me sad..
Cathay's a conservative company, so wear a suit, preferably not a neon colored tie. Presentation is mostly a test of your english, you can bring a crib note to help you, but i heard they take marks off for that. (I did though and passed). So if you can do a smooth pres without it that would be best, but its better to have the sheet and do a good pres, than not have it and stumble all the way. There's also a timer on the table, that they'll start on when you begin, so stay in allowed time, (i.e. try summing things up by 4:45). I'd posted stuff in more detail before, so you can take a look if you like.
oh and the bar, well I'm not sure as of yet myself, but by all accounts its very very high.
I'm not sure why you think your friend sees it as competition, because I know him extremely well (we sleep together) and he doesn't seem to share that view!
The CPP isn't "competitive" between applicants. In fact, CX is so short of prospective cadets that meet their standard that they bought in the major HK newspapers an "article" about the CPP that appeared just this Monday. But their standard is indeed extremely high, so EVERY part of the admission process is something to worry about!
So in the meantime, practice for the aptitude test (you'll find lots of posts about it on this forum) by doing lots of random subtraction questions and executing a bunch of landings in FS. As for the presentation, so far our friend has prepared just from the stuff on the CX careers website and what current/ex-cadets have written online about the training program. Seems that that's pretty much all you need to prepare for the presentation.
don't worry about the initial test - any normal person who can speak decent english will pass. as mentioned above, do lots of mental math before going in. this isn't because the math test carries a heavy importance, but because it will activate your mind and you will go a long way with that.
the tests are merely to see if you are up to the standard of a normal person, it is nothing hard really. just concentrate and you will be fine. as for the presentation, i would say they just want to hear you speak english. i mine up, because i didn't prepare for it and thought my research would just come out inside. my speech was a mere 1.5 minute long, and in the HR ended up asking me questions about the CPP in order to make up for the time. nonetheless i passed... so i guess it is all about the english.
lastly for people who have ever flown an aircraft and/or flight sim, good on you. this will probably enhance your performance in the coordination tests. however don't expect the landings you do on the test computer to be similar to that of a real aircraft. you have to do nose-dive approaches in the coordination exercise! if you aren't into the habit of flying flight sim or have never flown a real aircraft before, no sweat. most people are born with an innate eye-hand coordination ability so if you concentrate, try your best, everything should be fine.
best of luck to all of you out there. remember to keep cool whatever happens, and don't give yourself extra pressure. the pressure in there is already intense and if you keep reminding yourself of how much you don't want to fail, it will be detrimental to your performance.
So a black suit with a blue or some sort of mild color dress shirt with a conservative tie would be good? What exactly is a crib note? And where exactly can I find information about the training aspect of the Cadet Pilot Program of Cathay Pacific? Thats the stuff im really freaking out about, haha, the research aspect..
And thanks for the assurances on the test, i'm confident on the English, bit iffy for the aptitude, and the intimidated for the hand eye coordination. But if its like flight sim, then I guess i can be confident...been landing planes with nothing but the keyboard for the past 3 years. Hehe..
Thanks to all the replies so far! And foilhead, mention to our mutual friend that I am deeply sorry for having assumed it was a competition, didn't want to think of it in the first place, but I also didn't know that he was surfing these boards as well as facebook.
Your eye hand coord test will be like an early 80's version of a FS - just lines, crosses and boxes. I kinda misread the instructions and F'ed up most of my trieds (thought i should land at the highest speed possible), but still passed. Look for presentation info at the flight training adelaide webpage as well. know what the different modules teach helps too (VFR, IFR, etc.) By crib notes i just mean a sheet of paper with notes about your presentation, hehe.
No, he graduated from America,guess he got a very strong American accent enhance he may find difficulty in listening part cause they are all British accent there.
Thanks again for all the help! And I did go to an ESF school, went to Kowloon Junior School for 5 years, then moved to the Philippines, then moved to 3 different states in the United States, CA for 2 years, VA for 1 year, and AZ for the past 3 years.
As for an accent...its almost un-placeable.
Though I can understand British accents well enough. I hope...
apart from the Stage 1 interview and presentation, all other assessment items in Stage 1 are done with other applicants. they don't play any role in your selection though, and vice versa - team interaction is only assessed in Stage 2.
So basically, after all the tests are done, you'll be playing the waiting game with other applicants? And if they do it alphabetically...dang, im screwed.
Well..today is the big day..wish me luck, and thank you so much for all the help!
yes. waiting is all part of the game, and it feels much more than any interview or test. the feeling of being helpless is unforgettable!
c4rti3r, try to relax, don't be so nervous! you have a long way to go before the last round. and they don't do things alphabetically, so don't worry about that. i would assume that they do give priority to candidates who are doing the accelerated selection process.
hand on heart and pray although it might useless, hoping time can fly while you want it longer than 24hrs in normal day. wake up at 10am and feel jumpy at 6pm. Log in your mail box before your first urine in the day, and repeat this process again until 6pm then you will be relieve. When your cell phone ringing, you become edgy. End up you might say "for **** sake'' because the person inside the phone saying "May I speak to somebody else."
I think I completely bombed my presentation..hoping that my test scores can override that, haha. That grammar test was hard!!! Freakin' British accents..
Similar Threads 
mine up, because i didn't prepare for it and thought my research would just come out inside. my speech was a mere 1.5 minute long, and in the HR ended up asking me questions about the CPP in order to make up for the time. nonetheless i passed... so i guess it is all about the english. 
if you aren't into the habit of flying flight sim or have never flown a real aircraft before, no sweat. most people are born with an innate eye-hand coordination ability so if you concentrate, try your best, everything should be fine.
-ing.
wake up at 10am and feel jumpy at 6pm. Log in your mail box before your first urine in the day, and repeat this process again until 6pm then you will be relieve. When your cell phone ringing, you become edgy. End up you might say "for **** sake'' because the person inside the phone saying "May I speak to somebody else."
Linear Mode
