Speedbird Pilot Academy - Funded

[MB12]

Originally Posted by Pripatt

Hey mate!

Hope you’re well, just wanted to pick your brain and to ask what kind of maths to focus on? Is it mainly stuff similar to the examples on the PowerPoint preparation material, I found a couple online tests and they are a bit difficult compared to the PowerPoint.
if you can please let me know and I will be grateful
thank you in advance

Without giving too much away I will just say that the practice questions are a good indicator of what is in the real test. I also found that other online tests tended to be more difficult than what is in the assessment. The bit which makes it difficult is the time constraint rather than the actual maths, as you only have 17 minutes to answer 25 questions, which I think works out to around 40 seconds per question. Quite a bit of that time can be used up just clicking numbers into a calculator and finding the answer on the list of options, so you really do have to be very quick to answer all the questions. I just did mine and didn't quite manage all the questions in time, so hopefully I got everything I did answer right and will get through despite missing the last few.

[MB12]

Originally Posted by jsmith98

Looking at the previous selection information and threads, you should be able to find that the in-person assessments are the aptitude tests with the flight schools. You will get placed into one of the two flight schools (FTE Jerez or Skyborne), and then you have a date to choose from. On the day of the assessment, there will be aptitude tests to complete. If you pass this stage, then you will be invited to the British Airways Assessment.

Any idea what kind of aptitude tests the flight schools will be running?

[LessThanSte]

Originally Posted by Rookie986

What does it mean by Waterside-in-person and if anyone knows what does it generally entail?

I read this as that there will be flight school assessments either virtually on some dates or in person on other dates at Waterside (BA's HQ, next to LHR) i.e. not at the flight schools themselves. That's then followed by a BA assessment at Waterside.

Originally Posted by Mustang123

Given your timeline we might be able to infer some workings of the black box. I might imagine that if you fail the Checking right away, you get a rejection the next day; whereas if you get a rejection 4-5 days later then likely you passed the tests, but were chopped due to your CV or Motivation not meeting the standard.

Thats what i inferred from the slidepack faq. I dont imagine the personal statement/CV was reviewed as part of the initial application. I guess everyone got the initial test invite, and if passed then got further invites. If the checking test is passed, there is then a more thorough review of test scores alongside the CV/personal statement to decide on whether to take forward to the next steps. Possibly implies a human rather than computer assessment, including for example that the personal statement had more than just 'i really want to be a pilot'. Would explain the 4-5 day turnaround, and also that some have been declined next day (i.e. didnt pass the checking task specifically.

Those asking re test prep - the tests are in line with the examples given in the faq slidepack, variations on the same theme. It wouldnt be fair to say more than that, really.

Good luck all.

[my_call]

Originally Posted by kiana3011

I just realised that I went by surname lol so I didn’t even look to see if there was one where all pieces of info were correct bar surname, technically you could base your answer off any piece of correct info no?

The instructions for this were quite ambiguous in my opinion, led to the loss of valuable time to anyone who made this consideration and I suspect it was not part of the objective to trip applicants through this lack of clarity. Though, I guess it won't bother them as long as they get a bell curve to cull a great many and have enough that passed the threshold.

To my detriment, I started second-guessing myself and changing my answer on at least one question. This was after reading this forum, otherwise I don't think I would have considered it in time and just went with the first value in the row as the check row identifier. Anything we impart about info that can only stem from doing the test is essentially a clue, despite our efforts, but this shows that it can both help and hinder.

After this stage is complete, it would be interesting to poll how the successful approached this e.g. Checked correctness by:

1. using surname to identify row and then compare all other values against same row
2. used first value in table to identify row and then compare all other values against same row
3. compared against row with most matching values and determined exceptions from this
4. checked column by column and if value appeared in any column, deemed correct i.e. entire table check
5. checked for correctness against some other criteria

[RingleRider]

Originally Posted by my_call

The instructions for this were quite ambiguous in my opinion, led to the loss of valuable time to anyone who made this consideration and I suspect it was not part of the objective to trip applicants through this lack of clarity. Though, I guess it won't bother them as long as they get a bell curve to cull a great many and have enough that passed the threshold.

To my detriment, I started second-guessing myself and changing my answer on at least one question. This was after reading this forum, otherwise I don't think I would have considered it in time and just went with the first value in the row as the check row identifier. Anything we impart about info that can only stem from doing the test is essentially a clue, despite our efforts, but this shows that it can both help and hinder.

After this stage is complete, it would be interesting to poll how the successful approached this e.g. Checked correctness by:

1. using surname to identify row and then compare all other values against same row
2. used first value in table to identify row and then compare all other values against same row
3. compared against row with most matching values and determined exceptions from this
4. checked column by column and if value appeared in any column, deemed correct i.e. entire table check
5. checked for correctness against some other criteria

I think maybe they are checking for common sense, if all but one matches one row, and applying a little bit of common sense/logic one would assume that the single bit of info is incorrect field.

[RingleRider]

I have just received an email to do the audio assessment.

[joey7415963]

Originally Posted by RingleRider

I have just received an email to do the audio assessment.

Me too, just come through!

[benair11]

I have also just received an invite to the audio exercise. Completed the checking test on the morning of the 22nd.

[AdamCE0465]

Originally Posted by joey7415963

Me too, just come through!

mine too, congratulations everyone

[NaW96]

Anyone know how long we get to take the interview? Is it 2 days again?

[Roewester1]

I have been told I have 3 days to do the audio recording too. I wonder how many candidates they have cut out compared to last year since they never really screened the CV and had easier tests. By the time I reached the flight school interview last time, there were 300/24,000 candidates left but I imagine it will be less this time.

[kiana3011]

Originally Posted by Roewester1

I have been told I have 3 days to do the audio recording too. I wonder how many candidates they have cut out compared to last year since they never really screened the CV and had easier tests. By the time I reached the flight school interview last time, there were 300/24,000 candidates left but I imagine it will be less this time.

what do you mean they didn’t screen the cv?

[my_call]

Originally Posted by RingleRider

I think maybe they are checking for common sense, if all but one matches one row, and applying a little bit of common sense/logic one would assume that the single bit of info is incorrect field.

"Dear So and So, you have been rejected due to a lack of common sense. Since we do no believe this is something you can improve upon, don't bother trying to apply again"

Congratulations for getting through and since you did, hopefully will get another crack at it and follow your approach, which was I eventually went with anyway, but lost time. All the best in the next stages.

[chris09]

Originally Posted by RingleRider

I have just received an email to do the audio assessment.

Me too!

[chinook123]

I’ve had the audio announcement email too! good luck everyone

Interesting to see at the end of the email “You may not hear from us for up to 2 weeks; this is because our Speedbird Pilot Academy team are reviewing your application.”

I wonder if they have been reviewing applications between checking tests and now, or that comes after the PA?

[oneredpanther]

Passed the checking! Got my email this afternoon for the audio assessment

[finn_vb_]

Got mine as well!

[wineallwine]

oh no I've not got any audio invite despite having done my checking test on Saturday. Assuming that's a bad sign now

[easy_99]

Originally Posted by my_call

The instructions for this were quite ambiguous in my opinion, led to the loss of valuable time to anyone who made this consideration and I suspect it was not part of the objective to trip applicants through this lack of clarity. Though, I guess it won't bother them as long as they get a bell curve to cull a great many and have enough that passed the threshold.

To my detriment, I started second-guessing myself and changing my answer on at least one question. This was after reading this forum, otherwise I don't think I would have considered it in time and just went with the first value in the row as the check row identifier. Anything we impart about info that can only stem from doing the test is essentially a clue, despite our efforts, but this shows that it can both help and hinder.

After this stage is complete, it would be interesting to poll how the successful approached this e.g. Checked correctness by:

1. using surname to identify row and then compare all other values against same row
2. used first value in table to identify row and then compare all other values against same row
3. compared against row with most matching values and determined exceptions from this
4. checked column by column and if value appeared in any column, deemed correct i.e. entire table check
5. checked for correctness against some other criteria

Congrats to those getting through to the audio exercise. I'd also be interested to understand how people approached this checking question - I compared against the row with the most matching values and therefore selected the singular differing field as "incorrect" (option 3 that my_call listed above). This was the one question I wasn't too confident on (appreciate I may have got other questions wrong as well), and I got rejected the following day which makes me think I failed the test rather than it being my CV/motivation as someone suggested further up the thread that a quick rejection possibly implies having failed the test as its unlikely someones read your application that quickly. I am just speculating though, as only the recruitment team know exactly how the process works. This also happened to me last year which is a little frustrating to not know where I'm going wrong.

Good luck with the audio assessments and all the best to those still in the process

[charliebayley]

Announcement Assessment

Recieved my invite to the announcement assessment this afternoon. Congratulations & best of luck to everyone taking this.
Interesting that they have noted this may take numerous weeks to process, I'm assuming this is now the transition between computational checking and human checking - hopefully a positive sign that we're down to a smaller selection of candidates!