Airservices Australia Psychometric Testing

[philosophrenic]

Originally Posted by hansfalkenhagen

To save me from reading over the last 6 months worth of posts for the third time, I have some questions I am hoping to have answered:

1. I've heard of some "pre-course learning material" you're expected to complete prior to training. What does this involve and how long should you expect to dedicate to it (I only ask as I may need to cancel a trip I have planned leading up to the course).
2. I've heard of some form of "verification test" during the assessment day. Does this involved resitting the SHL test or is it just the cognitive testing/simulator exercise we are expected to complete at the assessment centre?
3. Is the OPQ now conducted at the assessment centre or was it scrapped entirely from the application process?
4. Is the role for En Route controlling more autonomous, whereas Tower is more focussed to team work?
5. If you ended up on the Tower course, are you expected to slog away for a few years in a less desirable location rather than near a major city? Paying one's dues, more or less?
6. How many people are generally on each course? ie. what is the instructor to trainee ratio like?
7. What might be some of the reasons people fail during initial and field training? What might be some of the reasons people leave the profession early on?

They may seem like some odd questions, but I am trying to fill in some gaps with the research I have already done.

Thanks!

My two cents on Q4 from my previous experience working in an en-route centre overseas, situation could be different here. If by "autonomous" you mean more focused on VHF and radar screen rather than neighbouring sectors and related departments, then I'd say they are pretty close. Be it tower or centre, you must be ready and good at communicating and sometimes bargaining with people. E.g. centre need to coordinate with various neighbouring airspace, approach, towers, airforce, while tower need to work with approach and various departments of the airport (I have no experience in that). If you are referring to teamwork with fellow controllers, it is ALWAYS paramount. A good team makes you enjoy work and a bad team makes life hard.