Hi all,
I've very recently attended a Stage 2 assessment at CAE's Oxford Academy and therefore I'm going to put in my two-penny worth.
Firstly, it is difficult. There's no point in lying, but remember, that's the entire point. My biggest piece of advice for anyone who has their Stage 2 coming up is to relax. That doesn't mean don't put any work in revising, but do not beat yourself up if you don't succeed. Remember, you're very fortunate that you're pursuing the aviation industry as there's so many routes to the cockpit, there's a million-and-one ways to achieve your dream. Do not put pressure on yourself while you're in there, thinking that this is your only opportunity to become a pilot. Ultimately, that will only hinder your performance.
Of course, if you're completely laid back and take no time to revise and prepare I wouldn’t expect to get too far. Complacency is dangerous in the aviation game. Remember, a little nerves is a good thing!
Progressive Maths & Physics
As you all know, 20 questions in 30 minutes, getting progressively harder.
Now to answer the calculator conundrum. You are NOT allowed to use a calculator at any point during the Stage 2 assessment, sorry! Now, as we know people have been able to use calculators in the past. If the questions were any different or not, I do not know. From what I've heard speaking to people who were allowed to use a calculator, my guess is that the questions are of similar difficulty as they were before. I can only assume CAE has changed their expectations of candidates to keep inline with the change.
I don't think that the questions were that hard to warrant the use of a calculator, although there were some calculations that were a little tricky. Personally, I found that your mental arithmetic was tested at other points throughout the tests anyway. Therefore, I think it would be better to have harder questions and allow the use of a calculator. This way you're testing a candidates deeper understanding and ability to apply themselves on these subjects.
Cognitive Tests
This section I personally found hardest to prepare for. Wether or not you can improve through practice is a different discussion entirely. But by using software such as SkyTest (Pan Asia), you can familiarise yourself with the type of questions they may ask.
FAST
Keep your eyes moving! Don't concentrate one one thing, you need to split your attention. Strangely, I quite enjoyed doing this one. I found that it made me feel as though I'm driving and in some way, I can see the relation. Looking outside at the road ahead, looking at the car in front, reading road signs as they fly by, followed by a quick scan down at the speedometer, look back outside, check the sat-nav, whilst listening to a podcast and changing gear! If you're already in the habit of splitting your attention through something like driving, then I think you'll find that experience definitely helps.
There is an activity on SkyTest (Pan Asia) that is quite similar to the FAST test which I found very helpful to prepare with.
Fixed Wing
If you, like me, have spent countless hours playing flight simulators, then I wouldn't worry too much. Just follow the instructions.
My biggest point, take it easy on the controls. They're very sensitive. Little and smooth movements is what you're looking for. If you start over-correcting you're going to end up with a case of Pilot-Induced Oscillation.
Ball Game
This one caught me off guard, much trickier than expected. Requires lots of concentration, don't let your mind slip!
yap800, you use the forward and back axis of the joystick and you're absolutely correct, both axes are inverted and you use the twist axis to move the ball left and right.
Good luck all!