Originally Posted by
Bloated Stomach
I did the assessment recently. I’m not going to go into much detail as it’s unfair to the whole process and I feel everyone should have an equal playing ground but I’m happy to guide you in the right direction.
There were 7 candidates from all over the world on the day including myself.
Day one consisted of a technical interview and a simulator assessment. The technical interview is around the aircraft you are typed on. I would suggest that you learn all your systems and limitations.
The simulator exercise is a 4 hour loft. On one part of the loft you will be PF and the other PM. The assessment will start with general handling followed by a radar vectored raw data ILS with a considerable crosswind component. Out of 7 people, 4 people went around as they were unstable. It wasn’t an easy raw data but they are looking for a sensible approach and leadership.
The next part of the loft exercise will be a short route where you will deal with an abnormal situation in an already busy exercise. It will be a busy exercise because as part of your planning, you will more than likely have an MEL item that will increase your workload in the flight. The MEL item will cause it’s own considerations and problems. On top of that, you’ll now have more to deal with and it is up to you how you go about managing the situation. Do you continue or do you turn back? That is your choice. Treat it as a real flight.
You will then swap and repeat the exercise but with a different situation. It’s a long simulator assessment and we were allocated 4 hours and used the whole time.
The second day consists of a compass test and an interview. I won’t go into much detail about the compass test as there is lots of information on this website. It hasn’t changed and is pretty straightforward. The interview is mostly about your simulator assessment and questions regarding the actions and decision making. Be honest about the assessment and you’ll be fine. The HR questions are more about you and how you will adjust to life in Kazakhstan.
The assessment is not a walk in the park as previous individuals have mentioned on this thread. It is challenging and one of the longest simulator assessments I have done. It included a complicated scenario with an already limited aircraft.
Use your CRM and decision making framework to handle the situation. You may be paired up with a candidate who will not have flown for a while. Think about what you would do if your simulator partner makes a mistake.
Feedback is provided within 2 weeks and I heard back a few days later. Out of 7 people, 4 passed and 3 failed. Each stage of the assessment must be passed at the required standard. I’m afraid you must pass the compass stages as well and although some may disagree whether knowing 4x + y = 12 is necessary, it is Air Astana’s playground and their toys. They set the rules and you either accept them or move on.
Good luck and be prepared.