I worked my proverbials off for a couple of months earlier this year whilst I was going through selection. For the aptitude tests I spent a lot of time doing practice cube questions over and over and over again as I didn't feel at all confident about doing them. When it came to the actual tests I whizzed through that particular part and ended up wondering what all the fuss was about.
I honestly believe and stand to (hopefully not) be corrected that that shows that I have the required ability but just needed some practice as opposed to I didn't have the ability and so learnt how to do such questions.
Before the interviews I had mock interviews. I also tried to learn everything I could think of. I read business plans, learnt about FAST, iFACTS, the stack display trial, looked at movement figures, budgets, NATS organisation charts, last twelve months worth of NATSnews, news archive on the intranet and more. I reckoned that because I already work for NATS and had access to all this info I'd be expected to know more than an external candidate.
I visited Swanwick, TC and Stansted because again I reckoned I'd be expected to use the fact I could get visits arranged easily to show just how much I wanted to step up from being an ATSA.
With hindsight I studied stuff that was never going to come up but as a result of learning and seeing so much I got to each phase thinking "bring it on/ask me whatever you want" rather than "I hope I don't get asked this/I wonder if I've done enough". It also meant that I was able to show the interviewers how flippin' much I wanted to be an ATCO. However, would I have had that level of confidence if I had paid someone to teach me what they deemed was "enough" to get through selection?
At the end of the day, who is going to be seen to have gone that extra little bit in their desire to suceed? The person who is prepared to throw money and be lead by the hand or the person who has the balls/nouse/drive to find out for themselves? After all...
Aptitude test books - £15.98
Petrol for unit visits - £50
Showing how much I wanted the job - flamin' priceless!!
Finally, I wonder how NATS have managed to fill so many courses if this buyable "service" hasn't been available before to help people pass?
