I had noticed previously that a lot of people were wondering what was going to happen during the assessment process and so I thought that it would be a good idea to give a bit of a description of what happens over the two days and what the place is like.
The Oxford Aviation Training Assessment Process
I am from Chester le street (Durham) so it was a bit of a voyage down to oxford but this time on the train gave me time to prepare. If you are thinking about getting the train down then be prepared for a five hour journey, at a rough cost of £83 return booking late it is quite expensive compared to the cost of the car. However with the car you do have the problem of trying to find the place and you may not be familiar with the area so hopping in a taxi is quite nice (£20 inc tip from train station).
I arrived the night before the test process began so I wouldn’t be rushed in the morning, this gave me time to look around the halls and see what the atmosphere is like. I was in the older side which is cheaper, I had a look at the refurbished side and it wasn’t worth the extra money. There was a TV room vending machines, internet room, laundry room and a study room. The room was what you would expect and was fine for the two nights that I was staying; there was a single bed wardrobe and a sink. Showers and toilets are both communal and there was no rush for these facilities in the morning.
Day One of the assessment I woke up bright and early ready for the day a head hopped in the shower and stuck on my suit (you’re asked to wear something of this attire). I had purchased the option which included all of your meals but I didn’t find that food that nice and the portions were too small with what you got included. You get 4 items (1 slice of bacon, 1 slice of toast, 1 tomato, beans or any combination), lunch was also similar and evening tea being the same just with different selection of foods. You can however for lunch buy a sandwich meal (any sandwich you like and double the size of a Greggs) for about £2.50 which included a can of pop and a packet of crisps; you do however have to order this at breakfast so they can prepare it.
After breakfast we are told to go to reception and are then lead into a room where everyone else who is taking the application process is sent. I had met two guys the night before hand so it wasn’t total silence but it was a little more relaxing. We were then lead into the room where the seminar takes place (one with projector) and a lady called Emily introduced herself and explained what was going to happen over the next 2 days. We were slip into two groups with three of us in one and two in the other, I had the compass tests first which consist of hand eye co ordination tests
Test 1: using a joy stick, keep a lever within red square
Test 2: keep lever within red bar using rudder pedals
Test 3: Slalom keep blue triangle between red and green moving triangles
Test 4: Maths (Multi Choice)
Test 5: Physics (Multi Choice) you must get 10/15 or better to pass
Test 6: Memory remembering information from one area and sticking it in another
Test 7: Multi tasking cancelling a red light while changing data
Test 8: Compass using instruments locate which one related to aircraft (multi choice)
Test 9: Personality questionnaire (choice between strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree) not a deciding factor in allowing you on the course.
Note: These tests are in a random order except for 9.
After you have finished this you walk out (you are allowed to walk out in between for a break). This process takes around 2 and a half hours so by this time you’re hungry and want lunch. We all went as a group for lunch where we chatted and got to know each other better and talked about what we put for each question etc. You get an hour for lunch and then the two groups swap activities. The other activity is a simulator ride, which is so much fun (not in like a 737 just a smaller one). You are given a briefing before hand which lasts about 30 minutes where you asked a few simple questions which if you have done some flying you’ll find incredibly easy but if you haven’t then you’ll be able to get most of them. Your then given a time to go to the simulator and it lasts around 30 minutes. You do simple things like climb 1,000 ft descend, left turn to a heading. Then you may do a climbing turn to the right, during these processes the guy sitting next to you will set the power however you call for climbing, descending or straight and level. He will ask you questions about your family to make sure then in real life if a captain is asking you something your able to multi task, the questions will be like do you have any siblings, how old are they and what is your families age combined and so on.
That’s it you’re done for day 1, me and a few other guys got together and decided to go to a local pub for something to eat considering how bad the food was in the canteen, the local pubs are nice and friendly and offer the usual pub food. There wasn’t a great deal for us to do that night so we chatted to some students for a bit asking what life was like and then went to be around 10 as we were all quite tired (surprising how tiring the activities are)
Day Two, and earlier start we all arranged to go have breakfast together before we went to the assessment area. Day two consisted of team exercises and the individual interviews after lunch. The team exercises got us communicating as a group (going out for a pub lunched helped a lot with this as we were more comfortable with each other so I strongly recommend it. We were asked to read some text and prioritise items from a shipwreck (can’t give too much away) and then as a group order then. We then had to build an object using given materials to a specific height and be able to support a weight (cup of water
). However it wasn’t as straight forward as this as we had periods of silence and a limited time. Once this task had been completed we has a group discussion of recent events so reading up in the newspapers is going to give you a little advantage (my groups topics were speed cameras, cannabis and a third which I can’t remember but you get the idea). There is no correct way to be in these scenarios but don’t just sit there and listen and contribute, also don’t be someone your not. You hear all this said over and over again but it’s the best advice you can get. If you’re being somebody else in the interview then yourself in a cockpit you may be totally the wrong person. This part of the day was most enjoyable as we got to express ourselves in a group and wasn’t too taxing on the brain.
The second part of the day (after lunch) was the interviews, I had mine last so I had to wait till 15:20 but if you need to catch a train they understand and will allow you to go earlier. The interview consists of some personal question, what you understand by the course and your general knowledge of aviation industry (eg a recent accident, a good example now would be the 747 that had engine fire after take off). The interviewers make you feel relaxed, just be yourself and tell the truth.
After you have had you interview another person will come and see you (normally 30 minutes after) and explain how you did and then tell you if you got in or not. If you do get in your given a talk about when courses start and so on if not your told where you went wrong. I was the last to leave at around 6pm where I had to catch a train within 30 minutes but the lady on the desk was wonderful and she got me a taxi and helped me out so much (thank you and sorry I cant remember your name).
I unfortunately didn’t get in because I failed the physics by one mark (gutter) but I am going for a retest in a few days. Lastly I wish everybody good look, enjoy the day it’s an experience and if you don’t get in then don’t let it stop you chasing your dreams
If you have anymore questions, the please PM and ill be glad to answer any questions
The Dr (Chris)