Hi Guys,
As promised, here is the GA assessment review. I hope everyone interested in joining Gulf Air will find value in this. I must warn though, that I will not provide all the information since I feel you should be able to pass the interview process with little assistance i.e. you should by your very nature have what it takes to pass the selection process. I will provide everything that I experienced, but I won’t, for example, give the answer to the flight planning exercise.
Therefore, the intention of all the information I am about to provide is merely to give one a good feel for what you can expect. This is the sort of information I would like to have had before going for my interviews (which for those who wished me luck – I made it!).
I will try my best to be as accurate as I can, but please go and do research where you can. I hope the information contained in this post will serve everybody as a good guide into the areas they should go and research. Right, here I go…I will run through the typical events included in your itinerary, and will the elaborate on each one of them. You attend a welcome brief which includes topics like the living conditions in Bahrain, the company, the pay, T&C’s of employment etc. You the write the OT tests, and within the hour you receive your results – not a nice hour of ones life!!! You then do a 50 Q tech paper (rather difficult). This sort of completes the first day. The events after that are: Flight planning exercise, personal interview, simulator check ride in the B767, group exercise, small medical, and the one last final interview which is normally not longer than 20 minutes – nothing to stress about.
Depending on where you arrive from, you will have either a day or two off, or no day off at all i.e. you arrive there, and start the very next day. This is why my advice to everyone is to go to bed as soon as possible and get some sleep. Performance in the psychos are critical, and it would be very sad if you don’t pass because of lack of sleep and thus an under performing brain. I am not trying to freak anybody out, but am simply giving you that tip since I was so damn nervous about those little intimidating tests!
The tests are: Numerical Estimation; Verbal Reasoning; Spatial orientation, and IT tests (that’s right – Information Technology test)
Numerical estimation
Please note the “estimation”. This is exactly what it is! The paper consists of (I THIINK) 50 questions, and you have (I THINK) 10 minutes for this one. It is very unlikely that you will finish, but it has been noted than there are guys who can finish this – weird I know! Anyway, the method behind the madness here is that you have to estimate an answer. YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO WORK OUT THE ANSWERS EXACTLY, SO DON’T TRY. This test is quite easy and I will give some examples to put your mind at ease.
16438 – 568 = ?
350 – 89 = ?
1.25 + 3.75 = ?
What is 350% of 95 ?
250 x 0.01x 6 = ?
If you do have a problem with math, and have a need to improve you basic math,
www.webmath.com is your answer! Also try google BBC skills, but you will probably leave there feeling like a little kid because I thing the site is designed for the younger fellows i.e. those who still dream of becoming pilots. Another good source for improving your numerical reasoning is to visit
www.SHLdirect.com. This is the company GA gets those tests from. Also, for further reading, try “How to pass numerical reasoning tests” by Harry Tolley. Enough about numerical reasoning…
Verbal reasoning
This test is designed to measure you comprehension of the English language. So they say, it also measures your ability to communicate clearly. I think the motives for this test is because of the cultural diversity (hehehe…yes I am still using some terms I through into my answers at the interview!), and also the ICAO English standard which is slowly creeping to the front door of practical aviation. The same publisher of the book mentioned above also publishes a book called “How to pass verbal reasoning tests”. You will find everything and more in that book that what I will ever be able to give you here. But in a nutshell, the test consists of 4-5 paragraphs of text, and about 3-4 questions per paragraph. I thing you have 20 minutes or so, and basically, just read the text and answer the question within the scope of the information provided in the text.
IT Test
This is so basic I am not going to bother to explain, but just give an example. If you don’t pick up what the test is about after these few examples – go and get help. Here is how it goes: The “question” would be a set of letters, numbers and sign arranged in a particular order, for example, (^678^!) This example will be on the left page, and then your task is to find an EXACT match on the right hand page. Yes guys, it as that simple. So on the right hand page you will have options like (“678^); (^678!(; (^678*!); (^678^!) Obviously the answer is the one in bold Be very careful since some of them look so similar – you can make a mistake VERY easily. Purpose of the test? I don’t know, but I would say it measure you ability to note detail. Relevance? I don’t know.
Spatial orientation
HAHAHA…good luck with this one! I don’t even know how to explain this test. Basically, you are given a shape, referred to as the master copy. This shape appears in a square box, and the sides of the box is introduced with a coordinate system. Let me try and simplify. Imagine a square box with the top side being calibrated in 1 centimetre increments, and the left side as well. The top side is numbered 1,2,3,4 and the left hand side will be numbered A,B,C,D. So, when referring to the top left hand corner of the box, it would be “A1”. You then get shown a master copy of an image that is of very mechanical nature (gears, linkages, bolts and nuts – but not limited to these). You then have another 4 images which all represent the master copy, but they differ slightly. The test requires you to identify the changes in the 4 different shapes, but you have to refer to the change with reference to the master copy. For example, assume you have a master copy image with a round little screw in the left hand corner. Now, in the first question, the image is an exact replica of the master copy, the only difference is that the screw is now bigger. So, with reference to the master copy, the change took place in “A1”. In the next question the image is again an exact replica of the master copy, but now the shape has been rotated 90 degrees to the right. So, the screw will now appear in the right hand corner, and this time, the screw is slightly smaller. The answer is again “A1” because with reference to the master copy, that is where the change lies. It only gets harder and all I can say is google something with regards to that stuff and practice – it’ll pay off!
The technical questionnaire is quite difficult, but this is not a pass or fail thing. There just want to see where your technical deficiencies are, if any. The paper covers a wide spectrum of questions, from weather, to nav, to radio aids etc….there is something for everyone’s taste!
The simulator ride goes something like this: You take-off, clean the aircraft up according to the flap schedule. Fly one visual circuit and a full stop landing. The weather is good, viz is good, but you have a cross wind. You are then lined up again, but this time the viz is quite crap, and you are going to get an engine failure at V1 – No it does not occur after take-off (Airborne in other words). You get the failure at V1, and you are required to maintain runway direction on the ground, accelerate to VR and then climb out using the appropriate speeds. The guys who say it happens in the air probably only realize they have lost and engine once they rotate. The examiners want to see you maintain directional control on the ground and in the air, THUS, engine fails on the ground. You the climb to 2500 feet, complete the checklists (you’re not expected to know the checklist, but to ask!!!!!!!). After the PNF states the flight status, you are vectored for an ILS approach (single engine). You then approach roughly minimas +100-200 feet, and you must do the go around with single engine (reason for mine was aircraft on the runway) The only difference between the 2 engine go around and one engeine go around is that, with the single engine GA, you call “Flap 5” instead of “flap 20” for a 2 engine landing. (2 engine landing config is flap 30, and 1 engine landing is flap 20). You the initiate the go around, clean up and accelerate to you level off altitude. They then reposition you for another ILS landing (2 engines this time) and you are required to transition from IF flying to visual flying – the test here is to see how you transition from IF flying to visual flying. The solution to the – FOLLOW the PAPI’S! With regards to the simulator assessment, the send you a PDF document containing all the information.
The Flight planning exercise is quite interesting, and here only limited info will be provide. The purpose is just to give you a feel for what to expect. You are the commander of a flight from Lahore to Jiddah via various checkpoints. You are instructed to complete the flight with minimum delay. En-route from Lahore overhead a certain checkpoint, you experience an in flight technical problem, and you are forced to descend to a lower altitude, increasing your fuel consumption to such an extent that you cannot reach your destination – so you are forced to divert. But, in you instruction booklet you are given various information, and you must use all that to solve the problem. You will have fuel at one airport and no maintenance, or the other way around. Some airports are closed, and others are available for only certain functions (departure and take off for instance). Basically, you have to try and find a suitable alternate, fix the problem, take up fuel and get going. Harder than what it seems, but you can do it! You must land back at Lahore with the minimum fuel reserve and minimum delay. They just want to see how you think.
Group exercise: You and 4-5 candidates sit around a table, and basically represent a committee that have to decide on a suitable aircraft for a new route. I don’t think there is a right answer, but you are monitored by 5 of the recruiters, so it gets pretty tensed up. All I can say here is, be pro-active, and try your best to participate. Give your input to the solution since, believe it or not, your input is needed. It is a team effort and you should thus not lead!!!!! Nobody is nominated as a leader so don’t try and be one, but don’t sit there and ride on the success of the group and have not input yourself. Read carefully and follow the instructions…
The personal interview is quite difficult, but again not something I would say you can really prep for. Just be honest and answer the questions. Be humble, smile, don’t be arrogant, be professional and they will most likely hire you…
The final interview is a 20 minute wrap up, and basically consists of a small informal chat with some of the guys high up at GA.
My experience: The selection process is conducted very professionally, and you get a good feel for the company. They want you to do well, so be positive and give it your best.
Good luck, and feel free to ask questions if I have overlooked something…