RAAF Flight Screening Programme

[Hornetboy]

MudRat,

Just got your email. Sorry about the 2 month late reply - I haven't been PPRUNeing (or checking that email) for a long time. I'll do a public reply as this info may be handy - it was to me.

Firstly, do you recall who told you that the 3-shot rule applied to spec testing? Was it the psych/psych assist, or your recruiter...or your recruiter relaying the message from the psych? I was not told the same when I had to resit spec testing myself. I was previously under the impression that it only applied to the GAS component (general ability testing), and recruiters have been known to be wrong before (one told me to do the wrong laser eye surgery!).

Secondly, are you aware that you can write in requesting your aptitude testing results? Ask your recruiter for the address to send the request to. In your situation, I'd suggest doing that so you can see if you improved from the first time, and how far off you still are from the cutoff. I can't recall exactly what the psych told me when I had to resit aptitudes (so take this info with a pinch of salt and don't quote), but I believe he said the cutoff for aptitudes graded on the stanine was somewhere around 5, and, as you now know, you have to pass them all. Double check with the psych on the cutoff, if he'll tell you; and please share with us.

You know if you are actually quite close to passing and you possess great suitability for a position in other aspects, recruiters have been known to push for a waiver on aptitude testing results for certain candidates. It is, however, a pain in the ar*e, and a last resort, with no guarantees. Hopefully this information offers you slight relief though.

Here's my advice. As wise as it is to be cautious about the final attempt, try not to psych yourself out before you get in there. Take your time looking closely at the test instructions page and burn the image of the example instrument setup into your mind. Note where each instrument is positioned relative to others, so you can immediately look to the instrument the question refers to. Note their applicable scales, which direction indicates an increase/decrease, and maximum/minimum readings. Don't linger or double check your answers until the end - you will be surprised how few errors you actually make, provided you know how to read the gauge correctly, while covering a lot more ground. And don't forget you still need to pass the other spec tests as well.

The IR test was the one I failed initially as well. I went back a second time, after I went off and did limited instrument flying as part of a NVFR, and passed. With a bit of common sense applied in technique, a bit more sleep the night before, and knowledge that I had to score well on EVERY test to get through, my score was raised from a 2 to a 7 on the stanine. Not impressive, but enough. Incidentally instrument flying has probably been the strongest part of my flying thus far. Go figure how this dark and mystic art of aptitude testing works...