Just got back from Stage 1 tests.
Must say I am disgusted that there was no information on the NATS confirmation emails regarding speed, distance, time and maths tests.
Disgusted were you? I bet you will also be disgusted if you got through and they PAY for all of your training and then once validated after 3 years you would be disgusted by earning £45k plus...? Why would they need to tell you that they would be in the tests? Is it not obvious that those skills would be required by an ATCO. If you go for pilot aptitude tests would you learn the rules of the road or would you learn hand-eye co-ordination tests? No wait, you would expect them to tell you before - sorry! If you can do SDT questions then you should be fine, if you can't then you shouldn't really be suited for the position so don't blame NATS if you fail! YOU TOOK THE TEST, NOT THEM!
I was only told:
1. Learn the 'motivation' test materials... waste of time learning the whole document as i would have performed the same if i had only read the material two or three times. Very easy multi choice. Dissapointed it wasn't challenging and i wasted my time learning everything. Anyway...
You are a 'Wannabe ATCO' but you think that you
'wasted' your time learning information that you would need in the future anyways? This doesn't make sense! Have you read Graham Duke or any other ATC books? If so do you feel that you wasted your time with those too because they weren't in the test? Not a very good attitude for someone trying to become an ATCO, especially when the company assessing you will be PAYING you to do it!!
2. Basic checking four, five... digits matching. Why did i not do this test??? The speed, distance, time 'MATHS' paper i did do... of which there was no 'official' mention of apart from on here. Where was the basic checking??? that was on the practice leaflet??? I would have smashed that to peices!!Anyway...
Maybe this test wasn't done because it is EASY! Next time would you like a full breakdown of what's in the tests? That way everyone would get through and make it harder for you to progress through to the next stages!
3. Practice personality Q's....err no such test given. Not even a mention.
Trust me, you will have plenty of personality questions to answer if you pass this stage - I wouldn't moan about it! You can't really 'practice' personality questions unless you were planning on practicing how to have a personality...
If i don't get through it will only be because of Nats HR giving out of date information on the tests to expect. If they have changed the formats, why don'y they tell you?
If everything came up that they said was going to come up. I would have averaged in the 90's.
Its a damn Shame!
If you don't get through it will have nothing to do with NATS HR. That is just YOUR justification for it. The first time I did the test they didn't tell me ANYTHING about the tests I was going to take and I got through them. If you can do what they test you on then you can do it, if you can't then you can't! And how would you know how you would average if you everything came up was what you were expecting? I did the tests 3 times, and on the 3rd interview got in and not once did I get ANY results!
You seem to have opposing views about the tests - one was too easy and wasted your time and the others you weren't expecting so it's not your fault if you fail...
The shame is in the fact that you have such a bad attitude towards the process and you haven't even passed the first hurdle. If you think this was difficult then wait until the second stage and even more so the final one. Would you like to know exactly what questions are coming up in the interview, and what the group exercise is too? This is just another example of the british school system spitting out kids who have been spoon fed for most of their schooling life - pathetic!