pilot4life98
3rd Nov 2017, 12:14
Hello everyone,
I've been following this forum for a while and it has been incredibly helpful before and during my preparation. I didn't find any updated and detailed FTE assessment thread so I wanted to make one and help those who are/will be in the same situation I was a couple of weeks ago.
You guys helped me so much prepare and get ready for my assessment so I would like to share my up to date experience at FTE for their Assessment Days in October 2017.
In this text I will share both facts and personal ideas/opinions.
Alright, let's get straight to it. The preparation guidance they send you is very vague imho. They don't tell you any specific details about their tests, the only significant thing is those 19 maths&physics problems. Anyways,
Tests: 1) Written Tests
2) Group Exercise
3) Interview
4) Pilapt
(this is just the order I got them done, there is no particular order actually, it all depends on your schedule)
(The average pass mark on the written tests is 75%, from what I have been told. I think, tho, Numeracy has a higher pass mark, around 80%, and Verbal reasoning has like 60% because it can be a bit challenging)
1) Written tests
I sat down in front of a computer. I was given 2 pieces of paper and a pen. These "written" tests are all computer-based.
First one is Numeracy. It includes basic arithmetics, formulas, fractions, equations, percentages. Everything in this test is pretty basic, nothing too complicated. Lasts around 20 mins. Don't worry about it, just do the pre-guidance problems and take a calculator with you (even if you are provided with one there). For 30% of the questions you just need a calculator and the others are simple.
Second test is Mathematical reasoning. This one is a bit more complicated than the previous one. Most of the questions are aviation related questions, like "calculate how much fuel you need if you are going xxx mph" etc. I would recommend using latestpilotjobs and/or pilotaptitudetest.com
Third test is Verbal reasoning. This test is surely one of the most complicated out of these written exams. Some of the texts are about aviations, others are not. They are not very hard to comprehend, but some questions are tricky. Try to read every single word and understand it without spending too much time on it. No actual preparation needed imo, you just gotta focus and pay attention.
Last one is Maths&Physics, which is like Numeracy but a bit in more depth. In my opinion some questions were stupidly easy, others were quite challenging. This requires formulas knowledge (work, pressure, force, equations rules, percentages etc). It's not super hard, but I would prepare for it.
2) Group Exercise.
This examination is to assert that you have the required skills and personality in order to become a pilot and a future captain. No preparation needed.
You will be sitting in front of 4 other people (at least in my case) who will be taking notes about you and your team. You will be given a problem to solve, like "a boat with 6 ppl on it got stuck etc, explain In which order (with appropriate reasons) they should be saved. They are not going to evaluate your actual answer, but more how you interact with the other team mates. You need to be calm, dress well, collaborate with your mates, not talk over someone and also encourage people who are not interacting much. Example: "I think we should do this this and this. What do you guys think?" or "I agree with you Paul" or "I see your point, but imo Luna should go first for xxx reasons". Don't be afraid to say your opinion even if its not what the others think. The examiners will see that even if you have a different opinion, you are not afraid of making your point. Don't talk for too long and don't talk too many times. Be decisive and make sure they hear you and that you make your point (x2 lol).
3) Interview (preparation needed)
It's really up to the examiner and up to your CV. Questions may change so much from examiner to examiner and from a candidate to the other. If you already have a PPL they might not ask you motivation related questions but others. I don't have a PPL so here's what they asked me:
- What made you choose to follow this career?
- What aircraft/airline would you like to work for?
- At the moment there are xxx pilots at home not working but experts are saying there is a pilot shortage, why is that in your opinion?
- What do you think your skills are that would make you fit and able to become a pilot/captain (not sure which one)
I would recommend using latestpilotjobs.com again, it was really helpful for me. They want to see your motivation, your language skills, your personality and your interview skills as well. You need to show that you have motivation and that you have done several things in order to be able to have a better chance of becoming a pilot (another question). It's really crucial in their final decision, especially because the examiner could be the HoT (head of training, boss) or the business manager, who are the guys who make the decisions over there.
4) Pilapt.
The most challenging in my opinion. Didn't really practice with a joystick at home, so I was a little bit thrown off by it.
Pilapt consists of 4 tests.
First one is: 3 guys standing facing you, not facing you, upside down etc. They hold a bar with a circle and a square. Before you are shown these 3 men, a voice tells you like "positive right square", that means that you will have to count how many ppl have a square on their right hand/side. "negative left circle" how many don't have a circle on their left hand. You need to press the number on the keypad. This test measures your reaction time and your errors, of course. At the beginning you have 8 seconds for each set, then 7 and so on until 4.
Second test can be pretty challenging. You are given a shape and 1 minute. You have to figure out if that shape is not in the pictures you are shown, if its in the left one, right one or both. The pictures they give you are full of lines, shapes etc to mislead your eye. It's called 2 dimensional pattern test.
Third one was my worst test so far. I did so bad at it I wanted to die, really. Time for the joystick. You had to move it in order to keep the lines centered. x axis is inverted, y axis is not. It becomes quite tricky at the end, especially because the joystick is very sensible and sometimes even if you fully push it, the software moves the line more than you can. If you don't want to risk, buy a joystick, buy the pilotaptitudetest.com subscription and practice. This test was called Flight director.
Last test is the "flying though the boxes" test. You control an aircraft and you gotta fly it through some squares/boxes. This test measures how smoothly you control the aircraft and your accuracy.
Remember, the numbers you are shown at the end in the joystick tests are not your actual results. Especially in those 2 tests, you are not evaluated as you think. They don't take the average of your scores but they rather see your progress and how you get better at it.
My results:
1) Written tests (Numeracy: 96%, Maths&Physics 86%, Verbal Reasoning: 80%, Numerical reasoning: 86%)
2) Group Exercise: max grade (I don't know if it's 20/20 or 15/15, when they told me I got accepted they just said "max grade")
3) Interview: same sa group exercise, max grade.
4) Pilapt: I don't know the exact marks on the pilapt, I know I did almost (if not) 100% in the "positive right square" test and the 2dimensional pattern test, I did well in the flying through the squares test and I did bad in the flight director one.
I'm not trying to show off or anything, but these grades are pretty good. I'm not a genius nor I underwent special preparation. Try to follow what I told you (because that's what I did, and it worked) and you will be fine!
I got accepted and next courses start around Feb. The assessment can be challenging, especially stress wise, but I wouldn't sweat too much for it. Just prepare, be relaxed and enjoy the time there. Everyone there is friendly, good environment, good weather etc. Remember, it's not just an assessment, but it's a visit. Talk to as many cadets and teachers as possible, ask them anything and enjoy your stay.
*I would just like to add a few things. I have heard some things about CTC. Some of you said that they just care about your money and they make as many people as possible come for their assessment so they can make more money. And, they just accept almost anyone, courses are super busy etc.
I can't really say anything about CTC, never been there, and I don't want to say anything about them. I can assure you, though, that if that is your fear about FTE, don't worry, it doesn't work like that at Jerez. Many candidates during this assessment were rejected, and some of them even had PPLs! Hopefully this clears something out.*
Have a good day everyone!
I've been following this forum for a while and it has been incredibly helpful before and during my preparation. I didn't find any updated and detailed FTE assessment thread so I wanted to make one and help those who are/will be in the same situation I was a couple of weeks ago.
You guys helped me so much prepare and get ready for my assessment so I would like to share my up to date experience at FTE for their Assessment Days in October 2017.
In this text I will share both facts and personal ideas/opinions.
Alright, let's get straight to it. The preparation guidance they send you is very vague imho. They don't tell you any specific details about their tests, the only significant thing is those 19 maths&physics problems. Anyways,
Tests: 1) Written Tests
2) Group Exercise
3) Interview
4) Pilapt
(this is just the order I got them done, there is no particular order actually, it all depends on your schedule)
(The average pass mark on the written tests is 75%, from what I have been told. I think, tho, Numeracy has a higher pass mark, around 80%, and Verbal reasoning has like 60% because it can be a bit challenging)
1) Written tests
I sat down in front of a computer. I was given 2 pieces of paper and a pen. These "written" tests are all computer-based.
First one is Numeracy. It includes basic arithmetics, formulas, fractions, equations, percentages. Everything in this test is pretty basic, nothing too complicated. Lasts around 20 mins. Don't worry about it, just do the pre-guidance problems and take a calculator with you (even if you are provided with one there). For 30% of the questions you just need a calculator and the others are simple.
Second test is Mathematical reasoning. This one is a bit more complicated than the previous one. Most of the questions are aviation related questions, like "calculate how much fuel you need if you are going xxx mph" etc. I would recommend using latestpilotjobs and/or pilotaptitudetest.com
Third test is Verbal reasoning. This test is surely one of the most complicated out of these written exams. Some of the texts are about aviations, others are not. They are not very hard to comprehend, but some questions are tricky. Try to read every single word and understand it without spending too much time on it. No actual preparation needed imo, you just gotta focus and pay attention.
Last one is Maths&Physics, which is like Numeracy but a bit in more depth. In my opinion some questions were stupidly easy, others were quite challenging. This requires formulas knowledge (work, pressure, force, equations rules, percentages etc). It's not super hard, but I would prepare for it.
2) Group Exercise.
This examination is to assert that you have the required skills and personality in order to become a pilot and a future captain. No preparation needed.
You will be sitting in front of 4 other people (at least in my case) who will be taking notes about you and your team. You will be given a problem to solve, like "a boat with 6 ppl on it got stuck etc, explain In which order (with appropriate reasons) they should be saved. They are not going to evaluate your actual answer, but more how you interact with the other team mates. You need to be calm, dress well, collaborate with your mates, not talk over someone and also encourage people who are not interacting much. Example: "I think we should do this this and this. What do you guys think?" or "I agree with you Paul" or "I see your point, but imo Luna should go first for xxx reasons". Don't be afraid to say your opinion even if its not what the others think. The examiners will see that even if you have a different opinion, you are not afraid of making your point. Don't talk for too long and don't talk too many times. Be decisive and make sure they hear you and that you make your point (x2 lol).
3) Interview (preparation needed)
It's really up to the examiner and up to your CV. Questions may change so much from examiner to examiner and from a candidate to the other. If you already have a PPL they might not ask you motivation related questions but others. I don't have a PPL so here's what they asked me:
- What made you choose to follow this career?
- What aircraft/airline would you like to work for?
- At the moment there are xxx pilots at home not working but experts are saying there is a pilot shortage, why is that in your opinion?
- What do you think your skills are that would make you fit and able to become a pilot/captain (not sure which one)
I would recommend using latestpilotjobs.com again, it was really helpful for me. They want to see your motivation, your language skills, your personality and your interview skills as well. You need to show that you have motivation and that you have done several things in order to be able to have a better chance of becoming a pilot (another question). It's really crucial in their final decision, especially because the examiner could be the HoT (head of training, boss) or the business manager, who are the guys who make the decisions over there.
4) Pilapt.
The most challenging in my opinion. Didn't really practice with a joystick at home, so I was a little bit thrown off by it.
Pilapt consists of 4 tests.
First one is: 3 guys standing facing you, not facing you, upside down etc. They hold a bar with a circle and a square. Before you are shown these 3 men, a voice tells you like "positive right square", that means that you will have to count how many ppl have a square on their right hand/side. "negative left circle" how many don't have a circle on their left hand. You need to press the number on the keypad. This test measures your reaction time and your errors, of course. At the beginning you have 8 seconds for each set, then 7 and so on until 4.
Second test can be pretty challenging. You are given a shape and 1 minute. You have to figure out if that shape is not in the pictures you are shown, if its in the left one, right one or both. The pictures they give you are full of lines, shapes etc to mislead your eye. It's called 2 dimensional pattern test.
Third one was my worst test so far. I did so bad at it I wanted to die, really. Time for the joystick. You had to move it in order to keep the lines centered. x axis is inverted, y axis is not. It becomes quite tricky at the end, especially because the joystick is very sensible and sometimes even if you fully push it, the software moves the line more than you can. If you don't want to risk, buy a joystick, buy the pilotaptitudetest.com subscription and practice. This test was called Flight director.
Last test is the "flying though the boxes" test. You control an aircraft and you gotta fly it through some squares/boxes. This test measures how smoothly you control the aircraft and your accuracy.
Remember, the numbers you are shown at the end in the joystick tests are not your actual results. Especially in those 2 tests, you are not evaluated as you think. They don't take the average of your scores but they rather see your progress and how you get better at it.
My results:
1) Written tests (Numeracy: 96%, Maths&Physics 86%, Verbal Reasoning: 80%, Numerical reasoning: 86%)
2) Group Exercise: max grade (I don't know if it's 20/20 or 15/15, when they told me I got accepted they just said "max grade")
3) Interview: same sa group exercise, max grade.
4) Pilapt: I don't know the exact marks on the pilapt, I know I did almost (if not) 100% in the "positive right square" test and the 2dimensional pattern test, I did well in the flying through the squares test and I did bad in the flight director one.
I'm not trying to show off or anything, but these grades are pretty good. I'm not a genius nor I underwent special preparation. Try to follow what I told you (because that's what I did, and it worked) and you will be fine!
I got accepted and next courses start around Feb. The assessment can be challenging, especially stress wise, but I wouldn't sweat too much for it. Just prepare, be relaxed and enjoy the time there. Everyone there is friendly, good environment, good weather etc. Remember, it's not just an assessment, but it's a visit. Talk to as many cadets and teachers as possible, ask them anything and enjoy your stay.
*I would just like to add a few things. I have heard some things about CTC. Some of you said that they just care about your money and they make as many people as possible come for their assessment so they can make more money. And, they just accept almost anyone, courses are super busy etc.
I can't really say anything about CTC, never been there, and I don't want to say anything about them. I can assure you, though, that if that is your fear about FTE, don't worry, it doesn't work like that at Jerez. Many candidates during this assessment were rejected, and some of them even had PPLs! Hopefully this clears something out.*
Have a good day everyone!