Aptiude testing

[bottle2throttle]

I've tried for numerous sponsoships now and I've been unsuccessful evey time. In fact I've never actually got past the aptitude testing.

Do airlines have aptitude testing for direct entry pilots? or is it just interview/sim check-ride etc?

Also I do not have Maths and Physics A-level,
instead I have A-levels in Art, Design & Technology, and french. I also have a Degree in Inustial Design & engineering. Do you think I have anything to worry about here?

[Autofly]

bottle3throttle,

I've got A-levels in Geography, Biology and Env. Science and a degree in Env. Geology and I got all the way down to the final interview with Airtours last year but was unsucessful (god dam) but by this point they'd had enough of my qualifications; they wanted to know what kind of a person I was - they probably thought I was a right maniac. Don't worry about previous qualifications when applying. Obviously if you've got Maths, Physics etc... then you may have a head start when you begin the training but worry about that when you get to it. If you get there I reckon you won't care if you don't have those qualifications.

As far as the aptitudes go - I had always tried to guess the daft questionnaire thing and revised really hard for the maths etc. before I went to Airtours. Well this time I didn't bother. I just decided to relax and take it as it came and be really honest in the questionnaire and it worked. I think this is what I was doing wrong when I went to BA/BM/BE etc. etc.

At the end of it all, its how you do on the day - people have bad days at these tests and get nowhere after getting a long way on previous occasions (thats me). I found that I was doing better at them the more I sessions I went to because I was becoming more relaxed. My advice is to keep doing them and don't get disheartend by knock backs. You'll get your break eventually.

Good luck

Autofly

[ROTATION]

Ditto Autofly,

I started passing aptitude tests when I started relaxing in them and taking them in my stride rather then getting myself worked up too much. This comes back to preparation. You need to put in the practise so you can be as confident and relaxed as poss. when it comes to the real thing. It also comes down to knowing what to expect and the more you keep doing the tests, the more relaxed and confident you'll become.
Stick at it!!
Good luck!!

[Ceppo]

Rotation....couldn't agree more.

I used to be crap at aptitude tests. I bought loads of books and practiced my little rear end off. The last 2 i took i passed. When people say that your aptitude never changes because you don't...that's b0llocks, as is the phrase "you can do the same tests over and over and you'll always get similar results." I'm not a computer.
I have taken the same aptitude tests twice. The first time, i screwed up. The second I stormed them. I was 2 totally different people. I used different approaches to tests i wasn't very good at and also practiced at them more than those i was comfortable with.

Try treating them as practice tests when you go. You might relax. Also, don't think that the really clever looking bloke is better than you. He might not be. It's YOU against the system. (ooh, that'd be a cool line in the matrix :) )

Never quit...no matter how badly you think you're doing.

I met some guy at oxford who had just finished his IR, he was 23 and had paid foor it himself. I asked him why he didn't try for a sponsorship, he replied 'I tried a 3 times but kept on getting rejected at the aptitudes'....sorry but what a loser.