NATS interview process

[coliningrad]

Hi all,
Did stage 1 in December, and have my stage 2 tomorrow. Researching my fingers to the bone at the moment!

Amenhotep, I share your experience almost to the letter!

Managed a visit to Swanwick on Monday which was terrific, brilliant to get there and see the job actually being done, and everyone was friendly, helpful and accomodating.

Anyone else on tomorrow afternoons stage 2? I'll see you there :P

[CJayne]

Yes...I have my stage 2 tomorrow afternoon Colingrad...see you there!

[Amenhotep]

Hello fellow applicants! Be assured, the very fact that you are reading this forum has increased your chances of being successful tenfold in my opinion.

I hope my previous post helps other prepare for their first stage assessment day. I've given it it's own thread titled "NATS Interview Process - Stage 1" in the hope that people's experiences could be focussed into a single shorter thread (this one has 673 posts now). Perhaps some of those people that have just undergone the second stage could do the same and write a new thread entitled "NATS Interview Process - Stage 2". I don't know about you guys, but I, for one, am still not sure what to fully expect and would find it very helpful. And it would make it slightly easier to know where to find information, and avoid having the same questions repeated several times over.

Besides, I want to take advantage of any spare time I have to prepare, rather than wait to see if I've actually passed before doing anything about it. Yes, I'm a swot.
Any volunteers?

[Vic154]

I sent a cheeky email to NATS HR yesterday asking for feedback on my stage one failure, even though its been seven months...and they have given me some!

Apparently I passed everything except the cubes, spatial reasoning. I must have done particularly bad on that as surely the pass mark can't be that high?! Anyone got any ideas on how this is marked? I didn't finish it of course, and any anwswers I was below 50% sure I skipped as I heard you get marked down, perhaps thats where I went wrong. Did anyone guess a lot of answers and pass?

[Amenhotep]

Plop

Well, I got my results back today for my stage one. And I'm sad to say I didn't make it. Basic checking let me down. I got 64/80 whereas the pass mark is 65. In everything else I did fine. I got 93% on the motivation paper! I'm absolutely gutted. One single mark!!!! And now I have to wait another 309 days before reapplying. BAHH!! And I will! This isn't the last you'll hear of me. I'll get you next time NATS, MWAHahahaa....

[watch_the_birdie]

They tell you your actual marks now? The only marks I ever heard were my computer test ones, which they briefly told me at stage 3, but they meant nothing to me or the interviewers.

[PaulM]

Oh dear.

Amenhotep,

My sympathies to you, but if its any consolation, the fact that you know what to expect from the tests next year can only make it easier for you.

You know that all the people reading the other thread are going to say.....
.....Maybe you should have worn a suit.......and cheap jokes along those lines(I wouldn't dream of it obviously).

Best of luck next time and bear in mind that many, many people got in second time.
Myself included, and I didn't wear a suit to the test day either.

[Amenhotep]

Nooooo...

Lol. Thanks for the encouragement. Besides, I have to succeed next time, or my investment in an airband radio will go to waste
Well, it'll be fun too,

[JonG]

You know that all the people reading the other thread are going to say.....
.....Maybe you should have worn a suit.......and cheap jokes along those lines(I wouldn't dream of it obviously).

I wasn't gonna say that. Honest . Anyway, I'm glad it hasn't put you off next year and at least you know that you are very close to the standard so there isn't much you for you to work at. Although I guess that can be an annoying thing to happen.

[Odi]

Colingrad

If you're the same Colingrad that I think you are from ACC then PM me (or email me - you know the address ) and I'll arrange a visit to Aberdeen for you.

Didn't know you were looking to join our happy band!

[Vic154]

Amenhotep,

Sorry to hear that and yep I agree with Paul that if only you had worn a suit....

You got feedback as well eh, did they happen to tell you what your result was for the spatial reasoning? They didn't tell me what mark was for that, just that it was the only thing I failed and was my weakest area. I'd like to know how this is marked, and what's the passmark, etc.

Good luck for next year, I've only got 146 days to go!

[coliningrad]

Well I had my stage 2 yesterday and thought I'd completely flunked it on the computer test, but just got an email saying I've passed! Looking forward to stage 3 now in a few weeks.

CJayne, have you heard yet?
Odi, I'll pm you when I get back to Scotchishland.

[watch_the_birdie]

Cool, well done...everyone thinks they fail the computer tests!

I assume from your location you are stage 3-ing it in Glasgow? I bizarrely found stage 3 the most enjoyable. Plus I hear they are trying to get lots of people for the April intake, so might see you then!

P.S. Wear suit. Haha. Like you don't know.... Just taking the mick out of the other NATS process thread postings. :P

[miningcat]

Stage 2

Hi,

I've got my stage 2 booked now. Was hoping someone could give me an idea of what to expect in the computer tests?

Thanks!

[CJayne]

Colingrad...I didn't make it
Made lots of v silly mistakes in the motivation paper (I knew I had done when Jocelyn walked back in the room). I'm just not ready for it yet I don't think - I have an 18 week old daughter too so am taking consolation in the fact that I wouldn't get to spend much time watching her grow up if I was spending all my time studying. These things happen for a reason and I will be reapplying next year!

Good luck to you for stage 3 and please do let me know how it goes!

[stu_h]

Stage 2 computer tests

Miningcat,

There's little you can really do to prepare for the computer tests, except probably to remember Mr. Mannering - Dont Panic!

There are three basic elements to the test:

Checking your ability to remember instructions whilst sorting data, your ability to multi-task (which involves preventing numbers colliding with each other while doing maths sums), and spacial reasoning skills.

If you answer something wrong, don't dwell on it, otherwise you'll not be concentrating on the next question, but at the same time learn from the mistake.

That said, it's easier to say than it is to do on the day. As you'll see from posts here, alot of people come out of the tests thinking they have not done well. I did them when I was 19 and thought they had not gone too bad - I failed that time. I did them just before Christmas, aged (alot) older, and thought I'd blown it - I passed and have stage 3 in two weeks.

Enjoy it, and if you don't make it this year, dont give up.

[miningcat]

Thanks a lot stu_h!

[Nokio]

Stage 2 advice

Hello everyone, Im starting at the college in April, well done to all the others that made it, a wish of perseverence to those that did not.
A while ago someone asked me for advice for stage 2, and i collected all the info I could for that bloke, his name was Simin, hope it went your way.
Anyhoo, I thought it would be useful for others with stage 2 pending, so here it is. Do forgive that its quite lengthy, and staggered in places, its different info from all over patched together.


Hello Simin, thankyou for the thank you. Well done making it to stage two.
Lots of info in the attached Word file, if you cant open it, let me know.
My advice is practice interview questions, write them out, and practice saying them.
Your answers in the interview are scored and they are looking for key words apparently, so include words like "motivated, organised, reliable, efficient, considerate of others, common sense, logical, reasoned, reasonable, constructive critcism", you know , positive things.
The motivation paper this time is 45 questions, mostly from the 2nd booklet, but I took each chapter and made my own notes inculuding bits from the first booklet that were not in the 2nd, by writing out your own notes, over and over, it really sticks. Know the first booklet as well. Brush up on your D/S/T calculations again, about 3or4 dst questions. The personality questionnaire, like it says in the attachment, is just one page, different format, series of statements, rate them -2 to +2, which corresponds to very unlike you to very much like you. I know that the email from nats says there is nothing you can do to prepare, but there is, practice your answers! think of other questions yourself and write out answers and practice saying them. Get someone to give you a mock/practice interview. Very good luck.
One more thing, it might help if you have any kind of game on your PC, and play using your keyboard.
Nokio.
ATTACHMENT
Personnel Interview
I am afraid there are no tricks to pass this.



Everyone gets the same questions to examine your suitability. The only thing
I can say is “be yourself and be open and honest”. Although, don't rush any of
your answers. You will need to think of some good examples for various
skills. Here are some examples of questions you might face:

• Are you any good at concentrating on one task while maintaining awareness of
  what is going on around you?
• Do you have any weaknesses?
• Give an example of good decision/bad decision you have made.
• What action would you take if something weren’t going to plan?
• Do you think teamwork is important?
• What do you consider vital for good teamwork.
• Give an example of when someone recently made you change your mind.
• What type of people do you not like?
• Do you get on with most people?
• Do you act the same around different people.
• Give an example of when you had to take action under pressure
• Would you describe yourself as a messy person?
• Are you reliable?
• Give an example of your reliability?
• What would you do if you found you were struggling with the workload at the college?
• Would you have problems going to others for help?
• Do you take interest in other peoples problems?
• Do you always follow rules?
• What do you think about when you are alone?
• Would you change your approach if it wasn’t working?
• Are you organised? Why?

This is a strange interview.

It is conducted in a very formal manner. Everyone gets the same questions and the interviewer will give you absolutely no feedback on your answers - not even a nod of the head or smile! There's nothing you can do to prepare for this interview. You can only be yourself. This is where you will get the results of your initial selection tests and your answers here will also be compared to your answers in the personality questionnaire you encountered on the first selection stage. Questions go along the lines of: "Do you consider yourself a mature person?" The next question is always "Why?" You will be asked how you cope under pressure, do you have good time management?, do you consider yourself to have any weaknesses? After answering these questions you will almost always be asked to provide an example. So think about real life examples of when you have had to deal with difficult people/situations and when you have had to concentrate on a task while maintaining peripheral awareness. You will also have to give some good reasons why you want the job. You aren't expected to answer everything correctly. Just be honest and open.

2.3 Interviews
For those candidates who are selected for interview, a personality profile is generated by a
computer "expert system" from the data collected at the testing stage and this is available at
the interview. The interviews are conducted against criteria drawn from the original job
analysis. There are two interviews, a technical interview conducted by an operational ATCO,
and a Personnel interview. Emphasis is placed at the interview stage on the motivation for a
career in ATC and previous examples of achievement orientation. The interviews follow a
structured format and measure:
- Motivation/Achievement Orientation - Stability
- Reasoning Skills - Maturity
- Team Skills - Aviation Focus
- Communication Skills - Flexibility
- Ability to Fit into a Regulated System - Integrity
- Domestic Mobility - Problem Solving
- Multi-tasking
- Tenacity

Simin, there are two interviews, one at stage 2, HR interview, one at stage 3 Technical interview with ATCO and HR person.

COMPUTER TESTS

Lots of fun! READ the instructions and use the practice time very wisely,

This is a series of matching and sorting tests, ending with a crude radar type simulation.
Using a keyboard (left or right handed options) you have to react very quickly.
You will have to sort shapes, colours and numbers into categories of varying complexity. For example, to start with you may simply sort all squares as A, all circles as B, triangles as C. Then later receive an instruction to sort all blue triangles as a circle. Similarly with numbers. Sort into 1-50, 51-100, 101-150. Then "if the digits add up to less than 7, sort as 50"
It sounds complicated, but you can practice each stage as often as you like before continuing to the tested phase
In the last part of the test you are given some numbers moving across the screen representing aeroplanes on a radar. You have to remove the minimum number of 'planes' to avoid any collisions. To make this more complex, you then have to do this while also working out some arithmetical questions, which appear for a very short time at the bottom of the screen. YOU decide which is more important!

Q. What are the computer tests all about?
A. The tests measure the following skills.
Ability to absorb information simultaneously from multiple sources.
Ability to absorb new information whilst making decisions.
Ability to project forward using current information.
Ability to make adjustments constantly to the whole picture.
The three computer based tests, are:-
Sort Task. The task requires candidates to sort objects (coloured shapes and numbers) into
categories by given rules. The candidate must take account of occasional messages which
alter the way objects are sorted and monitor whether the object to be sorted matches a given
stimulus which changes from time to time.
Relative Direction Task. This is a two part test, in the first the candidate is presented with a
dot, an arrow and words left or right. The tasks is to say whether the word correctly describes
the position of the dot relative to the arrow. The second part is similar except sometimes the
arrow is shown from behind (represented by the arrow in outline) but the task is still to
describe the position of the dot for someone standing in front of the display.
Moving Objects Task. In this test a series of objects (represented by numbers) move across the
screen at constant speed in different directions. The task is to identify which if any of the
objects will collide and to remove the minimum numbers of objects to prevent all collisions.
In the second part of the test multiple choice arithmetic questions appear at the bottom of the
screen simultaneously with the main tasks to introduce an element of multi tasking.
I am under the impression that the majority think they have failed the computer tests. So I
would not read anything how you felt during the computer tests. Use all the available practice
time and be absolutely sure you understand each test before starting it for real. You are in
control of the speed of progression, so make sure you are comfortable and able to perform to
your best.

In 1992 NATS introduced a second phase of the testing procedure with the development of
computer based tests. The development of the tests arose because the original tests did not
measure the following skills.
- Ability to absorb information simultaneously from multiple sources.
- Ability to absorb new information whilst making decisions.
- Ability to project forward using current information.
- Ability to make adjustments constantly to the whole picture.
The tests were developed by SHL and trials were conducted on candidates at the interview
stage and existing Students, to validate the tests, before they were used for selection of our
Students.
The three computer based tests, are:-
a) Sort Task
The task requires candidates to sort objects (coloured shapes and numbers) into
categories by given rules. The candidate must take account of occasional messages
which alter the way objects are sorted and monitor whether the object to be sorted
matches a given stimulus which changes from time to time.
b) Relative Direction Task
This is a two part test, in the first the candidate is presented with a dot, an arrow and
words left or right. The tasks is to say whether the word correctly describes the
position of the dot relative to the arrow. The second part is similar except sometimes
the arrow is shown from behind (represented by the arrow in outline) but the task is
still to describe the position of the dot for someone standing in front of the display.
c) Moving Objects Task
In this test a series of objects (represented by numbers) move across the screen at
constant speed in different directions. The task is to identify which if any of the
objects will collide and to remove the minimum numbers of objects to prevent all
collisions. In the second part of the test multiple choice arithmetic questions appear
at the bottom of the screen simultaneously with the main tasks to introduce an
element of multi tasking.
Initial feedback from those who took the tests was very encouraging and significant
correlation's with progress have been achieved for tests a) and b) which now form part of the
selection process. Test c), the moving objects task has not yet shown any significant
correlation, however this is due to the relatively small sample size rather than any problems
with the test.
The correlation between the computer based tests and the original paper and pencil tests are
mainly low but generally positive. This confirms that there is sufficient independence
between the computer based tests and the existing tests to ensure that the skills being tested
are not adequately measured at present.

Somebody from PPrune gave me this advice;
“With regards stage 2 (if you haven't yet done it), the PQ is nothing,just a one page really basic questionnaire - nothing taxing at all. Shouldn't be a problem.HR structured interview is a set of 60 questions. You answer them and they judge you according to how you interpret the questions as well as what you give as actual answers. They'll ask you about your teamwork skills, working under pressure, organisation, all the ATCO skills basically. Just make sure you give plenty of good and valid examples.You need to just take it easy on this one, it's not rocket science. I've been reading a lot of posts here on PPRUNE and frankly I think people are worrying about it so much that end up giving stupid answers that aren't logical at all.Just keep a clear head, keep calm and give logical answers - I'm sure you'll see it's not overly difficult - I hope!!!”Good luck Simin, and practice well.
Nokio.

[daveosger]

Hi there,

I recently made it to stage 3 but i'm having trouble arragning visits to NATS centres. I always seem to get answer machines or the wrong people. Can anyone help me to arrange a visit?

[atcowannabe]

Do you have anywhere specifically in mind to visit?