Really? I got my invitation to take the online test email just a few minutes before getting the invitation to the S1 (I'm going on tuesday too!). It had the links to the two practice tests you mentioned before, and the link to the online test. I wonder why you haven't been asked to do them but I have... now I'm paranoid!

They may not be using the tests for actual applications yet, they may be looking to use something similar in the future and are trying to compare how people do on the online test to how they do on the actual testing day. (Just a guess though)

my email said this

Dear Candidate,

Congratulations, you have been invited to attend the first part of the Recruitment Process - The Online Selection Tests.

The online tests can be found at:-

https://www.rate.shlsolutions.com

To enter the SHL site you need to register your details and then logon. Please be advised that this is the first of two emails regarding tests. The next email is an invite to the stage one tests. You need to complete your online tests before attending the stage 1 test date but you can book the date before completing the online test.

Practice examples of the aptitude tests can be found at:-

http://natscareers.co.uk/docs/NATS_P...e_Leaflet2.pdf

and

Home | SHL

The outcome of the test will be forwarded to you by email within 15 working days of completion.

If you wish to contact us please reply to this email.

Yours sincerely

Specialist Recruitment
HR Services
NATS

i did the online tests and 3 days later got an email asking for me to book S1 - i did do this all in mid july, maybe its changed?

shlsolutions......................................:E

Ah, yeah that's the same e-mail I got, only I got the email invitation to the s1 test a couple of minutes later. It said I didn't have to do the online tests before I booked the date for my tests, but I had to do the online tests before going to stage one. Which it looks like I won't be able to do, but at least I've talked to someone at NATS about it.

Leaving tomorrow to head off to Fareham, I don't want to have to drive down there on Tuesday morning. So nervous!! Good luck grum123!

I have my tests on Tuesday too and am heading down tomorrow night. I also got that email about doing the online tests and have done them but not heard anything about them yet. Will see everyone who's going there!

that must be an amazing feeling!!!!!!! well done!!!!!:D

Online Selection Tests
 

Regarding this online selection tests involving checking and calculation, i believe it's a new thing but wondering how relevant it was. I was ok with the checking but the calculation was horrible for me ( believe i got abt 30%). Not that i am rubbish with calculations, i have a grade c in A'level pure & applied mathematics however, it's a long time since i did such basic calculations and i was completely overwhelmed! I am yet to book my date for stage 1 but already very worried about this shl selection tests i did and performed very poorly on, with the calculation.

I wonder what NATS is up to cos at no point was any of this selection tests mentioned prior to sitting the stage 1 tests. Can anyone pls let me know how far reaching these online tests are? The reason is, if they are then i think i have already failed stage 1 before i even began!!!

how did you find the online tests Chippy5687

I am taking my stage 1 again on 7th Sept. Really excited to be back to this stage again, the year seems to have dragged! I will be much more prepared than last year. Finding this forum after my S1 last time didn't help, it'so useful.

I can't say i enjoyed the online tests all that much. They started off ok in each one, but soon got pretty quick fire and i struggled on some. There's not much you can do to prepare, just do it and get it out of the way so you can ready yourself for the main S1 bits.

Fumbles88. SKOS. I felt the same about the online tests, did ok on the first and then totally fell apart on the 2nd test. Much the same as you the simple calculations under time pressure made it really hard. Reassuring to know you both though the same about the 2nd part.

Was at the stage 1 selection on Monday I almost didnt bother going on Monday as a result but glad I did. Its not too bad, I know I prepared as much as I could and if it doesnt work out I know that i tried as hard as I could.

I get the impression from reading this thread that the online stuff is new, I also thought it was strange after each section it asked how comfortable or how well you thought you had done. I wonder if they are looking to make all the tests online and are doing some kind of comparison with the traditional stage 1 tests? Seemed odd that you sit an online test which has no bearing on attending the stage 1 day, why not just combine the two?

I've also dont SHL tests before and dont remeber being ask what I thought of my performance after each section.

Well ditto for me, I did well in the first part then fell apart then had serious mouse failure!!!!
They will prob look at my online test and be like "Idiot!"

Anybody got any good sites where I can find more spatial awareness cubes?? Also does it seem to help people if they cut out a net of a cube and mess around with it?

It seems the more I cram, the more stupid im getting!
:ugh:

I didnt find the online tests too bad except for the short time limits on the maths one made me panic a bit which is the wrong thing to do! Just practise rearranging simple equations and try not to worry if you run out of time on one but keep focused on the questions. I did mine a few weeks ago but havent heard anything about them. I did my stage 1 tests this morning and think it went ok. They didnt mention the marks about the online tests and I dont think that they would bother letting you go all that way if you had already failed!

"Anybody got any good sites where I can find more spatial awareness cubes??"

Trust me I've searched the net top too bottom (If you can!) and found no mass of pages, pdfs, excel sheets etc, with a "lot" of cubes on them, certainly not 40.

"Also does it seem to help people if they cut out a net of a cube and mess around with it? "

It sure does. I made a few out of cardboard created some test templates/questions (40) and recruited my parents to create the test for me.
It seems to be working as they are much harder than what I have found online and have really sharpened me up while doing them. As long as you don't mark them yourselves they still have value after doing them a good few times.

"It seems the more I cram, the more stupid im getting"

Yeah. My arithmatic is fluxing between "dross" and "okay" at the mo. If I had a friend who's a maths teacher I'd be laughing...

I found the Distance Speed Time calcs from page 109 of this thread really helpful to sharpen up as the numerical test is based on them in different variations. Try to calculate distances between two points based on time travelled at certain speeds etc too.

Cube test was by the far hardest out of all of them so the more you practise the better, though like everyone says finding examples is hard and staring at them for too long just makes it harder in my opinion.

Spatial Awareness Tests
 

Hi everyone,

The cube test is a real nightmare!

I can recommend a book that I used, it does have examples of cube tests but more helpful is at the end of each sample test, it gives you tips and ideas on how to tackle the various tests.
The book is not just on cubes, it also goes into tests on shapes which are rotated etc, lots of advice and hints.
The book is designed for mechanical spatial tests, and for the first part of the book deals with this, however half way through delves into spatial reasoning tests.
Anyway, the book is " Mechanical Aptitude and Spatial Relations Tests" By Dr Joel Wielsen, the producing company is BARRON'S.
It contains 18 full length tests. I bought it from Amazon for £9.99.
I don't know whether it'll help but it never hurts to try!:O

NATS Exams
 

Hi

I sat my NATS exams yesterday and they were hard.

The first exam only covered the document that NATS sent you. I never memorised all the aircraft information at the back apart from be familiar with the speeds, routes and FL of the aircraft. I think there were two questions to this information. All questions on the exams by the way are multiple choice. (40 questions - 20 mins) I done well in this exam.

Know about the Nav Aids - VOR, DME, ILS and NDB and what they do.
I had a question about ILS - what does it do and what is the glide path degrees.

A couple of questions about how many stacks London has and a few questions about seperation levels.

2nd exam was the Numerical exam. This was the hardest for me. Maths was never my skill though. 40 questions in 20 mins, without a calculator. Work fast and accurate.

Two planes travelling towards each other, 1 at 450mph and the other at 400mph, 5 miles apart how long before they collide.

Aircraft descending at 1000ft/minute, cruising at 35000ft, no fuel at 400mph, which airport can they make?

Third exam was diagram reasoning. Following commands and actions and come up with the correct sequence. I found this pretty easy to be honest.

Last exam was the Cube Spatial Reasoning. 40 questions in 20 mins i think.

Got harder as the pages went on. I did well in this exam too.

So hopefully the maths wont pull me down.

If anyone has any questions, email me at [email protected]

Got my stage 1 on the 30th September, one week after returning from my holidays!!! Although last year i had them tests 1 day after getting home from holiday so its an improvement!!!.

Also i am a bit worried as the exams seem to have changed this year and as for that collision question above, i dnt know how u work that out so a bit of revision to do for me i thinks! Can anybody help? :confused:

Cheers for the update Primagic will help hopefully, ianb87 try Speed Distance Time for Dummies - The Student Room if you're having problems, i dont think the collision question was really thought out cos its something like 38 seconds. I guessing NATS dont want us to work out to three decimal points in our heads do they!