Examples of the box part of the tests are at http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/radar2001...lreasoning.htm. That said, they're only an example of the cubes, the real ones are slightly different. You'll get three or four 'flat' cubes, and 10 or so multiple choice questions on each.

Don't worry about the tests - just do your best and work as quickly and accurately as you can. You won't have enough time to finish most of the tests, so don't be disheartened by this. The only test you can really prepare for is the motivation test using the material you've been given.

PM me if you have any more specific questions. Good luck!

If your initial application is accepted, and they invite you to choose a testing date, how long have you got to choose?

Can you wait a few months and choose one? Or must you make a decision right away?

Ta

Hi Bra

I applied mid January, and my invite to stage 1 was emailed the next day. I was then given the choice of dates for the following 3 weeks. Due to a holiday commitment I had to delay my initial test and didn't sit stage 1 until 6 weeks after the initial invite. I was sent a reminder after 4 weeks to ask if I was still interested in NATS. Probably best not leave it too long. If you do need to delay, best speak with HR, they're ever so helpful ;-)

BAW1T

hello, gettin close to my stage one in manchester, iv prepared with a few books for spatial, verbal and numerical reasoning etc. Also i have been reading the motivation paper over and over trying to prepare for the questions, but i was wondering if anyone could enlighten me as to the format of these motivation questions? will they be multiple choice? short essay questions? a mixture of both?
Many thanks
Harvey

All the questions are multiple choice, so no written answers required.

Best of luck.

BAW1T

thanks for the quick reply BAW1T, much appreciated

Hi, Does anyone know if any Stage 1 assessment days are being held in London in the next few weeks?

Many thanks,

Dave

Stage 1 Selection
 

Hi Folks,

I have my stage 1 soon as was wondering if anyone could answer a quick question regarding the motivation paper...

I have been studying the information that NATS sent out and feel i'm pretty sorted on most of it...except the final chapter on 'The Aircraft And Airlines That Use The System'. I'm doing my best to cram it all in but are NATS really going to test on the seating details, speed, crusing level etc. of specific aircraft? I guess they wouldn't bother sending it out if they didn't expect you to learn it, which is why i'm panicking :eek:

Thanks

Hi Dave,

I have my Stage 1 in London next week.

got stage 1 coming soon and would like to know same question as Irrilius,

will they be asking very much questions on the data of the airlines,speed,altitude etc cause theres a lot of info that needs memorizing

due to work I dont have as much time to study up that I'd like to

From my previous experience, I recommend you dont go overboard with knowing all the aircraft data parrott fashion- the motivation paper will cover most of the areas of the document you were sent. If you want my advice then I'd get gelled up on the Spatial and Diagrammatic reasoning tests as this may well sort the men from the boys! (and women from the girls);)

Stage 1
 

Me again
I dont know if anyone else has found this, but I've been practicing a lot of SHL numerical reasoning tests (full timed one on website and from an SHL produced workbook) and found that they all say you may use a calculator, and some of the questions are almost impossible to do in your head. Is this the case for stage 1?
Many Thanks
Harvey

HowHarvey- The previous numerical reasoning tests NATS have set have all been a test of your mental arithmetic and are not similar to the SHL tests you are on about which i have done too- so Id take that as a no.

No numerical reasoning test at my stage 1, that was 2 months ago.

neo dude: where did you do your selection tests? its odd that you didnt have verbal reasoning, I wonder if any anyone else had this?
Harvey

I dont recall there ever being any verbal reasoning type questions when i sat them (twice)! Only thing you could be referring to is the Motivation Paper?

I went through stage 1 both last year and this year, both times in Glasgow. Last year there was a numerical reasoning test, this year there wasn't.

Tests that I took this year were...

Motivation Paper
Diagramming
Spatial Awareness
Basic Checking

And also a "learning styles" questionaire.

Last year there was also a personality questionaire that has now been changed to an online personality test should you be clever enough to pass stage 1.

This is why stage 1 is now only half a day. Last year it was a full day.

It seems that NATS new school of thought for this 1st stage is to cut out all that HR c**p and get down to the nitty gritty bits pretty much from the word go in half the time!

Why is there tests at 0930 and tests at 1330 then?

Mancboy- I was following on from the information given in the previous thread by NeoDude who sat the tests in Glasgow- 1 of 4 test centres im lead to believe.

I applied in July 2006.

Got accepted first time to start in June 2007, I'll be on 212, Starting 25th June.

Anyway, my selection itinerary.

Stage 1 (full day) - Manchester

Motivation Paper
Diagramming
Spatial Awareness
Basic Checking
ATCO Chat
NATS Corporate DVD - (hehe!)
500+ Personality Questionnaire

Stage 2 (only guy there!) - NATS CTC Fareham

Computer Tests
Structured Interview (30 quickfire questions, no feedback)

Stage 3 (myself and 2 Scots) - NATS CTC Fareham

Introduction
Teamwork Exercise (bloody boardgame...)
Final Interview Assessment (uggh)
Secondary Personality Questionnaire + Results

End of Selection Process!

Just to copy 321now slightly

I applied in February 2007 and will also be starting on 25th June.

My selection itinerary.

Stage 1 (half day - 7 of us, loads of others didnt turn up) - London

Motivation Paper
Diagramming
Spatial Awareness
Basic Checking
NATS Corporate DVD
Personality Questionnaire

Stage 2 (only guy there!) - NATS CTC Fareham

Computer Tests
HR Interview (60 quickfire questions, no feedback)

Stage 3 (myself and 2 others) - NATS CTC Fareham

Introduction
Teamwork Exercise
4 hour wait
Technical Interview

End of Selection Process!

Has it seriously only taken you a mere 8 weeks from submitting your original NATS application to being offered a trainee ATCO position down at the college in Bournemouth ben-vrs?

Im most impressed!:ok:

Your missing one thing.. the Medical!!

Don't do what I did and have a wobbler and get yourself a unrealistically high blood pressure reading.. thus having to go to my GP for the next 3 days to get a report done!

whoops :)

was 7 weeks exactly from application to job offer :)

Thanks!
 

Hi everyone!

I'm a student in Belfast and hope to apply to NATS when I graduate (July 07) Just want to say thanks for all the advice in the posts!! I'm in the middle of filling out the application form now, think I'm getting nervous already:( !!

Cheers!

Higgy:cool:

Hey Higgy! Best of luck to you.

7?! I think there were about 50 on my stage one!

just to let anyone know, completed my stage one, was harder than i thought it but anyway it was exactly how neodude said it was:
Motivation Paper
Diagramming
Spatial Awareness
Basic Checking
Learning styles questionaire

NO verbal or numerical reasoning.....unfortunately. got my fingers crossed now for the next 3 weeks!

Stage 2
 

Hi, I have recently completed stage 1 (this forum was very useful!) and was wondering for any advice on the HR interview part of stage2. As I have never had an HR interview before any help is welcome. I suppose more specifically, it would be helpful knowing how to prepare for it, such as are they technical questions or the standard 'why do you want this job?' type questions. Many thanks...

Thanks for the info.

I have just had my selection day today! Hopefully everything went ok. I will find out within the next 15 days.

The motivation paper, Spacial awareness (Cubes!), personality questionaire and data checking were all assessed.

Were you at the Marriot in Water Street g_davies24 ?

I was one of the 3 nervous looking guys in the corner who were doing their stage 3. Seemed to go pretty well. Just a waiting game now :ugh:

grizedale, the stage 2 is pure HR - no technical questions at all. Expect a stone faced "thankyou" to each question and no discussion!

You'd do well to read up on standard HR question banks, there's plenty around
on the net, there'll be some ones you can't predict or expect though so don't be surprised if you get one that you hadn't even considered.

There's not much you can do for that interview in terms of preparation, just make sure you can think up situations that you've been in recently that show off your good points :)

PS: hope it goes well neodude ;)

hi
 

i have recently had my stage one tests and they have emailed me a personality questionnaire to do.. does this mean i am through? there was no indication in the email, do they judge you from this or invite you to interview anyway? cheers Pam :}


Jim! hey! how confused am i at the moment - good luck dude! i might not even make it by the sounds of it! :sad: gutted

It means you passed stage 1, well done! However, the questionnaire in itself is a pass/fail thing so think carefully :)

i didnt even understand half of it! haha! oh well i am who i am, so i cant even justify my answers to them.. great! lol! :ugh:

i wish i had known this before! i think i came across as not trusting anyone!! oops... :mad:

Pam,
Overall it's better that you're honest anyway. It will become pretty difficult to hide your personality throught the interview process. First time I applied I thought about the questions and put what I thought they wanted to hear and then couldn't be consistent in the interview becasue I couldn't remember what I said. Failed the HR interview
2nd time around I was honest the whole way and got through - I can't be certain of why I failed first time but it's more than likely the honesty thing.
Good luck:ok:

cheers mate - feeling a little better! fingers crossed! i want this so much :}


best of luck to jim and jerome too :}

stage 2
 

im through! stage 2 on May 21 at a comp centre in hampshire...

if anyone can help with the process i would much appreciate it!

:} yey!

If you read back through all the pages of the thread you will learn lots and lots