There's a bit of a step by step on page 22 of this thread which I found great... (Oh yeah I trawled...).

Roll on Wednesday!

For stage 1 and 2 don't worry about that Graham Dukes book just yet. All the questions will be related to the pdf handbook sent to you (obviously the 2nd stage questions will be slightly harder). Some questions are very specific. I found it's not like uni where you have to understand the concept and answer questions with that concept. Some of the questions require memorising of exact facts from the pdf. Best thing is memorise all the data.

I found the Graham Duke book very handy for the 3rd stage. You wont need to remember things like the exact services provided in different airspaces but it gives a good overall picture of what NATS provides. Which they may ask of you. They may also ask you what you expect to study once you get to college.

Good luck with the cubes. You'll never have to do them again after this.

I love how cube nets have the ability to put the fear of god into us all...

how did you get on on wednesday?
ive got my train to london leaving in 40 minutes, the nerves will gradually start to build from now on in!
just printing of the last few thing so i know what im doing when i get there and something to entertain me for my 5 hour train ride... joys!

Evening folks!

Have been keeping an eye on this forum in the build up to my stage 1 tests, thanks for the help! Had it yesterday and received an email today (quick!) inviting me to take the personality questionnaire.... Can't believe what has just happened, made it to about q58 and my internet crashed. Hence no back button, no nothing to get my personality test back. Have called the HR people and left a message explaining and going to call in the morning.

Does anyone think I'll be given a second chance or will they take it upto the point I finished or am I doomed :{. Will be seriously gutted if that is the case. I'm refusing to log out in case it registers me as finished-am preparing for a long night of refreshing...

Answers on a postcard please!

Thanks!

Scrap that last post! It appears all I had to do was log in in another page and my half finished questionnaire promptly appeared! No doubt there has been a shift in personality half way through due to that!

Hey,

I too have been invited to take the online personality questionnaire. I'm happy! :) It's been a year since I failed at the first hurdle so I'm chuffed to at least get this far.

I'm just wondering though so I can be as prepared as possible before I take it, what format are the questions in? Is it the type where there are four statements for each question and you select which two you are most and least like? Or something completely different?

Thanks in advance, I would just like to know what to expect before I attempt it.

Regards,

Vic

If you look at the stuff nats sent you in the first email (where the 1st stage booklet link is) there's a document with examples of the aptitude tests (not the shl group one but the nats link). At the end of that there's a bit on the personality test. It's a strongly agree/strongly disagree job :uhoh:

Damn you, waiting game!

You had it spot on Vic, 4 statements have to say which is most like you and which is least like you, and 'ignore' 2. Good luck!

Ah so is it like the one on the NZ Airways website?

Do you have what it takes?

Think I can manage that!

Thanks a lot, will attempt it over the weekend :uhoh: My future's riding on this....I'm scared....

Vic

Done It!
 

Well, Just found out yesterday that i passed stage three, (toughest interview i've ever had) and subject to the medical etc, should be starting in January.

Once again, thaks to all contributors of this thread as your advice has been somewhat invaluable! Training here we come!

:D

Well done! Stage 3 seems so far away... Mind you I have just 'passed' the questionnaire and have been invited to fill in the application and attend stage 2-just 2 days after attending stage 1! Whoop whoop!

NZ Airways test
 

The result I got was:

But I still passed the SHL one?

I remember failing the Tesco one when I was 17. Honestly, how hard can it be to have the right personality for Tesco?!

Stupid personality forms :*

Hi guys,

Just to say a BIG BIG thanks to everyone that's posted on this thread and this forum, student and ATCO alike, its been a great help.

I found out just the other day that I passed stage 3, so role on security and medical.:}

To all those who are going through the process, all I can say is prepare well and then prepare some more:ok: its a bit scary at times but not impossible

Once again thanks to everyone, and maybe some of us will meet at the college!:8

That must be a novelty for you :E

Hey, I know this doesn't follow on from the previous posts, but I am currently going through the NATS selection process and a controller present at stage 1 told us to go visit a tower and the best way to go about booking in for a visit was through this site.

So here I am, are there any controllers on this who work at Edinburgh Airport? If so, would you be lovely enough to let me come and observe what you and the other controllers do on a day to day basis? If so then I would be eternally grateful! :O

Feonagh,

May I respectfully suggest that the NATS rep at your stage one should have given you more info. I've just used a well known internet search engine with some well chosen, yet obvious, words and top of the results came an ATC telephone number, followed by the EGPH general enquiries telephone number, who would be able to put you through or give you the right number.

Perhaps you could do the same and ask EGPH ATC themselves rather than risking nobody responding here? :ok:

Also, take a look at the UK AIP (NATS | AIS) - you might need to register (free), click through to UK Aeronautical Information Publication > Aerodrome Data (Specific)...there you have all the UK civil airfields. Click on one, and then Textual Data....it should have a phone number for the ATC unit there.

It's a shame that us old and crusty ATCOs are no longer permitted to help out with stage 1s, I feel that there's now some valuable knowledge and viewpoints regarding the medium to long term life as an ATCO not being passed on to applicants.:(

Oh well, I shall just have to do more stage 3s to sate my appetite for making grown men and women cry.....I mean helping to select the next generation of ATCO......

Mike1711, well done!
Awwww, that warms the cockles, so to speak..... :ok:

Hi there,

I've just booked my Stage One (Manchester, 1st October 08, 1330 Session) through the NATS careers site. I'm pretty well-acquainted with the application procedure, but I'd be interested to know the exact format of the session (i.e. how many will be sitting the assessment, structure, etc).

If anybody could provide me with any tips or friendly advice I'd be extremely grateful for the help.

Lastly, I've visited a tower before (Akrotiri) in my time with the Air Cadets, but I am looking to visit a NATS-operated tower to see exactly how it operates. I'm sure it's pretty different from the RAF one I visited a few years back. If anybody knows the best way to go about doing this, or has any contacts (!) again, I'd be very grateful. :) I'm based in the Milton Keynes area but have the capacity to, and am prepared to travel to do this.

Thanks

Paul

Paul,

As interviewers, we would not differentiate between a NATS and a non-NATS tower, so don't worry on that score....although I guess your location would tend to suggest Luton and Stansted as possibles.

Feonagh... From the Glasgow stage one perchance?
Abi here! Have you heard back yet?

visit to area control, prestwick
 

Hi

I had my first stage assessment on thursday and would really like to arrange for a visit to area control in Prestwick. I wonder if anyone who is based there would be able to help me out with this or can give me advice on who best to contact to arrange a visit? I would also be really keen to visit the control tower at Glasgow airport if any1 can help me out with arranging that?
Your advice/help would be appreciated, thanks

Bradybunch,

From my post above....

I have a visit at MACC tomorrow afternoon. HR gave me the number to call and then I arranged the details with the folks there. I'd recommend anyone looking for a visit to do this, it only took me a few minutes to organise it. Everyone was extremely helpful, especially as I had to cancel my original visit today due to (unforeseen) work commitments and reschedule.

Well despite preparing all year and visiting two Nats units, Swanwick twice and West Drayton before it moved, as well as reading Graham Dukes book and part of the MATS I have "failed" the online personality questionnaire. I just wish I could have the chance to get to Stage 2 and actually be face to face with someone to prove myself, but it looks like "the computer says no."

If anyone has any words that can cheer me up it would be appreciated as I'm feeling pretty rubbish at the mo!

Best of luck to everyone else.

Vic

Hi everybody,

I have just been invited to do online personality test. I had 1st stage in London 28th August. I have to say I am scared of this test, it's my second attempt for ATC training as I failed the 1st stage last year. Well, this year I've decided to do lots of studying and preparing (as I was doing for the past year).
Could you please give me advice on the online test??

Do I have to finish the test strictly in 40 min??

I know I have to give honest answers while presenting yourself in the best possible light;-) So what should be ''me in the best possible light''??

Vic154

Really sorry for you:(

Who said it was going to be easy...

Jucis,

Same advice as everyone else really, just be yourself and answer the questions as truthfully as you can. If you try to put down answers that you think they are looking for, you WILL be caught out! The questionaire tends to ask a question, then 4 or 5 questions later, will ask a similar question in a different way - and by the time you get to the end of it (it veeeeeeeery long!) you have forgotten what you put at the beginning anyway!:confused:

Also, if you make it through to stage 3 (fingers crossed, I'm sure you will do fine!) they can ask you questions about your online personality questionaire - under interveiw scrutinisation, and you know what interveiwers can be like!:E

Also, I am told that you can only fail the Personality questionaire if you are a borderline pass in the psychometric tests at stage 1. If you pass well, then it is pretty much impossible to fail - inless you put something REALLY silly, like I like crashing aeroplanes!:eek:

Best of luck - let us know how you do!:ok:

BW

Personality questionnaire, here I come,

Woop!

No, do tell...............................:cool:

interviwers can be :eek::suspect::ugh::=:D:E:ouch::}... but hopefully in the end :):ok:

take your pick gonzo ;)

Gonzo,

do you do all interviews at stage three, or would that make you a very busy man (that's a pressumption I know). If so, the previous posts about talking dirty.....that won't really work will it?

:-)

ezy... he doesn't, though im sure he'd like to :E although if he had been my interviewer I think my atc career might have gone a little differently :cool:

as regards talking dirty... well if all else fails... but im sure you'll do fine :ok: have to admit it wasnt an option for me with the atco i had. maybe the hr lady though...

....I hear that the interviewer in question can be quite malleable if he has his tummy tickled....! ;)

hmmmmm
 

should I bring a little pink feather to do it with?

Pink feather might be a bit too conspicuous. I prefer subtlety. :ok:

To be serious, Ezy, no, I'm one of many ATCO interviewers. I've not done any stage 3s for a few months, but I've put my name down for some this month and next, so you never know your luck!

AJ7, you're right, you seem far too level-headed, especially for LL!

.....maybe a turquoise scarf then.....Gonzo?