Stage 3 assessment date
 

Do you guys know when they upload more assessment dates? I was selected for stage 3 on the 11th of September but haven't been able to book anything yet.

They release them whenever they release them. That's the best answer anyone can give. They might send an email but expect if they do, you'll have difficulty getting a slot. Just check every time you remember I guess.

It's kind of insane how they haven't managed to come up with a better system by now. I don't know any other organisation which allocates interview places by lottery/fastest-finger first.....

Yes, it's very stupid. Just send people a date and if it doesn't work for them let them change it. But again, they have so many applicants that they don't care.

It was a week for me but others on my course waited up to 4 weeks so it really varies unfortunately! Good luck

Hi everyone
I have a stage 3 assessment booked in for 8th October but it clashes with another commitment that has sprung up. I'm at a loss for what to do. Is anyone else booked in and willing to exchange dates with me?

You're able to rearrange as long as you notify them at least two working days beforehand, as long as you do this three times maximum they won't have any issues. Whether or not you'll be able to get another Stage 3 date any time soon is another thing 🤷‍♂️

When I tried to rebook through the website I was given an error message and told to message the recruitment team directly. When I did so they told me I’ll just have to cancel the booking and rebook at a later date. I booked this one three months ago.

As we’re all well aware it’s an awkward system, who knows when the next slots will open? I figured, if someone’s willing, we could approach the team and request they swap our bookings around.

Has there ever been a case where someone wasn't able to book a stage 3 date at all?
I wonder what would happen if someone doesn't get a slot by the end of the year

No, the only way you can do it is to cancel and book again. A friend was in this situation and that was the only option given. They are still waiting to rebook.

This happened to me, I applied in the Summer ‘23 window but never managed to book a date before October ‘23 when I went away travelling for around six months.

My account remained active and I simply booked onto one of the first Stage 3s available in summer ‘24 when applications opened again and I assume most were still doing S1 and 2!

I got plenty of emails in early 2024 inviting me to S3 centres that had availability due to cancellations or lack of booking so believe me it will calm down eventually as they get through the backlog! The goal seems to be to have a steady stream of new controllers year round, so the last applicants to receive offers from the 2024 window will likely be starting their course just before the very first applicants from 2025 to receive offers begin their courses… it’s a little frustrating from the applicant perspective but I guess it’s what works best for NATS…

That's very reassuring to hear! I was just worried that I'd loose one of my 3 chances simply because of a lack of availability. Thanks a lot of that

So you didn't managed to get one when you applied in the first round but didn't have to reapply for the second? I would have thought after they decided not to release anymore, they would reject everyone and make you start again. At least, that's what someone on twitter said.

nope, not in my experience at least. I believe they did send an email out around March 24 asking anyone still on the system to confirm they’re still interested or be removed. I replied to that and remained able to book a stage 3 into the next application window.

Hi everyone
 

I have my stage 3 assessment centre tomorrow! I am so nervous and have been prepping for months.

Has anybody who has successfully completed this stage have any advice? How the test/ interview went, also how does the group discussion work; what did you discuss?

Hoping someone is on here before tomorrow, wish me luck!!!

I have mine tomorrow as well, and I am stressing about the actual interview. Good luck though!:ok:

I haven't gone through it yet but this reddit thread has a super helpful answer. I'll post the whole comment here since I can't share the linkSo the day is pretty chill in my opinion. Lots of breaks and a long lunch break, and everything is explained well before starting. All the candidates are split into 2 groups so you'll either do interviews & group challenge in the morning, and tests in the afternoon, or the other way round.

Knowledge test - pretty chilled, maybe 15 questions. I know I got one wrong but pretty content with all the others, well worth revising though. Multiple choice with 4 possible answers. About half were pretty obvious like "What route would an E145 do: London to Amsterdam, London to South Africa, London to Buenos Aires?" A couple were a bit trickier, but still nothing a few hours with the revision guide won't fix, such as trans-atlantic report timings (10 minutes).

Aptitude tests - 4 tests from Stage-1 including remembering the dot sequence while doing maths, the aircraft direction vs. the direction beacon, assessing which words are most similar, and I can't remember the last one TBH. Like Stage-1 it's over pretty quick, but no harder than when you did them before.

Group exercise - we had to assess some investment opportunities (30 mins personal time first) then tell the interviewer which idea we were going for, then 20 mins chat with the group about which option to choose. The interviewer then changes the dynamic and you have more discussion time and have to choose again. Our group was all pretty chill and we got in fine.

Personal interview - started with discussing results from stage 1 tests then stage 2 tests, asking what you thought the stage 2 tests said about your personality (don't lie). Then about 60 mins of interview questions that I didn't enjoy. The questions are nothing about your interests or reasons for joining, literally just trying to identify experiences that demonstrate certain qualities such as taking criticism well, dealing with setbacks, something you've failed at and how you dealt with it. They will keep barraging you with questions until they get the information they want, and I assume they have strict parameters they have to meet, but the main thing they're getting at is "during training there might be bits you will struggle with; how will you get over it and continue?"

Make sure you sign on a few mins early and do a sound check; one guy couldn't get his mic to work so he got kicked off.
Hope that helps and best of luck!

That was the strangest part of the whole thing for me. I went through the whole proces and wasn't asked once to explain why I had applied. In any normal job interview it's the first question....

I'm sure NATS have their reasons for running the process and interviewing the way they do but it comes across as slightly arrogant IMO. They are lucky it's such a sought-after career. If they had to compete for candidates like other industires they would have to change their approach.

Were you successful in the process? I am struggling to think of examples of things such as taking criticism well etc. I can say I can do it and how but I’m not sure how I can reference this from work experience. Just wondering if you were successful, what did you mostly focus on when asked these questions?

Thanks! This thread has been very helpful for me thus far

Just finished my stage 3 assessment centre! Was wondering how long people have to wait to hear back about whether they're successful or not?