Jonathan B - no need to take any snacks. They provide lunch and also give you a starbucks voucher for the mid-day coffee break.

Air22 - there is no way you can revise/practice for these tests. The only thing you can do is to look at cubes for spatial awareness...as there are a few in there. Everything else cannot be prepared for! During the tests you will be given very clear instructions....so simply relax and have a good nights sleep beforehand.

Good luck to you both! :ok:

I sat my stage 1 test today. I flew through almost all of the tests with ease, except the spacial awareness test.:{

Im so angry with myself. I usually find the spacial awareness questions the easiest of the lot but for some reason my brain just wasnt firing today.

Im sure that this will be the only reason I wont get through and I feel liked Ive fluffed it.:ugh:

Hatemyjob
 

Hey, don't be so hard on yourself! If you checked your answers on the tests you say you flew through, and didn't just answer randomly, and you did your best in the spatial awareness questions, then I'm sure you'll have been fine. I didn't finish all the questions in S1 and I've just been offered a place on a course...

Something you might like to think about though....if you get through the recruitment process and onto a course, you may want to change your login name!:ok:

Stage 2
 

Hey,

Hope someone is able to offer some help. Ive got through my stage 1 and have my stage 2 booked for June. I was just wondering what the computer exams involve? Any help would be awesome. Thanks xx

Tigertiger,

Start by looking up FEAST on wikipedia, and read the last 10 or so pages of this thread. That should give you a good start, and if you have any further specific questions, post again and I'm sure someone will help.

Good luck!

Thanks, im looking at the wikipedia thing now. Ill have a look at the previous threads after. If any one else has any tips be great ! :ok:

Are there any recommendations for having a better chance of passing the tests - stage 1 initially? I'm not brilliant at maths - is it just a case of practicing or would a course or tutor assist? Does anyone run any courses etc which would help with passing the tests?

Thanks

Jimmy780 - PM sent! Thanks in advance! :ok:

tigertiger
 

Check out page 155. Whitelighter has kindly summarised all the tests that had to be done at Stage 2.

Someone also mentioned this website Lotsentest I'm sorry but I can't remember who otherwise I'd acknowledge them.

I don't think they're like the actual stage 2 tests, but they do test your multi tasking skills, spatial awareness & memory. I've had fun doing them anyway!!

tigertiger
 

Hi,

Just finished stage 2 today, the other post are accurate on here regarding what is invloved, and in my opinion i really dont think there is much you can do to prepare. Whitelighter has probably summed it up the best as paperclip says on page 155.

All i can say is, if i passed that it will be a miracle !!!!

Stolport - find as many examples of cubes and diagramatic reasoning test on the internet as you can. I found cutting up a cube and putting symbols on them and then turning them around helped. But thats just me !!!!

Good luck with it

thanks
 

Thanks for the tips and im sure your be fine Jimmy ill keep my fingers crossed for you.

Jimmy780
 

Dont be so sure you have failed. I was certain my performance was well below par (see pages 155/156) but I passed the tests.

Some are so hard no normal human could hope to pass them, but I think part of the test is to see how you cope with failure under pressure and to make sure you dont then go to pieces.

Fingers crossed, but you probably have done better than you think.

ATCO new stage 2
 

I am set to sit my stage 2 on June 4th and i have been looking for some advice as to what it entails.
However I am having bother and I believe this is because the recruitment process has changed recently.
I hope someone will be able to talk me through the new stage 2 process.

Thanks for all replies in advance

David

Wouldn't your first port of call be the sticky thread at the top of the forum? A cursory glance shows there is quite a bit of discussion there about new stage 2 :ugh:

Indeed, just take a look at the last page, which will direct you to p155 for a full account of the 'new' Stage 2.

Thanks for the encouragement whitelighter! Just read your posts again, I think I feel the same way as you did! Now we play the horrible waiting game.

I know we don't need to learn the info some were given for the old stage 2 , but I wouldn't mind a read if anyone can send me a copy that would be cool !

Jimmy (and anyone else who wants it),

PM me your email address and I'll send you a copy of the old Stage 2 motivation document.

Don't worry about feeling like you've failed - even with just the NATS tests, we all thought we'd done terribly!

Re-Applying
 

DJNICK007:

Further to your query of my comment regarding the selection process I can confirm that unfortunately if you fail at any stage of the selection process you have to retake everything the following year starting again from S1! It's a pain but I can understand why they do it. I've just sat my stage 1 tests again and waiting for a reply!:)

Has anyone recently taken stage 3? I'd like to know if they are still shuffling it around. Mostly concerning the technical side to the interview.

My stage 3 was end of March and was mainly technical with little HR.

And out of sheer curiosity, did you get each get offered a place at the college?

I did, waiting for medical results.

Has anybody that sat their Stage 2 at CTC on the 20th April had their results yet? Needless to say its been a while so I just wanted to make sure that it wasnt just me still waiting... :ugh:

mcgoo - I have mt stage 3 in a weeks time. Have prepared lots of examples for HR questions, team working, working under pressure and other compentancies i could think they would ask me.

But i just wanted to know if there was any questions or question topics they asked which threw you? Its just that its such a long interview they could cover a range of things. Also did you get a break? or was it a continuous hour and a half talking? and final questions is their still an ATCO present at the interview, dispite there being no technical questions?

Hi everyone,

Went to Swanwick for my stage 1 today.

Further to earlier posts, it is made up of 5 tests - motivational based on the word document link you are sent in your confirmation email (make sure you check it, because two people today hadn't!), diagramming, spatial reasoning (cubes), numerical and a personality questionnaire at the end.

If you learn the booklet, you shouldn't have any problem with that section of the exams. The diagramming and spatial reasoning were a nightmare, but hey-ho, I tried my best. Numerical was pretty straightforward.

The entire process was 2.5 hours including a short break. There was no Q&A with an ATCO. It was a shame, because, being at Swanwick, there were a hell of a lot of ATCOs around.

Good luck to everyone who is awaiting results, and congratulations to those who are already through! :D

Were you at Swanwick, or CTC in Whiteley (around the corner). Less ATCOs about at CTC.

So, you had a personality test at Stage 1 - I wonder if they still do the online one as well and compare the results!

Sorry, meant CTC, but yes being round the corner sure they could have had someone round. Oh well, hopefully I'll get to arrange a visit to Swanwick and Gatwick/Heathrow and ask away!

Everything you need to know...
 

Long post but hopefully useful.

1st stage at Swanwick today.. went very well for me.. and a few tips.. first if you get the train to Swanwick station and need to waste a couple of hours (I planned a couple of hours early just in case, there was supposed to be rail works today) there is 2 roads leading away from the station, a winding one and a straight one lined with trees.. take the straight one and there is a nice bistro pub 2mins at the top. There is usually always taxis on this road too.. and they are used to ferrying NATS hopefuls so they know were it is.. and its around £6-£7.

Next when you arrive you will be shown to a small area were other hopefuls will be doing last minute study. I found this time was very good to relax and get chatting with other people. Anyway you are shown to a small room and given a personality questionnaire.. (doesn't effect your scores, its just a trial thing for now)

1st test - motivation aviation knowledge test.. easy enough if you read that printout.. can you believe some people admitted to not even reading it!! don't worry too much about the aircraft details (just have a general sense of what kind of figures are normal, same for european city distances)

2nd test - spatial awarness boxes.. I managed to answer 43 but it seamed that most people attempted around 25-35..

3rd test - maths.. basic Speed = Distance/Time stuff.. to be honest it seamed like they accidentally gave us the test they give 12 year olds when they visit.

4th test - diagrammatic reasoning.. I really had a knack for these... and managed to finish the 50th question as the lady asked to put our pencils down.. most people said they answered again around 25-35.

They said there is a bit of a backlog and that the results would be available in 15 working days..

There were only 40 questions for the spatial awareness test

roar00, I don't know when things changed but like I said earlier my stage 3 was at the end of March and there was an ATCO present and my interview was mainly technical, just over an hour I think it was and very relaxed, the time flies by and it isn't the 'grilling' I was expecting, the ATCO admitted he had given me more scenarios than most because I am a pilot, whether thats normal and is the reason my interview was mostly technical I don't know, but overall I enjoyed it and I hate interviews normally.

Stage 1 preperation
 

Hi all,

Ive been asked a few times for the "top trumps" mentioned a few pages back, hope they were useful. Ive uploaded some diagram test, cube tests, psycometric test, top trumps and the various MP3 files (these are a conversion of the NATS stage 1 document i was given) onto a download webpage for you to download as you wish.

/files/ATC/ - -

Hope they help

If only I hadn't already done my stage 1! :}

Medical
 

I've got my medical scheduled for early next month. Does anyone know what time they start and roughly how long it lasts?

Sauceball,

If it's the NATS medical, appointments are scheduled every hour or so every Friday at Swanwick. All in, it takes about 90 minutes from start to finish.

CAA Medical - appointment times available all day every day at Gatwick. Took me about 2-2.5 hours, but it was busy and they had to double check a few things for me.

Hope that helps....

Thanks paperclip (again!)

Jimmy780!

Thanks for all your efforts and generosity! It is very much appriciated!

Stage 2
 

Hi all!

Well I recently did my stage 2. How depressing! I left feeling like I've failed miserably :(
Just hoping my fate works out like Whitelighter! Although I wouldn't be at all surprised if I hadn't actually passed.

So just for everyone who's going to do it, the other posts are right in that there is nothing really you can do in advance to prepare. Although I would suggest trying to find any sort of online tests that only give you a few seconds to answer. This was the case with the stage 2 tests. So if you're used to using your brain as quickly as you can, then that should probably help.

Good luck to anyone taking theirs soon! I wait with bated breath for my results! :\

hey guys, thanks for all the recommendations for the books!! much appreciated. one more question to those whove done S3... what does the group exercise consist of? And any idea what they're looking for in that?

The group exercise is a board game type thing - think Ludo but with airplanes. You play as individuals but the objective at the end requires everyone to work together as a team to reach it.

Nothing you can do to prepare - rules, etc are all explained when you get there. Takes about an hour from what I recall.

ah ok then, sounds alright. cheers!