Mapping aptitude scores to competence/employabilty
 

Hi all,

Thinking of a career change to flying. Analytical brain wants to know:

Does anyone know of a mapping between scores on any/all of the various flight aptitude training software packages (or even, say, CTC/ CAE assessment centres scores) to how well you do in an integrated ATPL?

I'm thinking along lines of
scores of xyz correlate with being in top/middle/bottom quartile of ATPL seniority (that may be the wrong phrase), with some kind of measure of certainty.

Anyone know anything?

Hey pal, there's a good whitepaper on that very thing from People Technologies the company behind the notorious PILAPT test battery. Here's the snippet you're after.

SOURCE: View Whitepaper

On receiving my own selection and PILAPT report on starting at CTC Aviation, my own score and those of my peers pretty much matched the above claim as we all sat in the "Top Band". Hope that helps. A write up of CTC Aviation's selection can be found here.

Playing devil's advocate for a moment - Airlines and Training environments have different requirements; For example, I imagine an airline probably wants a long term employee with potential, a school like CTC wants a product to sell (the graduate) with minimum variation in training costs.

http://www.cockpitseeker.com/wp-cont...2028.09.15.pdf

Ryanair evaluates about 1000 fATPL pilots a year, and ~50% of candidates fail their rather straightforward and well documented assessment. They have stated numerous times they see no difference between integrated and modular students, and are critical of flight schools intake assessments.

It's well worth stepping back for a minute and consider the bias of that paper. It's published by a company who profit from the selling of this form of testing!

The tests are a load of nonsense and are just in place to satisfy some moron in HR. Remember that during CTC selection your rarely encounter an actual pilot. Then they'll feed you the bullsh1t about because you did very well on the computer tests you'll be a very good pilot :ugh:

Agree with SeventhHeaven. I remember listening to a senior Ryanair figure at a conference heavily criticising the "entrance selection" to various FTOs. I don't think he's far off the money.

Far more important is you as a person, can someone sit next to your for 8 hours and not want to slit their wrists?

gbotley,

Are you paid by CTC to write your blog, or do you believe that in providing such an unbalanced view CTC will look upon you favourably in the hold pool?

JF0RC3,

Talk about changing the topic,

I appreciate your view, but payment does not come in to it anywhere, neither does it for any other cadet that bothers to write them. I have never believed in doing it for self promotion of any description and many of the posts are there to help people answer questions that are seldom answered in respect of training costs and experience. Other posts I write are there for my family just as much as they are prospective trainees!

Furthermore, saying I provide an unbalanced view of CTC is wrong, I just understand the concept of libel. Even so, the vast majority of my experience to date has been relatively positive and it's very much a "get out what you put in" environment. In respect of your statement regarding the hold pool, I suggest you reserve such a comment until you know me for this has never, ever, been my intention. I do not actively seek self-promotion, my blog has never been shared by CTC's marketing team and nor have I ever requested such. At the end of the day, I simply enjoy helping others and if an airline looks upon that favourably (of which one already has) then that's their choice.


Back to the topic, I appreciate that paper may well be bias it's just a good read in terms of gauging what FTOs are looking that's all.