Morning Ladies and Gentleman,
Im due to go and attend the CAE skills assessment early next year and was just wondering what to expect?! I have had a reasonable trawl through the forums to try and gather the information instead of coming to ask for help but was a little surprised that only L3 flight academy had some details up!

Id be grateful if those who have recently sat it could show a little comradeship and dish out some information then I can prepare as best as possible i.e. whats the failure rates? are the tests very difficult? advice on the group exercises? interview questions? pass marks on the maths and physics tests ... just generally anything no matter how big or small.

are you allowed a calculator in the physics exam?

what sort of things can you expect in the group exercise?

About 100 different scenarios, Google it.

Mine was something along the lines of....stranded on a mountain with 7 people, need to return to rendezvous point but one person has a broken leg and you have to pick 3 items to take with you from a list. Result not important, decision making, listening and engaging others might be.

thanks ever so much!!

anybody got any silly suggestions for how to remember series of numbers in the adapt test?

Hi everyone,
I have my 6 selection test next month... if it can help you, the school sent me this :

Some more information about the selection tests:

• You will do the following tests spread over 2 days: English, Physics, ADAPT-test, personality questionnaire, personal interview and BFA (Basic Flying Assessment). The personality questionnaire can be completed at home before the selection test days. You will receive a separate e-mail with a web link a few days before your assessment days.

• The results of your selection tests will be communicated afterwards by e-mail.

• The payment of € 400,00 for the selection process must be done on the first assessment day at our academy itself. You can do this by credit card (Bancontact/Mister Cash, VISA, Vpay, Maestro, and MasterCard), NOT in cash.



Physics test:

This is a written multiple choice test. You are allowed to bring a one line display calculator, with sin, cos and tan… Calculators with memory are not allowed.

These are the important subjects:

• Basic physics sizes (length, mass, angle, t°, volume, speed, acceleration)

• Units (meter, kilogram, second, amps)

• Distance travelled, speed, acceleration

• Weight, mass, density and volume

• Newton’s law, inertia, forces

• Determination of centre of gravity

• Work, energy, power (kinetic energy, pressure energy)

• Thermometric scales: °C, °F, °K

• Pressure, density, t° of a liquid or a gas

• Perfect gases law, Boyle-Mariotte law, Gay-Lussac law, Dalton’s law

• Change of state of a liquid/gas/solid

• Basics of electricity: DC and AC current, tension, equivalent resistance, Ohm

• Basics of magnetism: magnetic field, permanent magnet, lines of flux



Question Example:

• A quantity of gas (p = 3 x 105 Pa, T=300K) is compressed until the half of its initial volume and is heated to 70°C. What is the final gas pressure?

(Answer: P2= 6, 86 105Pa)

• Determine the weight (in Newton) of a sphere that has a volume of 1,1 x 10-7 m3 and a density of 2,7 kg/dm3 (gravitation acceleration: 9.81m/s2)

(Answer: 2, 91x10-3)

• 3 resistances of 5Ω are placed in parallel. Find the value of a unique equivalent resistance.

(Answer: 1.67Ω)



English test:

This is a computer-based test which is focused on general English vocabulary.



Basic Flight Assessment:

This is an aptitude test which evaluates the basic skills required for flying, such as:

• Handling skills

• Multi-tasking

• Co-ordination

It also assesses the learning curve and takes about 30 minutes. No preparation for this test is required.



ADAPT:

This is a computer based testing system which includes the following elements:

• Progressive Maths - Maths questions which get progressively more difficult as the test progresses. Some of the topics covered include algebra, trigonometry, factorising quadratics and Speed/Distance/Time.

• Progressive Physics - Physics questions which get progressively more difficult as the test progresses. Some of the topics covered by the test includes acceleration, relative speed and kinetic energy.

• Cognitive - Assess a wide range of aptitudes including Working Memory, Perceptual Speed & Accuracy and Spatial Relationship Reasoning. This cognitive assessment is designed for Ab Initio candidates.

• FAST - A multi-tasking and learning assessment made up of physical, cognitive and situational elements. The aim for the candidates is to prioritize and manage multiple activities and learn from previous experience to improve future performance.

• Fixed Wing 1&2 - A conceptual flying task which aims to measure co-ordination and accuracy. The test works using a desktop joystick setup to navigate to waypoints around a designated route.

• Co-ordination Assessment - This assessment is designed to test a candidate's hand eye co-ordination and dexterity. Using a joystick the candidate must aim to hold a ball in the center of a target circle whilst it tries to move away from the center.



Personal interview:
Your personal interview will partly be conducted in Dutch or French (if this is your mother tongue) and a part will be in English.

Hi Minotaur12,

I did my Stage 2 assessment before Xmas. There are a few different parts to the assessment, first is a maths and physics test. You are not allowed to have a calculator or phone for that matter, but they do provide you with a formula sheet which is useful. After that you have questions about sequences, rotating shapes, odd one out, memorising numbers. All fair easy questions. The harder parts are the hand-eye coordination tests. Have a look on Youtube at the ADAPT test, I wasn't sure what it was and struggled as it is quite intense, but watching the video will give you a really good idea of what to expect.

cheers guys! can I just ask what did they ask of you on the memory specific tests?

Glad I found this thread, going for my stage 2 assessment soon but couldn't find much on CAE :)

Can anyone whos done it here give a detailed explination of what to expect amd to share the outcome of thier assesment .Many thanks

Hi can anyone say if they know if the assessment is negatively marked at CAE ?

CAE stage 2 assessment day
 

Good afternoon everybody! Does anyone have information regarding the calculator question as I am wondering the same thing too!? :rolleyes:

Calculator is allowed for math and physics

Can you confirm your maths?
 

Reply
 

Hi all, I have got mine in April 2019 - I've done the test at L3 also, does anyone have any tips of what is covered in the physics syllabus? Also does any one have any advice how to prepare best for fixed wing?

I done my Stage 2 ADAPT test in March 2019. Here's what I would tell myself if I could go back in time, or tell someone else about to do it:

• Don't be nervous - of course you will be - but everyone will be just as nervous as you!
• You DO get a calculator for the maths test and the physics test. If you don't bring your own they give you one. If this is the case, don't wait until the test starts to try it out, find out where all the buttons are that you will need. This sounds like a pointless tip but they gave me a weird calculator that gave answers as fractions and you could only change it to integers and decimals with a very small inconspicuous button.
• Use the calculator to your advantage as much as possible. If you are quick, you could try and use it for the numerical reasoning, but as this is measuring reaction time - i'm not recommending this, just throwing the idea out there :)
• Take your time with the introductory pages of the test, there are a lot of pages but dont rush!. It's there to help you!. I heard a lot of people clicking through the introductory pages and there was a lot of helpful stuff on there, like specific examples of the questions yiu are about to get asked, and you are not timed on this, so try out the example question, so when the real one comes you are prepared
• If you finish a test early, go back and check, you may have submitted a dumb answer! I did. Found it, corrected it. It was asking me to subtract a total fuel amount from an initial amount, NOT give the amount burnt. Go back and check.
• They actually give you the equations! Don't pass this one up - write them down, re arrange them solving for different variables, e.g. speed=distance/time / fuel burn rate = fuel burnt / time write these down and solve for all three - so when a question comes just look to what you wrote down and plug in the numbers.
• The "FAST" test is hard. No way around this one. Latest Pilot Jobs and PilotAptitudeTest have good practice software, but really you can practice as much as you want but it's about how you do on that day. But don't worry if you don't nail it, the test is to measure your capacity to learn, so you get two tries, I think its more about your ability to learn from what you got wrong on your first try. So without just giving away answers that might change, I'll say - Pay Attention! Nothing is not important enough!
  Spoiler

   

   

  like, what the cockpit looks like for example.
• The fixed wing assessment is weirdly different from the FAST test you just took. There's no mental quick reaction times and quick thinking, but instead, you have to slowly, calmly keep your plane at a given altitude and a given speed and heading using the joystick and throttle. It's easy to let your mind wonder, so don't get cocky, the speed can get high, your altitude can drift, and you can't trim the plane, so you will have to monitor your very fine inputs on the joystick. Also just because your concentrating on your speed and altitude, make sure you're heading in the right direction... :rolleyes:
• We got a chance to speak to a current student and get a tour, but not everyone took it. Dumb idea, take the tour!! Not only was it fun to see the place, we learnt so much about the course and what we might expect, and got to ask any questions we liked. And it did make a difference having a student do it as to not be intimidated. He was great.

Now I have my own question. I took the Stage 2 on Thursday and I am getting a mini-heart attack every time I get some random email... How long till I hear back?!? I'm going nuts!

If anyone has any questions about stage 2, post here I'll try to answer you :)

CAE OXFORD STAGE 2 Assesment
 

Hi , i have a stage 2 assessment at Oxford in 2 weeks, if you have done it i was wondering how the layout of maths and physics is for example is it 4 option boxes that you have to tick or long answers, i have been preparing this week, i bought the CAE Oxford CBT Maths and Physics books as well as a ADAPT program from LatestpilotJobs for 50£, i have noticed that all my results from ADAPT are above average however I'm stressing out because of Maths and Physics, i know that they are 30min each but do you maybe know all the topics that come up or are they random, because him working my ass off revising the CAE Interactive books of maths and physics and I'm sure that not everything will come up because its just too much. Cheers,

How did yours go? What was the set up like? How did you prep in the end? Thank you

Does anybody know who has purchased the maths and physics bundle from CAE what we need to know and what to revise? Thanks

Does anybody know what the cognitive test is like in assessment 2? And what should you practise if you have purchased the latest pilot CAE package?

Anyone going the 17th April?

JackPerry;

Hi Jack,
I've got my stage 2 coming up soon and I'm just trying to prepare for it now. From the email I got from CAE, my understanding is that everything is computer based during the Stage 2. Is this correct?

Also, the email says that Maths & Physics is tested in ADAPT but does not mention a Numerical reasoning section. So I was wondering if you could shed some light on that for me. From what I understand, you are tested on the following:

• Personality Questionnaire
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Cognitive
• FAST
• Fixed Wing
• Ball Game

Finally, I've read on another thread that you're not allowed a calculator, so I'm thinking it may have changed recently.

Thanks.

You ARE allowed a calculator

ADAPT Tests
 

As there is discussion of ADAPT tests here we thought it would be useful to clarify a few points.

The ADAPT tests are widely used for selection at airlines and ahead of flight training programs. The ADAPT test battery varies per airline or training school, however, if you want to familiarise yourself with the ADAPT tests including FAST, Ball Game, Maths, Physics and cognitive reasoning, you can access them on our ecommerce site to help you know what to expect before your assessment day. Each test contains randomly generated questions and will be unique, allowing you to practice and revise as much as you feel would be helpful on each individual subject. If you are unsure what tests you will be taking on the day of your assessment I recommend that you contact the training school, company or airline and ask them so that you know which ones to practicePlease note we are aware of other websites claiming to offer preparation for the ADAPT tests – these are in no way affiliated with Symbiotics and the tests available from these sites are not our ADAPT tests that you will be taking on your assessment day. We do not have resellers, distributors or partners.All the best on your assessment day and future career in aviation and if you have any questions about the ADAPT tests we’ll be happy to help, please message us on here and we will be happy to respond to your queries.

Best Wishes

Karen Moore

Couple of points based on the above posts.

Firstly, In my Stage 2 I was allowed a calculator, they gave me one. Even though the instructions said do not use one.
In my Stage 3 that included a resit of the same physics test, they said no calculators allowed. If there is a logic to this it's beyond me.

Regarding the ADAPT tests, apart from the CAE maths and physics CBT products on their website, which is absolutely worth the money and will help you prepare (and in all honesty, I'm a science guy so I quite enjoyed watching the videos) I would say that it is not terribly productive to spend time trying to prepare for the other ADAPT assessments. That is to say -- though i did use Pilot Aptitude Test and Latest Pilot Jobs, and though they did offer a reasonable representation of the ADAPT elements, they didn't really offer any preparation beyond the observation that "oh I recognise this!". The "ball game" is based on your ability to manage hand eye coordination, the FAST test designed to test your situational awareness. Much of the variables in these "in the moment" type tests are established as you are doing the test. What I'm saying is that you ARE expected to prepare for a physics exam, but you aren't really expected to prepare for an ab initio pilot aptitude test - they're just not designed that way.
But this is in no way to discourage people from preparing as best they can with the products available, I just think ones performance on these tests are based on a natural aptitude, as the name would suggest. Rather than the month or two I practiced the "Ball game recreation"

I do hope you can use a calculator, although I'm thinking it may have recently changed.

Jack, when did you take your stage 2?

I think the calculator should be allowed. Not because the questions really demand one, you're not doing triganometry (allthough possibly pythagoras), but the calculator only helps get you a figure based on the logic, equation manipulation, and firm understanding of the question, so if you can't grasp the question the calculators useless anyway.

Kylan, I did my stage 2 in March, then stage 3 in June. It's possible that the no-calculator rule is a policy of resits. I was taking my physics test along with other stage 2-ers and I don't know if they were also disallowed. But hey I passed without it and had to resit WITH it, so who knows? But mental maths will always be handy, so that's a good skill to work on. Good luck pal

For the ball game test how does the stick mechanic work - does it use twist or move the stick side to side?

Also does the up move down and down move up

Somebody respond please

Hi all,

I've very recently attended a Stage 2 assessment at CAE's Oxford Academy and therefore I'm going to put in my two-penny worth.

Firstly, it is difficult. There's no point in lying, but remember, that's the entire point. My biggest piece of advice for anyone who has their Stage 2 coming up is to relax. That doesn't mean don't put any work in revising, but do not beat yourself up if you don't succeed. Remember, you're very fortunate that you're pursuing the aviation industry as there's so many routes to the cockpit, there's a million-and-one ways to achieve your dream. Do not put pressure on yourself while you're in there, thinking that this is your only opportunity to become a pilot. Ultimately, that will only hinder your performance.

Of course, if you're completely laid back and take no time to revise and prepare I wouldn’t expect to get too far. Complacency is dangerous in the aviation game. Remember, a little nerves is a good thing!

Progressive Maths & Physics

As you all know, 20 questions in 30 minutes, getting progressively harder.

Now to answer the calculator conundrum. You are NOT allowed to use a calculator at any point during the Stage 2 assessment, sorry! Now, as we know people have been able to use calculators in the past. If the questions were any different or not, I do not know. From what I've heard speaking to people who were allowed to use a calculator, my guess is that the questions are of similar difficulty as they were before. I can only assume CAE has changed their expectations of candidates to keep inline with the change.

I don't think that the questions were that hard to warrant the use of a calculator, although there were some calculations that were a little tricky. Personally, I found that your mental arithmetic was tested at other points throughout the tests anyway. Therefore, I think it would be better to have harder questions and allow the use of a calculator. This way you're testing a candidates deeper understanding and ability to apply themselves on these subjects.

Cognitive Tests

This section I personally found hardest to prepare for. Wether or not you can improve through practice is a different discussion entirely. But by using software such as SkyTest (Pan Asia), you can familiarise yourself with the type of questions they may ask.

FAST

Keep your eyes moving! Don't concentrate one one thing, you need to split your attention. Strangely, I quite enjoyed doing this one. I found that it made me feel as though I'm driving and in some way, I can see the relation. Looking outside at the road ahead, looking at the car in front, reading road signs as they fly by, followed by a quick scan down at the speedometer, look back outside, check the sat-nav, whilst listening to a podcast and changing gear! If you're already in the habit of splitting your attention through something like driving, then I think you'll find that experience definitely helps.

There is an activity on SkyTest (Pan Asia) that is quite similar to the FAST test which I found very helpful to prepare with.

Fixed Wing

If you, like me, have spent countless hours playing flight simulators, then I wouldn't worry too much. Just follow the instructions.

My biggest point, take it easy on the controls. They're very sensitive. Little and smooth movements is what you're looking for. If you start over-correcting you're going to end up with a case of Pilot-Induced Oscillation.

Ball Game

This one caught me off guard, much trickier than expected. Requires lots of concentration, don't let your mind slip!

yap800, you use the forward and back axis of the joystick and you're absolutely correct, both axes are inverted and you use the twist axis to move the ball left and right.

Good luck all!

If your not allowed a calculator are you allowed a pen and paper to do some working out?

think they'll will for that sort of stuff , but for mental arithmetic it'll be pen and paper or at least I hope so cause it would seem near impossible to do otherwise, judging by there prep software mock questions.

I used SkyTest for pan-asian pilots to prepare for the FAST test and the cognitive tests. The mock FAST test was actually quite similar to the real thing.

As of my test 3 weeks ago, no calculators were allowed at any point but they're not necessary for the questions asked. You are however, given a pen & paper.