Gapan - Pilot Aptitude Assessment
Guest
Posts: n/a
As far as I know there is only one place ...... dunno how many apply. Another thing to bear in mind is you can only do the GAPAN tests twice! Given that Airtours use them in their selection process too, which on do you apply for. I got down to final interview last year with Airtours and stuffed it up ...... with only one more go at the GAPAN tests and one place on the scheme, I know which one i'll be applying to again this year.
For everyones info, there's a good article in this months Flyer about the GAPAN tests. Worth standing in WH Smiths for 5 mins for anyhow.
Autofly
For everyones info, there's a good article in this months Flyer about the GAPAN tests. Worth standing in WH Smiths for 5 mins for anyhow.
Autofly
Guest
Posts: n/a
Failed GAPAN ???
Has anyone failed the apps but still gone on to airling job ? I havn't done GAPAN test but I don't think it would be put off in the end if I failed.
Also, if you are able to get jar ppl + rt licence (in a reasonable amount of time), does that not suggest an aptitude for flying ??
Also, if you are able to get jar ppl + rt licence (in a reasonable amount of time), does that not suggest an aptitude for flying ??
Guest
Posts: n/a
Gapan tests this month ?
I am attending the tests on the 19th, just wondered if any one here coming along ?
I dont think you can practice for them, you either have it or you dont, but can anyone offer any advice ? obviously I want to do the best I can.
Any info gratefully recieved.
I dont think you can practice for them, you either have it or you dont, but can anyone offer any advice ? obviously I want to do the best I can.
Any info gratefully recieved.
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: London
Posts: 26
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
HI Buster172
I will be there as well, should be a fun time, met a couple of people recently at Pilot assist who sat it 2 months ago and say that you can't do much to get a better score, it is there to measure your potential, not experience!!! So all in the same boat. Know a couple of others who said they are going so worst case we can all have a beer afterwards!!! Ha Ha
Only thing I can think of to practice is the memory part when they put ever increasing series of numbers up for you to remember!!!
c u there
Wor
I will be there as well, should be a fun time, met a couple of people recently at Pilot assist who sat it 2 months ago and say that you can't do much to get a better score, it is there to measure your potential, not experience!!! So all in the same boat. Know a couple of others who said they are going so worst case we can all have a beer afterwards!!! Ha Ha
Only thing I can think of to practice is the memory part when they put ever increasing series of numbers up for you to remember!!!
c u there
Wor
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the posts,
I have a friend who did the tests last time, he did really well so Im feeling the pressure already !
Wor, deffinately be up for a drink, I think Im going to need one. It's the first real step towards my goal after gaining my PPL, and Im looking forward to meeting fellow PPruners.
Hope to see you there, and good luck.
I have a friend who did the tests last time, he did really well so Im feeling the pressure already !
Wor, deffinately be up for a drink, I think Im going to need one. It's the first real step towards my goal after gaining my PPL, and Im looking forward to meeting fellow PPruners.
Hope to see you there, and good luck.
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Andover, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The GAPAN tests are now tuned to be around 96% accurate, so it'd be wise to do them just to satisfy your curiosity. I hope do be doing them in the next month to satisfy mine; they are generally accurate up until 150hrs experience when that does start to influence the result.
SS
SS
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: No longer on Pprune
Posts: 381
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
DD,
If the outcome of the tests makes no diference to you, save yourself the money and go and enjoy a couple of hours in the circuit with it.
I'm no great fan of these tests. As I understand it, if you can get through a ME IR without too much dificulty, you should be up to employment standards as I'm told it's probably the hardest hurdle to jump as far as raw ability is concerned.
Any one have diferent views on this?
PS
If the outcome of the tests makes no diference to you, save yourself the money and go and enjoy a couple of hours in the circuit with it.
I'm no great fan of these tests. As I understand it, if you can get through a ME IR without too much dificulty, you should be up to employment standards as I'm told it's probably the hardest hurdle to jump as far as raw ability is concerned.
Any one have diferent views on this?
PS
More and more airline employers are showing interest in GAPAN's aptitude testing. The correlation between GAPAN and other methodologies is very high and if you do well at a GAPAN session, you should do well in the future.
But if you're really serious about an airline career, take the Class 1 medical BEFORE spending money on anything else. You can have the best aptitude scores in the world, but if you can't pass the medical then it'll be endex for you, I'm afraid.
But if you're really serious about an airline career, take the Class 1 medical BEFORE spending money on anything else. You can have the best aptitude scores in the world, but if you can't pass the medical then it'll be endex for you, I'm afraid.
Join Date: Dec 1997
Location: Suffolk UK
Posts: 4,927
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You would be very unwise to ignore the results of the GAPAN tests. No test is infallible, but these are very good. If they say you don't have the aptitude to make it, they're probably right. That doesn't mean you won't achieve a frozen ATPL - anyone can pass anything if they spend long enough trying. It also doesn't mean you won't get a job, especially with an employer lower down the 'food chain' who can't afford to be too fussy about who he employs. It does, however, mean that you will present a serious training risk once you get to the time-limited high-intensity type and line training in a serious airline. More and more airlines are insisting on some kind of aptitude testing, for this reason, and a failure at GAPAN is a major disincentive for them employing you.
Not everyone can do this job - nor should everyone, regardless of their ambitions. Some things you just have to accept. Accept it now, before you become an accident statistic.....!
Not everyone can do this job - nor should everyone, regardless of their ambitions. Some things you just have to accept. Accept it now, before you become an accident statistic.....!
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Andover, Hampshire, UK
Posts: 136
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hang on...
Gapan tests : £150 - £200
ME IR : Nigh on £10k, just for that bit?
I know what I'd do ... but scroggs is right ... do the class 1 first, then Gapan tests. Of course the latter one is up to you.
SS
Gapan tests : £150 - £200
ME IR : Nigh on £10k, just for that bit?
I know what I'd do ... but scroggs is right ... do the class 1 first, then Gapan tests. Of course the latter one is up to you.
SS
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Maidenhead
Posts: 63
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So guys, do most people do this or what ? and if you fail, there is a 96% chance that you will not make it as a comercial pilot (because they are 96% accurate)???
Can you improve your aptitude by practicing these skills ?? (This is true for IQ tests)
regards
DD
Can you improve your aptitude by practicing these skills ?? (This is true for IQ tests)
regards
DD
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If the Gapan ones are the same as the RAF OASC ones, being a pilot already definitly makes them easier. I personally think practise does make them easier. You can try a few out at www.raf-careers.com but make sure you click on the 'old missions', not the new 3d ones. I don't think the new ones are as good. Practice them for weeks, it gets your mind and body into the flow of handling that sort of test. I passed OASC (pilot), inc all aptitude tests, if anyone wants personal advice, email me.
[ 13 July 2001: Message edited by: Kray ]
[ 13 July 2001: Message edited by: Kray ]
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The GAPAN tests are worth doing, as has been mentioned, even just for some assurance that you are capable of making the grade. Scroggs is correct in saying that the tests are designed to see if you are capable of handling information required to pass sim and line flying checks in a busy environment such as commercial flying on big jets. Failing the GAPAN tests doesnt mean that you cannot make it onto the flight deck, but remember that as there is continual assessmnet throughout your flying career, you will need to keep up the level of work required to pass your CPL all the way through your career. So if you are scared of being assessed, then you are not going to like commercial flying, as there is always someone looking over your shoulder.
I have done the tests and found them ok, just take your time and make sure that you understand what it is that they are asking you to do. You dont need to have any flying knowledge.
150 quid is a drop in the ocean compared to the mountain of money that you are going to spend on training. Better to have an idea now than at the end.
The GAPAN interview thrown in is also valuable, as it does not only take the brains to make a pilot but you have to have a personality. Remember someone is going to be sat next to you for a long time and will want to get along with you, as well the rest of the crew.
Take the plunge and do it.
I have done the tests and found them ok, just take your time and make sure that you understand what it is that they are asking you to do. You dont need to have any flying knowledge.
150 quid is a drop in the ocean compared to the mountain of money that you are going to spend on training. Better to have an idea now than at the end.
The GAPAN interview thrown in is also valuable, as it does not only take the brains to make a pilot but you have to have a personality. Remember someone is going to be sat next to you for a long time and will want to get along with you, as well the rest of the crew.
Take the plunge and do it.
Join Date: Dec 1997
Location: Suffolk UK
Posts: 4,927
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kray has missed the point of these tests, whether for the RAF or for yourself. This is not an obstacle to be negotiated, like an exam, it is supposed to be an objective assessment of your suitability for flying and your chances of passing the whole panoply of flying training assessments up to and including line release. Practising like mad to 'pass' the aptitudes is just deceiving yourself! As someone said at the top of the thread, these tests are valid only for those with little flying - or computer games - experience. Unlike in Flight Sim 2000, you won't get a second chance to miss the ground in your Scruggs Wonderjet Mk3 - and you could well find yourself in that situation. I reiterate the point I made earlier; not everyone can or should be a pilot - just as we can't all be pop stars, or professional footballers. There are many who should apply their talents in fields other than flying....
Dancing with the devil, going with the flow... it's all a game to me.
Join Date: May 2000
Location: England
Posts: 1,688
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I did the tests earlier this year and got an average grade. I was a little dissapointed by the general nature of the grading system. They do have a breakdown of the scores but you don't get to see it or take it away. Shame really because it would be invaluable to see what areas you fell down on.
I got the impression of a laid back approach to the day and that they are there to help you in anyway possible. The so called 'interview' was an informal chat and I got on really well with the GAPAN rep who was an ex-BA Captain. We chatted about alot of things not just flying and the result was that I got an insiders honest opinion - and it was a positive one.
£150 is nothing compared to the dosh you are looking at spending so to not take the test shows foolishness if nothing else!
I think it helps to spend some time playing computer games to improve your co-ordination. £6 said his careers advisor told him to go and sit in the amusement arcade and play! Bummer huh?
GAPAN rent the facilities off the RAF and therefore don't have any say about the way the tests are conducted but one thing that would be good to see is some sort of written test too. There is a GAP there!(d'oh!)
VFE.
I got the impression of a laid back approach to the day and that they are there to help you in anyway possible. The so called 'interview' was an informal chat and I got on really well with the GAPAN rep who was an ex-BA Captain. We chatted about alot of things not just flying and the result was that I got an insiders honest opinion - and it was a positive one.
£150 is nothing compared to the dosh you are looking at spending so to not take the test shows foolishness if nothing else!
I think it helps to spend some time playing computer games to improve your co-ordination. £6 said his careers advisor told him to go and sit in the amusement arcade and play! Bummer huh?
GAPAN rent the facilities off the RAF and therefore don't have any say about the way the tests are conducted but one thing that would be good to see is some sort of written test too. There is a GAP there!(d'oh!)
VFE.
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Among the clouds
Posts: 221
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just thought i'd add my two penneth in here.
The aptitude tests are very accurate and give a good indication of your apptitude and how you will get on with ATPL training.
After all, they are the RAF's tests that have been developed over a number of years and are designed to tell them if applicants have the basic aptitude to fly a plane.
If anyone was to fail them, it would be worth thinking long and hard about your future.
Don't know if this has already been posted but this is what I remember from when I did them for the RAF:
1) General hand-foot-eye co-ordination: follow a cross around the screen using rudder pedals for left and right and a stick for up and down.
2) Hand-eye co-ord: Follow a line of dots up a screen using the stick for left and right.
3) Spatial awareness: This is basic interpretation of instruments. They give you an instrument panel and 4 pictures of an aircraft - pick the one that matches.
4) Memory: They flash numbers at you for 3-5 seconds - you remember it and enter the number. The higher you go the better. It goes up to 14 numbers if I remember correctly. I found trying to remember the first 5 and last 5 then get as much of the middle as possible.
The full bank of RAF tests goes on for ever but from what i've heard this is all that you do for GAPAN.
As far as practising for them goes I would recommend playing a flight sim for a while. Obviously this won't do much for your co-ordination but it will help with the instrument interpretation. You can obviously practise the number retention as well.
The aptitude tests are very accurate and give a good indication of your apptitude and how you will get on with ATPL training.
After all, they are the RAF's tests that have been developed over a number of years and are designed to tell them if applicants have the basic aptitude to fly a plane.
If anyone was to fail them, it would be worth thinking long and hard about your future.
Don't know if this has already been posted but this is what I remember from when I did them for the RAF:
1) General hand-foot-eye co-ordination: follow a cross around the screen using rudder pedals for left and right and a stick for up and down.
2) Hand-eye co-ord: Follow a line of dots up a screen using the stick for left and right.
3) Spatial awareness: This is basic interpretation of instruments. They give you an instrument panel and 4 pictures of an aircraft - pick the one that matches.
4) Memory: They flash numbers at you for 3-5 seconds - you remember it and enter the number. The higher you go the better. It goes up to 14 numbers if I remember correctly. I found trying to remember the first 5 and last 5 then get as much of the middle as possible.
The full bank of RAF tests goes on for ever but from what i've heard this is all that you do for GAPAN.
As far as practising for them goes I would recommend playing a flight sim for a while. Obviously this won't do much for your co-ordination but it will help with the instrument interpretation. You can obviously practise the number retention as well.