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Cathay Pacific Cadet Pilot Programme

South Asia and Far East Wannabes A forum for those applying to Cathay Pacific, Dragonair or any other Hong Kong-based airline or operator. Use this area for both Direct Entry Pilot and Cadet-scheme queries.

Cathay Pacific Cadet Pilot Programme

Old 16th Feb 2010, 00:09
  #241 (permalink)  
 
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hi, exactly what do you mean by the ICAO test?
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 00:42
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hi, there will be testing of your ability in mathematics in all stages of the interview process. During each interview you will be asked just a couple of maths questions by the interviewing Captains, examples are

1) if you are heading 135 degrees and wish to fly a reciprocal heading, what new heading do you need to fly?

2) if you're at 33,000 ft and intend to descend to sea level at a rate of 3,000 feet per minute, how long will the descent take?

The questions above are examples of actual questions asked during interviews, and are relatively simple, however, during the interview you will probably be a little nervous which will affect your performance. You will then likely be asked to explain how you came to your answer.

During the computer based aptitude testing at stage 2 of the interview process you will be given a series of simple subtraction equations complete with answer. Your task will be to state whether the answer is correct or incorrect. Your score is determined by how many you get correct and how fast you complete the test.

Additionally, during stage 2, there is a designated mathematics test. This test has 33 questions and you have 30 minutes to complete it. As with previous tests you have no calculator but are permitted a pen and paper. You are presented some information which may be in the form of a few sentences or a table/graph and are asked a few questions regarding this information. You then need to choose an answer from a possible sixteen. This test is fairly difficult, a good strategy is to look at the questions and if you are not sure just move on to the next as some are very easy compared to others. Don't waste time on a question you probably won't be able to answer as you may not have enough time to answer questions which you would work out almost instantly.
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 04:04
  #243 (permalink)  
 
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ICAO English Test

There are 6 level in ICAO English Test. Candidates have to get 4 out of 6 in order to work in a major airline, including Cathay Pacific Airways. In the test, it is simply testing your listening and speaking skills. I thought ICAO English test is an international test, and we have to get 4/6 during the interview. So, I am just wondering how can I prepare for it. I found that there are many courses and textbooks out there, but I am not sure which one is the most suitable.
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 04:47
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CX ICAO English Test

You will need to do the following items during the ICAO English Test. You might do these tasks in a different order.

1. You will need to paraphrase 5-6 phrases provided by the assessor.

2. You will hear 7-8 conversations spoken with different accents, and you will have describe what you heard in the conversation and answer any follow-up questions the assessor may have for you.

3. A phrase will appear on the screen and you will need to define the phrase to the assessor. They will use some unusual words/expressions to trip you up.

4. You will be given a photo and asked to describe what you see in the photo. Follow-up questions are likely to be asked.

5. You will be given a scenario, then asked to select (from a list) an item to talk about. The item is related to the scenario.

6. You will watch a short video, after which you will be asked to explain what you saw in the video. Follow-up questions are likely to be asked.

Good luck!
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 08:39
  #245 (permalink)  
 
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holdmetight

Thanks holdmetight. So, do you have any suggestion how to prepare for the ICAO test? What kind of question/ phrase we will get in the exam. Is there any aviation/ technical question in exam? (or they simply test your English ability). What is the common terms in the exam.

I am appreciated for your help. Your information is so helpful to me!
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 08:42
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btw is this the internal exam for CX CCP candidates only? is this same as the one we take it outside? And how long we will get a result after the ICAO test with CX?
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 09:34
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cadetpilotwannabe

Hey there,

As far as I know, the english test does not involve any technical aviation english, nor are you required to answer any questions related to technical knowledge. Phrases they might ask you to define are idioms and expressions, for example, one of my friends was asked to explain what "crash-course" meant. Unless you can memorize an entire dictionary, otherwise the only preparation you can do is keep cool and try your best at the test.

Apparently you are not told your score, regardless if you passed or failed. If you passed then obviously you move onto Stage 2, and if you failed you will be asked to do 100 hours of English courses before attempting the ICAO test again. The CX ICAO test is an in-house test, and holding a current ICAO english rating does not exempt you from the test.

If anyone knows better than I do, please feel free to make corrections. Otherwise, good luck and try your best.
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 09:46
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thanks holdmetight =) you are so helpful! So, which stage you are at right now?
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 09:52
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So, which stage you are at right now?
Stuck at Stage 0.

Applied 2 months ago, still waiting for them to get back to me. My availability for interviews in HKG doesn't seem to be doing me any favours... most probably because I am re-applying.

Have you been given a date for an ICAO test yet? If so, you have most probably passed Stage 1.
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 10:17
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does reapplying disfavour you in anyway? i too just reapplied moments ago... gd luck everyone who's in the selection process.

holdmetight : when was ur last application?
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 10:26
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dagger19

Re-application does not necessarily mean disadvantage, just a longer wait for an interview. HR needs to compare your new application with your previous one and determine whether you have "improved" significantly enough to warrant another selection. Given there are now thousands of applications from new international candidates, it is hardly surprising they might need more time to get back to us. To illustrate this point, I have a friend (another re-applicant) who waited 6 months until CX finally gave him an interview. Another friend of mine who had never applied before waited several weeks before getting an interview. Both friends did all their selections in HKG.

I last applied back in late 2007.
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 13:32
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holdmetight

its really hard to determine how much you have improved from the application site there online. furthermore, we do have our life to live on. the most you can do might just be reading more abt aviation and trying some flight simulator.

holdmetight: you really took a long time to prepare for ur 2nd attempt. are you working related to aviation all these time?
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Old 16th Feb 2010, 14:06
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Hey dagger19,

Improvements can come from a lot of sources, depending on what your weaknesses were. For example, if your weakness was lack of aviation knowledge, then reading more about aviation and joining some aviation-oriented activities such as the AAEP would be ideal. If your weakness was English, then joining some English courses would be good. If you failed the eye-hand coordination exercises then taking driving lessons could be the solution. The most important thing is to identify why you failed, and work hard at improving yourself. If you really have worked hard, HR will notice your efforts when you re-apply; just be sure to indicate your efforts in your application form/CV.

I'm glad I applied after 2 years instead of the published cool-off period of 12 months; I wouldn't have had enough time to improve had I applied that soon!
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Old 17th Feb 2010, 09:51
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initial interview email

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I just got an email tonight for the initial interview in Vancouver which is occurring in April. I applied way back in August, so the email was a little unexpected to say the least. Anyways if anyone else Van got this as well, PM me and we can chat

Good luck to everyone, time to hit the books!
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Old 17th Feb 2010, 13:56
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Not yet... I am still waiting.... Hope I will get the invitation for ICAO test soon .... finger cross~
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Old 17th Feb 2010, 15:09
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can any one please tell me when will cathy pacific start their cadetpilot programme.i am so much confused...i can understand the procedure..can any one help me cuz in website they said that they announced in sep2009....
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Old 17th Feb 2010, 17:36
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initial interview Vancouver

Hi everybody ! I'm new on this forum.

First off good luck to everyone. I hope as many of us as possible we'll get on this Cathay flight to Adelaide.....
And thanks again to Swine Facipic for the booklet. It's really helpful to get ready and to know in advance what to expect from the examiners.

Autopilot I'm also from Vancouver. I haven't gotten any email from Cathay yet but on the other hand I applied only 10 days ago so I guess I shouldn't expect to hear from them until late this year. Anyway did you get a phone call from them as well ? Or just the email ? And was the email directly from Cathay or was it from one of the HR staff ? Just asking to make sure I won't delete it by mistake .
Good luck to you man. Don't let the Olympics draw your attention away from booklet .
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Old 17th Feb 2010, 18:14
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It has started. Just takes them a long time to reply to people, if you read this thread you would not be confused. If you are still confused after reading it probably think about another career.
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Old 18th Feb 2010, 00:30
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Canadawings, just a email from the same email you recieved after submitting you app...yes and the olympics are keeping me busy here, but i will be making the time for sure to hit the books. best of luck
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Old 18th Feb 2010, 05:36
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Advice on the ICAO English Test

Good information from holdmetight, and I can confirm that the ICAO English test used for cadets doesn't require aviation knowledge or radiotelephony. These skills would be tested in other ICAO English tests, but are not relevant to cadet entry pilots.

However you would probably find an aviation specific English course more interesting (and certainly a lot better for your motivation) than a general English course. The CX ICAO test uses the ICAO descriptors - pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency and interaction which aren't tested individually in other English tests. You will need to score a minimum of level 4 in each of these skills. If you score level 4 for each skill apart from pronunciation eg level 3, you would get a level 3 score.

Officially airlines need level 4 scores to be ICAO compliant, but I had a long chat with a nice lady in Cathay HR and she said they want cadets to have level 5. I've known retest candidates to be accepted with level 4 scores though.

Either way, aim for level 5 because you will need strong communication skills throughout the selection process and you don't want to have "borderline" level 4 scores which could slip to level 3 if you don't practice. Level 4 is the bare minimum anyway and many people (myself included) would say that it should be raised to level 5. It would be very difficult for some countries to meet the March 2011 deadline for ICAO compliance - so officially it's level 4.

I would add is that you should start improving your English early - even before you make an application. Some students have come to us a week before their ICAO test and expected a "magic pill" that will enable them to jump to level 5 overnight. If you are already at level 4, then achieving level 5 won't take too long, but the difference between ICAO level 3 and ICAO level 4 is massive. Depending on where you are on the ICAO scale, going from level 3 to 4 could take up to 200 hours.

If you are not sure of your current level, we offer a placement test that will give you a lot of insight into which areas you should improve. I recommend this to every non-native speaker applying to the cadet programme, as it can save you time and money.

This article on our blog should be helpful in developing learning strategies. You will find that the "educational environment" in Hong Kong is very much focused on passing tests - rather than developing actual functional competence in English. The way that you prepare yourself to learn is very important.
English learning strategies for pilots and air traffic controllers English for pilots, ATCs, cabin crew and airport staff in Asia

Feel free to post a comment or question on the blog too.
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