Prepare for Airbus Situational Judgement, Numerical and Verbal Reasoning Tests

This PrepPack™ contains time-limited Cut-e-style questionnaires, that cover the verbal, numerical and situational judgment subjects.

Jobs with Airbus include engineering, support, ICT, or project management. The recruitment processes for all jobs with Airbus contain a set of assessments. Airbus graduate recruitment (Direct Entry Graduate Scheme) is the fullest recruitment process at Airbus, but other entry-level positions (Airbus internships) will experience some or all of the assessments. Experienced applicants can also expect a range of assessments. For example, online testing, assessment centers, or phone interviews. 

The Airbus application form is your first introduction to the company. You apply for a specific role in the company, but in some circumstances, you may apply to more than one role at a time. The application form contains several questions for you to answer. You should aim to fill in every question, using examples from your experience to date, including voluntary work, work experience, interests and so on to illustrate your answers. These questions are asking to evidence that you have the required skills for the job. When completing your form, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to ensure that your answers fully address the question.

The application form also includes space for you to include your CV and a cover letter. These should build further on the information included in your application form, without containing the same information. The cover letter should also explain why you are applying for this job with Airbus.

Applicants to the DEG have to complete an application questionnaire, including several questions:

• Why do you want to work for Airbus?
• If you are successful in your application to the Airbus Direct Entry Graduate Programme, what difference do you feel you could make to the business during your time on the DEG scheme?

If your application form is taken forward, you may be asked to take some online psychometric tests. There Airbus tests are provided for them especially by the testing company Cut-e (Aon). You are asked to take three tests, a situational judgment test, numerical reasoning, and verbal reasoning test. Find out more about these tests and how to prepare for them below.

The situational judgement questionnaire tests how you respond in workplace situations. In this test, you are given a set of scenarios similar to a situation you could find you in at work and a set of options for responding to it. You are asked to choose the most appropriate one, or rate the appropriateness of the options presented. Prepare for this test by looking at the company’s values and the desired skills for your role. Taking a practice situational judgement test will enable you to learn what you need to do in this test, and familiarise you with the thinking processes needed to identify the best response.

The Airbus numerical ability test assesses your ability to work with numerical information. In this test, you are given a set of charts and tables and asked to answer a set of multiple choice questions on the information. In order to answer the questions, you must be able to use calculations such as the four basic functions, percentages, and ratios. You may use a calculator to answer these questions. This is a timed test with 12 minutes to answer 37 questions, and the tests are negatively marked, meaning that marks are deducted for wrong answers. All of these factors combine to ensure that it is a really good idea to prepare for these tests, to ensure that you are able to work through the test quickly and accurately. Prepare for this test with our Cut-e (Aon) preparation packs.

The Airbus verbal ability test assesses how well you understand written information. In this test, you are given some texts based on your area of work and asked to interpret and draw out information in order to answer a set of questions. The questions you are asked require you to determine whether a statement is true, false, or you cannot say, based only on the information contained in the texts. This test is also timed with 12 minutes allocated to answer 49 questions. Learn how to prepare for this fast-moving test with Cut-e verbal ability practice tests.

The Airbus logical reasoning test, or scales cls, examines how quickly and accurately you are able to identify a rule based on a series of occurrences. The test presents two groups of tables and you are tasked to find the rules and interrelations between the two groups. You are then given a new table for which you need to identify the correct table group. This is another 12-minute test with 12 questions to answer so time is of the element.

If you pass the tests to the standard required, the next stage is the Airbus assessment centre. Most applicants at any level will be invited to an assessment centre, and there is a range of exercises you can expect. You will be told ahead of time which exercises you may have, but here is a list of some of the options.

Some Airbus applicants at all levels can expect a set of psychometric and/ or aptitude tests at the Airbus assessment centre. These tests include verification of the tests taken online earlier in the process, as well as the possibility of new tests.

As a group, you are given a set of materials and a task to read over and come to a set of conclusions to present to assessors. Group exercises are designed to assess how you work within a team, what you contribute and how well you listen to others. Give a thought to your group exercise tactics ahead of the session with our group exercises tips.

Many applicants can expect a case study at their Airbus assessment centre. In this case study, you are given a set of materials relating to a business scenario to read over and prepare a 10-minute presentation recommending a course of action to your assessors. There are two elements to this exercise to prepare for. The first is how to tackle a case study, the second is preparing and delivering over a presentation. As well as content, the assessors will be looking at your organisation and delivery. Our case study preparation pack takes you through both parts of the exercise giving you a complete preparation for any case study assessment.

The final stage of the assessment centre is one or two interviews. Other applicants can expect interviews at some point in their recruitment process. Most Airbus interviews are competency-based interviews, but applicants to technical positions will also be invited to a second technical interview.

Competency-based interviews are designed to assess whether you have the desired skills for the job you are applying to. Your answers should contain examples of when you have used these skills in the past. Prepare for this interview by thinking of examples against the competencies included in your application form, and organising them using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Think about how you would answer the “usual” interview questions and spend some time reading up on the requirements of the company and the job. Once you have pulled all of this together, you may want to rehearse your answers in an interview setting.

Some example questions asked at Airbus interviews in the past are listed below. Think about answers to these and many more ahead of your interview day.

• Why do you want to work with Airbus?
• Where do you see yourself in five years time?
• Identify a time when you have had to solve an unusual or difficult issue.
• Tell me about a situation in which you have shown courage.
• What recent news have you heard about Airbus?

Applicants to Airbus graduate technical positions can expect a technical interview at the Airbus assessment centre. These interviews are interested in your problem-solving abilities rather than the full extent of your knowledge. That said, the topics of the task will be technical in nature, including hydraulic schematics, aircraft wing structures, and so on. Ensure you are read up on the key points and apply the interview advice above.

Once you have gone through all of the stages above, the final stage is an offer of a position. This is the ultimate goal, so you must ensure that you are in a position to reach it at each point throughout the application process.