Whether you are looking to start a career in an airline pilot role, or are a qualified pilot searching for a new home, a pilot aptitude test is likely in your future. Pilot tests are quite varied, and we recommend looking through our free practice tests to find one that matches your exact assessment.
This page contains a sample aptitude test, comprised of verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, and spatial awareness questions gathered from a variety of pilot aptitude tests, used by airlines and flight schools across the aviation industry. It is a sample of what pilot assessments look and feel like.
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Yedidya, Aviation Industry Assessments Expert at JobTestPrep
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There are many pilot aptitude tests, some of which are tailored by the airline for the position. however, many other airlines use assessments created by third-party test publishers. The most famous pilot aptitude tests are provided by SHL, Cut-e, Saville, and Korn Ferry.
The following is a shortened list of each test provider and which companies or positions use its assessment:
-Cut-e (AON): Leading Edge, Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, EasyJet, Fly Dubai, Ryanair, NATS, Lufthansa, and the British Airways Cadet Programme (Speedbird)
This page will cover each provider's tests, valuable tips, and further explanations of our practice material.
Let’s begin with AON questions.
The airlines using the AON Cut-e pilots test are Leading Edge, Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, EasyJet, Fly Dubai, Ryanair, Lufthansa and NATS.
The cut-e pilot aptitude test notably uses verbal reasoning tests to assess candidates' attention to detail. Let's start with one:
The six texts below serve as references for the two inquiries that follow them. Thus, your task has two parts: for every question, you need to swiftly identify the passage that probably contains the answer and then extract the required information from it. The strategy for success lies in quickly pinpointing the right passage, ensuring you have sufficient time to gather the essential details.
Click on a tab to see its contents. Use them to answer the question below.
Products & Services
Women's and Men's Wear: The primary focus of the Men's Wear and Women's Wear divisions is adults, but increasingly, they also cater to teens. The brands offer both casual and formal attire.
Kids' and Babies' Wear: Flying Colours offer a variety of baby and children's clothes, including onesies, overalls, and separate pieces.
Accessories, Footwear, and Underwear: For accessories, Flying Colours offer handbags, wallets, and other such articles. The products in this division are sold under the other three division brands.
Customer Inquiries: Inquiries regarding the Menswear, Kids' and Babies' Wear, and the complementary divisions are handled through a designated email and hotline system. Women's Wear inquiries are handled through a separate email and hotline system.
Corporate Scheme
Flying Colours is divided into four different product divisions. The four of them operate with a unified marketing department and each division has its own HR, accounting, and legal departments.
Menswear: Menswear is Flying Colours' least profitable division as evidenced, among other things, by unimpressive sales. The division's target audience consists of teenage boys and adult men.
Women's Wear: This is Flying Colours' largest and most important division. It produces and sells garments, in addition to selling complementary products from the complementary division, all marketed towards a female demographic.
Kids' and Babies' Wear: Kids and Babies is Flying Colours' fastest-growing division, expected to eventually split into two separate divisions due to a desire to promote what are likely to be two equally successful independent brands.
Complementary Division: The Flying Colours Complementary Division is comprised of footwear, accessories, and underwear. This is essentially a supplementary division, which supplies its products to the other three divisions and does not have any independent product shops. Some members of the complementary Divisions are simultaneously members of other divisions.
Business Plan
Commercial Expansion:
Flying Colours is striving for profitable expansion of the four product divisions. The company’s strategy is aimed at:
Customer Growth: the Flying Colours brand has expanded in the past decade, reaching additional target groups such
as men and children. Furthermore, Flying Colours plans to cooperate with high-fashion brand designers, in an effort
to further widen its customer base. In addition, the online Flying Colours shop has seen substantial growth in
popularity.
International Expansion: As part of the company’s efforts to expand globally, Flying Colours offers several specific
collections tailored for every country, as well as country-specific marketing campaigns. Local marketing and design
professionals are hired in each division branch to ensure tailor-made strategies for each country.
Acquisition of Complementary Brands: In order to increase sales volume and facilitate product expansion, Flying
Colours acquired three smaller manufacturers. Footwear, accessories and underwear manufacturers were bought
and added to the company as a single complementary division. Costs are minimised by the shared use of other product
divisions’ departments.
Geographic Positioning
Menswear: The division is focused primarily on Europe. The most successful Flying Colours menswear stores are
located in Germany and The UK. Stores have recently been established in the US and stores in China are to open
‘within a year.
Women’s Wear: Stores are located worldwide, with slightly more focus put on the US branches and several
European branches, such as Germany and Spain. In France, Flying Colours supplies several high schools with their
school uniforms.
Kids’ and Baby Wear: This division’s focus is relatively narrow, as it is Flying Colours’ newest brand. Most stores are
located in Europe, with the most successful branches in Spain and France. Expansion to the US and China is expected
in the near future.
Complementary Division: This division operates in almost every Flying Colours product division shop. The division’s
products are most popular in the US and France.
Headquarters: Flying Colours’ headquarters are located in London, UK, in the location of the first Flying Colours shop
to be established.
Corporate Values
All product divisions and their respective staff must comply with the principles mentioned below:
Reasonable Prices: Reasonable prices within Flying Colours mean that customers are promised high-quality products
at competitive yet still profitable prices. Prices must be prominently displayed on each product, both in brick-and-mortar store sales
and in online sales on the Flying Colours website.
Role of the Board of Directors and Managerial Boards: Every product division’s managerial board is obliged to act in
the interest of Flying Colours and decide on daily operations and quality assurance. The managerial boards must
inform the Board of Directors of significant changes, as well as provide regular updates. Any changes to product
strategy must be approved by the Board of Directors.
Shareholder’s Rights: These include the acquisition and sale of Flying Colour shares and profits, in addition to voting
rights.
Full Disclosure: This can only be achieved after the submission of financial reports, preferably in the form of quarterly
reports.
Board of Directors
Dr. John Summers: Chairman of the Board of Directors and a certified designer. He has served as a member of the
Board of Directors for the past seven years. After receiving his Ph.D. from The University of Manchester, he worked
for British retailer Frank’s for eight years.
Emily Brennan: Head of Human Resources (HR) and an occupational psychologist. After apprenticing in Flying
Colours’ Paris branch for two years, she went on to complete her academic training. She became head of HR after
working for the department for four years.
Liam White: Head of Finance/Controlling (FC) and a practising lawyer. He practised law in the private sector for four
years, before completing his education in economics. Became head of finances after working in the legal department
for two years.
Dr. Marcos Nadal: Head of Marketing and Sales and a certified economist. He previously worked in the Spanish civil
sector for ten years, before transitioning to the private sector as assistant to the CFO in several European companies
for a few years. He later worked as a product division manager for Flying Colours, before advancing to his current
role.
Flying Colours tries to maintain uniform campaigns and undeviating collections across its locations.
Wrong
Correct!
Wrong
Answer
Although none of the words or phrases in the statement seem to suggest a specific tab, by reading the statement as a whole we can gather that it relates to business strategy, and the most relevant tab would be 'Business Plan'.
The most relevant section of the tab seems to be 'International Expansion', as it relates to the company's "different locations", mentioned in the statement.
According to the text, "Flying Colours offers several specific collections tailored for every country, as well as country-specific marketing campaigns". This contradicts the statement, which means that it is FALSE.
Note that the use of the phrase "across its locations" could throw us off and lead us to the 'geographic positioning tab first. This should not be too time-consuming, as we would quickly see that this tab does not contain information regarding the company's collections, and a search for further information in the other tabs would bring us to the same conclusion.
The correct answer is FALSE.
Verbal Tip – Scales: The questions in this section require understanding and cross-matching of the written information. However – we do not recommend wasting your time trying to understand every tiny detail in each tab thoroughly. Read the instructions, go to the questions, and then work your way back and find the relevant tabs. Since the questions are True/False/Cannot Say – either there’s an absolute confirmation or contradiction of the statements (such as in the previous question) – and if not, then mark Cannot Say.
Flying Colours has only one marketing department.
Correct!
Wrong
Wrong
Answer
None of the words or phrases in the statement seem to suggest a specific tab, but by reading the statement as a whole we can gather that it addresses the company's structure, which is detailed in the 'Corporate Scheme' tab.
The only section of the tab mentioning the company's marketing department is the opening sentence, which states: "The four of them (product divisions) operate with a unified marketing department".
The statement is TRUE because the company consists only of these four divisions.
The correct answer is TRUE.
Verbal reasoning may seem unrelated to aviation. However, a successful pilot needs to go through written instructions on a regular basis. This test ensures natural aptitude in comprehending complex written instructions.
EasyJet is one of many airlines to use cut-e's pilot aptitude tests. Our training program contains practice tests for the verbal reasoning section and all other parts of the exam.
Let’s move on to some of the special knowledge and skills questions.
Promptly assess if the images are the same. During the test, hit the space bar for matching figures and refrain from any action if they differ.
1
2
Answer
It's evident that the first set matches, but the second does not. Even though this type of question appears straightforward, the exam consists of numerous pairs, and decisions on each must be made swiftly—rendering the entire test quite demanding. As you advance through the test, fatigue might set in, and any errors can rattle your confidence. Even when errors occur, preparation and maintaining calmness are crucial to succeeding in these queries.
💡 Note – the biggest challenge in these questions is not the technical difficulty, similar shapes, or calculations, but the time frame. Practice the test in the actual time limit to really improve.
Select the direction of motion based on the prior movement and the present arrow indication. Remember that the movement can be to the right, left, upwards, or downwards, and the adjustment is made from the driver's viewpoint.
Initial Movement:
Select the correct driving manoeuvre according to:
Answer
The previous direction was UP, and the current direction is RIGHT. Thus, the correct answer is RIGHT TURN.
The correct answer is:
Select the correct driving manoeuvre according to:
Answer
The previous direction was RIGHT, and the current direction is RIGHT. Thus, the correct answer is KEEP STRAIGHT.
The correct answer is:
The NATS (National Air Traffic Service) aptitude tests, though not intended to screen for good pilots, are identical to the cut-e pilot tests. Are you looking to join the aviation industry as an air traffic controller?
Take our prep course to rehearse all the assessments taken during the NATS application process.
How many objects do you see?
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Correct!
Answer
Carefully observe the circle and swiftly identify the count of non-overlapping objects. Be aware that you'll have limited time in the actual examination to respond to as many prompts as possible, so it's essential to answer promptly and proceed to the next.
The correct answer is E: 10 objects.
Ryanair is one of the most prominent low-cost airlines in the aviation industry. Prepare for their pilot aptitude tests using our PrepPack, which simulates the cut-e testing platform.
Alongside varieties of aptitude tests, cut-e also include personality tests in their battery. Here is an example of a question assessing personality traits.
I frequently empathize with those less privileged than me.
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
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Answer
This statement refers to the Empathetic trait.
Individuals with empathy make excellent team members and caregivers, typically proving to be invaluable assets to any group. They enhance the performance of their colleagues and foster a trustworthy atmosphere.
Hence, this assertion should be placed high on the measure.
Aon numerical and verbal reasoning questions, personality tests, as well as various spatial awareness and reaction times evaluations, are all covered on our cut-e pilot aptitude tests pack. Our online preparation software simulates real exam conditions, including the time pressure.
The cut-e aptitude test is used by various commercial airlines and is considered a reliable assessment of flying skills for both novice and experienced pilots.
You can find more AON Cut-e free questions in our AON Cut-e Free Test, and you can start your specific practice of all the AON Cut-e sections and questions in our AON Cut-e PrepPack.
Let’s continue with SHL questions, which are built in a unique, interactive format.
The airline that uses the SHL test is usually Qantas.
The following information is required for the question ahead:
Likes on Facebook
• Two individuals with online personas each shared an update on Facebook.
• The combined "likes" for the two posts grew by 15% from day 1 of the updates being posted to day 2, totalling 575,000 likes on the second day.
• On day 1, 150,000 likes were given to post B.
• The number of likes for post A rose by 8% between day 1 and 2.
Find out the daily like count and the percentage distribution of likes between Post A and Post B. Manipulate the bars on the graph until they accurately represent the data.
Answer
The correct answer is:
Start by organizing the information presented to you in a table to ease the calculation process.
575,000 is the total number of likes on Day 2, which is 115% of the likes on Day 1. To calculate these numbers, you can use the Rule of Three.
To use the Rule of Three, you need three known values: two that are proportional to one another and a third. From there, you can figure out the fourth unknown value (usually named x). The Rule of Three formula is:
The total number of likes on Day 2 is 575,000. Hence:
115% -> 575,000
100% -> Day 1
Day 1 = (100*575,000)/115 = 500,000 -> There were 500,000 total likes on Day 1.
Insert the new information into the table and complete the rest of the tabs:
Now that you have the total likes on Day 1 and their division between posts A and B, you can transform them into percentages.
% Post A on Day 1 = (350,000/500,000) * 100 = 70%
Now that Day 1 is completely mapped, you can move forward to Day 2.
According to the last statement, the number of likes for Post A increased by eight percentage points each day. Note: percentage points are simple arithmetic differences. One Percentage Point = 1%. An increase of 8 percentage points means simply adding 8 to the previous percentage number.
This means that the percentage of Post A out of the total number of likes on Day 2 is 70 + 8 = 78%
Numerical Tip – Graphs: In the SHL Numerical questions, you have two challenges – understanding the questions and performing the required calculations from the given information. Start by looking at the graph and what is required – i.e., marking the number of likes for each post on each day. Then, find the info that can be directly inserted into the graph (150,000 likes for post B on day 1). Finally, use the visuality of the graph to help you with the rest of the question – that way, you become more efficient and less time-consuming.
For this question, use the following chart describing arrival times at the office of various team members.
Arrival to the Office
Assign the appropriate tag to each staff member, ranking them based on their arrival time at the workplace, starting with 1 (earliest) and ending with 6 (latest).
Answer
Let’s break down the statements step by step:
Since David arrives before Lian (even if it doesn't say "right before"), you can conclude that Lian is the last to arrive at the office. There is no other order that fits with all the statements.
The flagship carrier of Australia and one of the largest commercial airlines in the world, Qantas use SHL for their pilot aptitude test needs. These include inductive and deductive reasoning, numerical questions, and much else, all covered in our SHL Pilot Aptitude Test Prep Pack.
Complete the following sequence:
Answer
The question asks you to find the logical rules applied between these nodes and complete the sequence, which started with the connected nodes: AZ -> 19 -> BY -> 28.
Logical Rule #1: The sequence starts with a node containing letters, which connects to a node containing numbers, which then connects once again to a node containing letters. The final sequence will stick to this pattern: Letters -> Numbers -> Letters -> Numbers, and so forth.
Logical Rule #2: The main “theme” of this question is opposite extremes:
• A and Z are the first and last letters of the alphabet.
• 1 and 9 are the first and last digits in the base-10 system (excluding 0 which does not appear in the question).
With each connection, these letters and digits are ‘getting closer’ to each other:
• B and Y – are the second and the second-to-last letters of the alphabet.
• 2 and 8 – are the second and second-to-last digits (presented in this question).
Following these rules, the next nodes should be the third and fourth letters or digits.
Final answer: AZ -> 19 -> BY -> 28 -> CX -> 37 -> DW -> 46 -> EV -> 55
Select the statement that resonates most with your character and the one that least describes you.
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Answer
While having no absolute right or wrong answers – since questions accumulate to a specific score among a range for each trait, different traits can be found in the options. For leadership roles, i.e., statement (b) should be ranked most like me, while statement (a) should be ranked least like me.
The SHL test is unique as it is interactive, including irregular questions that require a specific and unique thinking method. You can find more SHL-free practice in our SHL Free Test, or you can start preparing for the SHL test now by reading guides, practicing questions with full explanations, and solving tips by purchasing our SHL PrepPack.
Let’s continue with a couple of Saville questions.
The airline that uses the Saville test is usually Emirates.
The spatial section of the Saville analysis test is different from the previous test section, as it measures your spatial aptitude. Use the following decoder to answer the question below.
Which option replaces the question mark according to the operators?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Answer
In this question, we must figure out the missing input, based on the two operators that appear.
We know that operator M deletes the second shape, and this is actually all we need - we simply use elimination.
Since the output shows two small black circles and one large black triangle, we can see that all the options other than A must be wrong. If we had put any of the other options in the input, operator M would have deleted either a small black circle or a large black triangle, meaning that the output couldn't appear as it does.
This is why option A is the only viable option and the correct one.
💡 Note - we can see that operator S reverses the order of the shapes.
The correct answer is A.
Saville Spatial Tip: While it may seem that you must demonstrate mainly abstract abilities, the Saville Spatial questions more than often require logical skills. Instead of focusing mainly on the figures and shapes, give your attention mainly to the rules and operations that must be applied.
Read the graph below, pay close attention to detail, and answer the question.
In percentages, how many more global hectares does the U.S.A occupy compared to Japan?
Wrong
Correct!
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Answer
We need to calculate how many global hectares the USA and Japan occupy and then compare them on a percentage change basis.
USA: (300 mil) x (8 gha/person)=2,400 global hectares
Japan: (125 mil)x(5 gha/person)=625 global hectares
% change = (Difference/Original)x100% = [(2400 - 625)/625]x100% = [(2400/625)-(625/625)]x100% = [(2,400/625)-1]x100% = 284%
The correct answer is B.
A major player in the aviation industry, Emirates have recently started using Saville for their pilot aptitude test. Cover the spatial and numerical reasoning tests with our prep course.
Finally, let's cover a couple of questions of the Korn Ferry Talent-Q test.
The airline that uses the Korn Ferry Talent-Q test is usually Qatar Airways.
Read the following passage and answer the question:
Based on the text, which of the following is definitely correct?
Correct!
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Answer
To conclude which of the statements is definitely correct, we must locate them in the text and find which of them is explicitly mentioned there:
The correct answer is A.
Are you looking to join the Qatar Airways group? Practice for the pilot aptitude tests provided by Korn Ferry (Talent Q). Learn to interpret data from written text and graphs, solve matrices, and make the best of the aptitude test.
Observe the following matrix.
Which option replaces the question mark according to the operators?
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Wrong
Correct!
Wrong
Answer
What pops up: The top cell in each column is a mirror image of the bottom cell (and the left cell in each row is a mirror image of the right cell). Following this logic, the correct answer must be alternative F.
The complete Explanation: All the symbols in the left and right (i.e., outer) cells are different parts of a cross symbol (┼). In each row, the symbol in the middle cell is a combination of the symbols from the outer cells so that the middle symbol consists of a duplication of the overlapping part of the outer symbols (e.g. in the top row - the upper part of the vertical line; in the middle row - the entire vertical line).
Thus, the missing symbol must share a part with the right symbol in its row, which should be the lower vertical line.
The correct answer is F.
You can find additional information regarding the Korn Ferry Talent-Q test and the Korn Ferry Leadership Assessment (Personality Test) in our Free Korn Ferry test, or begin your full Korn Ferry Practice now!
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