How to Ace the NATS Aptitude Test and Become an Air Traffic Controller
Outside of the military, the NATS ATC trainee programme is the most efficient and financially prudent route to becoming an ATCO in the UK.
This is because NATS is the largest employer of air traffic controllers in the country, providing air traffic services to 15 UK airports (including Heathrow, Gatwick, and Manchester), to the Civil Aviation Authority, and to various airlines.
Joining the NATS trainee ATCO programme requires you to undergo 3 stages of testing:
- Stage 1 - 9 Psychometric Tests
- Stage 2 - 2 Personality Tests
- Stage 3 - The NATS Assessment Centre
Failing one of these, you can only reapply after 12 months, and only three times in total.
This page will cover the details of all three stages and provide NATS test practice questions.
Full, comprehensive practice for many of the assessments is available on our NATS Test Practice Pack.
NATS Air Traffic Controller Practice
The PrepPack™ Includes Accurate Prep for the NATS Psychometric Tests:
- Monitoring Ability Test Practice
- Ability to Concentrate Practice
- Spatial Orientation Practice
- Reaction Speed Practice
- GridChallenge Test Practice
- MotionChallenge Practice New!
- English Language Skills
- Logical Skills Practice- Inductive & Deductive Reasoning
Navigate this page: NATS Recruitment Process | Sample Questions
What Is the NATS Test?
The NATS (National Air Traffic Service) aptitude test is, in fact, a series of assessments taken at three distinct stages during the NATS hiring process. They include cognitive assessments, personality tests, and interviews.
Candidates who complete all three stages are granted admission to the NATS Air Traffic Control college-based training programme at Fareham College.
Passing the NATS ATC course will guarantee you work as an aerodrome, approach, or area controller either at one of the airports served by NATS or at the ATC centres in Swanwick or Prestwick.
NATS Air Traffic Controller Recruitment Process
You must pass 3 different stages, and fill in an online application form, during the NATS recruitment process. Failure in any of the stages means you will have to wait one year before you can reapply, and you cannot have more than three attempts in total. Note that there might be a waiting period of several months between each stage.
Stage 0 – Online application
This is the quickest part of the NATS hiring process, taking an average of 10-12 minutes to complete.
Firstly, you will have to upload a CV and cover letter. Make sure these are in line with the NATS values, primarily safety and efficiency. You will also be asked for biographic information such as previous work experience.
It’s important to note that prior knowledge of ATC is not mandatory. However, you must have five GCSEs at Grade C or above, including English and maths. You must be over 18 at the time of submission and have a licence to work in the UK.
Stage 1 – NATS Aptitude Tests
This is the big one:
This stage comprises a series of 9 aptitude tests taken online from your own home. You will receive your invitation by email, and the entirety of the test battery will take approximately 75 minutes to complete. The tests are provided by Aon.
Why do NATS use these tests?
The NATS aptitude assessments focus on traits that can’t really be taught and are crucial for air traffic control work. These include spatial reasoning, attention and concentration, logical reasoning, reaction speed, and more.
Though these skills are innate, it is recommended to sharpen them before taking the test, thus ensuring that your performance reflects your true potential.
💡 At the bottom of this page, you can find a rundown of the various assessments included in stage 1, along with sample questions.
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You can gain access to many more NATS practice questions, with full solutions and study guides, through our full NATS test PrepPack™.
Stage 2 – NATS Personality Assessments
Like the cognitive assessment stage, you will receive a link to these tests via email, provided you have passed stage 1.
There are two questionnaires at this stage:
- cut-e SJQ - a situational judgment test. You will be presented with work scenarios and asked which of a number of responses is most optimal.
- SHL OPQ32 – a personality test. Though there are no right or wrong answers, strictly speaking, it is wise to highlight traits and attributes that reflect your professional persona. Remember, your interviewers at the NATS assessment centre will have access to your results and you may be asked to elaborate on your choices.
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Stage 3 – NATS Assessment Centre
NATS Tests
You may be asked to retake some of the tests you have already completed, this time supervised. This is to ensure you’re not a cheater.
Additionally, you will need to sit an air traffic control knowledge test, demonstrating your familiarity with the field. The test is not difficult, but it is advisable to read up before attending the assessment centre.
Group Exercise
On this part of the NATS assessment day, you and the other candidates present will be told about ATC-related scenarios and dilemmas. The solutions need to be discussed and reached as a group.
The key to success in the group exercise is to make yourself heard, without trumping others. Make sure to give due respect to your peers, let them talk, and compliment them on good ideas. Don’t try to outshine other candidates, as this won’t promote you in the eyes of your recruiters.
Interview
finally, you will have a chance for some one-on-one with your recruiters. This part of the NATS hiring process can make a big difference. Here are some tips to help you get it right:
Show your commitment
The NATS Trainee ATC Programme can take anywhere between a year to two years to complete, depending on your specialism. You will want to show your recruiters that you are aware of this, and have confidently chosen ATC as your career path.
Defer to the NATS values
NATS’ motto is “advancing aviation, and keeping the sky safe”. This mantra reflects a commitment to both advancing the efficiency and technology in ATC and ensuring safety and security. In addition, their four-way value system includes courage, teamwork, respect, and safety. It is always a good idea to show your recruiters you align with these goals.
Be a STAR
The STAR Method is an interview technique that involves telling your recruiters about a conflict or difficulty you once experienced. To successfully employ the technique, describe ow you handles the challenge in a way that reflects your unique skills and competencies.
NATS Aptitude Test Sample Questions
Train yourself to ace the NATS Exam by purchasing our NATS PerpPack. You will get access to:
16 practice aptitude tests covering deductive thinking, inductive thinking, monitoring ability, spatial orientation, concentration, working memory, and reaction time.
Includes full solutions to all the questions.
scales lst (Deductive-logical Thinking)
About: Similar to the game Sudoku, on the scales lst test you will be shown a grid which contains objects that appear just once per column and per row. In the grid, you will find one cell containing a single question mark. Your goal will be to figure out which object belongs in that cell in place of the question mark.
Topics covered: This test assesses your deductive-logical thinking skills, to determine how you draw logical conclusions from the given information.
Test time: You will have 6 minutes to complete the test.
Sample Question: What symbol should appear in place of the question mark?
The shape missing from the fourth column is the X.
Having added the X to the bottom row, the shape missing from the bottom row is a circle.
Therefore, the correct answer is :
scales cmo (Monitoring Ability)
About: On the scales cmo test, you will be presented with several moving objects which you will need to quickly count and write down the correct number of objects displayed.
Topics covered: This test assesses your monitoring abilities, to measure your capabilities when monitoring activity on your screen.
Test time: You will have 2 minutes to complete the test.
scales cls (Inductive-logical Thinking)
About: For the scales clx test, you will be asked to discover a rule that two grids share within a table. Your goal will be to find the pattern and choose another two grids in different tables which follow the same rule.
Topics covered: This exam measures your inductive logical reasoning skills, to assess how well you can analyse information and sets of data.
Test time: You will have 6 minutes to complete the test.
Pattern: All tables with marking above (orange) have a 2 in the same place.
The correct markings (from left to right) are: bottom, top, top, bottom.
scales ndb (Spatial Orientation)
About: On the scales ndb test, you will be asked to elaborate on the position and course of an aircraft with an image of an aircraft on a non-directional beacon. You will be able to do so by relating to what is shown on a radio compass as well as a gyrocompass.
Topics covered: This exam is used to measure your spatial sense of orientation and knowledge of how to handle an aircraft.
Test time: You will have 3 minutes to complete the test.
Select the aircraft’s flying direction, indicated by the GYRO, and the zone indicated by the RBI.
According to the GYRO, the plane is flying west- its nose is facing left.
To find the zone, we have to perform three steps.
1. Calculate the angle of deviation. To do this, measure the clockwise angle between the plane's nose and the RBI's arrow point.
According to the RBI, the angle of deviation is 225°.
2. Find the relative bearing. To do this, draw the plane (facing the direction the GYRO indicates) and the RBI's arrow, such that the arrow is pointing 225° clockwise from the plane- that's the angle of deviation we just found.
3. Find the zone. On the compass we've drawn, the unpainted arrow's end marks the plane's position relative to the ground station. So, we can see it is in zone 8.
The airplane is facing left and is in zone 8- which leaves us with answer A.
scales e3+ (Ability to Concentrate)
About: During the scales e3+ exam, you will be shown a series of images, each containing several types of elements. You will be asked to identify when an image contains just the right number of each element. Your goal is to determine whether the image given is correct or incorrect as fast as possible.
Topics covered: This exam evaluates your ability to concentrate on a given task.
Test time: You will have 2 minutes to complete the test.
GridChallenge (Working Memory)
About: On this assessment, you will be shown a grid consisting of randomly distributed dots on the screen. One of the dots will be highlighted. After looking at the grid, you will be shown a diagram and asked to indicate whether it is symmetrical. After this, you will be shown the same grid again, this time with a different dot highlighted. After alternating between the grid and a symmetry question several times, you will be shown the grid one final time and asked to click on the dots in the order that they were highlighted. The challenge is to retain the memory of the dots throughout the task despite the symmetry questions interrupting your train of thought.
Topics Covered: working memory, focus, and attention
Test Time: You will have 9 minutes to complete 9 tasks.
scales rt (Reaction Time)
About: This assessment aims to ascertain how quickly you respond to a stimulus. You will be shown pairs of figures. You will need to press a button as soon as a pair consists of two identical figures. Your score will be based on the time elapsed between the appearance of the identical pair, and your response.
Topics Covered: Reaction speed, focus
Test Time: You will have 3 minutes to complete the task.
MotionChallenge
About: On this assessment, you are presented with a grid containing different-sized objects, each occupying a number of spaces and thus blocking the movement of the other objects. Your task is to find the correct sequence of moves that will allow the red circle to reach the exit in as few movements as possible.
Topic Covered: Planning capacity
Test Time: You will have 6 minutes to complete as many grids as possible.
New MotionChallange practice tests are now included in the complete ATC preparation pack.
scales lt (Language Skills)
About: This is an assessment of your English proficiency. It contains three separate tasks, all to be completed within the test's time limit: Complete the sentence questions; match words with their definitions; correct spelling errors.
Topics Covered: Vocabulary, spelling, grammar
Test Time: You will have 10 minutes for this assessment.
Access the Complete NATS PerpPack for Optimal Preparation
The pack includes 16 practice aptitude tests which cover seven out of nine psychometric assessments.