Ryanair Pilot Assessment – The Complete Guide [2024]
Ryanair Holdings plc is the parent company of some of the most popular low-cost airlines in operation today, including Malta Air, Lauda, Buzz, and of course, Ryanair, which flies to more than 200 destinations in 40 different countries. As such, Ryanair holds a vast international staff to fill a wide range of positions, from IT to cabin crew and trained pilots that can fly Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
To get hired as a Ryanair pilot, candidates need to go through a multi-step hiring process that consists of one of the most challenging pilot assessment tests there is.
On this page, you will find all the information about the Ryanair recruiting process and online assessment test, with a complete overview of the tasks you will take, detailed explanations and solving tips.
Ryanair Psychometric Test Practice
- Numeracy
1 Applied Numeracy (Scales tmt)
11 Extra Numeracy Practice - Logical
2 Inductive Thinking Tests (Scales cls)
4 Deductive Thinking Tests (Scales last) - Special Skills
1 Reaction Speed Test (Scales rt)
2 Spatial Orientation Test (Scales ndb) - Verbal Reasoning
4 practice Tests
2 Verbal Guides - Work-Related Behavior
1 Integrity Test + Theory
1 Personality Test + Theory - Interview Preparation
Video tutorials & study guides - Working Memory
1 algorithm-based GridChallange test + study guide
What is the Ryanair Assessment?
The Ryanair assessment is the first step in the pilots’ recruitment process, which, after submitting your CV, includes –
- Online psychometric assessment
- Pre-recorded video interview
- HR & technical interview
- Simulator assessment
The Ryanair online assessment, provided by Aon/Cut-E, include a series of up to 12 mini-tests, each evaluating different skills and competencies required from an aircraft pilot.
Let’s go through them!
Feeling Nervous About Your Upcoming Test?
JobTestPrep’s Ryanair pilot assessment PrePack will provide all the tools you need to ace the Aon/Cut-E pilot tests, with simulations, detailed explanations, and study guides.
Spatial Orientation Test (cut-e scales ndb)
The spatial orientation test assesses your sense of direction and location.
You will be presented with a control panel that includes a gyrocompass (GYRO) to indicate your flight direction and a radio compass (RBI) to indicate the location of a non-directional beacon.
Your task is to recognize the flight's direction and identify the location of the non-directional beacon by rotating the RBI.
You will have 3 minutes to complete the task.
Let’s try one –
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.
Tip: In order to assist you in making accurate calculations, visualize the scenario where the RBI rotates in alignment with the aircraft.
Reaction Speed Test (cut-e scales rt)
The reaction speed test assesses the duration between the occurrence of a stimulus and your reaction.
You will be presented with sets of shapes.
Your task is to rapidly determine whether the shapes are the same.
You will have 3 minutes to complete the task.
Let’s take a look –
Tip: If you press the key when the shapes are not identical, it will be deemed an error and lead to a reduction in your score.
Monitoring Ability (cut-e scales cmo)
The monitoring ability test assesses your speed of perception.
You will be presented with a screen that displays balls in motion.
Your task is to recognize the number of balls in motion. The level of difficulty escalates with each correct response.
You will have 2 minutes to complete as many tasks as possible.
This is how it appears –
Tip: Since the answer primarily depends on approximation, you can arrange the balls in sets of four, calculate the number of sets, and then multiply the result by four.
Multitasking Capability (cut-e scales mt avi)
The multitasking capability test assesses your ability to promptly carry out multiple tasks at the same time.
You will be given three tasks to perform simultaneously:
Task I – You will be presented with an aircraft that travels from left to right. You will need to adjust the runway vertically to land the plane.
Task II – You will be presented with mathematical equations in the top right corner of the screen. You will need to determine if they are accurate.
Task III – You will be presented with a sequence of seven letters in the bottom right corner of the screen. You will need to identify if any of the letters appear twice.
You will have 5 minutes to complete the task.
Tip: Use the duration the aircraft requires to cross the screen to tackle the remaining two tasks.
Complex Control – The Missile Test (cut-e scales xw)
The complex control test assesses your hand-eye coordination.
You will be presented with a simulation of a rotating cylindrical tube.
Your task is to fly through the tube while evading obstacles obstructing your path.
You will have 3 minutes to complete the task.
Tip: You can modify your position and velocity to your preference. Therefore, you can begin the task at a moderate speed, and once you become accustomed to it, increase it gradually.
Working Memory (cut-e Smartpredict GridChallenge)
The working memory test assesses your executive attention and focus abilities.
The test consists of multiple tasks:
You will be presented with a grid of dots, one of which will be highlighted.
Next, you will be presented with a basic diagram and need to rapidly determine if it is symmetrical.
Afterwards, you will be presented again with a grid with a different highlighted dot, a new symmetrical diagram, and so on.
Your task is to respond to all the questions while recalling both the position of the dots and the sequence in which they were presented.
You will have 9 minutes to complete the task.
Give it a try –
Tip: Verbally describe the location of the highlighted dots to aid in your memory retention. For instance, use phrases like "the dot situated on the left of the group of four dots" to enhance your recollection of their positions.
Inductive Logical Thinking (cut-e scales cls)
The inductive logical thinking test assesses your ability to identify and implement patterns and rules.
You will be presented with two sets of 3×3 grids; each comprises a combination of letters and numbers. In the top section, each grid is designated a specific colour. The grids labelled with the same colour belong to a single group.
Your task is to detect the patterns of each group and assign the unmarked grids to their respective group.
Try to solve one –
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.
Tip: The pattern may be reflected in each variable present within the grid. Therefore, you must carefully observe all the minute details, such as the arrangement of numbers and letters, the frequency of each character, and so on.
Deductive Logical Thinking (cut-e scales lst)
The deductive logical thinking test assesses your ability to acquire, infer, and apply new information.
You will be presented with a grid comprising several shapes and a single box marked with a query symbol.
Your task is to identify the missing shape while ensuring that no two identical shapes are present in the same row or column.
You will have 6 minutes to complete as many tasks as possible.
Let’s solve one –
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 :
Tip: In this adaptive test, the complexity of the assignments will rise when you answer them accurately and drop when you respond incorrectly. That means that your score is calculated based on the level of difficulty of the questions you answered correctly and their quantity.
Applied Numeracy (cut-e scales tmt)
The applied numeracy test assesses your math and calculation skills across four categories: Percentage Calculations, Rule of Three, Unit Conversions, and Areas and Volumes.
You will be presented with a word problem that includes numerical values, along with a multiple-choice question.
Your task is to perform the necessary computations to arrive at an accurate solution.
You will have 16 minutes to answer 20 questions.
Try one yourself –
The total cost of an electric bill is $318.00. If 6% tax, which is added to the cost of the electricity, is included in the $318.00, how much did the electricity cost before tax?
Tip: Before performing any calculations, it's crucial to carefully review all of the information in the question, as it may contain irrelevant details that are not necessary to solve the problem.
Verbal Reasoning Test (cut-e scales verbal)
The verbal reasoning test assesses your ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret written data.
You will be presented with a text divided into six tabs, followed by a statement.
Your task is to use the information within the different tabs to ascertain the accuracy of the statement by classifying it as true, false, or cannot say.
You will have 12 minutes to answer 49 questions.
Here’s one for you to solve –
Below are six tabs containing information about a business, followed by a statement. Read the statement, then look for the relevant information inside the tabs to help you label the statement as true, false, or indeterminate.
Structure
Shareholders – shareholders are people who invest their own funds in a company. A shareholder is usually an outside investor, but some management positions hold shares in the company as an incentive to put more effort into it. Employees from management positions cannot be hired as managers in the subsidiary organization too, even if it's a non-profit organization, to avoid a conflict of interest.
Management – this division is comprised of the CEO, the sales representative, and team leaders and secretaries who have worked in the company for three years or more.
Materials – this division is comprised of engineers, truckers, lab researchers, assembly line workers and tech support. During the high season period, the company hires a fair amount of freelancers to help with the lab research. After the season ends, their contract is terminated. The cleaning staff is an outside company that is getting paid to clean the organization’ facilities. Their actions are supervised by the safety engineer.
The company will open a bid for the audit committee position every year. The chairman must be someone with no substantial affiliation to the company, not an employee, not from an employee's family or future family, and certainly cannot be someone who took part in the organization in the past 5 years.
Responsibilities
The cleaning staff must have three employees on "standby" to respond to any of the safety engineer’s calls.
All employees must work 9 hours a day, and no more than 13 hours in overtime.
The CEO may allocate 12% of the company's yearly revenue for research and development.
For charity outreach, the company will send three employees to Manchester's soup kitchen for a full workweek.
Pipelines – this service is provided by the materials division representatives and not someone who specializes in plumbing, thus it's one of the least profitable products the company offers due to bad reviews.
Natural gas products – a seasonal product operated by seasonal employees only. The revenue from these products is allocated to the subsidiary company.
Electricity usage efficiency – this service is one of the most profitable products/services the company offers. This service is scheduled through sales and is provided by the engineers.
The company's research team is trying to initiate a new business strategy and provide one additional product – printed 3-D building blocks. This is not a product yet, but it will be in 2029.
The management division is located in the northern business center of Manchester, whereas there are three active locations around the country: The pipeline manufacturing factory is located in the industrial area of South Manchester. The natural gas product is located on an oil platform on the shores of the country. The electricity usage efficiency is a service that does not require a plant but does require an office with all the right facilities. This office is located next to the management offices.
Once a year, the company rents a research lab for three months in a different location.
The cleaning staff has its own cabin for sleeping outside the pipeline factory.
The company owns a suite of offices in downtown Manchester. Those offices are rented to a third party at the moment but can be cleared out within 14 days from the moment the company notifies the third party.
All plants must be running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Assembly line workers work in shifts of 8 hours. Within their shifts, workers must melt 850 lbs. of steel and manufacture 107 deluxe pipelines altogether.
The CEO, the head of engineers, and the employee in charge of the cleaning staff must convene once a week for a site-wide operational evaluation.
The delivery team, which is comprised of the truckers, must report to the head of sales every 12 hours.
The Board of Directors is elected by the shareholders and is assigned to monitor the company's activity as a whole.
The Board of Directors hires the CEO themselves, and they have the power to fire him if 10% of the management agrees to it.
The Board of Directors convenes every 75 days and discusses the CEO's performance every 100 days.
The Board of Directors has the right to allocate up to $100,000 in bonuses every year. Higher amounts should be authorized by the shareholders' general assembly.
Every director can be fired by the shareholders' general assembly, and once every five years 40% of them must be replaced by new directors.
No management employees are allowed to be in the company's Board of Directors.
The board must consist of at least 33% females, at least 20% males and at least 12% university graduates.
The company is willing to provide any document regarding electricity and pollution stats for the past year to any inquiring party. The document will be issued by the weekly evaluation committee.
With regard to yearly revenue, the board will not provide any reports to any party other than the shareholders.
The company will not provide any reports regarding its missions, schedule, or the profit division of products and services to any third party.
Shareholder reports should be provided by the CEO to the board, and the board will disseminate the reports to the shareholders.
Once every five months the company will deliver a report to the government addressing issues required by the commissioner. However, if any of the information could potentially hurt future revenue or violate privacy, the report won't be provided without a warrant.
The company will receive tax refunds of 12% if they invest at least 42 weekly hours in a known non-profit organization or at least 60 weekly hours in any other charity work. The 12% tax refund may accumulate into millions a year, thus it is a profitable strategy. The company has been receiving refunds for the past three years.
Statement: All the cleaning staff is on standby every single moment.
Tip: It's essential to review all six tabs before drawing any conclusions and to ensure that you select the appropriate tab to submit your answer; otherwise, your score may be deducted, even if your answer is correct.
Work-Related Behaviour (cut-e shapes)
The work-related behaviour test assesses your preferences and tendencies in a work environment.
You will be presented with groups of three statements related to your individual traits and tendencies, along with six points to allocate.
Your task is to distribute the points based on how well each statement reflects your personality.
Tip: Assigning points based on your personality and preferences can be challenging, and you may need to make compromises when selecting your answers.
ChatAssess
The chatAssess test is a gamified situational judgment test (SJT) that evaluates your work-related behaviour and decision-making skills.
You will be presented with a chat simulation in which you will receive messages from both customers and colleagues.
Your task is to respond to these messages by selecting from a list of provided options or formulating your response in your own words.
You will have 20 minutes to answer all messages.
Let's have a look –
Tip: When selecting your response, you need to take into account three factors: the individual's request, their position, and their ranking.
The AON/Cut-e pilot test is the most crucial stage of the recruitment process, where most candidates drop out of the race. To pass the test and become a Ryanair pilot, you must familiarize yourself with all the different mini-tests, their challenges, and how to overcome them. JobTestPrep provides an accurate preparation, tailored especially for the AON/Cut-e pilot test, that includes simulation tests, study guides, and extra practice for the most difficult pilot tests-– spatial orientation, reaction speed, and the gridChallange.
Ryanair Pre-Recorded Interview
The next step of the Ryanair hiring process is an online pre-recorded interview aiming to assess your personality, motivations, and drives, as well as to examine your English and make sure you’re a fluent speaker of the language, as it’s necessary for working as a pilot in an international company.
This is not a regular face-to-face interview, and you will not have interactions with your recruiter. Instead, you will record yourself with a camera and address questions that were pre-recorded.
The interview itself will usually include 3 to 5 questions. You will have about 30 seconds to prepare your answer and up to one minute to record it.
The Ryanair interview questions are usually basic HR questions regarding your training, experience, interest in Ryanair, and how you would react in certain situations.
Here are some examples of Ryanair interview questions:
- Why do you want to work at Ryanair?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What is the most difficult part you have faced in your training?
- Which type of aircraft have you flown in your training?
- How would you act in an emergency?
JobTestPrep’s PrePack includes an interview preparation video and study guides that will help you to charm your recruiters and land the job of a Ryanair pilot!
Ryanair Assessment Centre
The final step of the Ryanair recruitment process is a walk-in assessment day at the Ryanair HQ in Dublin.
The day comprises three parts –
- Pilot assessor briefing – you will be paired with another applicant and will go through a briefing in which you will receive your simulation flight chart.
- Technical and HR interview – you will be asked HR questions about your training, professional experiences, goals, and technical questions regarding principles of flight meteorology, operational procedures, air law, human performance, etc.
- Simulator assessment – a flight simulation that assessing key components of operating an aircraft, such as Standard Instrument Departure (SID) Navigation, General Handling, Navigational Aids, and course of action in various events and emergencies.