ATC Drills

Air traffic controller aptitude test

An air traffic controller aptitude test checks whether you can hold a picture, follow a changing rule, do more than one simple task at once, and catch spoken numbers. The FAA calls its version the ATSA. Many European employers use FEAST. The questions are confidential. The skill types are not a secret, and that is what these drills train.

One job, more than one test

There is no single worldwide controller exam. The FAA invites selected USAJOBS applicants to the ATSA, in person, for about 3.5 hours. EUROCONTROL's FEAST battery is used by providers who choose it, in stages. Germany's DFS runs its own selection, with aptitude testing associated with DLR, plus language and a medical. A military board is another process. Start from the vacancy in your hand, then train the skills that vacancy is known to use.

The four families

Each family has one free drill. The paid variants add closing geometry, a separation conflict, rule switches, no-go trials, a rising load, and longer readback runs. See pricing. The German page is Fluglotse Eignungstest üben.

What a good score here means

It means you were accurate on that seed, and, after five sessions, how you compare with yourself. It does not mean you will be Well Qualified, invited to FEAST II, or hired. Providers do not publish the item bank, and they do not publish a stable pass rate you can chase.

Practice past the free drill

One free drill in each family stays free. Paid drills are the harder variants.

Email the day-by-day plan: ATC aptitude test prep plan, 4 weeks. The buy button stays the main action.

Questions people ask

How hard is the ATSA test?

It is hard for most applicants because the tasks are timed and they stack. The items themselves are not trivia. The FAA's qualifications page says fewer than 10% of applicants are accepted into training. That figure is the whole pipeline, not a published ATSA pass rate.

What kind of questions are on the ATSA test?

The live items are confidential. The FAA describes the ATSA as a computer-based test of cognitive skills, about 3.5 hours, taken in person. Public descriptions talk about memory, attention, and working under time pressure. These drills train those skill types. They are not the FAA's questions.

Can you prepare for a FEAST test?

You can get used to the kinds of tasks. EUROCONTROL runs a free official familiarisation platform and says those tasks are not the live test. This site is separate from that platform. Use both if you want. Neither one contains the confidential items.

Is it hard to pass the air traffic controller test?

Yes, for most people who apply. The hard part is speed and load, then a medical, a background check, and academy training. The FAA says fewer than 10% of applicants are accepted into training. That is not the same number as an ATSA pass rate, which the FAA does not publish.

How long does it take to become an air traffic controller?

For an FAA trainee: apply in a window, wait for an ATSA invitation, clear medical and security, then several months at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, then about one to three years of on-the-job training before facility certification. Europe is a different calendar, set by the provider.

Are these the real ATSA or FEAST questions?

No. The real tests are confidential. These drills are new every time, built in your browser from a random seed. They train the same kinds of skill. A score is compared only with your own earlier sessions.

Air traffic controller aptitude test: what the drills cover