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Guide · Selection

Pilot aptitude tests, explained.

Before a school or an airline invests in you, it wants to know whether you can learn to fly. Aptitude tests measure exactly that: how you think, react and cope under pressure. Here is what they test, where you will meet them, and how to practice every area for free.

Last checked November 20266 min read

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01 Pilot aptitude tests

What aptitude tests are for

An aptitude test does not check what you already know about flying. It predicts how well you will learn it. Schools and airlines use the results to compare candidates and decide who goes on to the next stage. The test itself usually does not say pass or fail; the school or airline makes that decision.

02 Pilot aptitude tests

What they look at

Selection tests in aviation usually cover four areas:

  • Mental performance: memory, spatial awareness, mental math and attention.
  • Operational skills: multitasking, quick decisions and handling several sources of information at once.
  • Social skills: teamwork and communication, often in group exercises.
  • Personality: how you handle stress, rules and responsibility.

Many tests add English and some technical knowledge, and some measure hand and eye coordination with a joystick.

Hands on a joystick and a throttle, following a target on the screen

03 Pilot aptitude tests

Area by area, and where to practice it

Every area below links to where you can practice it with us, for free. The practice screening needs no signup; the full practice test and the trainers come with a free account.

Our tests are practice tools to help you prepare. They are not an official selection test of any school, airline or aviation authority, and they do not replace one.

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04 Pilot aptitude tests

Where you meet aptitude tests

You will usually meet aptitude tests twice on the way to the cockpit: when some flight schools decide whom to admit, and later when you apply to an airline as a licensed pilot. Each school and airline runs its own process, but airline selection usually moves through similar stages.

  1. Application and documents
  2. Online tests
  3. Aptitude test
  4. Interviews and group exercise
  5. Medical
  6. English test

Practicing early pays off twice: once for your school, and again when you apply to an airline.

Many flight schools, including several of our partner schools, use the ADAPT test by Symbiotics. Others run their own tests or use other providers, so ask your school which test it uses.

05 Pilot aptitude tests

How to prepare

Learn the format, not the answers.
Practice helps you know what is coming, so nothing surprises you on the day. The DLR, which runs aptitude testing for European airlines, sends preparation material with its invitations and suggests spreading practice over about three weeks.
Do not rush a retake.
According to the DLR, retaking a test after a short time rarely improves the result. It recommends waiting six months.
Work quickly, but carefully.
Use the free practice tasks a test provider offers and the untimed introductions.
Build the basics daily.
A few minutes of mental math and aviation English every day help more than one long session before the test.
Be wary of paid courses that promise a pass.
No course can promise that.

06 Pilot aptitude tests

Practice now, free

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07 7 questions

Questions about pilot aptitude tests

What is a pilot aptitude test?

A set of tests that predicts how well you will learn to fly: memory, spatial awareness, mental math, multitasking, reaction time, English and how you work with others.

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Can you fail a pilot aptitude test?

The test itself usually does not pass or fail you. It shows how you compare, and the school or airline decides who goes on.

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Can I practice for a pilot aptitude test?

Yes. Practice makes you familiar with the format and the time pressure. Quick retakes of the real test rarely help, so prepare well the first time.

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How long should I wait before retaking an aptitude test?

The DLR recommends six months, because retaking after a short time rarely changes the result.

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Is color vision part of the selection?

Often, and it is always checked in the Class 1 medical. Our free practice screening includes a color vision check, but it is not a medical test. Only an aviation medical examiner can assess your color vision.

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Is your aptitude test an official test?

No. Our tests are practice tools to help you prepare. They are not an official selection test of any school, airline or aviation authority, and they do not replace one.

Copy link Still unsure? Talk to an advisor

What happens in airline pilot selection?

Usually an application, online tests, an aptitude test, interviews and a group exercise, a medical and an English test. Each airline sets its own stages.

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