Air traffic controller selection does not use one global aptitude test. The correct preparation depends on the organisation hiring you.

The three main pathways covered here are:

  • United States / FAA: Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) inside the FAA controller hiring process;
  • Europe and other FEAST users: EUROCONTROL’s FEAST battery, configured by the participating air navigation service provider (ANSP);
  • Canada / NAV CANADA: NAV CANADA’s own online, in-person and assessment-centre selection stages.

Use Air Traffic Controller Aptitude Tests for a side-by-side orientation.

United States: FAA ATSA

The FAA’s current controller-hiring page describes the ATSA as a 3.5-hour, computer-based, in-person test at Pearson VUE. The current process uses score categories including Failed, Qualified and Well-Qualified, and the FAA states that only Well-Qualified candidates are selected to continue under the present hiring model.

Start here:

For timed ATSA-aligned practice modules, ATSA practice tests on ATSAPracticeTests.com can be used as part of a broader preparation plan.

Current FAA hiring windows open and close. Do not treat an old application date as permanently active.

FEAST: EUROCONTROL and participating ANSPs

FEAST is a battery used by participating ANSPs and training organisations. EUROCONTROL currently describes:

  • FEAST I: cognitive ability tests plus English-language testing;
  • FEAST II: one or two more complex work-sample/multitasking tests, RADAR and possibly MULTI-PASS;
  • FEAST III: a personality questionnaire used by many, but not all, FEAST organisations.

The recruiting organisation decides which FEAST components it uses and may add interviews or other assessments.

Start here:

EUROCONTROL provides a free official FEAST Training Platform. Its current FAQ says the platform covers almost all FEAST I tests, not FEAST II, and warns that commercial FEAST software is not authorised by EUROCONTROL and may differ materially from the real tests.

Canada: NAV CANADA

NAV CANADA’s current Air Traffic Control selection page describes a staged process beginning with an online assessment of about 30 minutes, followed for successful candidates by a full-day in-person test of about six hours. The in-person stage evaluates abilities including memory, working speed, spatial visualisation, reasoning, attention, information processing and simple math. Successful candidates then complete a short pre-screening interview before later assessment-centre and selection stages.

Start here:

Retest waiting periods differ by stage, so use the current NAV CANADA page rather than one universal waiting-period claim.

Choose the correct guide

Your invitation or employer Use this guide
FAA / ATSA / Pearson VUE FAA ATSA Test
FEAST / EUROCONTROL / FEAST user ANSP FEAST Test
Preparing specifically with official FEAST practice FEAST Preparation
NAV CANADA Air Traffic Services NAV CANADA Assessment
You do not yet know the assessment name ATC Aptitude Tests Overview
You want the US career/hiring path How to Become an Air Traffic Controller

What can overlap across ATC selection systems?

Different systems may assess some of the same underlying abilities, such as:

  • working memory;
  • spatial orientation or visualisation;
  • attention;
  • information processing;
  • logical or numerical reasoning;
  • multitasking;
  • decision-making under time pressure.

That overlap does not mean the interfaces, scoring, timing or retest rules are interchangeable.

Preparation rule

  1. Identify the exact organisation and assessment name.
  2. Read the live official candidate material.
  3. Use official practice first when it exists.
  4. Practice underlying abilities with original material only after the format is clear.
  5. Do not treat a third-party score as an official ATSA, FEAST or NAV CANADA score.
  6. Recheck current application and retest rules before acting on an old article.

Official starting points

This hub is independent and non-commercial. It routes candidates to the correct current assessment owner rather than presenting one generic “ATC test”.

Featured guide Air traffic controller aptitude tests Compare the main assessment systems without treating them as one universal exam. Compare ATC assessments

Complete guides

Guide Deep dive NAV CANADA Assessment: Current ATC Selection and Testing Guide Understand NAV CANADA's current air traffic control selection process, including the online assessment, six-hour in-person test and later stages. Read guide →
Guide Deep dive Air Traffic Controller Aptitude Tests: ATSA, FEAST and NAV CANADA Compare current air traffic controller aptitude testing in the FAA, EUROCONTROL FEAST and NAV CANADA selection systems. Read guide →
Guide Deep dive FEAST Test: Current FEAST I, II and III Candidate Guide Understand the current EUROCONTROL FEAST test battery, including FEAST I, FEAST II, FEAST III, duration, administration and official preparation. Read guide →
Guide Deep dive FEAST Preparation: Use the Official EUROCONTROL Training Platform Prepare for FEAST with EUROCONTROL's free authorised training platform, current scope, practice limits and a focused preparation workflow. Read guide →
Guide Deep dive How to Become an Air Traffic Controller Learn how to become an air traffic controller, including eligibility, selection tests, training, skills required, and assessment preparation. Read guide →

Why trust Job Practice Tests

Independent from employers and test publishers

Job Practice Tests is an educational site. We are not the employer, regulator, or official test publisher, and we say so clearly when a guide discusses a third-party assessment.

Official sources come first

Hiring rules and test formats change. When an employer or agency publishes current instructions, those instructions take priority over any preparation guide, including ours.

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