Welcome to ATCQuestions!
This website will empower you to perform your very best on the AT-SAT. You will find a guide to the exam below. Please read it over. It will provide you with information for each part of the exam.
The AT-SAT is the second exam taken by ATC candidates. The test is taken on a computer in a designated location. The AT-SAT is designed to assess a candidate’s aptitude for the duties of an ATC. No prior knowledge of ATC is necessary to take the exam. Applicants must score as Qualified, with a score of 70-84.9, or Well-Qualified, with a score of 85 or above for further consideration. Wrong answers do not negatively affect the total score, so it is better to guess than to leave an answer blank.
The exam typically starts at 7:45 in the morning and lasts for eight hours, including two 15-minute and one 45-minute break. The exam is divided into seven parts: four question-and-answer categories including Dials, Applied Math, Angles, and Analogies; and three interactive simulations titled Scan, Letter Factory, and Air Traffic Scenarios. You are not allowed a pen or paper; all math equations must be performed mentally. A description of each part is listed below.
Dials
In the Dials portion of the exam, there are 25 questions given. A screen is shown with six dials simulating instruments in an aircraft. You will be asked to make readings off one dial at a time. Be sure to note the correct value (tens, hundreds, thousands).
Applied Math
In the Applied Math portion of the exam, there are 25 questions given. During the actual exam, you are not allowed to use writing utensils to calculate equations; all equations must be performed mentally.
You will need to understand the concept of true airspeed and ground airspeed to answer the questions.
True airspeed is the reading of the speedometer on the plane.
Ground airspeed is the true airspeed, plus or minus a headwind or tailwind, which will be given in the question if relevant.
For example:
1. An aircraft traveling at 450 mph with a tailwind of 50 mph has a ground airspeed of 500 mph.
2. An aircraft traveling at 450 mph with a headwind of mph has a ground airspeed of 400 mph.
You will also need to understand how to convert time into a decimal. To convert minutes into a decimal, divide the minutes given by sixty. For the problems on this website, you will need to round to the tenth decimal.
For example:
15 minutes / 60 = .25 = ~0.3 hours
30 minutes / 60 = .5 hours
45 minutes / 60 = 0.75 = ~0.8 hours
Lastly, you will need to know:
1 nautical mile = 1 knot
For example:
A plane traveling at an average speed of 450 knots will travel 450 nautical miles in one hour.
Angles
In the Angles portion of the exam, there are 25 questions given. You will either be shown an image of an angle and asked to choose the degree from four choices, or you will be shown a degree and asked to choose the angle from four choices.
Analogies
An analogy is a a comparison between two things. The analogies part of the exam is split in two parts: word analogies and picture analogies. The questions here will be asking you to find the relationship between either words or images. To help prepare, below is a list of categories commonly used in word analogies:
CAUSE AND EFFECT: when one word describes an event that is the result of another event (JOKE : LAUGHTER).
SYNONYMS: words that have the same or similar meanings (NICE : KIND).
ANTONYMS: words that have the opposite meaning (WET : DRY).
DESCRIPTIVE: when one word describes the other (COLD : ICE).
SOUND RELATIONSHIP: when two word are related because they sound similar in some way (TOE : ROW).
LETTER RELATIONSHIP: when the letters of one word are rearranged to form another word (RAT : TAR).
PART-TO-WHOLE: when one word is a part of piece of another word (PETAL : FLOWER).
ITEM-TO-CATEGORY: when one word names a thing that falls into the category named by the other word (MAPLE : TREE).
WORKERS AND THEIR TOOLS: when one word describes a worker and the other describes their tool.
Games
There are 3 "games" on the AT-SAT, that are designed to test your situational awareness and reaction time.
ATC Scenarios Game (Demo):
http://www.jeremyjustice.com/games/atc/index.html
Scan Game (Demo):
http://www.jeremyjustice.com/games/scan/index.html
Letter Factory
COMING SOON
The Letter Factory portion of the AT-SAT tests cognition. You will be asked to move colored objects into corresponding boxes as they appear on the screen, coming down a conveyor belt.