NATS, the UK's main air navigation service provider, runs one of the most sought-after controller schemes in Europe: fully funded training, a famous college, and application windows that attract enormous volumes. The filter that manages that volume is a staged testing process, and its cognitive stages are squarely the territory this site trains. This guide maps the reported stages, the skills each one measures, and how to prepare.
What is the NATS ATC Test?
The NATS test is the selection process for trainee air traffic controllers (TATCs) in the United Kingdom. Candidates commonly report a staged journey: an online application with basic eligibility checks, a first round of online aptitude tests, a second round of supervised testing at an assessment centre, then interviews, and finally medical and security clearance before a college start date. Some intakes also describe situational judgment questionnaires early in the funnel.
The design logic matches other ANSP selections: cheap, high-volume online screens first, expensive human assessment last. The online aptitude round therefore cuts the largest share of applicants, which also makes it the stage that rewards preparation most. NATS revises its process between campaigns and publishes no syllabus, so treat all stage details as candidate-reported guidance. Aviation Aptitude is an independent training platform with no affiliation to NATS.
Which Skills Does the NATS Test Measure?
Reported test content maps closely onto our ATC catalog:
- Working memory: holding and updating items under load, as in the working memory test and running memory span test
- Divided attention and multitasking: two streams at once, as in the divided attention test and cross-modal attention test
- Vigilance and checking: sustained monitoring and error spotting, as in the vigilance test and error detection test
- Spatial reasoning: headings, relative motion and orientation, as in the spatial orientation test and cube rotation test
- Numerical estimation: quick speed, distance and time arithmetic, as in the speed distance time test
- Dynamic work samples: radar-style tasks where you keep moving objects safe, as trained in the dynamic radar test and radar control test
- Behavior: situational judgment and interview competencies around teamwork and composure
How the Selection Runs
Application windows open periodically and can close early under volume, so readiness before the window is half the game. The online round typically arrives quickly after application, with fixed deadlines. Survivors travel to an assessment centre where testing continues under supervision alongside interviews built on NATS competencies. Offers depend on passing medical (European Class 3 equivalent) and background checks, and the whole journey commonly spans several months, similar to the timeline in our ATC selection process guide.
The online round is where NATS does most of its choosing. Arrive at it trained, not curious.
How to Prepare: Strategies That Actually Work
- Train before the window opens. Deadlines leave no room for building capacity after the invitation; the 6 week study plan adapted to the ATC modules is the right shape.
- Make multitasking the core. Single-task polish does not survive stacked tests; alternate memory, attention and radar modules within one session.
- Automate the estimation arithmetic. 300 knots is 5 NM a minute; drill until such conversions are reflex, not calculation.
- Do full-length rehearsals. Chain six or more modules in one sitting weekly; both testing rounds are long by design.
- Prepare the behavioral layer honestly. Situational judgment and interviews are cross-checked; one consistent, honest profile is the only strategy that survives, exactly as in the personality test.
- Compare batteries. The cognitive core overlaps heavily with FEAST; training for one prepares you for the other.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Missing the application window itself; set alerts, since it can close within days.
- Sitting the online tests casually from home, when they gate everything after them.
- Practicing only radar-style games while the basic battery cuts hardest.
- Letting months-long gaps between stages erase trained capacity.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many stages does NATS selection have?
Candidates commonly report an online application, an online testing round, an assessment-centre day with further tests and interviews, then medical and security clearance before a college start.
How long does NATS selection take?
Reports typically describe several months from application to offer, with quiet gaps between stages; keeping two or three light training sessions a week through the gaps protects your test form.
Can I apply to NATS more than once?
Reapplication rules change between campaigns, and candidates commonly report waiting periods after an unsuccessful attempt. Preparing properly before your first application is cheaper than waiting out a cooldown.
Practice This Skill
Every cognitive format above has a timed module in the Aviation Aptitude app's ATC track, from working memory through full sector control, with a free diagnostic to find your weak areas first. Pair it with the FEAST guide and the ATC selection process overview to see the whole journey.