Air India cadet pilot selection test

What are the stages?

1. 1Apply online

   Air India screens every application against its eligibility rules. A selection fee is payable, and the payment link reaches you only if you meet them. Applications open in windows, announced on Air India’s cadet pilot site.

2. 2The online test, at home

   An assessment by Aon, the company behind the cut-e tests. Air India runs the selection itself; the flying schools do not.

3. 3A day in Gurugram

   If you are shortlisted: a group discussion, a psychometric session, then a personal interview.

4. 4An English check

   After selection and before the offer letter, an English language test.

Who can apply?

You also need good written and spoken English. You cannot apply while still in Class 12.

What does the online test check?

Air India's own description of this stage names critical thinking, numerical reasoning, working under pressure, motor skills and spatial awareness. It publishes no list of the tasks, no timings and no pass mark, and does not say whether you need a joystick at home.

Practise the kind of task before the day, so the controls and the screens are not new to you. Each of these games is in the style of an Aon task:

• Beacon Position. Read a heading indicator and a radio compass, then find where the aircraft is around the beacon. Practise Beacon Position
• Reaction Speed. Press the moment two shapes are identical, as fast and as accurately as you can. Practise Reaction Speed
• Tunnel Flight. Fly down a tunnel and steer through the gap in each spinning disc, choosing your own speed. Practise Tunnel Flight
• Steer and Check. Steer through falling rows, check sums and spot a repeated letter, all at once for five minutes. Practise Steer and Check
• Point and Check. Say which way the triangle points, check sums and spot a repeat, each against its own clock, for five minutes. Practise Point and Check
• Dot Count. Count the dots drifting round a scope and tap the number before the next set appears; right answers bring more and faster dots. Practise Dot Count

3 free plays of each on a free account, unlimited on Pro.

What happens on the Gurugram day?

Air India describes this stage as panel and group interviews that look at how you work with others. The group discussion comes first, then the psychometric session and the personal interview.

In the discussion, listen, add to what others say, disagree politely and help the group reach a decision. Talking the most is not the aim.

What do they ask in the interview?

Air India does not publish its interview questions. These are the themes interview preparation usually covers. None of them is officially confirmed:

• Why you want to fly, and why with Air India.
• What you know about the airline: its fleet, its routes and its group airlines.
• Basic aviation: how an aircraft flies, and recent aviation news.
• Teamwork: a time you worked in a group, and how you handle disagreeing with a senior.
• A situation talked through: what you would do, and why.

How do I prepare for the English check?

Read, listen to and speak English every day in the weeks before. The check comes after selection, once the rest is over, so keep practising after the Gurugram day.

Common questions

Sources: Air India cadet programme; Air India cadet programme, eligibility; Air India cadet programme, course details; Air India careers; Air India Flying Academy; Acron Aviation Academy.