An abstract reasoning test for pilots and ATC applicants shows you shapes or symbols that follow a hidden rule, and asks you to find that rule and apply it. Because the items use no words or sums, they test how quickly you make sense of something new, which is a large part of both flying and controlling.
This guide covers the common formats, why selection uses them, a worked example in plain text, and how to prepare.
Common formats
Series
You see a row of figures that change step by step, and choose the one that comes next. Each figure might rotate, gain or lose elements, or change shading.
Matrices
A grid, often three by three, has one cell missing. Rules usually run across the rows, down the columns, or both. You pick the figure that completes the grid.
Odd one out
You see several figures and choose the one that breaks a rule the others share. These are quick to read but easy to misjudge if you settle on the first rule you notice.
Rule groups
Some tests show two sets of figures, each sharing its own rule, and ask which set a new figure belongs to. The skill is the same: find what the members have in common.
Why selection uses abstract reasoning for pilots and controllers
Both jobs involve working out what is happening from incomplete, changing information, often on a screen, and then acting on it. Abstract reasoning items are a compact way to sample that ability without relying on language or prior aviation knowledge.
The link is not new. A 1965 study by the US Federal Aviation Agency found that a composite of aptitude tests including non-verbal abstract reasoning predicted the training performance of terminal air traffic controllers well.
Current processes still put reasoning near the start. EUROCONTROL's FEAST, used by air navigation service providers to select trainee controllers, lists logical reasoning and visual perception among the abilities its first module measures. NATS describes its first stage as online ability tests covering skills such as spatial awareness, logical thinking and numerical ability. On the pilot side, Sevenair Academy's online screening for its integrated cadet programme covers cognitive capacity, reasoning and processing speed.
Providers do not always publish which item types they use, so you may meet abstract items under names such as non-verbal, inductive or logical reasoning. For the deductive, rule-based side of reasoning, see our companion guide to logical reasoning tests.
A described example
Picture a series of four squares.
- Square 1: a black dot in the top left corner, and one vertical line in the middle.
- Square 2: the dot in the top right corner, and two vertical lines.
- Square 3: the dot in the bottom right corner, and three vertical lines.
- Square 4: the dot in the bottom left corner, and four vertical lines.
Which square comes next?
- A. Dot in the top left corner, five vertical lines.
- B. Dot in the top right corner, five vertical lines.
- C. Dot in the top left corner, four vertical lines.
- D. Dot in the bottom left corner, five vertical lines.
Answer: A.
There are two rules running at once:
- The dot moves one corner clockwise each step. Top left, top right, bottom right, bottom left, so next it returns to top left.
- The number of lines goes up by one each step. One, two, three, four, so next is five.
Only A satisfies both rules. B has the right count but moves the dot two corners. C has the right position but repeats the line count. D leaves the dot where it was.
This is typical of how options are built. Each wrong answer usually gets one rule right and one wrong, so you need to check every rule against every option.
How to prepare
Name the usual suspects. Most rules involve position, rotation, number, size, shading or shape. When you are stuck, run through that list one property at a time.
Track one element at a time. Follow just the dot across all frames, then just the lines. Trying to see everything at once is slower and leads to errors.
Check the full sequence. A rule that fits the first three figures may break on the fourth. Confirm it works everywhere before choosing.
Eliminate quickly. Once you have one rule, cross off every option that breaks it. You often have the answer before you find the second rule.
Build up the clock. Start with untimed sets to learn the patterns, then move to timed practice. Our abstract reasoning practice tests let you do both, and spatial reasoning practice helps with the rotation items that often appear alongside them.
Review your misses. After each set, note which kind of rule caught you out. Most people have one or two blind spots, and these are easy to fix once you see them.
Keep sessions short. Twenty focused minutes is better than an hour of tired guessing. Pattern spotting suffers badly when you are fatigued.
If you are applying for controller training, our guide to preparing for air traffic controller recruitment exams covers the other tests you are likely to meet.
