COMPASS Pilot Aptitude Test Practice
COMPASS screens airline and flight school pilot candidates on six skills. Four of them are cognitive: memory, mental arithmetic, spatial orientation and multi-tasking. Practice each one with a focused drill.
Control and Slalom use a joystick and rudder pedals, so we do not simulate them. See what this practice covers.
Try a short-term memory example
Working memory example
Worked example · no account or practice attempt needed
Memorize the six labels, numbers, and positions. The grid will disappear after six seconds.
Memorize the symbols and their positions
Practice the four COMPASS cognitive skills
Each skill below is a COMPASS module as Aviation Focus lists it. Start with the main drill, then use the second drill for variety. Use a desktop or laptop for the timed and multitasking drills.
Skill 1 of 4
Memory: short-term memory
Hold information that is shown briefly, then use it after it disappears.
How to practice: Group what you see into a few chunks as it appears, and say the chunks to yourself once before the display clears.
Also practice: Variable memory drill (ATSA · 12 trials · Timed). Remember labeled values and solve linked equations after the information is hidden.
Working memory drill
Study a short display, then answer once it is hidden. Part of our FEAST practice.
Skill 2 of 4
Mathematics: mental arithmetic
Work out sums in your head, quickly and without a calculator.
How to practice: Round to friendly numbers, then correct. Learn common fraction, decimal and percentage equivalents so you can switch between them without writing.
Also practice: Applied numbers drill (RAF DAA · 8 questions · Untimed). Read tables and charts, then compare quantities, rates and percentages.
Mental arithmetic drill
Calculate with fractions, decimals, percentages and formulas without a calculator, with a worked method for every answer. Part of our RAF DAA practice.
Skill 3 of 4
Orientation: spatial orientation
Keep track of direction and position when your viewpoint changes.
How to practice: Fix north and the current heading first, then turn yourself to face that heading before you judge where the target lies.
Also practice: Spatial orientation drill (FEAST · 12 trials · Timed). Work out relative directions and follow marked faces through cube rotations.
Heading and direction drill
Translate a map heading into a direction from the vehicle’s viewpoint. Part of our ASTB-E practice.
Skill 4 of 4
Task Manager: multi-tasking
Keep two tasks going at once without letting either one slip.
How to practice: Give the main task a steady rhythm and check the second task at fixed moments, so neither one takes over your attention.
Also practice: Tracking and listening drill (ASTB-E · Setup and short practice rounds). Keep two tracking targets on course while listening or carrying out alert procedures. Use headphones and a desktop computer.
Divided attention drill
Watch a visual task while answering arithmetic that appears partway through. Part of our FEAST practice.
Each drill belongs to one of our practice sets: FEAST, RAF DAA, ASTB-E or ATSA. Each card shows whether your account can start it now; a pass for that set unlocks its replays. Saved results stay in your account.
Start with memory, then work through all four
Four drills, one for each COMPASS cognitive skill: memory, mental arithmetic, spatial orientation and multi-tasking. Results and explanations are saved to your account.
Practice mental arithmeticCOMPASS test format
These facts come from Aviation Focus, which supplies COMPASS. Your airline or flight school decides which version you take and the score it requires.
- Full name
- COMPASS: COMputerized Pilot Aptitude Screening System
- Supplier
- Aviation Focus
- Used by
- Airlines and flight training organizations. Aviation Focus states that more than 21,000 pilots have been screened.
- Versions
- COMPASS for ab initio (new) pilot candidates and Advanced COMPASS for experienced pilots
- Session length
- Typically 90 minutes to 2 hours. The tests run automatically, one after another.
- Equipment
- A Windows PC with a joystick and rudder pedals, set up by the testing organization
- Languages
- English and Mandarin Chinese
- Results
- A separate score for each skill, available as soon as the results upload to the central COMPASS server
| Module | Skill | COMPASS (ab initio) | Advanced COMPASS | Our practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | Eye-hand-foot coordination | COMPASS ab initio: yes | Advanced COMPASS: no | Not covered |
| Slalom | Eye-hand coordination | COMPASS ab initio: yes | Advanced COMPASS: no | Not covered |
| Complex Control Task | Complex control | COMPASS ab initio: no | Advanced COMPASS: yes | Not covered |
| ATPL | ATPL theoretical questions | COMPASS ab initio: no | Advanced COMPASS: yes | Not covered |
| Memory | Short-term memory | COMPASS ab initio: yes | Advanced COMPASS: yes | Drills |
| Mathematics | Mental arithmetic | COMPASS ab initio: yes | Advanced COMPASS: yes | Drills |
| Orientation | Spatial orientation | COMPASS ab initio: yes | Advanced COMPASS: yes | Drills |
| Task Manager | Multi-tasking | COMPASS ab initio: yes | Advanced COMPASS: yes | Drills |
What this practice does not include
We only build tasks we can reproduce honestly in a browser. These COMPASS modules are outside that line:
Control (eye-hand-foot coordination)
COMPASS
Uses the joystick and rudder pedals together. A browser cannot reproduce that equipment honestly.
Slalom (eye-hand coordination)
COMPASS
Uses the joystick. We do not imitate it with a mouse or keyboard.
Complex Control Task (CCT)
Advanced COMPASS
A control task flown on the COMPASS control hardware. We do not simulate control tasks.
ATPL theoretical questions
Advanced COMPASS
Professional airline transport pilot theory. We do not have an ATPL question bank.
Our drills are original exercises from our other aviation practice sets. They train the same skills COMPASS names; they do not copy COMPASS screens, timing or scoring.
A practice routine before your assessment
Step 1
Take each drill once
Start every drill in the order above and note which one felt hardest. That is where your practice time goes first.
Step 2
Learn the method, then speed up
Read the explanations for every miss. Get the method right before you try to answer faster.
Step 3
Train mental arithmetic daily
Do a few minutes of calculation without a calculator every day, so the shortcuts become automatic.
Step 4
Finish with the multitasking drills
Divided attention draws on memory and arithmetic together, so it improves as the single-skill drills improve.
More aviation aptitude practice
These practice sets hold every drill on this page, plus more tasks for related skills.
- FEAST practiceAttention, memory, spatial and multitasking drills
- ASTB-E practiceUS Navy aviation battery with performance tasks
- RAF DAA practiceNumerical, spatial, mechanical and work-rate practice
- ATSA practiceMemory, spatial and collision-avoidance drills
- AFOQT practiceInstrument comprehension and aviation information
COMPASS pilot test questions
What is the COMPASS pilot test?
COMPASS (COMputerized Pilot Aptitude Screening System) is a computer-based aptitude test that airlines and flight training organizations use to screen pilot candidates. Aviation Focus supplies it. It is not the same as ACT’s former COMPASS college placement test.
Which skills does COMPASS test?
The ab initio version tests eye-hand-foot coordination (Control), eye-hand coordination (Slalom), short-term memory (Memory), mental arithmetic (Mathematics), spatial orientation (Orientation) and multi-tasking (Task Manager). Advanced COMPASS replaces Control and Slalom with a Complex Control Task and ATPL theoretical questions.
How long does COMPASS take?
Aviation Focus gives a typical time of 90 minutes to 2 hours from start to finish. The tests run automatically in sequence.
Can I practice Control and Slalom online?
Not honestly. Both use a joystick, and Control adds rudder pedals. Our practice covers the four cognitive skills: memory, mental arithmetic, spatial orientation and multi-tasking.
How is COMPASS scored?
Each skill gets its own score, so the report shows which skills meet the standard. Aviation Focus does not publish pass marks; the airline or flight school that tests you sets its own.
Is this the real COMPASS test?
No. These are original drills from our existing aviation practice sets, chosen to train the same four cognitive skills. They do not reproduce COMPASS screens, timing or scores.
Do I need a pass?
Each drill belongs to one of our practice sets (FEAST, RAF DAA, ASTB-E or ATSA). Every card shows whether your account can start it now. A pass for that set unlocks replays of its drills.
Ready to practice?
Four drills, one for each COMPASS cognitive skill: memory, mental arithmetic, spatial orientation and multi-tasking. Results and explanations are saved to your account.
Practice mental arithmeticSources
Original independent practice. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Aviation Focus, the developers of COMPASS, or any airline or flight training organization. COMPASS is named here only to describe the test. Sources checked November 10, 2026.