ATC Ready
ATC Ready is interactive preparation for the tests used to select trainee air traffic controllers. Train the ability areas behind NATS, EUROCONTROL FEAST, the FAA ATSA and NAV CANADA — the same task types, format and pace as the real assessment — then see exactly how you scored and where to improve. For NATS that's every stage: the online tests, the judgement and listening papers, the assessment-centre interview and the practical exercise.
The NATS process, stage by stage
What each stage actually is, and where to practise it. Pick one to jump straight there.
Online ability tests — the sift most candidates don't get past.
See the testsSituational judgement and listening, proctored online by Aon.
See the testsA virtual assessment centre: interview, ATC knowledge, observed retesting.
Interview practiceThe practical exercise — working simulated airspace, scored on how you improve.
See the testsModelled on the real batteries
Interactive practice for the ability areas NATS, EUROCONTROL and the FAA actually assess — in the same style, format and pace you'll meet on the day.
Practise on web and mobile
One account across the website and the app, so you can train on a full-size screen or in short bursts on your phone.
A readiness score, not just marks
Every attempt feeds one number — how ready you are for the battery you picked — plus which ability area to work on next.
The full mock assessment
Sit a full mock of a battery in one session — the subtests back-to-back, the way a real assessment day runs — then get a complete breakdown with a score for every ability area and a single readiness score for the battery you picked.
On desktop we recreate conditions a touchscreen can't — full-size displays, keyboard and mouse, the way each test actually plays.
Choose your provider — NATS, FEAST, ATSA or NAV CANADA — and practise the mix of abilities that battery assesses.
The NATS tests
Showing the tests used in the NATS battery — switch battery in the header to see another. 16 of 16 are live to play now.
3 tests free — no account needed
Play Sense of Direction, Reaction Time and Monitoring right now. Sign in free to unlock every other test.
Stage 1
13 testsNATS says Stage 1 is eleven online ability tests, but doesn't publish which eleven. So rather than guess, these 13 cover every ability area it names publicly — spatial awareness, logical thinking, numerical ability, sense of direction and reaction speed. This is the sift most candidates don't get past.
Sense of Direction
Memorise an arrow's heading, then — when it reappears in a new position — decide whether it stayed put, turned left 90°, turned right 90°, or rotated 180°. One relentless minute of spatial transformation — sense of direction is one of the five areas NATS names for Stage 1.
Reaction Time
Two images appear side by side — decide whether they are identical or different as fast as you can. Sliders drift in the middle as a distractor, for three intentionally monotonous minutes. Reaction speed is one of the five areas NATS names for Stage 1.
Monitoring
Fast white dots drift and overlap inside a dark circle — count them and pick the number as quickly as you can. Every correct answer speeds the dots up; every wrong one slows them down. Sustained monitoring under changing load is assessed throughout FEAST and the ATSA.
3D Cubes
A flat cube net is shown with symbols on its faces — work out which of four folded cubes it makes. Symbol orientation counts as well as position. Mental manipulation of 3D objects — spatial awareness as NATS and the ATSA assess it.
Concentration
Each figure is a letter with dots beside it, and a target letter is named that changes every item. Decide whether the figure is that exact letter with exactly three dots — as fast as you can for two relentless minutes. Sustained attention to detail, the way FEAST and the ATSA test it.
Deductive Reasoning
Sudoku with six shapes. Each shape appears once in every row and once in every column; one cell holds a ?. Deduce the missing shape by elimination and pick it from the palette. Built-in Help and Hint buttons. Pure deduction — the logical thinking area NATS names for Stage 1.
Logical Reasoning — Grid Rules
Two example grids are linked by a rule — the grid is rotated and each symbol is swapped for another. Work out that rule, then pick the two grids (of four) linked by the SAME rule. A correct pick flashes green, a wrong one red. Rule-finding like this is what logical thinking means in the NATS and FEAST batteries.
Mental Arithmetic
Each equation has a missing value shown as a box (□) — choose the digit that makes it true. It adapts as you go: easy items are addition, harder ones add multiplication and larger numbers, and the hardest have two boxes. Five speeded minutes, no calculator — the rapid mental computation NATS lists under numerical ability.
Multi-Tasking
Three tasks at the same time — steer through the gates with Up/Down, judge whether each equation is correct, and press Match when the spoken shapes match the ones on screen. Five relentless minutes. Concurrent task handling is exactly what FEAST II's work samples are built to measure.
Numerical Reasoning
Interpret data from tables and charts under time pressure and judge statements True, False or Cannot Say. Numerical ability is one of the five areas NATS names for Stage 1, and data interpretation appears in FEAST I and the ATSA in similar form.
Rule Discovery
Diamond grids are tagged yellow or blue, each colour standing for one of two rules. Work the two rules out from the tagged examples, then decide whether a new grid is yellow or blue. A correct pick flashes green, a wrong one red.
Spatial Orientation — Bearings
Read a Direction Indicator (a heading) and a Relative Bearing Indicator (the needle points to a beacon), then make two picks — the heading shown, and the tile giving the position relative to the beacon. Commit both to answer. Bearing work of this kind sits under spatial awareness in NATS Stage 1 and recurs throughout FEAST.
Working Memory
A field of dots is shown and one lights up red — memorise its position and the order the dots light up. Between each dot a question appears (an equation, or two dot-grids to judge as rotated or symmetrical) to answer Yes or No. Each round is three dots with a question between each; then you click the three back in order. Five rounds. Holding information while being interrupted is core to both FEAST and the ATSA.
Stage 2
2 testsSituational judgement and listening, both proctored online by Aon.
Listening Comprehension
The second half of NATS Stage 2 is a listening test — in NATS's words, "how accurately you understand, retain and use spoken information". This trains that skill on live-sounding ATC radio traffic: listen to a transmission in one of several accents, then answer a question on what was actually said. Some messages carry a 'break' and hold clearances for two different aircraft.
Situational Judgement
NATS Stage 2 pairs a Situational Judgement Test with a listening test, both proctored online by Aon. The SJT assesses, in NATS's own words, "how you evaluate possible responses to workplace situations". You read a realistic scenario from a safety-critical operation and choose the response you judge most effective — then see the reasoning behind every item.
Stage 3
Interview practiceA virtual assessment centre over Teams: a competency interview, air traffic control knowledge questions, and observed retesting of your earlier tests.
Mock Stage 3 interview
Sold separatelyA live, spoken mock interview with a NATS assessor that probes your answers, follows up when they're thin, asks air traffic control knowledge questions, and writes you a competency debrief at the end.
Every test on this site is free once you sign in. The interview is the one exception: it's priced on its own because each one runs a real, live conversation with an assessor.
Stage 4
1 testThe practical exercise — working simulated airspace over Teams or at Whiteley. (Stage 3 is the assessment-centre interview, practised separately.)
What's inside ATC Ready
Everything is built to mirror the real assessments — practise the exact task types, then see how you did.
Built around the real battery
Practice for the ability areas NATS, EUROCONTROL, the FAA and NAV CANADA assess when selecting controllers.
Realistic test conditions
The same style, format and timing as the day itself, on full-size displays with keyboard and mouse.
Instant scoring
A clear result the moment you finish each test, so you always know where you stand.
Web and mobile
One account across the site and the app — train at your desk or in short bursts on your phone.
Leaderboards
Score against the community and track your best on every test.
Full mock assessment
Sit a whole battery back-to-back in one session, then get a complete breakdown. (Coming soon.)
Understand the process first
What each stage actually contains, and — the part most guides skip — what the providers don't publish about it.
NATS air traffic controller selection: the complete guide
Everything NATS trainee air traffic controller selection involves, on one page — entry requirements, all four stages, the tests, the interview, training, and an honest account of what NATS does and does not publish.
8 min readHow to become an air traffic controller in the UK
The full NATS route to becoming a trainee air traffic controller — eligibility, the four selection stages, training, and what the job is really like.
7 min readNATS Stage 1 tests explained
What the eleven NATS Stage 1 online ability tests cover, the five ability areas NATS names publicly, and what it does not publish about them.
6 min readNATS Stage 2: situational judgement and listening
NATS Stage 2 is an online situational judgement test and a listening comprehension test, both proctored by Aon. What each assesses and how to prepare.
Climb the leaderboard
Every test scores you against the ATC Ready community. Post your best and see how you rank.
View all leaderboardsJoin the community
A Discord for people working through air traffic control selection — NATS, FEAST, the ATSA and NAV CANADA. Swap tips, ask what the assessment day was actually like, and compare scores with others sitting the same tests. It's early, so come in and shape it.