Announcement Ending 05/02

[sub-stdrd phrsology girl]

Originally Posted by AuburnATCS

There's alot of Peachtree City folks in here! Any on the 8th? I'm gettin alittle nervous....that dang math section...

How many of you want to work in the Atlanta area? There's alot of Atlantans here too.

Don't sweat the math section, everything comes out to ending in a 5 or 0, well at least it was that way when I took the AT-SAT (April 8 Atlanta, GA).

I live in PTC and I'm hoping for SAV (mid level tower/TRACON or a ARTCC is the way to go ). I work as an intern at ATL, standardized patient right across from the fifth runway, waitress at Taco Mac PTC, and Tutor.

[gourgi18]

I think the Houston scores are posted now. 97.7 here.

[ohioaviator]

Originally Posted by gourgi18

I think the Houston scores are posted now. 97.7 here.

Congrats! Please share your experience if you don't mind.

[gourgi18]

I think I pretty much had the same experience as most people on this site. The testing was very relaxed. 9 of 16 people showed at mine. Math was pretty simple, just make sure to read the directions on this section as it explains the difference between ground speed and air speed which will be important in answering the math questions. The Angles test was easy enough. The scan test was easy but make sure you can use a keypad as there were people around me using the top numbers which would not have worked for me. The letter factory was ok. The questions suck and I don't think there's any way to prepare to answer those questions. You can tell when you're about to get a set of questions.

1. You'll have been pulling letters for a while and been pretty busy and it will slow down and you'll fill most of your boxes...gives you a few seconds to scan the screen between the time you realize it's coming and the questions.

2. Your scenario will start and more letters than you can handle will start coming down the belts and right before the letters hit the availability line the questions pop up. I almost always got asked on these which color box did I pull last and which letter made me pull that box when the questions popped up at the beginning like this.

The AT scenarios was awesome. I had a few procedural errors and two seperation errors but no crashes. I really had a lot of fun during this part of the test and I didn't think it was too hard but it took concentrating. I believe there are three or four of the scenarios. My accuracy range was between 80-88. Don't be freaked out by the practice tests. To me for some reason they were much harder than the actual test. My accuracy on the practice was in the 40's and 50's. The person sitting beside me wasn't taking handoffs when they would show up on the screen. He was only doing one at a time and leaving everything else. The few times I glanced over there were always like 20+ white dots on his screen waiting to be accepted so again read the instructions carefully as I believe that it says that it will lower your score the longer you wait to take planes and I know you couldn't possible finish in the time provided like that. Overall this was by far my favorite part of the entire test and I actually had a lot of fun on this section.

The analogies sucked big time. I thought they were really hard. You can't skip questions on this section so you pretty much have to guess if you don't know. I have always disliked analogies. I really do suggest trying to study for this part. There are two different kinds of analogies. The first 30 questions are word analogies. The last 15 questions are picture/shape analogies. The word analogies are not only for meanings, but also for things like rhyming, reversal of letters, vowel usage. I really thought it was going to be simple analogies that I would get pretty easy. I was not prepared. The shape analogies were easier and I don't think I got any of them wrong.

Anyhow just have fun with it, take the breaks, and good luck.

[PhilipArnold]

Haven't been around a computer since tuesday after the test so I just checked my score and I'm none too pleased...80...

I'm sure I know what hurt me and it was probably the awareness questions on the letter factory. With the atc scenario every time I was adjusting the route of a plane a new one would pop up and when I'd go to accept the handoff I'd still have the other aircraft selected so my handoff time probably sucked. Also with the scenario I made a fair share procedural errors and crashed one plane when the runway switched directions. I kinda wish the analogies were at the beginning of the test instead of the end because after the letter factory and scenario, the last thing I wanted to do was try and figure out what letter/shape matched with the other...

[MrBucket]

Took the AT-SAT today. Overall I think I did pretty well, though I'm not super impressed with myself. I think I could have done better on some parts, so by no means am I expecting a perfect score.

To anyone who hasn't gone yet, its very important that you have 2 forms of ID, and that they be signed by yourself. They test guys were giving people a hard time about this. I couldn't hear exactly what the problem was, but I heard the guy in charge say clearly, "The email says 2 forms of ID, one government and both with signatures" Then I heard more grumbling from both parties and eventually the character left the room, angry.
I don't know, just be prepared. Personally I brought every piece of ID that I've ever had, just because I didn't want to be that guy slugging out of the room and looking like a tool.
So after the initial check in, we were told to wait outside and they would come get us.
At 8:22, they came out and told us to enter the room. We already knew what computer we would be at, as we picked numbers off the table when we checked in. (randomly)

Basically every account of the test from this forum is correct.
Heres my rundown of each section in order. (Because everyone else got to make one)

Dials- Personally, I think the dials part was a little harder than on the cd. The reason for this is that on the cd, the answers were usually so far apart you couldn't possibly get it wrong. On the real test the answers were usually very close, so you need to really pay attention to where the dial is pointing and what each mark on the dial is worth. Also, there is a new type of dial that was not on the cd, and one of the dials you know and love from the cd has a gas and oil dial within itself. (cant remember which one it was)

Math- Everything was in knots. At the beginning its explained that you should calculate everything just like regular miles. So don't sweat that.
If you have been studying the cd, you know by know that there are a few different variations of questions that you have to answer.
My suggestion to you is this. Make sure you are fully prepared for the questions that deal with what time an aircraft leaves an airport, how far or fast it travels, and what time it will arrive. These are abundant, and were probably my downfall.

Angles- The answers are again, very similar to each other rather than on the cd when there is alway 1 obvious answer. Not too bad though, just make sure to look closely before you pick the answer.

Scan- WAY easier than the cd. the data blocks don't move around like theres a hurricane coming through, and the range doesn't change all that often. slows down occasionally too.

Letter Factory: Also way easier than the cd. The practice and directions part goes on for hours. Days even. I was sick of the letter factory before I even started the real test. If your like me and had trouble with the mouse on the cd, you will be happy to know that its 100 percent easier to select and move pieces. Tip-Don't forget to reorder boxes every time a color gets down to 1 box left. Not all 3 boxes have to be low, only 1.
I did the best on this part. No missed letters at all, or errors with quality control or ordering. I hope this section has a lot of weight on the score!!!

AT-scenarios- It had 3 different sessions, all progressively harder. The first two weren't too bad. The 3rd one slammed me with a thousand planes at once all needing to go the same airport and all appearing within 3 miles of each other. It was madness. I felt like ATLTRACON.

Plus, you get introduced to the concept of hand offs. The planes don't just appear on their own like the cd. You need to notice and click on every new plane that enters the screen. It enters as a white block and doesn't do anything until you have clicked on it. You are scored on how fast you notice and click the white blocks. I didn't crash any planes into one another, but I had a few get dangerously close. (This counts as an error even if it doesn't crash). I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to fly planes over the airport, so I lost 1 that way.

Analogies- I am pretty good with this type of stuff so I didn't have a problem with it. But I can see how most people will not appreciate the analogies part. MOST of the problems are not about the definitions of the words. They are mostly about the similarities in spelling and in pronunciation. Don't waste to much time trying to figure out what words mean. Chances are thats not what you need to know.

Questionnaire- There are 135 questions about you. Its the same question, worded 135 different ways. Make sure you are honest with each answer you give. They are tying to get you to give different answers to the same questions by doing that.

Good luck everyone. Hope you come out feeling more confident than I did. Ill just have to wait and see....

[MrBucket]

Originally Posted by PhilipArnold

Haven't been around a computer since tuesday after the test so I just checked my score and I'm none too pleased...80...

I'm sure I know what hurt me and it was probably the awareness questions on the letter factory. With the atc scenario every time I was adjusting the route of a plane a new one would pop up and when I'd go to accept the handoff I'd still have the other aircraft selected so my handoff time probably sucked. Also with the scenario I made a fair share procedural errors and crashed one plane when the runway switched directions. I kinda wish the analogies were at the beginning of the test instead of the end because after the letter factory and scenario, the last thing I wanted to do was try and figure out what letter/shape matched with the other...

Did you think you did well when you were done? I'm not feeling too confident.
BTW, 80 is not that bad. I'll be lucky if I come out with an 80 to be honest.

[PhilipArnold]

I felt "meh" about the test and by "meh" I mean I felt like I did well on some parts and not so well on others but I was hoping that maybe I'd get an 85 or above so I could move on to the next sooner. I really want to quit my crappy tutor job that doesn't pay worth a damn, seriously...

[reedo11]

Originally Posted by MrBucket

Did you think you did well when you were done? I'm not feeling too confident.
BTW, 80 is not that bad. I'll be lucky if I come out with an 80 to be honest.

Well I took the test in Houston Last week also and didn't feel very great about it at all. I still ended up with an 82.5 which is pretty bad but at least I passed. I think the test is designed to just about give you a heart attack and make ya wanna walk out. I say this cause it looks like your doing awful but you are prob still passing. I think honestly the cd that came with the book screwed me. There were so many new rules to air traffic scenarios and it really messed me up. Also you may wanna turn your headphones down cause when you slam a plane into the boundary walls it def makes a loud crash noise. In the 3-4 times I did this just about half the room looked over at me. That was pretty funny. My ? on the Math portion were def not as easy as the book. usually I had to multiply numbers that did not end in a 0 or a 5 by ten or 9. Dials were really easy if you know how to read a gauge. Angles easier then the book too. I think just stayin relaxed and not stressing over it is the best way to take this test. I don't think I should of practiced the game, or maybe just not so much.

[sub-stdrd phrsology girl]

Originally Posted by MrBucket

Did you think you did well when you were done? I'm not feeling too confident.
BTW, 80 is not that bad. I'll be lucky if I come out with an 80 to be honest.

I don't think anyone feels good when they leave the test...I insisted to my dad that I had failed and ended up with a 100. Getting up and walking around when they give you breaks I thought was the most important thing to keeping my head clear, nerves down, and concentration up, but that's just my two cents.

[GeorgeOTS]

Im having mixed thoughts as well. I thought I did well on mostly everthing else except the ATST part... I kinda screwed up on the third one. The analogies were tough I thought. Overall I think I did OK not great.

[reedo11]

Originally Posted by GeorgeOTS

Im having mixed thoughts as well. I thought I did well on mostly everthing else except the ATST part... I kinda screwed up on the third one. The analogies were tough I thought. Overall I think I did OK not great.

I think those websites the book gave to study for analogies were great. They actually helped cause I prob would of missed 80 percent of the word analogies had I not studied.

[AuburnATCS]

Originally Posted by sub-stdrd phrsology girl

Don't sweat the math section, everything comes out to ending in a 5 or 0, well at least it was that way when I took the AT-SAT (April 8 Atlanta, GA).

I live in PTC and I'm hoping for SAV (mid level tower/TRACON or a ARTCC is the way to go ). I work as an intern at ATL, standardized patient right across from the fifth runway, waitress at Taco Mac PTC, and Tutor.

That's good advice. Thank you.

You are are a busy girl. I may have seen you at Taco Mac as I was just there with some friends a few weeks ago. Also, I almost applied there awhile ago(to bartend), while I was going through my recent job search and long hiring process for my current job.

[sub-stdrd phrsology girl]

Originally Posted by AuburnATCS

That's good advice. Thank you.

You are are a busy girl. I may have seen you at Taco Mac as I was just there with some friends a few weeks ago. Also, I almost applied there awhile ago(to bartend) Good thing you didn't it's the worst restaurant job I've ever had, looking for a better waitressing job right now , while I was going through my recent job search and long hiring process for my current job.

[MrBucket]

In what I believe to be record setting time, I got my ATSAT score back today one day after the test . I got a 91.4. I'm pretty happy with that.

[venividibitchy]

Originally Posted by MrBucket

In what I believe to be record setting time, I got my ATSAT score back today one day after the test . I got a 91.4. I'm pretty happy with that.

Congratulations, everyone! What did you all think of LI/NYC?

[MrBucket]

Originally Posted by venividibitchy

Congratulations, everyone! What did you all think of LI/NYC?

Thanks! Driving from NYC on to Long Island reminded me very much of when I drive home from Boston to Cape Cod. It was all very familiar. The little roads, regular houses and stores made it seem like the NY version of my town. I just think it could have been done a little bit closer to the city. I should have just swam from Martha's Vineyard instead of having to go ALL the way around.

[venividibitchy]

Originally Posted by MrBucket

Thanks! Driving from NYC on to Long Island reminded me very much of when I drive home from Boston to Cape Cod. It was all very familiar. The little roads, regular houses and stores made it seem like the NY version of my town. I just think it could have been done a little bit closer to the city. I should have just swam from Martha's Vineyard instead of having to go ALL the way around.

It really should be held closer to (or in) the city. When I flew into the airport nearby the Holtsville testing site back in March, you could've heard a penny drop, there were that few people in the place. I'm sure there are more desolate airports, but it's a pretty low traffic place - I wonder why they chose our FAA office branch for east coast testing.

Why on earth didn't you drive down through Hartford, and down to Bridgeport/New London, and take a quick ferry over?! Nuts!

[PhilipArnold]

Originally Posted by MrBucket

In what I believe to be record setting time, I got my ATSAT score back today one day after the test . I got a 91.4. I'm pretty happy with that.

Good work...

[drumpet]

Took my test yesterday, score was waiting for me on ASAP when I got back today!

92.3

Woo!

[chichi]

Congrats MrBucket and drumpet!

My day is two weeks from yesterday and I'm hoping to do as well as you guys. Any tips other than the seventeen bajillion AT-SAT tips posted all over this forum?

[sub-stdrd phrsology girl]

Originally Posted by chichi

Congrats MrBucket and drumpet!

My day is two weeks from yesterday and I'm hoping to do as well as you guys. Any tips other than the seventeen bajillion AT-SAT tips posted all over this forum?

Use at least a portion of all of your breaks. Get up, leave the room, walk around, get a drink of water, clear your head...most important thing is to not stress while you're taking it. My .02

[chichi]

Originally Posted by sub-stdrd phrsology girl

Use at least a portion of all of your breaks. Get up, leave the room, walk around, get a drink of water, clear your head...most important thing is to not stress while you're taking it. My .02

Does the test tell you when to take breaks and how long you have or is it sort of at your own pace?

[gourgi18]

Originally Posted by chichi

Does the test tell you when to take breaks and how long you have or is it sort of at your own pace?

At mine it was both. You could take as many breaks as you wanted as long as you finished by I think 2:30. I took all the prompted ones plus one other because I felt like I needed to clear my head.

[chichi]

Originally Posted by gourgi18

At mine it was both. You could take as many breaks as you wanted as long as you finished by I think 2:30. I took all the prompted ones plus one other because I felt like I needed to clear my head.

Ah ok... thanks