Announcement Ending 05/02

[BoomerSooner77]

ATCproMatt... those planes on the left look AWFULLY close together!

[shaba169]

93.4% Holtsville, NY 7/8!!! Im happy with that.

[K-Dog]

They sure got my score up fast. I only had to wait 2 days

[hudson26]

Originally Posted by shaba169

93.4% Holtsville, NY 7/8!!! Im happy with that.

I took the test on 7/7 in Holtsville and my score still isn't on there... did you find it on the main page or under "Test Information" ?

[scongdon]

Originally Posted by ATCproMatt

Roughly how long is each section?

(In the order we took them in OKC, as best I remember!)

Math: 20-25 min (20-30 questions)
Dials: 10-20 min (30-40ish questions?)
Angles: 10-20 min (30-40ish questions?)
(15 min break)
Scan Test: 30-40 min
Letter Factory: 45-60min
(lunch)
AT Scenarios: 60-75min
(15 min break)
Analogies: 25-35min (20-30ish questions?)
Personality: 15-30min (like 100 questions)

I'll probably get chewed out for not having this in the AT-SAT section.. so, I'm prepared.

AND - CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL THE HIGH SCORES!!! I was about to strangle someone for mine, checking the site obsessively, but they came

[PhilipArnold]

Originally Posted by MrBucket

Good Job!
A lot of high scores so far. Ive got the lowest one I think...

No, I'm much lower...

[ATC Hopeful]

Originally Posted by scongdon

(In the order we took them in OKC, as best I remember!)

Math: 20-25 min (20-30 questions)
Dials: 10-20 min (30-40ish questions?)
Angles: 10-20 min (30-40ish questions?)
(15 min break)
Scan Test: 30-40 min
Letter Factory: 45-60min
(lunch)
AT Scenarios: 60-75min
(15 min break)
Analogies: 25-35min (20-30ish questions?)
Personality: 15-30min (like 100 questions)

I'll probably get chewed out for not having this in the AT-SAT section.. so, I'm prepared.

AND - CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL THE HIGH SCORES!!! I was about to strangle someone for mine, checking the site obsessively, but they came

Mostly right, but there 46 analogies, the first 30 being word analogies, and the last sixteen are image analogies. Just to give a little more detail the AT scenarios are broken down into four sections, the first three are 900 seconds a piece and the last one is 1500 seconds. Also a hint on the letter factory, you know the questions are about to come when the amount of letters begin to slow down. This is when you need to gather as much information about what is going on as possible.

[ATCproMatt]

Originally Posted by BoomerSooner77

ATCproMatt... those planes on the left look AWFULLY close together!

Yeah...I thought it'd be funny... ^_^

Originally Posted by scongdon

(In the order we took them in OKC, as best I remember!)

Math: 20-25 min (20-30 questions)
Dials: 10-20 min (30-40ish questions?)
Angles: 10-20 min (30-40ish questions?)
(15 min break)
Scan Test: 30-40 min
Letter Factory: 45-60min
(lunch)
AT Scenarios: 60-75min
(15 min break)
Analogies: 25-35min (20-30ish questions?)
Personality: 15-30min (like 100 questions)

I'll probably get chewed out for not having this in the AT-SAT section.. so, I'm prepared.

AND - CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL THE HIGH SCORES!!! I was about to strangle someone for mine, checking the site obsessively, but they came

Cool...thanks for the breakdown...
From what I understand, every section gives you a time limit but you can finish early...with the exception of the Scan and ATC scenarios...where it's a straight timer till you're done?

Also...
on the practice CD, the ATC scenarios...I like hit the direction buttons like 9 times with my mouse or the commands or speed or altitude, etc...does it penalize you for multiple clicks (i do it to ensure the command goes through)?

[ATC Hopeful]

Originally Posted by ATCproMatt

Yeah...I thought it'd be funny... ^_^



Cool...thanks for the breakdown...
From what I understand, every section gives you a time limit but you can finish early...with the exception of the Scan and ATC scenarios...where it's a straight timer till you're done?

Also...
on the practice CD, the ATC scenarios...I like hit the direction buttons like 9 times with my mouse or the commands or speed or altitude, etc...does it penalize you for multiple clicks (i do it to ensure the command goes through)?

The actual At scenario is a little different from the practices. In the test once you click the mouse on the plane and then click the command, you will have to reclick the plane before you can give it another command. This can also mess you up when you have clicked on a plane, and then realize you need to give a different plane a command before it crashes, you must give the first plane a command, before you can select another plane. By the way you will have earphones on and every time you give a command they will say Roger..., therefore no need to continue to click.

[ATCproMatt]

Sooo...has anyone come to a conclusion on what to do if you have lots of planes and no room...
do you run them in circles...
or run them up/down & left/right?

I've kinda tried both...not sure which i like more...

[K-Dog]

Originally Posted by ATC Hopeful

The actual At scenario is a little different from the practices. In the test once you click the mouse on the plane and then click the command, you will have to reclick the plane before you can give it another command. This can also mess you up when you have clicked on a plane, and then realize you need to give a different plane a command before it crashes, you must give the first plane a command, before you can select another plane. By the way you will have earphones on and every time you give a command they will say Roger..., therefore no need to continue to click.

Even though you cannot continue clicking, it is definately a good idea to watch the plane you gave orders to to make sure it complies. Several times during my test, the planes would repeat the wrong orders or just say roger and do something completely opposite of what I told them.

[justme62]

Originally Posted by ATCproMatt

Sooo...has anyone come to a conclusion on what to do if you have lots of planes and no room...
do you run them in circles...
or run them up/down & left/right?

I've kinda tried both...not sure which i like more...

The ones landing at the airports get put into a traffic pattern around the airfield. The ones getting handed off get vectors in the direction they need to go.

If targets are going to cross paths put them at different altitudes.

Duh?

[chichi]

Originally Posted by ATCproMatt

Sooo...has anyone come to a conclusion on what to do if you have lots of planes and no room...
do you run them in circles...
or run them up/down & left/right?

I've kinda tried both...not sure which i like more...

Whatever you want to do... the goal is to get them off the screen (landing or handing off) as quickly as possible while minimizing separation errors and crashes...

[BoomerSooner77]

Originally Posted by chichi

Whatever you want to do... the goal is to get them off the screen (landing or handing off) as quickly as possible while minimizing separation errors and crashes...

Totally going off memory here, but wasn't one of the other "scoring assumptions" that you use the most efficient route (quickest)?

[justme62]

Safe, orderly, and expeditious.

Keep them separated either laterally or vertically, put them in a pattern around the airfield to sequence them, handle handoffs quickly and get them to their destination without undue delay (don't decrease speed unless necessary, give the most direct vectors).

[ATC Hopeful]

[ATC Hopeful]

Has anyone who tested in Peachtree City gotten their scores back yet?

[jdkd]

Anybody who took the test in Chicago (lisle) get their scores back yet?

Took it on 7-3 and haven't seen anything.

[IrishGuy]

Originally Posted by ATC Hopeful

The actual At scenario is a little different from the practices. In the test once you click the mouse on the plane and then click the command, you will have to reclick the plane before you can give it another command. This can also mess you up when you have clicked on a plane, and then realize you need to give a different plane a command before it crashes, you must give the first plane a command, before you can select another plane. By the way you will have earphones on and every time you give a command they will say Roger..., therefore no need to continue to click.

Yes, that bit about the plane continuing to be selected until you give it a direction screwed me up several times. I was trying to click on the hand-off and could not figure out why it wasn't highlighting.

Also, one more quick note, you need to click on the plan icon itself to select it, not the data block.

[Manders79]

Anyone else take the test in Seattle on 7/2? I just got the results posted yesterday (7/10) & scored 100%! Anyone know exactly what happens from here??? Thanks!

[AuburnATCS]

Originally Posted by ATC Hopeful

Has anyone who tested in Peachtree City gotten their scores back yet?

I took mine on the 8th in PTC. Still waiting................

[AuburnATCS]

Originally Posted by justme62

The ones landing at the airports get put into a traffic pattern around the airfield. The ones getting handed off get vectors in the direction they need to go.

If targets are going to cross paths put them at different altitudes.

Duh?

That's what I did. If the plane was heading to an exit. I immediately told them fast and 4 altitude and pointed them in the right direction. If a plane comes in from a hand off and crosses paths just put them at altitude 3. I kept them all at F4 unless they were close to another plane. That way when there are alot of planes on the screen, you can see F4D and know you can pretty much let it go through the exit even when its half way across the screen. And that can take a pretty long time and can possibly forget about it if you are landing 4+ by the time it exits. The separation error only happens when its at the same altitude.

I had lots of fun on this one. I didn't crash any but when one comes close, there is a big red marker that happens right before it does. That is a separation error and I'm sure not as bad as a crash. If it's going to an exit just drop him down one. If its one that is about to land just have him go the opposite direction until the red goes away. I had that when one was coming in to land S1 and one behind at M1 on accident. I just turned him around until the other landed. They turn around before it refreshes.

The last section I had, I had 2 planes left one about to land and one about to exit with one more refresh to go. Hopefully that helps my poor analogies score out. It was annoying to have words that had no relation except for the way it sounded. I guessed on alot of them...

[saxplayer72586]

Ok I'm gonna take this opportunity to "stir the pot" a little

In this fantasy world of atc forums... I think we can all agree that a LOT of people have been rocking the ATSAT with 100%'s... while it's not at all my prerogative to be judgmental towards any single member, I do wonder to myself... how many of the ATC forum members totally BS their scores? While most of them are probably legit... I can't help but think of that Brad Paisley song "So much cooler online"...

(edited for us... sing along)

Oh, online, I aced my AT-SAT
Well qualified, make sure you know that,
Cause even on my first day, I could handle IFR,
with 30 pilots at one time,

I'm so much cooler online

Vindictive? Crass? Bitter? Maybe a little bit of them all... all I know is that after my piss-poor ATSAT showing (83.2), if I don't get hired by the FAA, I'm seriously contemplating opening up a real letter factory... maybe with campbell's soup company... sadly... children everywhere will be sorely upset when they can only make words like "BAD", "CAB", and "ADD". Yeah... alphabet soup land is gonna get pretty flippin' boring my friends...

Nextly, I hope that someday the FAA can put the ATSAT into practical use... maybe start making controllers talk to pilot's while only using analogies...

"Cessna 421, Approach, Benign is to night, as viscosity is to..."

Or maybe while a controller is trying to assist with an engine out... a little voice will come over the radio saying "All radio communications have been suspended until you can tell me how this triangle with 5 million stripes going 3 different ways would translate if it were to translate like the given example of the circle with 3 millions stripes going 5 ways... sorry, sir, your answer is incorrect, your engine-out aircraft has now exploded because of your ineptitude... have a nice day"

Point being, ATC is a highly stressful job that not everyone is cut out for. But to base even the chance to be trained as one off a score... I think is a little bogus. I hope they dig into the applications to try and give each applicant the whole-person concept as opposed to just a number and a score... but hey... it is the gov't we're dealing with here... they're the double edged sword that we love to hate yet hate to leave...

Clear skies and tailwinds, all

[IrishGuy]

Originally Posted by saxplayer72586

Ok I'm gonna take this opportunity to "stir the pot" a little ....

That has got to be the best post I have ever read!

[K-Dog]

The fact that you couldn't leave a plane after you clicked on it without giving it directions was screwing me up too. I crashed at least 3 planes I can remember and had tons of seperational errors, mostly with walls as I got used to jeremy justices game, where I was using the wall basically as a flight path. Also had a few errors for landing planes at too fast a speed. This kept happening as I was trying to leave them going the fastest possible until the last minute, then I would be stuck on another plane when the one landed at fast speed. I left having thought I bombed the test, so was totally surprised to see that I scored 100. I think that the scoring methods on the letter factory and scenarios must be pretty liberal.