Development of New Selection Tests for Air Traffic Controllers,

This report describes the development of a new Multiplex Controller Aptitude Test for initial screening of FAA Air Traffic Controller applicants. Its content includes the traditional types of aptitude test items used for todays screening. In addition it includes measurement of the ability to identify potential conflicts in air traffic, a skill that has been demonstrated experimentally to have a significant relation to success in the ATC speciality. Alternate forms of the test have been developed in a format that meets Civil Service test administration requirements. The test has been administered experimentally to groups whose abilities approximate those of the applicant population, and results indicate that it has satisfactory reliability characteristics. It has been administered experimentally to incoming students at the FAA ATC Academy and personnel on the job at operational facilities, and constantly produced higher correlations with ATC success than any other test used in the validation studies. The available data indicate that this new and customized instrument promises to be a significant improvement over the existing battery for screening FAA Air Traffic Controller applicants. Author