Correlates of Two Experimental Tests with Performance in the FAA Academy Air Traffic Control Nonradar Screen Program

This study was designed to determine the relationships among experimental tests, the tests currently used to select entrants into the FAAs Air Traffic Control Specialist ATCS Academy Nonradar Screening Program, and Academy success. A battery of paper-and pencil tests, including the Directional Headings Test DHT which was developed at the Civil Aeromedical Inst, and subsequently modified for this study, and the Dial Reading Test DRT was administered to 1,225 students who entered in 1987. Scores on the current selection measures, the Multiplex Controller Aptitude Test MCAT and Abstract Reasoning Test, were obtained from the Office of Personnel Management OPM. The pass, fail, and withdrawal rates for the sample were compared to performance levels on the experimental and OPM tests. Several Academy performance criteria and test results were intercorrelated and stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict overall Academy success and final grades. Results demonstrated that the DHT and DRT could be used to assess the potential of entrants to successfully complete the Academy Screen. Even though the current ATCS applicant group differs from those entering the Academy a decade ago on several dimensions e.g., education and experience, the multiple correlation of the DHT, and MCAT scores with Academy success remained relatively unchanged. Results suggest there are other test measures which, when combined with the MCAT, would be better predictors than the existing battery of selection tests.