Road to become an AirAsia ALLSTAR

AirAsia Cadet Pilot Process 2017

Good day to all,

I am going to share about my recent experience with the Malaysia-based AirAsia Cadetship 2017 recruitment process. Everything in this post is purely based on my personal experiences and does not involve any third party input. I hope that it will benefit all those whom are enthusiastic to become a part of AirAsia as a homegrown Airline Pilot. 

Maheshan Mahendran

AirAsia Cadet Pilot Requirement

AirAsia Cadet Recruitment Process 2017 (External)

The Recruitment Process is broken down into 6 major parts :

Stage 1 : Written Assessment (English, Maths & Physics)

          

Stage 2 : Personality Test (Harrison Assessment)

              

Stage 3 : Face-to-face Interview 

             

Stage 4 : Quantitative Critical Thinking (QCT) and Psychomotor Assessment 

              

Stage 5 : Medical 

Stage 6 : Loan Briefing and Application Process

Stage 1 : Written Assessment 

After submitting an application online, eligible candidates will be invited to attend the written examination at the AirAsia Training Centre more commonly known as AACE located at Sepang (near LCCT). 

1. The assessment  is usually carried out two times in a day (AM Session and PM Session)

2. The written assessment comprises 3 papers (English Language, Mathematics and Physics) and all    are objective questions

English Assessment (Comprehension Based Questions)

• There are 3 Articles in which each article is about 1-2 pages long. Each of these articles has 5 questions. Total - 15 objective questions

• Allocated time - 40 minutes 

• Comparatively easy as it only requires SPM Level of English Proficiency

Strategy :

1. Practice reading articles and picking up important information as stipulated by the questions. 

2. Build up vocabulary as there may be questions which do ask about definitions of certain words in the article itself. 

3. Do not waste time as 40 minutes may run by quickly. So, i would suggest going through the questions and then search for required information in the text. A highlighter would come in handy. 

Maths Assessment (SPM Syllabus)

• There will be 25 Objective Questions and time allocated would be 40 minutes

• Moderate Level Questions

• Topics assessed are all objective type questions that are usually tested in SPM Mathematics Past Year Questions

• Don't waste your efforts going through subjective questions and brush up your aptitude in objective questions related topics

• As an airline pilot, you are required to have a good grasp of basic mathematics throughout your career 

Strategy :

1. Practice several Past Year Papers and keep challenging yourself with tougher questions.

2. MEMORISE necessary formulas.

3. Don't wait for the last minute to shade your answers in the given objective sheet. Shade the right answers progressively.

4. You may not have enough time to recheck your answers so please calculate carefully. 

Physics Assessment (SPM Syllabus)

• There will be 20-25 Objective Questions and time allocated would be 40 minutes as well

• The topics covered are once again SPM Physics objective questions related

• Formulas will not be provided so please MEMORISE accordingly

Strategy :

1. Pay close attention to SPM level questions (Form 4 & Form 5 topics). Please go through every topic thoroughly. Do not assume and spot specific topics as the assessment will comprehensively cover most of the SPM syllabus. However pay greater attention to Form 5 topics. 

2. Questions are not very tough and as you practice on more past year papers it should give you an idea of how you would fair in the assessment.

Overall Guide :

1. Prepare extensively on these 3 subjects especially physics and maths as it would require a great deal of revision prior to assessment date. For SPM leavers, this would not be an issue as the syllabus would still be fresh in memory. However, for those whom are older and have been away from physics and maths, a thorough refresher is definitely needed to familiarise yourself with the subject matter.

2. The overall passing mark for this stage of the assessment is 75%. This means that the candidate must achieve a 75% for each of these 3 subjects in order to get through to the next stage. Therefore, work diligently and consistently and getting through this part would not be an issue.

Stage 2 : Personality Test (Harrison Assessment)

This is a computer based assessment. The objective of this assessment is to allow the organisation to get to know what type of personality you are. Therefore, it is vital that you be yourself throughout the assessment. 

• This stage of the recruitment process is carried out by a third party (Harrison Assessment Malaysia)

• There are 9 sets of statements which are repeated twice. Therefore, there are 18 sets of statements in which each set of statements has 8 different options.

• The candidate must then arrange the statements in order, by putting the statement that MOST describes the individual at the top and the statement that LEAST describes the individual at the bottom

• The reason why these set of statements are repeated twice is to identify any irregularities in your choices. 

• Please do not attempt to skew the statements towards what you think are desirable traits of an airline pilot. However, it is also crucial to not overthink the statements to ensure that assessment runs smoothly.

• Please do not rush to complete the assessment because there is no time constraint.

• When you are satisfied with the arrangement of statements, then you can proceed to SUBMIT your choices.

• If the system notices that you have not been consistent with your arrangements, then it will notify you by stating that, " Your answers do not match. Please check & redo again." 

• The system will give you another attempt to re-submit your preferences and please make sure that you are consistent with your choices as no other chances will be given.

Strategy :

1. Answer quickly so that you can remember what you have answered previously and this also avoids overthinking the preferences.

2. Remember, this assessment is not timed so do not rush to click the submit button.

Stage 3 : Face-to-face Interview 

This is basically a normal interview and it is usually conducted by at least one HR Personnel and an AirAsia Captain. 

• Be sure to dress like a professional. The first impression is a lasting impression.

• It is imperative that you have good mannerism and be as humble as possible. 

• It is your time to shine, so put your best foot forward. Show that you are enthusiastic about aviation and being a part of AirAsia. 

• Therefore, make sure you equip yourself with a good level of aviation knowledge and also get to know as much as you can about AirAsia itself.

• The interview panel will be interested to look at your documents and certificates. Please arrange these documents properly and you could also make copies of certain documents accordingly. You may want to bring along only necessary and recent certificates as the main focus of the interview is how you perform on that day.

Strategy : 

1. Be clear when you answer questions and speak confidently. However, please remember to not sound like a 'know it all'. 

2. There could be instances when you may be unsure about the questions asked. When this happens do not hit around the bush and you could say that you are misinformed in that area but you will get back to the interviewer with the answer. You could probably ask for the interviewers email and could get back to them with the proper answers to some of the questions that you are unable to answer during that time.

3. Please do not LIE during the interview. The panel is experienced and they will be able to immediately know if you are trying to make up a story.

Type of possible questions ;

1. Tell me about yourself 

    - The interviewers could be looking for something that is not on your CV. So you could talk about      3 to 4 things that you feel could add value to the job

2. What is the principle of flight ?

3. Why do you want to become a pilot ?

4. What is the current AirAsia fleet of aircrafts ?

5. What are 10 items/instruments what you would find in a cockpit ?

This link may help you to prepare for this stage of the cadet recruitment process ;

https://www.slideshare.net/Pilotinterview/top-8-airline-pilot-interview-questions-answers-20717063

Stage 4 : QCT and Psychomotor Assessment

This stage of the recruitment is to assess whether you have the aptitude to fly an aircraft and to put your multi-tasking skills to test. This is the final stage of assessments so please be sure to do your very best.

• The assessment is basically divided into two different phases namely, QCT and Psychomotor. 

• First things first, both assessments are designed to push you to your limits. So, you have to mentally prepare yourself and be well rested the night before.

• QCT is basically to test your rational thinking quantitatively. Therefore, please expect the test to put your maths skills to test. You need not have any additional mathematics skill set but it will be very helpful to thoroughly go through simultaneous equations. The questions will get progressively tougher so don't give up and keep on going. Papers will be provided and calculators are allowed.

• After that, the real fun begins. There will be a thorough briefing as to what to expect during the psychomotor assessment. Do clear any doubts during the Q&A session. Don't hesitate to ask as many relevant questions as you can. No one is going to do it for you.

• The briefing given is very comprehensive so please pay close attention throughout. This assessment is carried out by the third party company.

• The PFD (Primary Flight Display) encompasses the main instruments found in an aircraft namely, the Attitude Indicator, Altitude Indicator/Altimeter, Airspeed Indicator, Vertical Speed Indicator and Heading Indicator. This is the main item on the screen during the psychomotor assessment. It will be useful to familiarise yourself with the function of each indicator on the PFD. 

• The psychomotor assessment will test your motor skills using a side-stick and it will also require you to multi-task as 3 other tasks will have to be carried out simultaneously.  

• Tasks : 

1. Following the "GREEN CROSS" in the middle of the PFD.
2. Memorising a set of numbers that will be shown on the top of the Attitude Indicator. For example, 700820. 
3. Clicking on a the Number Keypad according to the indications on the screen.
4. Listening for either a set if 3 consecutive ODD NUMBERS or EVEN NUMBERS and enter a response on the keyboard accordingly.

• During the psychomotor test there will be a 2 minutes practice of the entire simulation to get yourself accustomed to the simulation. Please use this time wisely and learn quickly from mistakes.

Strategy :

1. LISTEN to instructions carefully during briefing.

2. The test is designed to push you to your limits. It is crucial not to give up during the 10 Minutes Psychomotor Assessment. Keep going . Don't give up until the end of the assessment. 

3. You will not be allowed to write anything. Therefore make sure that your mind is clear and steady before and during the assessment. 

4. The link below may help you to prepare. The Flight Director Test is highly recommended.

https://www.latestpilotjobs.com/site/mypage/id/pilot-aptitude-test.html

Stage 5 : Medical Examination 

The Medical Screening is done by a third party Aviation Specialist whom is recognised by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) Malaysia. The airline will advise you accordingly.

• The Medical Examination will involve a full medical check up and a blood test to obtain a Class 1 Medical Certificate. 

Stage 6 : Loan Briefing by Maybank

This is the final leg of the recruitment process and it will involve a loan briefing by Maybank as most of the cadet pilots will opt to take a loan to fund their tuition fees at the respective flying schools and the Airbus training.

Thank you very much for reading patiently. Remember to give it your all when preparing for the cadet recruitment process. All the very best to all of you !

Please do contact me if needed by email ; maheshan3105@gmail.com