Your cabin crew assessment day is always exciting
and challenging at the same time. You have to pass a number of tests and
tasks that are particularly designed to see if you are suitable for the
cabin crew role.
The recruiters will check if you have the right knowledge and
skills to be cabin crew and be watching you closely throughout the day.
Luckily, for the majority of airlines the cabin crew
tests are very similar (although they are all looking for something
slightly different…) so once you have attended a few, you can eventually
work out your own personal formula to get through each stage.
1# Reach Test – You must be able to reach up to a marker of 210/212 cm depending on the airline. This is to prove that you can reach the emergency equipment onboard the aircraft. You can stand on tip-toes (without shoes) and must be able to reach the marker with your fingertips. Tip – Mark a point on a wall at home and try to reach it (many people don’t even know they cannot reach it!) and if it is difficult, it is advisable to keep practising until you can. This is the first crucial stage of the assessment – fail this and you will go no further.
2# Maths Test – Some airlines do have basic Maths tests for you to complete. This will include questions related to the cabin crew role such as having a passenger count onboard and working out how many spare seats are left or working out how many trays are in a meal cart. You will also get a question on in-flight retail working out how much a passenger has spent and what change you should give him. You may also be asked to perform a currency exchange (the rate will be given and you may be allowed to use a calculator) for example, from Pounds to Euros.
3# English Test – For airlines in the Middle East, you will be asked to complete an English test – this is because English is the official language used on board in aviation (it is equivalent to ICAO level 4). You will read a passage, such as ‘A day in the life of cabin crew’ and then answer the questions that follow, to check your understanding. You may be asked to write a postcard or short essay about a subject e.g. ‘If I ruled the world’ or ‘Who is the person who inspires me most?’ You may also be asked some multiple choice questions to test your understanding of the meaning of words – you have to choose the word that has a similar meaning.
4# Alternative Language Test – If you are fluent in another language, you will be tested by speaking to a native language speaker who is also cabin crew to test your fluency and ability to communicate. You need to be able to read public announcements onboard in your alternate language and also deal with passenger issues onboard. A good guide to follow is in a medical emergency. Could you translate effectively between a sick passenger and the cabin crew?
5# General Knowledge Test - Some airlines like to test for things like countries, capitals and language spoken. More likely though, is that they will ask for airport codes, currencies and the phonetic alphabet. Destinations that the airline flies to and the airlines history are worth reading up on.
6# Psychometric Test – These are mostly performed pre-assessment day online and are a series of personality based questions and multiple choice answers. The key is to not think and answer the first thing that comes to your head. Time is very restricted too and you need to answer all questions.
7# Presentation – You may be asked to pick an item and describe its many alternative uses e.g. a water bottle. Think outside the box! It can store water or other items, used to collect condensation to drink water or cut in half and use to drink/eat out of, move soil or protect plants, send a message etc.
8# Group Discussion - You may be asked to discuss how to sell a destination that the airline flies to. You must decide as a group which key features should be used in an advertisement. E.g. Paris – suitable for honeymoons, short breaks and is a foodie capital. It is the city of love and lights and offers many famous landmarks both historic and cultural. Remember to try and use the airlines motto/ideal in the advertisement somewhere.
9# Group Task – An example of this would be that you are trapped as a group on a desert island. There is a life raft but only 6 people can go. You are each given a character and have to fight for your place on the life raft – who stays and who goes and why? The idea here is to work as a team, make decisions based on the facts and listen well. Do not be biased, force your opinion or overtake the task as this will be seen as a negative. It has to be about team work, communication and making decisions.
10# Role Play - This will be customer service focused. You may be the manager of a hotel and your guests have arrived but there is a problem with the booking and you don’t have enough rooms. Who do you give the rooms to and why? Another option maybe dealing with a difficult passenger onboard , played by the recruiter – this can be challenging, but keep your calm and be cool headed, polite and focused and you will be fine!
1# Reach Test – You must be able to reach up to a marker of 210/212 cm depending on the airline. This is to prove that you can reach the emergency equipment onboard the aircraft. You can stand on tip-toes (without shoes) and must be able to reach the marker with your fingertips. Tip – Mark a point on a wall at home and try to reach it (many people don’t even know they cannot reach it!) and if it is difficult, it is advisable to keep practising until you can. This is the first crucial stage of the assessment – fail this and you will go no further.
2# Maths Test – Some airlines do have basic Maths tests for you to complete. This will include questions related to the cabin crew role such as having a passenger count onboard and working out how many spare seats are left or working out how many trays are in a meal cart. You will also get a question on in-flight retail working out how much a passenger has spent and what change you should give him. You may also be asked to perform a currency exchange (the rate will be given and you may be allowed to use a calculator) for example, from Pounds to Euros.
3# English Test – For airlines in the Middle East, you will be asked to complete an English test – this is because English is the official language used on board in aviation (it is equivalent to ICAO level 4). You will read a passage, such as ‘A day in the life of cabin crew’ and then answer the questions that follow, to check your understanding. You may be asked to write a postcard or short essay about a subject e.g. ‘If I ruled the world’ or ‘Who is the person who inspires me most?’ You may also be asked some multiple choice questions to test your understanding of the meaning of words – you have to choose the word that has a similar meaning.
4# Alternative Language Test – If you are fluent in another language, you will be tested by speaking to a native language speaker who is also cabin crew to test your fluency and ability to communicate. You need to be able to read public announcements onboard in your alternate language and also deal with passenger issues onboard. A good guide to follow is in a medical emergency. Could you translate effectively between a sick passenger and the cabin crew?
5# General Knowledge Test - Some airlines like to test for things like countries, capitals and language spoken. More likely though, is that they will ask for airport codes, currencies and the phonetic alphabet. Destinations that the airline flies to and the airlines history are worth reading up on.
6# Psychometric Test – These are mostly performed pre-assessment day online and are a series of personality based questions and multiple choice answers. The key is to not think and answer the first thing that comes to your head. Time is very restricted too and you need to answer all questions.
7# Presentation – You may be asked to pick an item and describe its many alternative uses e.g. a water bottle. Think outside the box! It can store water or other items, used to collect condensation to drink water or cut in half and use to drink/eat out of, move soil or protect plants, send a message etc.
8# Group Discussion - You may be asked to discuss how to sell a destination that the airline flies to. You must decide as a group which key features should be used in an advertisement. E.g. Paris – suitable for honeymoons, short breaks and is a foodie capital. It is the city of love and lights and offers many famous landmarks both historic and cultural. Remember to try and use the airlines motto/ideal in the advertisement somewhere.
9# Group Task – An example of this would be that you are trapped as a group on a desert island. There is a life raft but only 6 people can go. You are each given a character and have to fight for your place on the life raft – who stays and who goes and why? The idea here is to work as a team, make decisions based on the facts and listen well. Do not be biased, force your opinion or overtake the task as this will be seen as a negative. It has to be about team work, communication and making decisions.
10# Role Play - This will be customer service focused. You may be the manager of a hotel and your guests have arrived but there is a problem with the booking and you don’t have enough rooms. Who do you give the rooms to and why? Another option maybe dealing with a difficult passenger onboard , played by the recruiter – this can be challenging, but keep your calm and be cool headed, polite and focused and you will be fine!