APTITUDE SCREENING OF AIR TRAFFIC CON-

This study concerns the development and experimental valida-tion of a novel aptitude test, referred to as "Directional Headings " (or DHT), for the selection of Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) trainees. The test requires the subject to rapidly interpret letters, symbols, and degrees in order to determine: directional headings (Part I), the exact opposites of headings (Part II), and opposites of headings under con-ditions of aural distraction (Part III). The DHT was ad-ministered on an experimental basis to several hundred men as they entered basic ATCS training at the FAA Academy. The vast majority of the subjects had been selected for train-ing on the basis of competitive ratings from among candidates who met exceptionally high qualifying standards in terms of operational aptitude test screening scores and/or evaluations of pre-FAA experience. Despite these pre-screening effects