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

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute1990PDFTech ReportSchroeder, David J.Dollar, Carolyn S.Nye, Lendell G.Civil Aeromedical InstituteUnited States. Office of Aviation MedicineCivil Aerospace Medical InstituteUnited StatesAir traffic controllersTrainingAptitude testsAbility testsSelection and appointmentValidityRegression analysisCorrelation analysisDescriptive statisticsAir traffic controllers--Training ofAir traffic controllers--Selection and appointmentAbility--Testing--ValidityRegression analysisCorrelation (Statistics)StatisticsDOT/FAA/AM-90/8This study was designed to determine the relationships among experimental tests, the tests currently used to select entrants into the FAA's 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 Aerospace Medical Institute and subsequently modified for this study, and the Dial Reading Test (DRT) was administered to 1,255 students who entered in 1987. Scores on the current selection measures, the Multiplex Controller Aptitude Test (MCAT) and Abstract Reasoning Test (ART), 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. DRT, and MCAT scores with Academy success remained relatively unchanged. Results suggest that there are other test measures which, when combined with the MCAT, would be better predictors than the existing battery of selection tests.119