NATS runs UK air-traffic-control selection, and its Stage One online tests are the tightest funnel in the process — prep-industry sources put progression past Stage One in the 5–10% range. Aon (cut-e) is the confirmed test provider. Here is the reported battery, module by module, with an honest note on which parts we simulate today and which we don't yet.
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OPEN THE NATS (UK) TRAINEROur battery list comes primarily from one detailed vendor source (JobTestPrep UK), with Aon confirmed as provider — a weaker evidence base than NAV CANADA's converging reports, and we label it accordingly. The reported set spans nine short tests: deductive grid logic, an inductive rule test, monitoring, concentration, comparison/reaction, spatial modules, plus a working-memory game (gridChallenge), motionChallenge, and a language test (scales lt).
We simulate six of the nine reported tests. The three we don't — gridChallenge's working-memory game, motionChallenge, and the language test — are listed on the preset inside the trainer too, so you always know what to prepare elsewhere. For gridChallenge, Aon's own official practice (linked from your invitation email) is the best available preparation.
Every test is short (two to six minutes), individually timed, and speed-scored — the format punishes people who treat it like a school exam and read every item twice. The skill that transfers across the whole battery is pacing under penalty scoring: knowing your own accuracy well enough to answer, skip, or slow down deliberately. That is a trainable skill, and it's the one our timed drills target directly.
| module (simulated) | what it tests | reported timing | fidelity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deductive grid logic (scales lst / gapChallenge) | Latin-square deduction — which symbol belongs in the ? cell | 6 min | matches published spec |
| Monitoring (scales cmo-style) | Counting target dots in a scattered field, fast | 3 min | reconstructed |
| Inductive grid-rule (cls-style) | Spotting the hidden rule that sorts example grids into two groups, then classifying a new grid | 6 min | reconstructed |
| Spatial orientation (scales ndb-style) | Reading a gyro heading + relative-bearing needle and answering compass directions | 3 min | reconstructed |
| Concentration (scales e3+-style) | Rapid yes/no decisions — is it an E with exactly three dots? | 2 min | matches published spec |
| Comparison / reaction (scales rt-style) | Are two patterns identical? — sustained speed with penalty scoring | 3 min | reconstructed |
"Matches published spec" = the module follows the test publisher's own public task description. "Reconstructed" = built from converging third-party descriptions; format may differ in detail. Deep-dives on how every module works live on the module guide.
From the reported battery, these parts are not in our trainer today:
For those, use the official Aon practice items linked from your test invitation — they exist for exactly this purpose, and no third-party imitation (ours included) substitutes for them.
Employers change vendors and battery composition without notice. Treat every battery list on the internet — ours included — as a best-available reconstruction, and always do the official practice items your test invitation links.
Reported (single detailed vendor; Aon confirmed as provider): deductive grid logic, inductive rule discovery, monitoring, concentration, comparison/reaction, spatial orientation, a working-memory game (gridChallenge), motionChallenge, and a language test. We simulate six of the nine and say so plainly.
NATS doesn’t publish it. Prep-industry sources commonly cite 5–10% progressing past Stage One. Treat that as an order-of-magnitude signal — the funnel is tight — rather than a precise statistic.
Yes — Aon (which acquired cut-e) is the confirmed provider for NATS online testing. Module naming in candidate reports matches Aon’s scales/smartPredict families.
NATS policy on reapplication changes; check the current careers site rather than forums. What you control is not needing a retake — Stage One rewards preparation more than any later stage.
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