Toward the development of a new aptitude selection test battery for air traffic control specialists

In an effort to update and refine the selection battery for air traffic controllers, five experimental tests measuring aptitudes and skills considered important in air traffic work were administered to 1,828 newly selected air traffic control specialist (ATCS) trainess on their first day of training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. The five experimental tests and the five tests presently used by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for selecting ATCS trainess were employed in an iterative stepwise regression (stepdown procedure). The tests that made a significant contribution in predicting Academy scores were then used to form a composite and the old test battery and the new battery were compared. The new composite demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the multiple correlation over the old test battery. Use of the new test battery could result in a savings to the FAA in terms of Academy attrition due to failures. It could also aid in upgrading the quality of ATCS selectees and aid in minimizing error in air traffic control work.