Yes, I am alive. I know I haven’t posted anything in three years. There are many reasons behind this, but I will leave this for another time.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I got into this aviation thing back in 2015. Since then, I have taken it further and completed a commercial pilot’s license with multiple engine and instrument ratings and some other stuff. What does this all mean? I can now fly the big birds for money if an operator decides to hire me. But to the big question, how do you get an operator to hire you?
It is not a simple task; you have to submit countless applications and be prepared never to hear back from anyone. They say there is a pilot shortage, hmm…? If you are lucky, you might be called to an assessment. What? You don’t know what an assessment is? Don’t worry. I got you covered.
In the aviation industry, assessments are what job interviews are in any other field of work. But since pilots are rich (we are rich, right? somebody, please confirm?), assessments have to be complicated money and time-consuming processes. I was partially lucky and got called to an assessment for an operator called SunExpress. Spoiler alert: I didn’t get the job. I have nothing but good things to say about SunExpress. They are very professional in what they are doing and have high standards for their pilots. The reason I failed in my assessment is purely my own fault.
It basically works like this: You get a phone call, which is some kind of unofficial first interview. If they are happy with you after the phone call, you get invited to do an online ITEP English proficiency test. If you pass the ITEP test, you get invited to do some psychometric tests at SunExpress’s own premises. If you pass the psychometric tests, you get invited to do a simulator test-flight in a full-motion Boeing 737-800 simulator. The simulator was a lot of fun to fly, but this is as far as I got. If you pass the simulator test, you get invited to a formal interview, and if you pass the interview, you get the job! Phew…
So what are the psychometric tests? They are the Mollymawk psychometric tests, also used by other operators like CargoLux and Pegasus Airlines. They are split into two categories: skill tests and aptitude tests. The skill tests test your knowledge in math, science, and English. Those were the easy ones for me. The aptitude tests test your memory, orientation skills, and ability to multitask, divided into three computer “games” named “Working Memory” “Spatial Orientation” and “Time Sharing”.
To do the Mollymawk tests, you have to purchase two packages: skill and aptitude tests. Each package costs 150€, and if you fail one subject or game in one package, you have to re-purchase the whole package to do the failed test again. The first time I did the Mollymawk tests, I passed the skill tests but failed the aptitude tests. Thus I had to re-purchase the aptitudes package to do the tests a second time. Luckily the second time, I passed. You only get one second chance. In total, I spent 450€, not counting travel expenses, as a part of what essentially is a job interview for a job that I didn’t get.
I felt that more practice would give me a better chance to pass the aptitude tests on the first go. The aptitude tests are essentially a form of primitive computer games. When you purchase the aptitudes package, they give you 10 practice runs in each game you can play at home. They argue that the learning curve is logarithmic and that after 10 practice runs, you have asymptotically reached your optimum ability in playing the games, but I doubt that. As anyone knows, practice makes perfect. So I decided to code my own version of the games and help other pilots truly reach the optimum before doing the final tests.
I have created a Mollymawk test practice website, where I have implemented my own version of the Mollymawk games. A user can register an account and purchase one of the three time-limited packages for playing the games. The games may be played unlimited times!
I have also implemented an interface for the users to track their progress as they are getting better:
Why do I ask for money and not put it out for free if I truly care about the other pilots? Somehow, I have to make back the money I lost during my earlier “job interviews”. After-all, pilots are rich. We rich guys, right? Do we have no problems paying 19€ instead of 150€ for doing the tests a second time?
Anyhow, if you are a pilot and in need of my services, I truly hope I helped and wish you the best of luck!
And remember, when in doubt, go around! (preferably above 1000 feet GND in IMC, unlike me).