The FAA’s Hiring Scandal

For those curious, you can try the FAA's air traffic controller test for yourself here: https://kaisoapbox.com/projects/faa_biographical_assessment/

After trying it, I recommend reading the article for yourself.

Wow, how can anyone take that test and defend FAA hiring practices. This is dystopia level nonsense

Unfortunately this dystopia level nonsense has infected a lot lately and I'm glad it's finally getting some sunshine applied to it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

How can an agency administer that travesty of a test? Heads should be rolling over this.

It turns out you can’t be an ATC unless your worst subject is science. It’s the only question which awards points.

NB they still administered a cognitive test to candidates that passed (blegh) the biographical assessment

I think you misread something, because that's not true.

This is not the FAA's air traffic controller test. This is the biographical assessment. The air traffic controller test is called the ATSA (formerly AT-SAT) for Air Traffic Skills Assessment (Test).

This gives examples of the test format and questions:

https://pointsixtyfive.com/xenforo/threads/atsa-compilation....

"It's the only answer for that question which provides points*" Is what I meant.

https://i.imgur.com/2hRa1eQ.png

I learned about the opportunity to apply for an Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) job through:

A. A PUBLIC NOTICE OR MEDIA ADVERTISEMENT +5 B. A FRIEND OR RELATIVE 0 C. COLLEGE RECRUITMENT +3 D. WORKING IN SOME OTHER CAPACITY FOR THE AGENCY +3 E. SOME OTHER WAY 0

Wow … I get points for this. No surprise, that this is going south. I m shocked.

Insufficient information to say whether this is literally true, but if you don't answer "science" you lose 15 points, which is at least a very serious blow to your chances of passing.

It's the first question that provides points, not the only one.

It clearly states that if you choose anything other than science for that question, you get zero points. It's literally in the quiz and captured in a screen shot. How is this controversial or confusing at all?

Yes. You get 0 points for that one question. There are 27 other questions which you can get points from.

https://imgur.com/a/Zh8uS88

After lowering the standards so that 95% of people who took the test would pass.

Congress stopped it 9 years ago.

They lowered the threshold from 60% pass rate to 95% but then highly prioritized hiring the people who scored at the same 60% pass rate level (88% of offers from that level).

Congress stopped it 9 years ago

they scheduled the trial for 2026. Congress hasn't stopped or done anything since.