NATS vs FEAST vs ATSA vs NAV CANADA: how ATC selection compares
A side-by-side comparison of the four main air traffic controller selection routes — what each process contains, how long it takes, how they overlap, and how much preparation carries across.
If you are applying in more than one country — and many candidates do — the first useful question is how much of your preparation carries across. The answer is: more than you would expect, because two of these four are the same test.
The processes at a glance
| NATS (UK) | FEAST (Europe) | FAA (US) | NAV CANADA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stages | Four | Modular, set by the provider | Bid, ATSA, offer, Academy | Online, in-person, centre, language |
| First screen | 11 online ability tests | Set by provider | ATSA after referral | 30-minute online assessment |
| Main aptitude sitting | Stage 1, online | FEAST I, 2.5–4 hours | ATSA, ~3.5 hours | In-person day, ~6 hours |
| Work sample | Stage 4 practical exercise | FEAST II (RADAR / MULTI-PASS) | Built into the ATSA simulation | Within the FEAST day |
| Personality instrument | Not published | FEAST III (FPQ) | Scored biographical questionnaire | Not published |
| Interview | Stage 3 assessment centre | Set by provider | Not part of the ATSA | Same-day screen, then centre |
| Age limit | 18 or over, no upper limit published | Set by provider | Under 31 | 18 or over |
The big overlap: NATS and NAV CANADA both use FEAST
NAV CANADA’s in-person day is EUROCONTROL’s FEAST exam. NATS uses FEAST as part of its own process too. Around 50 organisations across 40 countries use it, including DFS in Germany, skyguide in Switzerland, ENAV in Italy and the IAA in Ireland.
The practical consequence is large: preparing properly for FEAST prepares you for a Canadian application, a UK application and most of continental Europe at the same time. If you are applying broadly, FEAST is where preparation time compounds.
The odd one out: the FAA
The ATSA is its own instrument and does not share content with FEAST. The abilities beneath it are the same — working memory, spatial orientation, multitasking, deduction — so ability training transfers even though the formats do not.
What does not transfer is the eligibility. The FAA’s under-31 age limit has no equivalent in the UK or Canada, and it is measured against entry to the Academy rather than the application date. If the US is on your list, its timing constrains everything else.
How they differ in what they publish
| Provider | Publishes | Does not publish |
|---|---|---|
| NATS | Stage structure, ability areas, entry requirements | Test names, timings, item counts, pass marks |
| EUROCONTROL | Module structure, durations, break policy, free official practice | Item bank, scoring, each provider’s cut score |
| FAA | Eligibility rules, hiring mechanics, score-band logic | Subtest specification, scoring model, band boundaries |
| NAV CANADA | Process, stage durations, reapplication waits, training length and pay | Any test content or section detail |
EUROCONTROL is the most open about test structure, and is the only one of the four running a free official practice platform. NAV CANADA is the most open about the process and what the job pays. NATS and the FAA publish the least about content.
Cost of failure: the reapplication rules
Worth knowing before you sit anything. NAV CANADA publishes waits of one year after the online assessment, two after the in-person test and three after the assessment centre. EUROCONTROL advises sitting FEAST only once, and notes that re-sitting after a failure may carry a higher probability of failing later training.
For the FAA, the binding constraint is not a waiting period but the age limit — every cycle you spend not being selected is a cycle closer to ineligibility.
The common thread: none of these is a test you should sit to see how it goes. Every one of them has a real cost attached to a first failure.
What to train if you are applying to more than one
- Working memory under interference — holding values while something else demands attention. Every one of the four tests it.
- Spatial orientation — reading a heading and transforming a viewpoint. Tested by all four.
- Multi-tasking with a scored secondary task — the trait every work sample is built around.
- Deduction from stated rules — grid puzzles in Europe and Canada, verbal and arrangement reasoning in the US.
- Speeded accuracy — all four are speeded, and careful-but-slow scores badly everywhere.
- English listening — explicitly assessed by NATS and by FEAST’s ELICIT, and useful everywhere else.
Try a real item
Written to the same standard as the live tests — same format, same difficulty, and where it matters, the same trap that catches people in the real thing. Pick an answer to see the reasoning.
Spatial Orientation — Bearings
Read the two instruments, then place yourself relative to the beacon. This is the item type that separates candidates more than any other in the spatial group.
Your heading indicator reads 270°. The bearing needle points 45° to the right of your nose. Where are you in relation to the beacon?
Rule Classification
EUROCONTROL's rule classification exercise. A rule decides which of two groups an object belongs to — and the rule changes without being announced.
The current rule sorts by SHAPE, not colour. A red triangle, a blue triangle and a red circle have already been sorted: both triangles went left, the circle went right. A blue circle now appears. Where does it go?
Numbers & Differences
The ATSA opens with a memory task dressed up as arithmetic. You report the difference between the number in front of you and the one before it — while the next one is already on screen.
You have seen, in order: 14, then 9, then 17. The number now showing is 17, and you are asked for the difference from the previous number. What do you answer?
Logical Reasoning — Grid Rules
Two example grids are linked by a hidden rule — the grid is rotated and each symbol swapped for another. You work out the rule, then pick the two grids from four that are linked by the SAME rule.
Rule-finding under time pressure is what logical thinking means in these batteries. It is visual rather than verbal, which is why it is shown rather than written out here — a static description of a grid transformation is not a sample of it.
Try itPractise what this guide covers
These are live now. Reading about a timed test is not the same as sitting one.
Common questions
Is the NATS test the same as FEAST?
NATS uses FEAST as part of its process, but the whole NATS Stage 1 should not simply be described as FEAST — NATS does not publish which individual tests it uses.
Does NAV CANADA use the same test as NATS?
Both use EUROCONTROL’s FEAST. NAV CANADA’s in-person day is FEAST, so preparation for one carries substantially across to the other.
Is the ATSA the same as FEAST?
No. They are separate instruments with different formats. The underlying abilities overlap heavily, so ability training transfers even though the test formats do not.
Which ATC selection process is hardest?
None publishes pass rates, so any ranking is guesswork. The more useful comparison is cost of failure: NAV CANADA publishes reapplication waits of one to three years, and the FAA’s under-31 age limit means delay itself can end eligibility.
Can I apply to more than one country?
Yes, and many candidates do. Because NATS, NAV CANADA and around 50 European providers all use FEAST, preparation compounds across applications.
Drill one ability at a time
Each of these collects every test for one ability, with a worked example — useful once you know which part is letting you down.
Keep reading
Last updated 2026-09-10. ATC Ready is an independent practice tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or associated with NATS Holdings, EUROCONTROL, the Federal Aviation Administration, NAV CANADA or any other air navigation service provider or testing authority. Always confirm current details on the provider's own recruitment pages.