Practice for the NAV Canada Air Traffic Control Online Test [2026]
Last Updated: Mar 22nd, 2026
NAV Canada is the organisation responsible for operating air traffic control centres throughout Canada.
If you wish to become an ATC with NAV Canada, you will not only have to pass two challenging cognitive assessments, but you will have to score better than most other candidates in order to be shortlisted:
- The Online Assessment
- The In-Person Assessment (FEAST)
Let's talk about what you can expect from these assessments and how to come prepared.
Prep for NAV Canada Tests:
One Month's Access to:
- A diagnostic test to plan your practice
- 24 FEAST 1 practice tests
- Full-Length FEAST Simulation Test
- 3 study guides with exclusive tips
What Does the NAV Canada Recruitment Process Entail?
Working for NAV Canada is an attractive prospect for many who seek a stable and lucrative career in Canadian air traffic control. Becoming an employee, however, takes time and patience, as the organization requires going through a highly competitive selection process followed by a long training period.
NAV Canada is the Canadian Air Traffic Control service. Applying in the United States? Learn about the Air Traffic Skills Assessment.
On this page, we focus on the selection process and its two cognitive exams:
Stage 1- NAV Canada Online Assessment
The first is a 30-minute online test which includes four sections. Together, they assess cognitive abilities under a tight time limit.
This stage is also called the Online Assessment, as opposed to the next, in-person assessment. Its purpose is to shortlist applicants, avoiding the need to handle a massive volume of applicants traveling to take the in-person stage.
This means this section will be the most selective part of the process. It also means no unique ATC knowledge is required. Instead, you are measured for:
- Inductive Reasoning - This test measures your ability to identify patterns.
- Ability to Concentrate - examines your ability to remain concentrated, an essential element of your work as a future air traffic controller.
- Deductive reasoning - here you will play a game where you decide where a certain shape should be located within a matrix, based on the layout of other shapes.
- Spatial Orientation - you will be asked to direct a plane according to visual information; this is a brief simulation of a central ATC task.
Failing this stage means you will have to wait one year before reapplying.
Stage 2- Nav Canada FEAST Tests
This stage, ehich requires an entire day and is taken on-location at an ATC centre, involves two tests simulating specific abilities essential for air traffic controllers.:
ATC FEAST Part 1:
The FEAST I format is entirely different from the first stage and involves more challenging memory and multitasking games, as well as complex questions that require strong visual-spatial abilities.
In the part, you will likely spend most of the time in front of a computer. Questions in this section will test cognitive abilities expected of ATCs, such as memory, spatial reasoning, and attention. After you have completed this, you will move on to FEAST part 2- Air Traffic simulations.
ATC FEAST Part 2:
This section is primarily focused on what you will be required to do as an air traffic control personnel. Thus, you will be answering questions that focus on dynamic radar, multi-control, mathematical notions, and strip display management. This section of the test is considered difficult and most candidates will not pass.
Stage 3
If you have passed ATC stage 2, you are among the rare few who do! next, you'll be sent either a pre-recorded interview or an invitation for a phone interview. If you pass, you'll be invited to an in-person interview with the NAV CANADA training manager in their area of specialty.
If you are applying to the ATC position in Montreal, part of the assessment will be conducted in French. However, past ATC applicants have admitted that this section was not very difficult.
NAV Canada Stage 1 (Online Assessment) Practice
Most ATC (Air Traffic Control) applicants begin their journey by applying online. Once you complete the application, you will receive an email inviting you to participate in a NAV Canada online assessment, also given to maintenance technician applicants and pre-board screening officers. In most cases, the invitation is sent within a few days of the application.
The test includes four sections taken in your preferred order:
Inductive Reasoning
This challenging section assesses your ability to identify patterns.
⌛ You will have 6 minutes to complete as many questions as possible.
The task: In each question, you will be presented with matrices containing different symbols. First, determine which rule the two grids on the left follow, and then choose the two grids on the right that follow that rule.
Here is an example of inductive reasoning questions in the online ATC test:
Inductive Reasoning Sample
Choose the two grids that follow the rule.
Tip
The questions’ difficulty level increases throughout the test, and it will be more challenging to identify the governing rule, especially in a time limit of only 6 minutes.
Deductive Reasoning
This logic test assesses your ability to learn rules and apply them correctly.
⌛ You will have 6 minutes to complete as many questions as possible.
The task: An array of up to five different symbols will be presented to you, along with a question mark in the middle. You will be asked to replace the question mark with the symbol that fits in that cell so that each shape only appears once in each row and once in each column.
Here is an example of deductive reasoning questions in the online ATC test:
Deductive Reasoning Sample
What symbol should appear in place of the question mark?
The shape missing from the third row is the X- therefore, the answer is X.
Tip
Each symbol can appear only once in a row or a column. Thus, you have to pay extra attention to the location of every symbol and the number of times it spears in the grid.
4. Spatial Orientation
This challenging test section measures your orientation skills.
⌛ You will have 3 minutes to answer as many questions as possible.
The Task: You will be presented with an aircraft dashboard that has a gyrocompass showing the flight direction, and a radio compass showing the location of a non-directional beacon. Your task here is to determine the position and course of the aircraft (relative to the beacon).
*Source - JobTestPrep Nav Canada ATC practice test.
Because the RBI indicates where the beacon is relative to the flight direction, to identify the aircraft's direction relative to the beacon, you must mentally rotate the radar according to the flight direction (shown on the GYRO). In the example above, the aircraft is flying west and is also located in the west (relative to the beacon).
Tip
This task is extremely difficult to perform quickly and accurately. When you practice visualizing the presented information and getting as many correct responses as possible in a given time, you will be much more likely to succeed on the actual Nav Canada online test.
Ability to Concentrate
This ATC test is a variation of classic attention assessment, in which you are asked to click "correct" each time you see a specific image, and "incorrect" when you see a different image.
⌛ This test lasts for about 2 minutes, during which you have to remain highly concentrated and react quickly and accurately.
FEAST I Free Sample Test
The follwing questions simulate parts of the FEAST I exam:
Gauges Memorization - Part 1
Observe the following gauges, try to commit them to memory as best you can:
Got it? Great!
Scroll to the next question. We'll get back to this.
Cube Folding
This is a test of your 3D Visual-Spatial Ability. Observe the following flat cube:
Which of these diagrams represent the above cube after it has been folded?
If you rotate cube (C) 180 degrees clockwise so the purple facet is above the red facet, you can see that the green facet is to the left of the red facet, as it is on the unfolded cube.
Answer (A) is incorrect because the red and dark blue facets are on opposite sides and can’t touch.
Answer (B) is incorrect because the purple and light blue facets are on opposite sides and can’t touch.
Answer (D) is incorrect because in the unfolded cube when the red facet it above the light blue facet, the green facet is to the left of the red facet and not to its right like in cube (D).
TIP:
Every facet of the 3d cube will never touch its opposite facet. Once you imagine the cube folded, you can eliminate answers where two opposite facets seem adjacent.
On the real test, you are directed to fold the cube so that its facets are moving away from you. This form of folding is less intuitive for most people and can take some time to get used to. Practice greatly helps mentally rotate the cube in this direction and recognise its new form easily.
Conflicting Paths Sample Question
Determine whether there is a pair of triangles facing each other in a conflicting path.
Answer: B. No conflict
This may feel counterintuitive, as certain pairs of triangles do appear to be headed for collision:
However, the FEAST definition for conflicting paths is any two aircraft in a headed for a direct, head-on collision, like this:
So this test isn't meant to be an accurate depiction of what counts as a collision risk in the real world. Rather, it is a measure of your attention to detail. The trick is being able to identify a pair of triangles pointed directly at each other, inside a cluster of other triangles, and within a very limited amount of time.
TIP:
Even though this may look easy, on the actual test, you will have 5-7 seconds per question. Scanning the whole screen and making a decision within that time is no easy task. Practising these questions helps cut down the time it takes to scan and recognise whether there is a conflict.
This test measures your visual perception and ability to quickly recognise potential conflicts ahead, a crucial ability for Air Traffic Controllers. Note that the actual FEAST test design and procedure may differ slightly.
Spatial Orientation Sample Question
Here is a sample of a different type of question, in which you'll need to determine the location of a certain shape in relation to the presented character.
The character could be placed in different orientations, so you'll have to picture the shape as the character sees it.
Gauges Memorization - Part 2
Remember the first image on this page? Try to recall which of these images appeared in it:
TIP:
The challenge in this task is remembering its details. To do that fast enough, try to repeat the numbers the pointers point at. If the pointers point at a scale mark with no number on it, look at the closest number and try to memorise it.
Flight Strategy Test Sample Question
Look at thefollowing diagram:
In what order will the flights land?
Other FEAST Sections
Symbols Memorization
A similar memory test only with distracting math questions. You will be presented with 12 symbols you have to memorize. Then, you'll be given 15 simple math questions. After determining if the answer to each math drill is true or false, you'll be asked to recall the exact symbols presented beforehand.
Number Recall
This memorization task requires remembering auditory information. Specifically, you'll be asked to listen to an audio recording with a number embedded in a sentence. You will then be asked to select the correct number that you heard in the sentence out of four possible options. Sounds easy? this number can be as high as 9,000,000.
Several more test sections examine your ability to remain highly attentive, react fast, and split your attention between several tasks:
- Ball on the Wall (Multitasking)
- Reaction Speed
- Correlative Orientation
- Follow the Dot
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, passing all stages throughout the hiring process does not guarantee you make it to the ATC training program. All candidates who pass enter an applicant pool, from which top applicants are then selected to proceed to the training program.
Offers are sent out roughly 4 months in advance of the course start date; that is when you will be notified if you have been selected.
After passing the Stage 1 NAV Canada assessment test, you may need to wait several weeks or even months before being invited to the ATC assessment center, which has specific dates set by NAV Canada. These assessments are usually conducted one to two times a year.
For more cognitive assessment exams, check out our Free Wonderlic Test Practice.
Full, up-to-date information is available on the NAV Canada website.
However, as per their last update, a fully trained controller makes between $101,221 and $201,407 annually, while trainees make between $48,000 and $69,000.
