Applicant FAQ

“The interview process was like what everyone has said in previous write-ups. Everyone, there was very friendly and were rooting for you to succeed. The first day involved drug testing, cog, psych, and job knowledge tests. I felt that the first two tests weren’t too bad but the job knowledge test was a beast. Everyone walked out feeling as though they had failed. I did a lot of studies preparing for the test, including RST, and I felt as though most of what I studied wasn’t on the test. However, apparently I prepped well enough as I got invited back for day two of the interview. I was in the morning go and was done on the first day around 1300. I got the call letting me know I had made it to day two just after 1515. Day two was more challenging I felt. We showed and were briefed on the day’s events and fingerprinted. We turned in our paperwork and the panel interviews and SBIs started immediately. I’m glad I did the ECIC as I felt more prepared than I otherwise would have. Their interviews were definitely the toughest ones I’d had thus far in my job search. I don’t feel like I rocked them but I felt like I did OK. I definitely recommend taking full advantage of the ECIC seminars as they will get you prepared well. They provided us with lunch and we were done by 1300. There were only 9 people in my group so it might take longer if there are more of you. I received an email notification letting me know I had passed day 2 two days later and an official CJO and class date about a week after that. All in all, it was a challenging interview process but everyone there was great and extremely friendly. They really do want you to join their team. If you get the invite just remember they already want you…. you just have to not prove them wrong during the interview process and show that you are a good fit in the company. Overall 8/9 people in my interview class were hired.”

“Your site does provide good study material and the study guides, practice tests, and other info you provide is very good. I think it is bullshit that companies are using these Cog and Hogan style tests to determine who gets hired. I have no issue with job knowledge items, but getting into a sim to see pilots skills is what is needed.”

“Great experience”

“Very positive and straightforward experience”

“The selection process and interview experience that I was briefly privy to were outstanding.”

“Awesome experience”

“Great company! I look forward to another chance to interview. Hopefully, I’ll be less anxious and that will help things go smoother.”

“FedEx contacted me and asked me to update my application.”

“Just resubmitted my app when I got an email from FedEx asking me to resubmit for a new job opening.”

“Having someone walk it in, my experience, and flight time.”

“internal rec”

“WOmen in Aviation, networking.”

“FedEx seems to have lowered “preferred” minimums to 500TPIC instead of 1000, though it still isn’t officially published.”

“Referral”

“Just kept my job application updated”

“Updated religiously at least once a week”

“I did get a professional endorsement but not sure if that did anything or not”

“Fortunate to received a Pilot Endorsement as FedEx changed it’s hiring process”

More practice seminars going over HR portion.

No – I got the outcome I wanted

More practice time with my wife.

Spend more time on preparing, more Cog practice testing

Prepare for COG more

No, mainly because I don’t know why I was turned down.

Day 1 worked out well. I was totally prepared. DAY 2 however is harder to judge. I felt pretty decent about it, but I didn’t get the job. Not really sure what they didn’t like. They’re excellent poker players.

Gone with a different interview prep company besides EC

More time to prep.

Only thing I would’ve done differently was picked a later interview date so I would have more time to study.

Ignore the advice from others on the psych test and just be honest. The RST prep was great for everything else on day 1.

Sleep. And I would put equal prep focus on day 1 (cog, technical, and personality) as day 2 (HR and SBI).

More cog practice

I think at the beginning it would be beneficial to be on the phone with an RST rep and really talk about a game plan and what to focus on. The 15 day checklist is ok but didn’t feel it was very easy to flow and seemed like a lot of good information and study material was on other tabs that wasn’t mentioned on the checklist.

Prepared myself better mentally for the HR panel.

Been prepped for a more hostile environment during the panel interview.

Yes, read the manuals more in depth, instead of breezing through. Manual are lengthy and extremely boring to read because you feel you have the basic knowledge already.

More cog prep. I truly believe this is what took me out of the running for FedEx.

More SBI prep sessions. Also, it is possible to prep for the personality inventory. Look up MMPI and the ways a respondent can trigger invalid results by presenting a “false good.” Their test is not the same as MMPI, but I’m confident they’re flushing out who tends to lie about his / her disposition. Be honest. Everyone gets angry in traffic from time to time. We’re human, and they want pilots who are comfortable and confident enough to admit it.

Deeper knowledge of theory. 6000 questions are impossible to know them all.

Nothing that would be possible to know prior to interview.

Focus more on HR/SBI than JKT.

Just simply more time but I was going through indoc at another company and type rating training so it was pretty hectic and time limited.

I think 2 months of studying would have been better.

Studied the Job Knowledge more, although I passed so I guess I studied enough. I just felt like I failed.

no, my prep was adequate.

I felt prepared. I should have chair flown more SBI’s to practice my demeanor and decisiveness and just get used to the clock and the stress. Overall though, between RST  and spending 3-5 hours a day for 3-4 weeks, you’ll be more than ready, even if you feel like you aren’t. Most importantly, be yourself. I get the feeling that these people do this so much, they’ll see a B-S’er a mile away. Be yourself. Oh yeah, and be yourself.

Focused more on the SBI. Had friends do ‘mock’ SBI’s on me.

Pass the test

Not sure. I have no idea what part of the testing hurt my score. No feedback.

Get as much SBI practice as you can.

I wish I had known to do the ground schools and work mtg earlier. I didn’t feel ready for some of the formula questions.

I would of loved to of read Everything Explained For the Professional Pilot 2x. And I would liked to of had a better HR Question base.

Get even more in depth with some of the topics.

I wish I have heard of RST sooner I felt I could have used more time going through the 15 day checklist and math trainer. I would have also read through completely the Ace the pilot Technical interview text. There were a few similar questions on the JKT.

I took many psych tests in the military without issues and as such did not put any weight towards this portion of the examination process.

No. I consumed every bit of info both written in books and on the internet and RST. I was maxed out about three days before the interview where I could not consume anymore.

SBI gouge and HR gouge prep

I should have actually practiced the SBI with someone.

Focus a lot less on the knowledge test and spend more time working on HR. Specifically, I wish I could have been able to sell myself better, and been more comfortable in the room, which would have allowed me to give more relaxed answers and not be so robotic (my best guess is that had something to do with me not getting the CJO).

Started prep earlier. I did it 4 weeks prior and wish I’d started earlier by at least a few weeks. It just made for a busy 4 weeks!

You will never feel 100% ready. Just study a bit everyday, and actively do things to de-stress leading up to the big day.

Not studied so much for jkt. Maybe practiced a fake sbi but doubt it would have helped. It is intense when the clock starts.

The information on RST was overwhelming but if you stick to the checklist you’ll be fine. Just take it day-by-day.

Study tech before you get invite to interview … otherwise you are already way behind.

I wish I would have done a few more SBI practices

Understanding how threatening the psych test actually was. I heard of failures on the Podcasts and through other forums, but kinda dismissed them as flukes. As a result I lost a job with

in the with assumption that I could just answer questions “normally”, stay consistent, stay away from extremes. I over thought many questions and should have practiced, or worked on maintaining a certain persona during the evaluation.

Worked on my logbooks more. They covered over 30 years of flying and the early stuff was messy.

More time, should have started this prep a long time ago

I also wish I had written a response to one HR question per day for the four weeks. Know your intro questions cold. And know why FedEx.

Started earlier, focused more on flashcards rather than practice tests.

It might have been nice to do an in-person prep vs online, but I felt prepared. I doubt the result would have been different.

Get more rest. I slept three hours the night before.

RST does a great job getting you ready.

More HR prep

More time!

Studied a little more each week before the invite arrived. I had done all the readings and 15 day program before, but hadn’t looked at anything since the holidays arrived.

Applied to FedEx earlier!

No, RST prepared me really well.

If I could do it over again, I skimped out on reading Ride Reports which meant I was studying some HR B.S. that wasn’t asked in the interview. You’re talking to two pilots (one might be a company guy) so that changes the dynamic a bit.

I would have done a better job debriefing the sbi.

Perhaps if I had a couple of months to prepare and less flying to distract me from studying.

I would have don’t emerald coast earlier.

Start the tech prep sooner rather than later. That 15-day program takes way more than 15 days, especially if you can’t dedicate the majority of your day to studying

Wish I would have commenced RST sooner than 30 days prior to interview. Especially RST requires longer than 15 days.

No. But I will add to know about the company you are interviewing for. Who’s the CEO? What’s the companies story? FeEx is huge on caring for others and mentorship. Know domicile and aircraft info. Read about charity work, goals and community outreach. There is a copy of FedEx fatigue risk mitigation plan online. Read it and understand what they are talking about.

NO! In fact, the weekend prior was a big relief. I had got all the gouge I needed and knew it was time to relax, watch the Superbowl and get a good lift in at the hotel.

I wish I would have more thoroughly studied the 15-day study plan in prep for the JKT.

I wish I had started studying earlier for the job knowledge test. There is a lot of material to get through.
I wish I had given more attention to the WWYD type scenarios.

I wish the “Ground School” had been available but the 15 day sessions worked well.

Don’t take the SBI lightly. I didn’t, but turned out to be my achilles.

I wish I had spent less time on the cog and gouge questions, and more time reading systems. I also will prepare more on AIM and instrument flying regs.

Study more RST earlier. Use a prep service for HR and SBI

Nope. Very grateful for RST. Calmed my COG/Tech fears going into the interview.

Stay away from personality/psych test gouge.

I studied 2-4 his every day, but I still felt like I could’ve done more. I felt good when I finished my tests, all because of RST’s program!

I was never going to feel prepared enough. So maybe study some more?

Nothing, I felt prepared and thought it went well.

You can never study enough for Day 1 and you can never prepare enough for the panel questions. Sit down with your spouse and practice! Their honest feedback will very much help, plus you will see how hard it is to answer some of these in real time.

No. I felt confident going into the testing and interviews.

Review more WWYD scenarios.

Nothing specific. I started casually studying several months before the invites, and am really glad that I did not try to cram all at once…both on the JKT and the HR portions.

Expanded my studies of some more jet engine concepts.
Worked harder on some of the potential HR questions.

I would have spent even more time studying technical materials.

Obviously more COG training.

As always, I could’ve studied more for the JKT. I had to guess on a quite a few questions, and without being able to narrow it down to two options. You can’t overstudy for the JKT!

I think being good at math would have helped me to use my study time for effectively. I spent a lot of time learning math, and not enough in the other areas.

I wish I would have worried less about the math. Although RST has some info that I used on the test, it was more aero and engine heavy than anything.

Only had a week & a half to study, but crammed & got the nod. So longer study time.

I wish I had an attack plan on the JKT area.

Wish I had started to prepare a little sooner. The test prep that FedEx gives you on pilot credentials is a really good outline to start with. I didn’t realize this until about a week prior to the interview.

Start studying on Aerodynamics and Jet Engines… and know these two sections cold! 70-80% of the FedEx JKT will be from the concepts of these topics. Once you have these two areas down, venture into the other areas. I only had 1 or 2 weather questions.

I wish I would have focused and practiced more earlier on for the HR portion of the interview.

Interview questions seemed to be organized by subject. So instead of looking at an interview MQF as a long list of questions, search for general subjects and group the questions by subject. Then develop a story for that subject. If you look, you’ll easily see groups of questions with subjects like, “CRM gone good, “CRM gone bad,” “Things you would never admit in public,” etc.

Not really other than study more. The hardest part of the interview process was the SBI, followed by the job knowledge test.

I should have been better prepared to handle things that happened “outside the box” , in other words, I should have gotten more information before returning to the test center after a full day, without lunch, and being in the high stress state I was in. In hindsight I should have gotten more information as to why exactly I needed to go back and ultimately I should have simply delayed or rescheduled the test.

RST was great prep. I should have spent more time practicing interview questions with ECIC.

Excellent product you guys have. I felt I was more than prepared for the tests! I have not gotten a CJO yet but I did receive word that I passed the interview process.

All the questions asked of me were negative in nature. Tell me about failures, unprofessional pilots, or non-communication. I tried to turn some of these around into positive story’s or learning moments but they didn’t seem to like that.

I studied harder than I’ve ever studied in my life. 8-10 hours a day for a month prior.

I spent approx 200 hours studying for day 1. I felt prepared, but it was still extremely difficult.

Phase 1 of the purple runway was solely COG test and Neo test

Definitely study as much as you can.

I was booted after day 1, pretty sure it was a psych test failure. I stuck closely to the advice I got for it, which was to avoid ‘neutrals’ and the extremes (‘stronglys’). I think that was a mistake (at least for fedex it was). Most other candidates in my group did not do that, and they passed. If I could do it again I would just be completely honest and not try to game it. That would be much better advice.

Don’t beat yourself up during day one testing. You probably did better than you thought.

DO NOT rely on the RST test bank of questions to get you through the test. Only 5 or so questions were close enough on actual test. The knowledge test required more reading.

The rst platform was very helpful for review of subject matter, and refresher on concepts! None of the questions matched those on RST’s site, but I would’ve struggled without the refresher from rst. I used it extensively to prepare and pass the knowledge test.

On Day 2 of the interview FedEx warns people not to share specifics of our experience on trip reports to protect their process. Do EC, RST, and remember to be humble and honest and they’ll respond well to that. They don’t want perfection, they want humans who are humble enough to admit their all-too-human tendencies and show an enthusiasm to continue developing professionally. Also, stay at one of the hotels they recommend….let the shuttle driver do all the navigating. You have bigger things to think about than whether you’re in the correct parking lot.

I don’t know if passing or failing the test decides. Everyone struggled on it. Not sure it is weighted properly.

Do an app review, pay for the service. I used “the usual” with the slight discount through emerald coast and found a massive amount of errors and conceptually wrong things. (Yes, this was after the bro-level review from friends already at the airline. Do it.)

Be candid and open. The more I spoke and gave them what I knew they wanted to hear, the less they had to try to pull the information out.

Between RST and Emerald coast I was more than ready

RST follows the test outline provided by FedEx. So long as one has a solid understanding of the concepts, the test should not be an issue.

They feed you lunch on a day 2!

For the JKT, there is an overwhelming and daunting amount of information to cover. It will be IMPOSSIBLE to cover everything and be 100% on this thing. Understanding this will relieve some stress. If you genuinely do the ground school and practice tests and look up the info you don’t know and get a grip on the concepts, you will pass. Most of the stuff I read before I took this test scared me but when I think about, the questions you read on here are the ones that stick in peoples minds because those were the more challenging ones. There are a lot of Gimme questions on the thing too like what is AOA. What is EGT? What is specific range of the airplane etc. Do RST, get the concepts and you will succeed.

I was lucky. In my current job I’m on reserve and from the time I got the interview notice I started preparing with RST, than two weeks out I did emerald coast. I was able to practice hours and hours per day for 30 days straight. For me this time was invaluable. My only suggestion is practice practice practice until you have the info down pat. Also, know the history of the company, Fred Smith’s story, etc.

Don’t wear a suit, tie, or jacket to day one. Amy will make you take it off anyway, saying, “Why take a stressful test with a noose around your neck?” LOL. They really do mean business casual – khakis and a golf shirt or dress shirt without a tie. Bring the suit for day two.

Disappointed that applicants take time from work to travel to an airline’s base and not even given the opportunity to get into suit and interview.

I have read a few ride-reports and have noticed what I considered whining about how the FedEx process is. From my view the FedEx process is fair, they want to hire you and YES it is tough. You place the stress upon yourself and they want to see what you are made of. If you want to go with the company that kisses your butt then go that way. FedEx is tough for a reason, its not easy and the stress of waiting sucks but hey in the end it is worth it.

Everyone who you come in contact with these two days is analyzing you. They have a vested interest in this company and want you to succeed. April is awesome and so is Kim. Take the time to understand that common courtesy’s such as Ma’am, Sir, Standing, Shaking hands, saying hi is very important. The Purple statement is very well if not a part of them, make it a part of you. This company is solid and it is a coveted position. As I alluded to earlier if you are going to whine about the interview process, go ahead but their is a reason why you are whining and don’t go with FedEx. I hope that you aren’t dealing with passengers because that is worse than putting up with some browbeating from people who want to hire you.

DO NOT can your answers. The hiring group here wants to get to know you and could make your panel quite uncomfortable if you don’t give them legit answers(which I’m guessing they can spot by your body language before you open your pie hole). Make your answers personal and specific to YOU and how they help showcase why you would be valuable to sit next to when faced with a safety/operational/personnel issue. Also, could they see themselves sitting next to you for a month.

Listen to every. single. word. when they are briefing you and try to enjoy the process. It is an amazing place with amazing people.

Be prepared for the SBI!

The stress is always going to be there but the whole process was fun. Enjoy the opportunity and seeing the massive

The evening prior: PUT DOWN THE BOOKS AND RELAX! Get a good night’s rest. I followed that advice and passed the JKT/COG with confidence. Curiously, the night before my SBI and Panel interview was *completely* sleepless and two other guys couldn’t get any sleep either. Who would have thought. In any case, accept that you’re going to have at least some anxiety and nerves (I even admitted to it in the Panel interview, because “THIS is where I want to come, I have so much riding on this, so I had to make sure that I didn’t screw this up”). Two espresso shots and I was good.

I would recommend in addition to RST, review the text Ace the Pilot Technical interview. Bottom line the 15 day checklist is just a title you will need at least a month or two to really be comfortable going through the testing. Start now if you don’t have an interview date yet.

Very good training website. I always appreciate when I feel like the person I am paying cares about my success. That is very apparent.

Read the Directions carefully and take your time during the Cog Test

Fedex requires all pilots to have US passport. I was in the process of getting my US citizenship so My interview got postponed for 6 months until I obtain a US passport.

Get enough sleep and, if you can, bring snacks and food. I was under nourished for those two days simply because of the lack of food choices around the hotel and at the interview.

Wear short sleeves day 1. Amy asked us why we were wearing long. She is really fun and laid back. Dress to impress on day 2. I wore some subtle purple.

The gouge on using the debrief after the SBI to correct mistakes during the SBI was spot on. I felt as though I screwed up the SBI as soon as the clock expired! However, I sucked it up, smiled, and let them walk out of the room before I started kicking myself in the butt. I did that for about 5 seconds then got to work thinking of how I could have done better. I thought of things and better ways to accomplish various elements. When they came back in they had their poker faces on and I went into cracking jokes about how I could have been better or clearer with my communication. Even with the jokes they were still stoic but I stuck to my guns and kept to the confidence, smile, and eye contact. Even in debrief they tried to get me to change my choice. I stuck to my decision while remaining professional and courteous to their inputs and “recommendations.”

Amy mentioned getting new COG tests soon FYI

I thought RST did a great job to prepare me for the first day of tests.

Anyone coming from smaller aircraft I would suggest spending more time on some larger aircraft systems and the videos in the engineering section more than repeating the aerodynamics so much. BUT some of the guys in my group did have more of a focus on Aero so who knows.

I was told by my friends at FedEx to sign up for RST and use ECIC. I did that. I don’t know if I would have been prepared at all to go through this process without using the services of RST and ECIC. If you study and follow the RST ground school and use the test banks as well as the COG trainer you are setting yourself up for success. If not, you will go into the interview less prepared, rolling the dice, and hoping for the best. There was too much riding on the outcome and RST prepared me extremely well for the JKT and COG portions of the interview at FedEx

The SBI had been the weed out tool. Have someone who has been thru it run scenarios so it’s not your first crack at it. Clock it above your head out of your crosscheck.

Start early if you can because it will make the process a lot less stressful. Do an honest self-assessment to know what your weaknesses are and divide your time up appropriately.

I thought I was well prepared for the COG and job knowledge tests. I simply choked on the COG. I am sure it was the cog that I failed.

Tell members to wear a watch. I will help a lot for SA during the COG and personality tests.

make sure on the SBI that you keep the clock in your scan and make a decision / brief the decision. Anything you mess up in the SBI can be debriefed and you can get the points back, but if you don’t make a decision and brief it. Then your stuck.

The SBI was as emerald Coast advertised. Just make sure to not die by the gouge. Learn the process to include the debrief. Write of the whole thing on a white board and make sure to list what you did well, what you didn’t do well, and what you would change…

They are alert for gouge answers so be sure to tell them YOUR story. And on the sbi don’t assume anything. Just roll with whatever scenario you get.

Amy is absolutely wonderful and really sets a welcoming tone from the moment you get there. Kim will bend over backwards answering questions and making sure you understand the process. The entire experience was definitely as comfortable as a high pressure interview could possibly be.

Overall, I had a great experience with the FedEx hiring team. Dive into FedEx’s website and figure out what the company is doing and find key points that resonate with you. Despite the nerves, try to remember your interviewers’ story (and names). I made a conscious effort to do just that (I’m horrible with names) and it made things a lot more relaxed.

Overall I think Day 1 (Testing) went well. If you feel like you failed then it means you passed, no joke! I think my SBI went well and the interview was pretty rough. I messed up on 1-2 hypotheticals which may have costed me the job offer. Take the Panel Interview slow and methodical.

SBI Section
Situation: Flying to some airport then diverting to your alternate. While enroute airplane crashes 6000 ft down the runway and closes airport. 3 Alternates, 2 with emergency fuel (1 good wx 1 bad wx) and your original airport that you diverted from has lower than CAT 1 minimums.

For the Emerald Coast People: They know the game they know the tricks. I asked GOC for WX, Fuel, and Threats for 3 airports and she came back and told me it was going to be 20 minutes. So I asked for WX and Fuel.

Fastest 8 minutes of your life. During Debrief make sure you are extremely critical of yourself, tell them exactly what you did wrong, and why, and how you could fix that in the future. Don’t BS them. They questioned me in different areas but didn’t try and change my answer.

The Sbi I think is where I failed. You will get a chance to fix whatever you did during the 8 minutes in the debrief. Make sure you are thorough. Looking back they gave me 3 chances to fix it. I didn’t pick up on it at the time. But after reflecting for 6 hours on the drive home I think if I would have said things during the debrief I would have gotten the cjo.

I would like to continue to have access to the RST material so that I can review it over the next year and hopefully interview again next year at FedEx.

They emphasized how important it was to them that people be themselves in the interview. I know everyone handles things differently, but I felt like ECIC was great in preparing me to have my thoughts together as I walked into the room, but once I got there I let myself be the same nerd I am in the jet, office, bar, etc. It seems like they’re wise to ECIC strategies and have good techniques to dig further and get you off your game if you’re just trying to follow the ECIC formula. They also mentioned that some of the big filters for their initial cut of applications are recent flying hours and whether people updated their apps in the last 30 days–so make sure you’re keeping up with that (especially as your flying hours change–that can affect your answer in a few different places throughout the app).

The SBI for FedEx can be tougher than it needs to be if you’re obsessing over the “answer” to the situation, and are oblivious to the CRM process. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to treat it like a team exercise, and everyone in the room WANTS YOU TO WIN! The guys I had as my FO and GOC were very helpful and accurate when asked clear questions, and no one was trying to trick me. They did try to elaborate too much (killing time) one time each, but a polite “hey buddy, really… where do you want to divert to” knocked that right off. The debrief of the SBI is just as important as the execution. DO NOT LET THEM JEDI MIND TRICK YOU INTO CHANGING YOUR MIND ON THE DECISION YOU MADE. They will give you a format for the debrief (mine was “well done, not so well done, things you would change, and human factors throughout). They will likely pose a hypothetical such as “what if I told you that XXX destination was SKC, would you change your mind?” I pivoted away from this with a “Well, that sounds like a potentially viable option, and had we known about it in the moment, it would’ve entered our crosscheck as an option up for discussion, but given the safe decision we made, I wouldn’t change what we actually did.”

This process seems daunting at first. There were times that I wondered if it was all worth it. I owe the entirety of my success to my Father in Heaven. I do believe though that he allowed me to be successful by following the RST and Emerald Coast programs. I worked probably 8 hours a day for 5-6 weeks. I was nervous going in but felt very confident through each respective test. Because of the success rate of these companies I put trust in the process and figured if it didn’t work, it wasn’t for me. Work hard and do your best. Follow the program and look for help from your spiritual source.

Study the COG. Do the prep work. Find success.
It’s not easy. But anything in life that’s worth having , is worth working for.

The vibe I got through this process was that your resume got you the call, YOU will get you hired. Can you convince them that they want to hang out with you for a couple days on a trip? Be yourself. But definitely listen to the question. If they say tell me about your professional career – talk about flying, but I doubt they will, if they say, tell me about what’s not on your resume, talk about your life and what you like to do.

Yep. Everyone at the interview is gouged up. FedEx seemed a little tired of it, but understood that pilots always want to be prepared. Add in things that you do and let FedEx actually meet YOU. This was most important during the SBI. You’ll have the formula for the 8 minutes, but BE YOU in the 6 minutes they give you to study the scenario. I got a typical divert for weather scenario with 4 clown-shoes options. What did I do different? I made sure to ask thoughtful set-up questions. Some were deflected for later, but I could tell that Ron and Gary liked seeing me ask about more information. The next part you’re not gouged up for is the debrief! You can go with the “Things we did well” and “Things I could do better” standard, but add in your own experience. I threw up a CRM table of 5 different topics. As I went through the debrief, I tied the action points to different CRM buzzwords and what they meant in the scenario. I think they really liked… probably because it wasn’t formulaic. That’s just one example of being yourself. Get past the Emerald Coast green tint!

Enjoy the experience. A lot of good people that care a lot about FedEx put in a lot of effort to make you feel welcome. If you’re being interviewed, they want to hire you. Prepare thoroughly and you will do well.

If I remember correctly, we were told 45 per month through April, then down to 25 per month after that.

Very disappointing and tough news. I know in my heart I would be a great fit here and could bring so much to this company. Thankful for the opportunity but holding my head high because I did my best to prepare and gave honest answers.

RST is the way to go.

It is a great group of people that you will work with through the whole interview process! Every single person was extremely friendly and professional and did their best to try and help you relax so you can be yourself and perform your best. Of course that is easier said than done, but you really do feel welcome and wanted there. Be sure and do the RST ground school, I think it really does help to get your head back into the subject areas you might not have studied in a while.

They all say that day 1 is the hard day. From what I noticed, the pass rate significantly increases once you pass day 1. They treat you like you already got the job on day 2.

For SBI, you will be given a two page laminated sheet with a lot of information it. You get 6 minutes to digest it all. Make sure you understand it. There was a lot more info on it than I thought. I used the entire 6 minutes and wish I had more time to make a mental note of my exact situational awareness.

As everyone says, keep an eye on the clock, and you need to pass controls over first thing to the FO. I believe for most people you will have good reason to divert to another airport. There will be no right or wrong choice. Their goal is to see your CRM and how you think under pressure. Remember to make a decision and brief the plan before the time runs out!! During the debrief, they may play good cop bad cop and try to make you second guess yourself. Even though I say this, they are very good at making you feel like what you’re saying is a stupid decision when you’re out on the spot. So just be ready to explain your decisions and be honest.

RST gets you through day 1. ECIC gets you through day 2. Great time to get on with FedEx. Said they plan on putting 70 in class a month. Best of luck to everyone.

The RST prep was well worth the price. Don’t forget to check out the resources listed on the site and read them.

It was a great experience and everyone was very helpful and nice. Spend the money on RST and ECIS, it’s worth it.

Exceptional resource. Worth EVERY penny.

After taking the tests, I felt pretty good about them, I never felt blind sided by any of the concepts presented. If I had to guess, I think maybe I ‘failed’ the personality test. I read some gouge about the Hogan and other psych tests the night before and in the end, answered a lot of questions with ‘strongly’ agree/disagree. The fellas I interviewed with all stayed more in the middle (and they made it past test day). I feel maybe the gouge clouded my ability to answer some of the more ambiguous questions. In the end, I’ll never know which test I screwed up, or if I just scored low on all of them.

Of 8 applicants the airline offered jobs to 3. The successful applicants were Military and under 40yo.

We lost someone to testing on day one, and another on day two because of the SBI. Our group had a 60% hire rate. (Treat this like a COG math question to figure out how many were in my original group).

Interview seemed low threat but we lost 3 of 6 on day 2. Not sure why but don’t overlook the HR interview.

your question “Did you receive a job offer?” doesn’t have straight up no answer. It doesn’t seem like FedEx is giving callbacks currently.

The SBI went quick but I followed the guidelines ECIC gave me and it worked like a champ. I finished briefing my plan with 12 seconds left on the clock. I had 6-7 items on each side of the “Good” and “Improve” format they told me they wanted me to use for the debrief. When I finished my debrief neither of them asked me any questions.

Previously mentioned, but look over fatigue, company domiciles and aircraft. Also, if you have any failures on your app, these will most likely be the very first thing they ask, even before the interview portion actually feels like it kicked off. Pretty much as soon as I sat down, “while don’t you tell us about this carrier qualification” I don’t think my answer affected the outcome, I believe I handled it well, but it can throw you off if your not expecting it immediately.

I had no recs and that’s not an option on this form

SBI at FedEx was quite intense, with no good options at all (go figure). I ended up shooting an approach below our minimums…even after the FO said he was not comfortable. Debriefed myself accordingly, and it all seemed to work out.

Amy said when screening apps, everyone who had not updated in the last 30 days were automatically eliminted.

I had to reschedule my interview for a later date due to a last minute family issue. HR said they would have additional interviews later this month.

The overall experience at FedEx was awesome!! Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE made you feel relaxed, that they wanted you to be there, and they did everything they could to put us at ease and help us make it through the two days.

ECIC has some great guidance for the SBI. Follow their steps and be critical of yourself in the debrief and you’ll do great.

Could not have done well on day 1 without RST!

Be relaxed and be yourself. My guys specifically warned me to not try and give them canned/rehearsed answers. DO NOT try to memorize a standard response to the SBI. I have done it twice (successfully) and both times I had no preconceived notion of what my scenario would be. I just pretended I was in my plane and solved the problem at hand. They really emphasize fuel gauges, moving maps, ensign, etc….. This is a trick. None of that crap matters. Transfer the controls and ignore it. Do your thing, use ALL, of the resources and keep an eye on the clock. Make a decision and brief it. The AAR is a moneymaker. Talk to them like you had been flying with them for a while. Ask them for input to your change/sustain lists.

They got into my logbook, but it was a tactic to stress me out. Otherwise, no.

Electronic logbooks, app was in good shape and paperwork only needed small corrections.

none. no questions asked. I had my military summary and a printout of my electronic logbook for part 91 flying

No. I included everything on application.

no, listed everything in application

Not that I know of. My availability date was 8 months out, so I was surprised when I got the invite.

No, new system which had some glitches.

None, Amber and Kim in HR were very helpful in answering any questions about filling out paperwork.

None. Used my mil records and a 1 page summary of my hours.

Didn’t make it that far.

The new application website with FedEx is difficult to navigate/ascertain what data is required. Ensure the paperwork from the FedEx profile site is printed as well as bringing the required personal documentation (logbooks, passport, etc).

None brought to my attention. I had both the paper logbooks and a printed electronic logbook.

As a check airman, why haven’t I logged dual given or flight instructor time?

No. I hired a company prior to scrub all documents.

It doesn’t matter if your paperwork and logbooks are meticulous and perfect, expect some pushback. Smile, breathe and remain polite.

None. Of note, I had a very low total time and only had the required TPIC requirement after they applied the .2 multiplier. (I did not include that multiplier on any documents, including resume nor logbook.)

None, but didn’t get that far.

No issues with the logbooks. I use LogTen Pro and used FedEx Office to have it printed and bound. I then tabbed milestones like PPL, MEL, start of turbine PIC, etc. Don’t let the “living abroad” paper work catch you out. Even if you’ve done some sort of 30+ day ‘staycation’ in Mexico, though your residence was always in the US, they will want that address. I was out of the country for more than 30 days in a hotel room but with a US address, and they wanted that foreign address. No big deal, I had it, but be ready for that if the shoe fits.

No issues. They will make copies of anything you needed to provide but didn’t. Just have everything and try to follow the directions.

Over 4 weeks from invite to interview date. No issues with logbooks, application or paperwork.

No, but bring paper copies of all your certificates and transcripts. Somehow I missed that detail, but no big deal. Kim just made copies there.

None. I had it all laid out exactly as they wanted. My military and 121 times were listed in an excel sheet with the multiplier used. No problems or questions on any of my paperwork.

None. Be deliberate with documents and logbook. I still have the “old school” logbooks and tabbed all training and type events (no issues and was not asked about them). Application paperwork was neat, signed, and in the order they asked for in pilot credentials (again no issues).

Nope, however, apparently I forgot to put one of my colleges on my application. However, it was on my resume and I brought the transcripts. I was questioned about it. They asked me what I was trying to hide. I was taken back by that question. My response was, “Nothing, its on my resume and I brought the transcripts, it was an honest mistake” Seemed fine with it.

No, they didn’t ask a single question about it.

No issues. You are given instructions on pre-employment paperwork and how to fill in each form. I did two folders. One with the copies of all my documents and the other with the paperwork. Do not bother to staple or paper clip forms together. The first they will do is take all that stuff off.

Did not get to that phase.

I was very diligent on all paperwork. Just look at the paperwork issue just like you’d approach weight and balance and your own records.

None. All my logbooks were regular ole Jeppesen paper logbooks. Nothing fancy. But all were in order as I have always maintained them month to month.

None. They appeared to review it thoroughly, but no questions for me.

The first question they asked was why I had used a .3 military conversion on my resume. I told them that I got that number from their recruiting booth at WAI in 2015.

Yes. They were not happy I did my logbooks month by month and not every day. I am positive they were making up these issues to get me flustered and uncomfortable.
Southwest loved my logbooks and I was offered a job with them as well.

They ask you to separate what you bring into two piles. Be prepared to present your logbook, certs/docs, and college transcripts in one pile and your application paperwork, copies of certs/docs, and college transcript copies in another pile. I put some of them in a professional binder, but that was completely unnecessary as I took everything out of it to turn in anyway. I spent a lot of time making my logbook printout reflect my desire for the job (I.e., matching company colors, fonts, etc.). I didnt get any positive feedback because the interviewers reviewed it in private and then gave it back to me without saying anything. Maybe it scored me some points?

Logbook for my 121 flying was perfect and in a leather binder. Just like RST. My paper logs were a mess so my first 1000 hours. I would redo them of I had another interview. I also forgot one that got damaged and had about 200 hours in it. There was no discussion on my logs so either they don’t care about messy paper logs or didn’t notice.

No. All the gouge shared in the RST and Facebook forums was spot on.

No. I had my Air Force flight hour summaries printed out on 2 sheets. I had an excel spreadsheet with my King Air time and a 3 page summary on excel of all my times.

No issues with logbooks, application or paperwork.

Brought my HARM folder with hours summary and breakdown. Not even a mention of it.

Not one question about logbook or paperwork.

None at all. Took all my logbooks (electronic and hand written.)

None I was told about.

None at all. Followed RST example and got it printed at FedEx office with a FedEx logo on cover sheet.

Not that I know of didn’t say anything about my logbooks. They did ask questions about my college transcripts.

None. I have the old school Jepp Pro logbooks and they seemed satisfied.

None. I have an electronic logbook with my military summaries included. Had that printed (and a total summary page) and my original military logbooks. Not a single question or concern mentioned.

Nope. I updated my app after every flight and then at least once a month after separating from the AF.

little messy. Application process is great, if you have any problems or questions Kim/Amy will be glad to answer them and if you need to fix something on interview day, they will tell you to email them afterwards with the update. They don’t usually process applications until a few weeks after the interview. They want to see an official, but not certified, copy of your college transcripts for both the interview and the application.

They had an older resume and asked why my pic time was so far off from my logbook. I had recent resumes printed and handed those to them. That seemed to be a non issue.

I only brought a printed copy of my electronic logbook. They were fine with that. I use LogTen pro, they are very good and have good customer service. I printed it with logbook solutions, and I had a very difficult experience with them. If you think you’ll get an interview anytime soon, stay ahead of the game and print your logbook now, as it can be a real pain.

My 12 month time dropped to 74 hours by my interview date, with my last flight. and that was one of the first things they asked about–question included when I should be back on flying status.

None. I used Tito’s Delta example as a guide. I made mine completely “brand-neutral” and included all of my Air Force HARM records. I had a FHR pulled the day of my last flight before the interview as

veterans for my panel interview, and they didn’t have any questions on records.

Nothing. I expected questions since I hadn’t flown since September, but they didn’t ask a thing.

I misunderstood the hour breakdown on the online app and had my Instructor time separately listed but never added it to my PIC total. After many months of not hearing anything, a buddy looked at my app and caught the mistake. I got the invite a couple of weeks after corrected my PIC total. I can’t say for sure, but I could very well have gotten the invite 6-8 months earlier if I had read it correctly and wasn’t an idiot. Paying for an application review may have saved me some time.

Expect a question confirming your availability and be prepared to fess up if has changed. Best to give Kim a heads up when you sign up for the interview.

No. I had a printout of my electronic logbook along with my USAF flight history report and original logbooks.

No problems. I used an electronic logbook with a format similar to the examples provided by RST.

I noticed my hours were wrong on the pilotcredentials.com website so I corrected it just a few days after I got the invite. Still, when I showed up to interview, they had an old copy of my resume and flight hours from the pilotcredentials.com site. I brought the most current one with me and showed them the most current log books, excel printout. They didn’t seem to have a problem with any of it but who knows. No feedback was given.

Missing 1st logbook; good explanation along with with legitimate and conservative numbers (hours to years to experience comparison) and they had no questions about it.

My military “logbook” can be a bit confusing. Apparently I was missing a page that made it look like I hadn’t flown for a couple months. They brought it up as the first question, I explained that I had been flying and must be missing a page. After that, they said “that makes more sense, just checking” and pushed it aside and continued with the interview.

Nope. They don’t even ask you to tab any pages or anything. I just brought my up to date paper logbooks and also had an electronic summary print out from Logten Pro X to go with it. They asked me a single thing about the logbooks or flight time.

None at all. They didn’t even mention it.

I had my entire e-logbook printed using Logbooksolutions.com
It was a very professional finished product and I had no issues with it or other required paperwork. Everything was very straight forward.

Zero questions on logbook, app or paperwork. Put everything in two separate binders (certificates and logbook). Spent some $$$ and time in Staples getting two professional looking products. I printed and brought everything I sent to Ms. Kim Daniels in duplicate. After the panel, and before departing I gave her what I brought. It saved her time printing documents, which saved her time. Not sure about the other interviewees.

Not a single question on my logbook. Did get a question about my resume, but it was just something that was on there and they overlooked.

None, but make a concise flight experience summary. They appreciate it.

I only have military time (Air Force), so I brought my Green Flight Records Folder and my FEF to show my checkrides. I included a summary sheet of how I turned Primary, Secondary, Instructor, Evaluator

that made it all good. Ha! (Note: Nowhere does it say to bring your FEF to show checkrides, but I did anyway.)

About 10 to 15 minutes prior to you being called in for the “HR” interview, they will bring your records into the interview room. They each also had a small 1″ binder that had, from what I can tell my application and my recommendations. Once called in there, they first asked me if I have any flight related skeletons, which I had none, then it was on to the interview. That was it.

none that were mentioned, I did have a very extensive spreadsheet to track my military time.

No, they told me they appreciated how clean my logbook was. Recommend using the pictures RST has of previous successful logbooks. The tighter you can get that, the less you have to stress about that being brought up in the interview. It probably is your first impression to the captains interviewing you since they look at that BEFORE you go in for the panel interview.

Yeah. Somehow left my military flying summary at home. I had my wife send it, but it doomed me.

No, they will have you e-mail the packet with PRIA forms and documents prior to your interview. No questions on paperwork or logbooks.

None. I changed my total hours, even after getting the interviews booked, after reading on the RSTDelta page that you should NOT include the .2 per military sortie in the apps…the airlines will do it internally. The difference was around 200 hours less…which actually brought me below the “magic” 1500 number. FedEx asked a quick question about the change, and then said “Yep…that’s what we thought happened.” Delta did not even mention it. Neither company mentioned anything at all about any paperwork whatsoever.

No issues with logbooks, application, or paperwork, but during the panel interview I got some unexpected tough questions regarding my college transcript.

No issues, just bring in your most recent HARM print off.

None at all. As long as what you give them is orderly and legible you are in good shape. I used and electronic printout and didn’t get a single question.

My logbook wasn’t even complete when I turned it in. I had forgotten to put the last two full pages of 737 time in my book. That being said, I made a summary sheet that was on the front cover so I doubt they even opened the book since the info they were looking for was highlighted up front. Extra resumes printed on expensive fancy paper were untouched.

Paperwork was a bit overwhelming but I never had issues with it. I didn’t even get a chance for them to review it.

None. I had my actual books, my Air Force AFORMS summary, and Excel spreadsheets with my times on them. The top sheet was the summary page, by airframe and then totalled. While I read alot about fancy binders, I chose the simple paperclip route. No questions during the interview about anything in them. No other questions about my paperwork.

None at all. I’d HIGHLY recommend having a successful FedEx pilot/applicant go through your PilotCredentials profile line-by-line and compare it with theirs… then pay it forward to others if you’re successful.

No issues, used a faux leather binder with name on outside and FedEx logos. Straight from gouge found on rst. No questions on military time.

None. They looked at them before my HR panel behind closed doors and never mentioned anything in them.

You stress about this more than they do. I had nothing spectacular and just put my logbooks and computer printouts into a $12 OfficeMax pseudo-leather folio. It had pockets for all the other documents too, and that worked like a champ. Absolutely no questions on anything in the folio.

No. I had a bound printout from my own spreadsheet that I’ve been keeping for years and left my paper logs in the car as a backup.

No. I put all of my logbooks into an excel spread sheet broken down by plane. All of my paperwork was presented in a three ring binder in plastic sleeves. They thought it was great.

I didnt take my written logbooks. I had a nice spiral bound logbook made from using Logten Pro. Both the panel interviewers were impressed.

After my first job fair, a captain at a major airline I was targeting told me he was surprised I haven’t been called yet and if I’d had my application reviewed professionally. I signed up for a review service shortly thereafter.

Climb/descent planning, math.

Every question seemed like it could have 2 correct answers with at least one obvious wrong one. Went with gut and passed day one.

Felt I was prepared and no question sticks out

So of the answers were worded strangely. some were in a different order than they are presented in the study materials, etc. Test was pretty straight forward and in line with RST prep.

The JKT uses the same base subjects as are available to study on RST, but the questions are more abstract and require a higher level of reasoning in order to pass.

Math.

Had a slant range question and I forgot the slant range of a Tacan/VOR.

The hardest part was that for most of the questions, there was no clear right answer. It was usually picking between a couple of answers for the “most right” answer.

Any of the “bearing to the station”, how far are you blah, blah, blah type questions. We all know they are completely antiquated and useless in today’s world, but RST did a good job in preparing you.

I can’t remember the couple of questions that I was really unsure of. Most I had a pretty good idea on.

nothing stood out as overly difficult

RST prepared me very well for the technical portion

No matter how much you prep, this is stressful and difficult.

Just had trouble with time on the test. I guess I went too slowly.

I felt the RST prep did a great job

A lot of questions on turbojet engines. Study a lot.

Nothing I experienced was outside the scope of the preparatory material on RST.

All were pretty easy.

Some of the VOR type questions

Weather.

RST question and knowledge bank prepped me for about 1/2 of the technical knowledge test. It is important to read the readings and not just study the question bank.

Heavy airplane systems and navigation.

90% were hard.

Cog test: symbols to numbers.
Timed math problem solving.

It was all pretty much covered in the prep. It wasn’t difficult.

Nothing too terribly hard. For the most part, it was all pretty basic stuf that most experienced pilots should know. The way the present the Q is not always easy, though. Some of the Q’s on RST are not 100% accurate during the review/practice tests, but they are during the final practice test.
SERIOUSLY… Take the all the RST courses. Read the material. take the courses again, review the material. Make it your daily job. By doing that, you’ll crush the JKT. Only 6 of the 10 made it to day two and most felt they washed out on the JKT and those same people put the least amount of time in to the JKT prep.

A few questions about runway lighting that I was a little shaky on….particularly regarding the runway stop light system.

Cog math

I had about 5 math questions of my 60. Hardest was 60 NM from VOR on 090 radial, heading 360 at 300 KIAS with 100 knot tail wind. Time was ????, what would be my time over 060 radial?

You are over N52’00W030’20, how many NM away is N55’00W030’40. (not exact coordinates but you understand my pain)

It was all average. Overall RST prepped me for the tech portion.

Word problems.

Determining time required to fly between Lat/Long Coordinates.

Most questions are familiar from the RST practice tests. However the questions themselves are asked differently.

What may be the biggest problem with an IRU

The math on lead radials for turns is easy but you need to make sure you know how to round it and which formula to use because the answers all very close together. But overall I felt very well prepared for this portion.

See above. Questions just seemed much more detailed on concepts than I thought I was “smart” on. That being said, the program and info is enough to knock off the cobwebs and remember the aero basics.

Everything was similar to the concepts and questions in the practice tests.

What we learned from the DeHaviland Comet???

Questions with bearing, time, distance, and involving mental math are pretty challenging for me.

Multiple seemingly conflicting questions about EPR with very long multiple choice options and with few differences between them!
I barely made it through the test in the allotted time.

Be ready for at least a few questions you may not be prepared for.

You have a fuel control unit that fails. What are your indications tied to? When you look at the answers, each selection has 7 different things listed. Different variations of EGT, N1, Stator position, Cabin Pressurization, throttle position, N2, Master Caution.

I took about 10 seconds, guessed and moved on.

Reading RMI, otherwise the topics covered by RST are adequate to prepare you for the general knowledge test.

Airfield beacon “white white green”.. is it a private, civilian, heliport or military? Easy question if you study!

I can’t really remember, but there are questions where all the answers are correct, but they want the BEST answer. I hate those! What most effects lift in a turn – with several concepts in each answer. I had to end up guessing on the type of light used in the new runway lighting system that detects an aircraft encroaching into a protected area.

Holding

A radial/time question that had answers I couldn’t calculate. Specifics escape me.

I can not remember anything too difficult.

The math questions. Easier than the RST examples, but still hard.

Vague questions

I didn’t feel stumped on any technical questions.

Nothing comes to mind.

A question with a lot of info about the current state of an aircraft in flight, and the question asked what time you should leave holding.

It was straight forward.

They were all pretty tough.

There were 6 that I wasn’t sure about. I can’t remember them all, but the two hardest are above.

The new stuff. Such as the lighting on the runway that is controlled now, etc.

I can not say that there was one specific hardest question but the practice tests on RST were helpful in getting you to review technical information

Calculating lead radial on an arc.

The when to descend math problems kick my butt!

Be prepared for Volcanic Ash questions, I had two that were tough cookies. One dealt with what is more of an emergency situation, ie… windscreen damage, pitot/static damage, engine damage, etc. The other dealing with how do you get out of the ash plume – climb, descend, continue straight through it, etc..?
I thought I answered them correctly based on prior knowledge, but after I got back to my hotel room and looked them up on-line, I realized I was mistaken. I was still somewhat correct, but with new data from recent explosions, my answers were not the preferred action anymore. Look it up and be familiar with the new recommendations.

Some of the Math questions involving radials were tough. The rest was basic knowledge and I felt prepared enough to handle it without much issue.

Some of the systems questions.

It can be a little challenging deciphering what info you need to solve the problem. I did have a question that gave me the lat/long of 2 different airports and asked the distance between them.

A question on load factor. My math questions were very simple descent calculations.

A long word problem about fuel and when I had to exit holding. All others were manageable.

The problems time speed distance and bearing change calculations. You only have a minute to solve.

Probably the only one with math was the hardest, and it had to do with the lead radials.

The word problems were very difficult and not sure if I got any of them correct…

The conditions provided were: ILS to rwy 31 JFK, field elevation 31′, and rwy 34L SLC, field elevation 4227′, the temperature at both is 15°C, altimeter 29.92″. Which of the following statements is true:
A) The descent rate for both approaches is the same
B) The IAS on each approach is the same for a given airplane
C) The IAS on each approach is different for a given airplane
D) I forget answer D, but I quickly eliminated it as false

High altitude aerodynamics.

Weather section

Turbine theory

The hardest concepts for me to learn were the transonic aerodynamics questions. By the time I took the test I had a solid foundation for them, so I feel confidant I got those questions correct.

Several could be narrowed down to two answers. They were extremely similar and worded almost identically.
There was one question about fuel tank cross-feeding. I was not at all familiar with how the question talked about fuel pumps and logistics associated with them.

I remember being conflicted by a question on Takeoff Hold Lights. The answers were very similar, but I ended up choosing one that said the THL will extinguish before a crossing aircraft clears the runway due to the anticipated separation feature. Total guess. Had a Jepp chart and the question asked for TCH. My mind blanked and I guessed 50. What is the general procedure for dealing with an electrical fire? 3 answers had some variation of isolating the affected electrical source so the flight can continue. 1 answer said land ASAP and I chose that one.

I don’t remember any specific question but there were 5-6 that I wasn’t 100% on.

in-depth Turbine engine questions

What would most negatively affect your takeoff performance?
Auto brake inoperable, auto ground spoilers inop, excessive standing water

There were a few that I had to make educated guesses on but unfortunately I was so nervous I can’t recall them now.

There was a question which stated EPR is normal but N1 is 80% of normal indication…..what do you do? Answers were not well written, and somewhat confusing. I chose the only answer that had abort the takeoff as an option.

There was a question about the pneumatic reservoir, which I was completely unfamiliar with.

My last question involved a position description that was confusing. All four answers were not what I had figured out. I guessed.

Can’t remember it was a blur. Some of the questions take 2 minutes just to read through and understand the choices. You only have 60 minutes for 60 questions, it’s brutal.

What is a Krueger Flap and how does it work? In 23 years of aviation I had never heard of a Krueger Flap… Caught me off gaurd.

Lots of aero questions and L/D max cause and effect questions.

Honestly none of them were tough if you really prepared for the concepts. There were very few questions with identical wording to RST but the formula was similar enough with a solid understanding it wouldn’t matter.

CATIII approaches – don’t know a thing about them. Jepp questions were kind of difficult for me.

Maybe figure out a crossing restriction when to start down. It honestly wasn’t bad.

Aero. Lots of concepts. Eat the elephant one bit at a time and the concepts will sink in.

I had no idea about this V speed question maybe it’s been so long since I was an instructor but I guessed and had to look it up after.
How does Vmcg relate to V1?
That’s the only one I can remember but I had 12 questions on the test that I was unsure about.

As I mentioned I had to go back to old school flying when I got the question about adjusted heading and timing entering a hold. Be sure to study the Aero, engineering, and navigation sections on RST.

I got an RMI one that was pretty goofy, none of the options looked good.

I didn’t focus on ILS/localizer stuff, so there were 2 questions on that topic that I want sure about.

My biggest difficulty has always been mental math. Just something I don’t do much outside of the 3-1 rule. Study up on the 60-1 mental math and you will do fine.

A question about ILS azimuth that I wasn’t too sure about, had to guess on that one.

Nothing that caught me off guard, everything was covered in the prep.

Thrust available vs. Thrust required graph.

The JKT overall was tough but the RST prep helped get me through it.

Nothing surprised me. I know I didn’t get everything correct, but the expectations are known.

The questions were all just a little bit different from the exact questions asked in the RST tests, but the style of questions are the same. Take the RST tests to use as a gauge of how you’re doing–just understand that you likely won’t see those exact questions again. Know why you got a question wrong and, if you made a lucky guess, know why you got it right. Make sure you understand concepts and relationships (what goes up/down when something else goes down/up, how does this affect that, etc.).

Know the aero concepts COLD. RST’s practice tests are nice, but as you answer them, make sure you can, with 100% certainty, explain WHY a particular answer is correct. The toughest questions for me were general systems questions pertinent to transport category jets… a subject of which I had ZERO hands-on knowledge. If you’re coming from an airframe that’s more likely to carry AMRAAMs than boxes, dig into the RST systems sections and understand the conceptual side of the systems… bleed air, turbofan engines, big-jet hydros, electrics, etc. Embrace your inner engineer, it’ll pay off.

There was no hardest question. The questions being asked are not difficult until you look at the multiple-choice answers which were also closely related.

Most all questions you could narrow down between two answers. 1 Jepp chart question, maybe 2 calculations, one question on which way to turn after crossing a fix. All the rest aero and systems or engines. It’s important to understand though that your test is a random selection of the bank. My test was very different from the other guys in my group. Again though felt very confident from the prep through RST.

I would say the Aero. The topics are similar but they are asked in just different enough a way to throw you off.

My test was mostly aero, some engines, a few electrical system question, one hydraulic, a few signs and FAA, a few math, and no weather. The hardest question I had involved finding the time it would take at 300kts TAS from one GPS coordinate to another. I don’t know grid stuff and had no clue on that one. I marked C and moved on.

The only questions that are hard are the ones that you may not have noticed in the prep. They may be covered in the Ground School portion, but I only got through the third topic. 30 days was barely enough for the 15 day checklist if you have a full time job. All that being said, here’s a couple that I remember. If you’ve never flown Jepps it might be worth a quick primer.
1. What’s the biggest problem with an IRU/INU system? The answers are different than the practice test.
a. Gyroscopic Wander (Drift is the correct answer in the trainer)
b. Gyroscopic Precession (I went with this one. I never once measured “Wander” at the end of a mission in the KC-10)
c. Something ridiculous
a. Descend from 3600 to FAF altitude (2000). Drive to MAP then execute Missed Approach procedure to CATO and hold as depicted (picture shows 2000 for holding at CATO). >>> I picked this one.
b. Level off (3600). Execute MAP at this altitude.>>> this might be safer, but it’s not what you’re cleared.
c. Break off approach and go straight to holding pattern at CATO (3600 feet).
3. How are generators rated? Guys coming from little planes will have a hard time here. Volts X Amps = Watts, so the EE geek in me had a hard time too. All I could remember was that my truck had a 60 watt alternator.
a. Volts
b. Amps
c. Kilowatts (I went with this one)
d. Kilo Volt-Amps (KVA)
4. After starting the engines you notice that the #1 AC pack has faulted. What happened?
a. The #1 N1 Bleed valve stuck open/closed
b. The #1 N2 Bleed valve stuck open/closed (I wend with this one as I remember the KC-10 accessory group is off of the N2 section–that was reaching back 6 years though!)
c. The crossfeed bleed valve stuck open
d. The #2 N1 Bleed valve stuck open/closed

Nothing that challenged me more than what RST prepared me for. I reiterate, know the concepts and RTFQ. Several of the questions you will be seeing for the first time.

Questions related to aerodynamics of differing configurations. Sorry, can’t be more specific.

You set 29.85 instead of 29.93. How far off altitude are you? High or low? (My brain was starting to feel fatigued so I had to think this one through and draw it)

I had a couple concerning center of pressure and CG along with dihedral and speeds that made my brain spin.
You can narrow the answers down to 2 usually and best guess if needed.

What changes critical AOA?

I can’t remember specifics, but there were about 10 questions I marked to come back to so I could take a closer look and narrow my response to best possible answer.

What do Vmcg and V1 have in common….had never heard of Vmcg. If AOA is reduced what happens to lift and drag. The answers were 1. Lift increases if you were less than L/D max. 2. Lift increases if you were more than L/D Max. 3. Induced Drag increases if you were less than L/D Max. 4. Induced Drag Increases if you were greater than L/D Max.

Maybe some aerodynamic questions. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the specific questions.

All the 60 to 1 math stuff. I really studied this hard and had 3 questions that it was needed on.

If after engine start you do not get conditioned air from the #1 A/C pack, what is the problem?

They just hit several different subjects. Be prepared for anything.

There were only a few that I flagged to come back to (4-5)-then when I re-read the questions, the answers came fairly easily. One that stands out that I don’t remember seeing in the prep was asking about the obstacle clearance with the PAPI (either 4 NM or 20 NM, 10 or 20 deg either side).

Pretty sure I got it right but the question said starting engines at high elevation on a very hot day you are most susceptible to what. I narrowed it down to exceeding tire limit speed and high EGT. I guessed exceeding tire limit speed due to have a higher TAS and ground speed.

Fuel system was probably the hardest.

The hardest question really was something of a procedural question. It asked; “What is the procedure to transfer fuel from the left and right main tanks?” All answers stated BOOST PUMPS OFF, CROSSFEED VALVE OPEN, and low tank or high tank. The only difference in the answers was the order in which those three were presented.

Pressurization issue how do you manually control the issue with the thrust levers?

How would you brief your FO on the difference between an ILS and SDF path. Answer 6-12 degrees.

There was a question asking about the difference between RNP and ANP.

I can say with confidence (and hopefully not blind confidence) that I didn’t focus on memorizing questions during my prep. I focused on studying the concepts based off of your website’s guidance, and the guidance provided by the FedEx test outline. In the end, I don’t recall feeling like I saw something I hadn’t seen in my study prep before. I only had 7-8 questions to review at the end of the test and even those questions were topics I was familiar with, but just had a hard time recalling the underlying principles.

Distance from shoreline you can fly with a raft and pyrotech signaling device. Answers were 22NM, 92NM, Power off gliding distance, or Power off gliding distance from a coastal community the has rescue boat and services.

I didn’t have any that stood out. Probably only 2 or so that I completely guessed on, and then another 10 that I was pretty comfortable with but wasn’t 100% sure on.

None. RST prepped me well.

What is the primary purpose of the fuel oil heat exchanger? I thought it was to cool the oil system. All 4 of the answers were plausible.

Don’t remember specific questions. Sorry. What I do remember is the concepts were more important than the questions on the prep. This is not like the ATP written where you learn the question file. It’s too big.

I had seen the question before, but for the life of me, I sat there with my hand rotating and yawing left and right with the question that asked something along the lines of, “You attempt to deploy the flaps and slats, both sets of flaps deploy, but only the right slat deploys, what happens to the aircraft?” Answers were a combination of roll and yaw, left and right (i.e., Roll right, Yaw right; Roll Right, Yaw Left; Roll Left, Yaw Left; Roll Left, Yaw Right)

Out of the 60, I was unsure about 5. Only 1 complete guess about the service volume of an LOC system

35 degrees 10 miles
25 degrees 25 miles
35 degrees 35 miles
25 degrees 35 miles

Nothing in particular other than what I noted above.

Read the questions and answers slowly. There is some tricky wording to relatively easy concepts.

Questions on radials

Many of the questions had 2 answers that were obviously not correct…and the wording of the other two were sometimes difficult to decipher or see any difference between them. Concepts. Concepts. Concepts.

Many were hard because they seem to have updated their question bank.

Pretty much as advertised.

None of them were difficult with the material presented here on RST, however, the wording can be a bit confusing

No big surprises, questions covered all of the RST topics.

There were a lot of questions I didn’t recognize, so I fell back on trying to remember the basic concepts.

Many were equal here on difficulty, In part due to the wording of the questions. You really need to understand the concepts of engine design, altimetry, etc.

What do winglets do? Increased takeoff weight capability. Decreased takeoff distance. No effect on takeoff. etc

Lots of aerodynamics. There were maybe 3-4 questions that closely resembled questions encountered during my studying. Just learn the concepts as everyone says and you will do fine. No matter what, you will walk away exhausted and feeling like you completely blew it.

One weird question was “Here’s the 10-9 chart for JFK. What does the indicator mean on runway 31L?” I guess by indicator they meant displaced threshold? Who knows.
– What is the start sequence on the jet engine?
– Your GPS is INOP what will happen to your IRS? a. INOP, b. It doesn’t matter it’s independent c. It will work off of VOR/DME
– What is the most dangerous for wake turbulence? a. Light Crosswind b. Light Quartering headwind c. Light Quartering tailwind

Nothing was impossible. It was tough, yet manageable if you put in the hours and trust your studying.

I can’t remember but the majority were aerodynamic questions.

Not sure any were hard, just so many in the test bank (>5,000) that knowing the concepts helped more than the questions. Read the T-34, ANA, etc several times and took all the tests, flashcards.

Honestly, nothing was HARD since I looked at RST flashcards and practice tests for 8 hours a day for a week. It was all variations of the core subjects: lift/drag, bank, load, airspeeds that climb, stay the same, decrease, effects of temp on airspeed and engine performance. My biggest recommendation is to not sweat math. I did… its not my strong suit by any means. I over-prepared for math. I had ONE question about a descent profile… all mental math. They don’t give you a calculator. Know descent profiles, lead radials, and VDP’s…be able to do it in your head and you’re good.

There was a question regarding an Atlantic crossing. In your clearance it showed one thing, your gps is showing another…what do you do?
Ask ATC about your clearance.
Continue there is no problem.
Divert to your mid point alternate.

I felt RST did a good job emphasizing to know the concepts, so the 3 questions previously mentioned were the only ones I didn’t feel comfortable answering.

The aerodynamics and aircraft performance questions were the most difficult. Even stuff that I “knew” would have answers on the multiple choice that were confusing and difficult to pick through.

Which would have the greatest impact on floating in ground effect (Higher than normal AOA, Lower than normal Airspeed, Being Lower than One Wingspan etc…)

It was the ambiguous wording of the questions and the answers.

Just inside the FAF on a non-precision approach and tower tells you to go missed. MA instructions are climb to 4600 and then make a climbing right turn to 9000 direct to a fix. When can you start the turn to the MA fix? At the MAP; after reaching 4600’; after reaching 9000’; right away. Better do some research on this – I was guessing.

Over 60 questions there was probably half you will know. Another ten you wont know but three of the answers will be noticeably wrong. The last 10-20 will just take good subject knowledge from each of the study guide topics of RST. Know Aerodynamics!!! foot stomp

Aerodynamics questions were the most difficult because of the wording. I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of aerodynamics but each question is worded like it’s trying to trick you.

I specifically reviewed the percentages chapter of RST and I was gonna rock that! I mean I was ready to knock that out of the park! When I saw that first percentage problem…I choked. I mean I panicked and basically best guessed all of them.