Sector Sim
Guide every plane to its exit gate at the right altitude, and never let two get too close.
- Planes fly into your sector. Each one has a gate letter on its tag. It must leave through that gate at the gate’s altitude (gate C 11k means 11,000 ft).
- Click a plane to select it. Then click anywhere on the radar to send it that way, or click its gate.
- Use the buttons to climb or descend 1,000 ft at a time, turn, or change speed. Set gate altitude does the altitude in one tap.
- Keep every pair of planes at least 3 miles apart, or 1,000 ft apart in altitude. Red means they got too close.
Reading a tag: callsign UAL412, at 8,000 ft climbing to 11,000, headed for gate C.
Keyboard: Tab next plane · ← → turn 15° · ↑ ↓ climb or descend · A gate altitude · G head to gate · S F slower or faster · Space pause
📱 On a phone, it works best turned sideways. A computer with a mouse is easier, and closer to the real test.
Number Flash
Hold a number in your head while doing quick math, like keeping track of altitudes while you talk.
- A number from 1 to 9 appears, then another, then another.
- For each new number, type how much it changed from the one before. Up is a plus number, down is a minus.
4, then 7 → type 3 · 7, then 2 → type −5 (press minus first) - Answer before the next number appears. Your answer goes in as soon as you type the digit, so there’s no Enter key.
Keys: the number keys and − on your keyboard, or the buttons on screen.
Left or Right?
Picture the world from someone else’s seat, fast. Controllers do this all day when they turn planes.
- The map shows a blue plane (the pilot) or an eye (that’s you), pointing a direction. The map is turned, so up isn’t always forward.
- Decide if the tower, storm or red plane is on their left or right, as if you were sitting in that seat facing that way.
- Press LEFT or RIGHT, or use the ← and → arrow keys. 20 questions, as fast as you can.
To become an FAA air traffic controller without experience, you take the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) at a Pearson VUE test center. Public guides describe memory drills, a left-or-right spatial section, a radar simulation with math questions, word problems, reading comprehension and a personality questionnaire. You aren’t given a score, just a band, from Best Qualified to Not Referred. The games above practice the same kinds of skills.
What’s on the real test
The FAA confirms the test’s name but doesn’t publish its contents. Here’s how public prep guides describe it:
- Memory with numbers: digits flash on screen and you keep track of how they change. Number Flash practices this.
- Memory with letters: letters are given number values that change while you solve quick equations.
- Spatial thinking: deciding whether an aircraft is to someone’s left or right, from a map and from a rotating point of view. Left or Right? practices this.
- ATC simulation: keeping aircraft safely apart on a radar screen while math questions pop up, mostly with the number keypad. Sector Sim practices the radar side.
- Word problems with arithmetic, logic and graphs, and reading comprehension.
- A personality questionnaire, where you pick the statements most and least like you.
In all, it’s about two hours and 49 minutes of testing. The older test, the AT-SAT, had a radar game where you steered planes to exit gates, which is the idea behind Sector Sim.
How it’s scored
You don’t get a number. Applicants are placed in a band, Best Qualified, Well Qualified, Qualified or Not Referred, and the higher bands are more likely to move on. If you’re selected, the next steps include a medical exam, a security check and training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. Test dates and booking are on Pearson VUE’s FAA page.
Practice tips
- Safety first. In any radar game, two planes too close costs more than a late plane. Separate first, then fix the route.
- Use the keyboard. The real simulation is mostly the number keypad, so get used to keys instead of the mouse.
- Short daily sessions beat one long cram. Memory and speed improve with repetition.
- Read carefully under time pressure. Many mistakes come from rushing the question, not from not knowing the answer.
Common questions
What test do you take to become an air traffic controller?
Applicants without air traffic control experience take the FAA’s Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) at a Pearson VUE test center. It replaced the older AT-SAT.
What is on the ATSA?
Public prep guides describe memory drills with numbers and letter values, a left-or-right spatial section, a radar simulation where you keep aircraft apart while answering math questions, word problems, reading comprehension, and a personality questionnaire. The FAA doesn’t publish the test itself.
How is the ATSA scored?
You don’t get a number. Applicants are placed in a band: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, Qualified or Not Referred. Higher bands are more likely to get an offer.
Are these the real test questions?
No. These are original practice games built around the kinds of skills public guides describe. They’re for practice and fun, not a copy of the test, and doing well here doesn’t predict your result.
Can I practice on my phone?
Number Flash and Left or Right work great on a phone. Sector Sim works with taps too, but it’s easier on a computer with a mouse and keyboard, which is also closer to the real test.
How long is the ATSA?
Public guides put it at about two hours and 49 minutes of testing, plus optional breaks.