COMPASS (COMputerised Pilot Aptitude Screening System) is one of the most widely used pilot aptitude tests in Europe. It was developed by EPST (European Pilot Selection & Training) in Utrecht — founded by Dick Verburg and Capt. Robin Acton — and is now marketed by COMPASS International B.V., while EPST continues to administer it in its own cadet selection. COMPASS International also offers an Advanced COMPASS variant for already trained and licensed pilots, and a Pre-COMPASS web screening that some operators use to shortlist candidates before the full test.
Who uses COMPASS?
The following uses are confirmed on the airlines' and schools' own pages at the time of writing:
Transavia — sits candidates for COMPASS plus the CPP personality questionnaire at EPST in Utrecht, with a candidate fee of around €400.
Brussels Airlines MPL (via Skywings Flight Training) — COMPASS is Day 1 of a three-day selection: roughly 2.5 hours of testing for a €245 fee, taken alongside a maths and physics screening with a minimum score of 15/20. Holders of a DLR grade A or B are exempt from the aptitude test.
Aegean Airlines — its cadet scholarship selection combines COMPASS with an interview and a medical.
Etihad Airways — COMPASS is named in Etihad's own 2025 cadet programme brochure.
Emirates Flight Training Academy — its own admissions pages describe COMPASS as an online aptitude test of five modules, taken on the Dubai assessment day with an AED 500 test fee.
Air Astana — its own ab-initio pilot vacancy lists COMPASS psychomotor tests, taken after an English test and SHL aptitude tests.
Cathay Pacific — its own cadet-pilot recruitment site names COMPASS aptitude testing at Stage 1 of the Cadet Pilot Programme.
AIS Flight Academy — uses COMPASS as phase 1 of its selection: nine subtests, taken in English, lasting four to six hours, for a €300 fee.
EPST — administers COMPASS in its own cadet selection programmes.
How this course is organised
The next three lessons walk through the three pillars of a COMPASS selection — the cognitive subtests, the control and multitasking subtests, and the CPP personality questionnaire — each with a concrete practice mapping to the exercises on this platform. One caveat before you start: selection procedures evolve, and fees, durations and test line-ups change between intakes, so always verify the current process on the official site of the airline or school you are applying to.