IndiGo Cadet Programme

Stage 1: The ADAPT Assessment

Lesson 2 of 3•2 min read•9 exercises

The first scored gate is the ADAPT test, a pilot aptitude assessment developed by Symbiotics and used by airlines and academies worldwide; CAE's IndiGo pages call this stage CASS/ADAPT. It is a computer-based assessment of psychomotor skill, cognitive ability, problem-solving and decision-making, sat in person at the partner academy (at CAE, in Gurugram). None of the items is individually hard, but the pace and the switching between formats are relentless.

CAE's rules for its IndiGo route: the CASS/ADAPT test carries a fee of Rs 29,500, and you get two attempts, the second after a cooling period of at least six months. Fail the second and you are not considered for the IndiGo programme again. A failed sitting costs you months, the strongest argument for arriving trained rather than curious.

The ability areas

Psychomotor skills: steering and coordination under time pressure. ADAPT has two formats for this: FAST, a flight scenario steered with the keyboard, and joystick coordination tasks that some operators include.
Cognitive capacity: numerical reasoning, pattern and sequence tasks, spatial orientation and sustained attention under time pressure.
Problem-solving and decision-making: choosing quickly and correctly between competing responses, and keeping accuracy alive when several simple tasks are stacked together.

How to prepare

Train the same task families the test samples, a little every day. Math: Full and Number Sequences build the numerical and pattern layer; Spatial Awareness and Non-Verbal Reasoning cover orientation and non-verbal logic; the Vigilance Test trains monitoring stamina; the Triple Multitasking Test and Multitasking Test train the split attention FAST demands; the Complex Choice Reaction Test trains fast, correct responses; and the Drift Control Test trains ADAPT's joystick ball task in case your sitting includes it. Track your trend lines and put your remaining practice time where the curve is flattest, because familiarity with the formats is the single biggest score lever in a test like this. ADAPT is the same assessment used in several other cadet programmes, so the ADAPT Test Preparation course on this platform breaks down each subtest in depth.

What the test looks like

A worked example from each exercise in this lesson, exactly as the test presents it.

Math: Full

Example: a question from the mix

The Full test draws from all seven math categories — integers, decimals, fractions, time, weight, operators and percentages — one question at a time. Here is a representative decimal item; time and weight questions appear in their own stacked layout.

13.6+2.75

A)16.35

B)15.95

C)16.75

D)17.85

Explanation

Line up the decimal points before adding: 13.60 + 2.75 = 16.35. The wrong options are small offsets of the right answer — four tenths light, four tenths heavy, a point and a half over — so estimating “about sixteen” is not enough; the hundredths have to be right. Because the categories are shuffled, read each question on its own terms before reaching for a method.

Number Sequences: Full Test

Spatial Awareness

Vigilance Test (VIGIL)

Triple Multitasking Test

Multitasking Test

Complex Choice Reaction Test

Drift Control Test

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Practice the relevant tests

Assessment-grade exercises to practice the relevant competences.

Math: Full

A mixed practice test combining all math categories — integers, decimals, fractions, time, weight, operators, and percentages — with a per-question timer.

Number Sequences: Full Test

The full progress test for number sequences — a mixed drill combining 30% easy, 40% medium and 30% hard sequence types to mirror the difficulty level of real pilot assessments.

13 minIntellectual

Spatial Awareness

Visualise a 3D shape from a fixed viewpoint and pick the matching 2D view. Tests mental rotation and spatial perception under time pressure.

5 minNeuro-Sensomotoric

Space

2.5 s

Vigilance Test (VIGIL)

Test your attention and reaction speed. Detect when the moving circle skips a position.

10 minNeuro-Sensomotoric

3+4+6-2 = 11CorrectWrong

1X2X

Triple Multitasking Test

Verify chained equations, spot duplicate icons, and keep your aircraft in the gap as hazard lines fall. Three tasks, one screen, one five-minute clock.

5 minIntellectual

2:14

PilotVeterinarianTeacher

Multitasking Test

Two tasks at once: scan number grids for duplicate pairs while answering spoken questions from your phonebook, agenda, mental math and word categories — some of which must be answered at an exact moment on the clock.

6 minIntellectual

Complex Choice Reaction Test

Compare a target figure against four reference shapes and decide within 2.5 seconds whether it matches one of them.

5 minNeuro-Sensomotoric

Medium3:30

Drift Control Test

Keep an unstable ball centred on a plate while it constantly tries to escape — and recoveries are measured to the millisecond.

4 minNeuro-SensomotoricGamepad

Non-Verbal Reasoning

Spot the rule in a set of abstract figures — pick the odd one out, the option that completes the pattern, or the true rotation of a figure. Tests non-verbal, fluid reasoning under time pressure.

5 minIntellectual

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