The KLM Flight Academy in Groningen is the ab-initio route toward the KLM flight deck, and its selection is among the most structured in Europe. Testing is conducted with the Aviation Medical Center (AMC) in Amsterdam and was restructured in April 2025, with a pre-selection test day added in front of the classic phases.
The five phases
Pre-selection (Voorselectie): a first test day of roughly three hours at the AMC, sampling personality, intellectual capacity and sensorimotor capacity.
Phase 1 — BCO (Basis Capaciteiten Onderzoek): about two hours of intellectual capacity testing — mental arithmetic, number sequences, analogies, syllogisms and figure sequences — preceded by a psychological questionnaire.
Phase 2 — SMO (Sensomotorisch Onderzoek): five sensorimotor assessments in three parts, from joystick coordination to a 25-minute sustained-attention test.
Phase 3 — KCO: the psychological evaluation at the AMC — an interview with a psychologist, a role-play with an actor, and a group assignment.
Phase 4 — COVA: the selection committee (Commissie van Aanname), a panel of KLM pilots and a purser at Schiphol Oost, followed by the aviation medical examination.
Phases one to three are conducted with the AMC; the COVA is run by KLM itself on the basis of the AMC's report. Each phase is eliminatory, so preparation pays off most in the early stages where the largest share of candidates drops out. The lessons in this course take the phases one at a time: what is tested, why, and how to train for it — including which practice games on this platform map to each phase. Selection procedures evolve, so always verify the current process on the KLM Flight Academy's own site before you apply.