FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

Please click on a question to read the answer.

  1. How do I book an individual course ?

    The details of our availabe individual course are listed in our Timetable. If you would like to book one of these days please go to Contact Us and specify the dates you wish to attend a course on.

  2. How do I book a group course ?

    Group courses are listed on our timetable section. If you wish to attend a group course simply email us stating the course you wish to attend we will then confirm your booking via email.

  3. I have some more questions can I contact you?

    If you have a number of questions we suggest that you call us, as a short conversation can often satisfy a number of queries.

    We are more than happy to answer any questions from prospective clients either via email or phone.

  4. Do you require a deposit?

    For group courses full payment is required prior to the course. Once again, once you make a booking a Paypal invoice will be emailed to you. A course place is not confirmed until it is confirmed that full payment has been made.

    For individual courses a deposit of $495 AUD is required to confirm course dates. Once you have agreed to do a course on a certain date a Paypal invoice will be emailed to you. Note that dates will NOT be reserved until it is confirmed that this deposit has been paid. Please note that this deposit is non-refundable and cannot be credited towards future courses.

  5. How do I pay?

    Full payment is due BEFORE the course commences on the first day. Please note we DO NOT accept American Express or Diners Club.We ACCEPT payment from Visa and Mastercard and are also authorized to accept these payments via email or telephone if that is your preference. We can also accept payment via EFTPOS but with all payment mechanisms it is important to confirm with your financial institution that the course fee is not over your daily limit.Our instructors are not allowed to proceed unless full payment has been made.

  6. I am a school careers advisor would you be able to come to our school and run a program for my students?

    We work closely with many careers advisors. All of our instructors have current National Police Clearance Certificates( issued by Victoria Police) and working with children cards( issued by the Victorian Department of Justice) and these documents are available for your inspection. Please contact us to discuss the details of your request and the available options. Also we attend many careers information nights at secondary schools and we certainly attend these events whenever we can. We can speak on a variety of topics regarding careers in Aviation and  the Defence Forces.

  7. I am interested in doing the three day Qantas prep program — where you get a free fourth day, how does it work?

    We no longer conduct the three day course. However an increasing number of our clients - particularly those who have traveled a long distance to attend our program elect to do two of our standard two day courses over a period of typically seven days. Please note that there are no discounts available for doing more than one two day program.

  8. What is the biggest mistake people make when sitting these tests?

    The biggest mistake is be underprepared — if you do not walk into the testing room knowing that you are going to pass — then you are underprepared. Many people adopt the approach that they will go along and “have a crack” or “just do my best”. In our view this is a serious mistake that will often result in permanent and irreversible adverse consequences to your career options.

  9. Where are the courses held?

    The location of our group courses vary depending on the city in which the course is being conducted, please check our timetable for more information. You will be fully advised of details when you make a booking.

    All individual courses are conducted at our office in the Melbourne Central Business District. This facility is newly re-furbished, has been purpose designed and is conveniently located in the mid section of the city near the corner of Collins and Elizabeth Streets - around a five minute walk from Flinders Street Station.

  10. How much is GST?

    The group courses which are conducted in Singapore and Hong Kong are quoted is US dollars and are not subject to GST or any other taxes.

    The prices of our Australian based courses are quoted exclusive of Goods and Services Tax / (ex GST) - GST is ten percent. Therefore to calculate the total price you need to multiply the (ex GST) figure by 1.1)

  11. What courses are ran as group courses?

    Please check our timetable for scheduled dates and locations of these courses. There is also the option to do each of the three courses listed above as an individual course.

    • SIA Cadet preparation — Singapore
    • Cathay Pacific Cadet preparation — Hong Kong
    • JOES test — Australian Capital Cities

    The following courses are conducted as group courses:

  12. What other services do you provide aside from aptitude test prep programs?

    PATS is also able to provide Flight Crew HR departments with a full range of selection tools for their pilot selection.

    We offer a range of services that are fully detailed in the other services link, including interview preparation, as well as resume design and preparation.

  13. I have been told that you cannot improve your performance in aptitude tests, is this true?

    There is no truth in this assertion — although it is a myth that many people believe. The tests can be prepared and studied for just like any other university, school, or professional level exam. The focus of our program is to improve the test scores of our clients. The performance and success of our clients demonstrate the fact that it is possible to significantly increase your test score.

  14. By how much does the typical client improve?

    The majority of clients achieve around a 30 to 50 % increase in their testing scores. These figures are derived from data that we have recorded, logging the improved performance of clients attending our program.

  15. Do you brief or prepare clients for personality tests?

    Personality tests or more correctly personality profiles are used as predictors of personal or behavioural traits and are not a pass/fail test. We do not conduct these tests or give any advice regarding personality profiles apart from advising our clients to answer all questions honestly.

  16. When is the best time to do a preparation course?

    It is always the case that a higher score will be obtained when a client has additional time to practice and cover fully the extensive practice materials that we give you.

    In all cases the best option is to do our program as soon as possible. This is because in most cases people want time to practice and consolidate the methods and techniques that we teach you. We teach you to look and analyse the various questions "conceptually," so there is no danger that you will forget the particular material.

  17. Your courses seem expensive why do they cost so much?

    The courses are industry leading — by a significant margin. First class quality together with proven record of delivery costs money — that is not something we apologise for.

  18. How accurately does the course content reflect actual test questions?

    We have designed our program to closely resemble test questions. This is helpful as it can be determined very quickly what score you would get before the “training” element of the program commences. It also provides our clients with a increased confidence in their ability to complete the tests and removes any mystique about the test. The fundamental aim of our training program is to develop the skills of our clients, enabling them to pass tests on their own merits.

  19. Do I get a copy of the course on disc to take with me?

    You will not receive a copy of our computer based training program. Our clients receive detailed summaries of all methods and techniques that we teach you as well as extensive take home practice materials.

  20. What areas of aptitude testing have the highest failure rates?

    Without any doubt the two sections that have the highest failure rates are the numerical and verbal sections. These two area are comprehensively covered in our course material and constitute approximately 60% of the allocated time.

  21. I am interested in doing a course just to prepare me for the numerical section of the Qantas test can you do this?

    We only run the full courses as listed. It is the aim of our company to achieve a 100% pass rate for our clients. Therefore we feel it is very important to cover all elements of the particular testing process.

  22. I am interested in coming to Melbourne and doing the program for the ADF aircrew aptitude tests with a friend, can I do that?

    No this is an individual course meaning that we can only do it on one client — one instructor basis. The only course that is conducted on a group basis in Australia is the JOES course.

  23. Are there any discounts or deferred payment options available?

    No.

  24. I am a serving member of the Australian Defence Force are there any subsidies available?

    Additionally if you are an ADF member who intends to apply to become ADF Aircrew it is highly likely that funding for our course will be available from the ADF - contact us for details.

    We can advise you on how to apply for funding from the ADF for our programs - please email us for details. In the past many ADF members have obtained funding of up to $1100 to attend one of our Corporate prep or Qantas prep programs.

  25. What are the start and finish times?

    The course day begins at 9:00 AM and concludes at 5:00 PM with meal breaks throughout the day.

  26. I have always been strong at sitting exams and think I can pass anyway, why should I do your course?

    We have certainly had clients who would have passed their test without attending our program. However many of these candidates have acknowledged to us that our program helped them achieve a higher score. A candidate scoring 38/40 for a test rather than 30/40 will achieve a higher overall candidate ranking.

  27. How does the actual program work? How is it run?

    We then give you extensive briefings on method/ techniques of tackling problems and getting you working through computer based training tutorials. The process then involves doing further sets of questions followed by detailed de-briefs; this process is repeated over. We soon find that as clients grow in confidence and become more familiar with the methods and techniques we show them, rapid improvement soon follows.

    The program is demanding and requires you to work very hard for the whole day to derive maximum benefit. Normally on the first morning we will do two or three tests under time pressure thus establishing a "baseline" indicating to us what test score you would obtain at that point in time.

  28. I am not from Melbourne — where should I stay? What travel advice can you give me?

     

    If you intend departing Melbourne on the day you complete the course we would advise that you book a flight no earlier than 8 PM to allow adequate time to get to the airport. If you are flying with Jetstar departing from Avalon be aware that Avalon Airport is approximately 45 minutes from the CBD ( 55 km from the CBD).

    We also suggest you stay in the Melbourne CBD as you will just be a short walk from our city office. There is a large variety of accommodation within in the Melbourne CBD — many of our clients make bookings on lastminute.com.au or wotif.com or stay at the www.victoriahotel.com.au.

    The majority of our clients come from outside Melbourne so we are very comfortable in catering for clients from both interstate and overseas. The airport shuttle bus also runs to and from the CBD every fifteen minutes for a cost of $24 return. We strongly recommend that you arrive in Melbourne on the afternoon prior to your course.

  29. I am coming from overseas to do the course what else should I know?

    Due to the demanding nature of the training program we would suggest arriving in Melbourne at least 24 hours prior to your course.

  30. What do I need to bring to the course? What is the dress code?

    You do not need to bring anything; all materials (including pens) are supplied. We are also happy to look at and evaluate any preparatory material that you may have. There is no particular dress code although most clients wear neat casual or business casual.