Some airlines include a reading and memory exercise as part of their aptitude screening. Unlike a verbal reasoning test, this isn’t checking your logic. It’s checking whether you can absorb written information quickly, hold it in your memory, and answer questions on it without referring back to the text.
This is closer to a real cabin crew skill than it might first appear. For example, reading a safety briefing or a set of instructions once and needing to retain and act on the key details is a key part of the job.
Before you start:
- You’ll have 3 minutes to read and memorise a passage of text.
- After that, the passage disappears, and the test automatically moves on. You won’t be able to refer back to it.
- You’ll then have 5 minutes to answer 12 questions about what you read.
- Work quickly but accurately, and if you’re unsure of an answer, go with whatever feels right rather than leaving it blank.
- Find a quiet moment without distractions before you begin.
What This Test Is Actually Checking
You’re given a passage of text, often a short, narrative scenario describing a working day, similar to the kind of situation you’d genuinely encounter on the job, and then tested on the specific details afterwards, with no ability to look back. This is less about intelligence and more about a specific, learnable technique: active reading, mental note-taking, and disciplined focus rather than skimming.
Most candidates who find this test difficult the first time aren’t lacking ability, but are simply reading passively, the way you’d read a message or a social media post, rather than actively working to retain specific details as they go.
How to Improve
Practise active reading before you sit the real thing: as you read, mentally note names, numbers, times, and locations rather than just letting your eyes pass over them. Try to build a clear mental picture of the sequence of events rather than isolated facts – who did what, in what order, and why. Three minutes go quickly, so don’t spend all the time re-reading the same lines; actively read the text once and trust what you’ve retained.
Worth knowing: This test format is also useful preparation beyond just passing the assessment stage. Airlines use it because the same skill of absorbing information once and retaining the key details comes up constantly in real cabin crew work, from safety briefings to passenger manifests to changing instructions during a delay or diversion.