Brain Training Games for the ATSA: What Actually Helps

Search for ATSA preparation and you will quickly find people recommending games: memory apps, mental math trainers, air traffic control simulators, even fast-paced video games. The appeal is obvious. The ATSA is described as an aptitude test, and games feel like a fun way to sharpen an aptitude. The honest answer is that some game time helps and a lot of it does not. The difference comes down to one idea from the research on brain training: you get better at what you practice, and not much else.

What the FAA says first

Pearson VUE's FAA page, which handles ATSA scheduling, says plainly: "The ATSA is an aptitude assessment; therefore no studying or preparation is necessary." Its own advice is a good night's rest, comfortable clothes, a meal before testing and plenty of time to get to the test site. The same page says nearly 3.5 hours are allotted, made up of a maximum test duration of 2 hours 49 minutes plus up to 30 minutes of break time.

Many candidates still choose to practice, mainly so the formats and the pace aren't new to them on the day. If you do, the question isn't whether to play games. It's which kind of practice is worth your limited time.

What the research on brain games actually found

In 2016 a group of psychologists led by Daniel Simons published a large review, "Do 'Brain-Training' Programs Work?", in Psychological Science in the Public Interest. They examined the evidence cited by brain-training companies and proponents, including 132 journal articles. Their conclusion, as summarized in the University of Illinois release: people "tend to improve on the specific tasks they practice," but the conclusion that these programs yield broader cognitive benefits or improve real-world outcomes "is premature at best." They found "little evidence for broad transfer from brain-training tasks to other tasks."

The same year, Lumos Labs, the company behind Lumosity, agreed to pay $2 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges of deceptive advertising. The FTC alleged that the company claimed its games could help users "perform better at work and in school" without the science to back that up. The settlement required the company to have competent and reliable scientific evidence before making such claims in the future.

For an ATSA candidate, this is useful rather than discouraging. It tells you where practice pays off:

• Near transfer is real. Practicing a task that looks and works like the one you'll face makes you faster and more accurate at that task.
• Far transfer is weak. Getting a high score on a generic memory game is unlikely to raise your performance on a differently built memory task by much.
• So the closer the practice is to the format, the more it's worth. Generic games are, at best, a warm-up.

Game types, judged against the ATSA

The ATSA's content isn't published. Candidates describe a set of subtests covering number comparison, memory, spatial judgments, an air traffic simulation, reading, logic problems and a work style questionnaire; our section-by-section guide sets out what is reported and how reliable each detail is. Here's how common game types line up against those descriptions.

Type of game or app	What it trains	Closest reported ATSA area	Worth it?
Mental math trainers (timed arithmetic)	Fast, accurate arithmetic without paper	Simulation math questions, word problems	Yes, in short daily doses
Generic memory games (cards, grids, sequences)	That specific game's memory task	Memory sections, loosely	Limited; only as a warm-up
Working-memory tasks that mix recall with a calculation	Holding several items while working something out	Memory Variables, as candidates describe it	Moderate, if the task makes you compute, not just recall
Air traffic control simulator games	Projecting moving traffic, spotting conflicts early	The ATC simulation	Some value for the "picture"; the rules and controls will differ
Fast action video games	Attention under speed, general multitasking	Nothing specific	Fine as a hobby; not a substitute for practice
Speed-reading apps	Skimming	Reading comprehension	Can backfire; one careful read usually beats skimming
Logic puzzle apps (grid logic, ordering puzzles)	Rule-based deduction	Logical reasoning word problems	Yes, especially ordering and scheduling puzzles

Mental math: the best value per minute

Candidate reports of the ATC simulation mention arithmetic questions that pop up while you're managing traffic. Doing simple math quickly while your attention is elsewhere is a learnable skill, and it's exactly the kind of near-transfer practice that the research supports. Ten minutes a day of timed two- and three-digit addition, subtraction and simple multiplication, without a calculator, is enough for most people. Once that feels easy, do the math while something else is moving on the screen. That's the part that matches the test.

Memory games: pick ones that make you work something out

Most memory apps ask you to remember a fixed set and then recall it. The Memory Variables section, as candidates describe it, flashes letters with values, and in its harder parts some letters are given as equations that depend on another letter, so you have to hold the set while working out the missing values. Memorizing a grid of cards is a different skill. If you use a memory app, choose tasks that make you calculate or reason while holding information, and treat your score in the app as a measure of the app, not of your ATSA readiness.

ATC simulator games: useful for the picture, not the controls

Hobby ATC games can build the habit of looking ahead: where will these two aircraft be in thirty seconds, and will they be too close? That anticipation is relevant to the simulation. But the ATSA simulation has its own rules, display and keys, and a game that rewards you for things the test doesn't score can build habits you'll have to unlearn. Use them for enjoyment and for the general idea of projecting motion, then spend your focused time on practice built around the reported test format.

Video games: no harm, no shortcut

Lots of applicants play fast-paced games and some say it helped them stay calm under time pressure. That may be true for them, but it isn't something we can show you evidence for, and the 2016 review is a reason to be cautious. If you enjoy them, keep playing. Just don't count those hours as ATSA preparation.

A sensible way to use game time

If you have four to six weeks before your test date, here's one way to split a 45-minute session. It sits alongside the plan in our preparation guide, not in place of it.

1. Warm-up, 5 minutes: a mental math drill or a short memory game. The goal is to get your brain moving, not to chase a high score.
2. Format practice, 30 minutes: timed practice built around the reported ATSA sections, rotating through two or three per session. This is where most of your improvement will come from, because it's the closest to the real formats.
3. Review, 10 minutes: look at what you got wrong and name the reason for each mistake: rushed, misread, lost track, or didn't know the format. Repeated reasons tell you what to drill next.

Once a week, swap the session for a longer run of several sections back to back. The ATSA's length is a big part of its difficulty, which we cover in ATSA time management, and no five-minute game builds stamina for hour three.

Signs your game time isn't helping

• Your app score keeps climbing but your timed practice scores don't. That's the narrow-transfer effect in action. Move the time to format practice.
• You're practicing what's easy. Games feel productive because they're fun. If you avoid the section you find hardest, it will still be the hardest one on test day.
• You're tired the night before the test from "one last session." Pearson VUE's own advice is rest. Last-minute cramming is one of the common ATSA mistakes.
• You're treating Work Style as something to train. No game prepares you for a personality questionnaire. Answer it honestly; our Work Style guide explains why.

Where our practice fits

ATSA Practice offers original practice drills built around public descriptions and candidate reports of each section. They're not the real test and don't use its content, and no practice can promise a result. What they do is give you near-format practice with a timer, which is the kind of practice the research suggests is most likely to carry over. Every section has a free demo: start with Memory Variables or the ATC simulation, or take the free ATSA practice test.

Frequently asked questions

Do brain games help you pass the ATSA?

Not much on their own. A 2016 review of brain-training research found that people improve on the specific tasks they practice, with little evidence of broad transfer to other tasks. Practice that resembles the reported ATSA formats is a better use of time. The FAA doesn't publish a pass mark, and no game or practice product can guarantee a result.

Are ATC simulator games good practice for the ATSA simulation?

They can help you get used to anticipating where traffic will be, but their rules, displays and controls differ from the ATSA's. Treat them as a supplement, not your main preparation.

Should I practice mental math for the ATSA?

It's one of the most useful short drills. Candidates report arithmetic questions during the ATC simulation, and quick, calculator-free math while you're multitasking is a skill that improves with practice.

Does the FAA recommend any games or prep materials?

No. Pearson VUE's FAA page states that the ATSA is an aptitude assessment and that "no studying or preparation is necessary." It recommends rest, comfortable clothes, a meal and arriving in good time.

How much time should I spend on games before the ATSA?

A few minutes as a warm-up is plenty. Spend most of your practice time on timed, format-specific drills, and include some longer sessions to build stamina for a test that lasts nearly 3.5 hours including breaks.