ATSA Reading Comprehension: Format and Tactics

The ATSA reading comprehension section, as candidates describe it, gives you a series of short passages with multiple-choice questions about each one: what the passage is mainly about, what must be true based on it, and what it doesn't actually say. It is timed, it doesn't require aviation knowledge, and the main skill is answering strictly from the text rather than from what sounds reasonable.

The FAA doesn't publish a description of individual ATSA subtests. The format details below come from candidate write-ups and are hedged accordingly; the real section may differ from any account, including ours.

What the FAA does say about the ATSA

Public documents describe the ATSA as a whole rather than section by section. Pearson VUE's FAA page, which the FAA uses to register invited candidates, called it "an entry-level employment aptitude assessment consisting of multiple subtests" covering "decision-making ability, spatial awareness, multitasking, and working memory, among others." The same page said nearly 3.5 hours are allotted, including a maximum test duration of 2 hours 49 minutes plus up to 30 minutes of break time.

A 2021 Department of Transportation privacy impact assessment explains that the test content comes from two commercial vendors, Airways International Limited and SHL (the OIG audit calls them Airways New Zealand and SHL/CEB), and that subtest scores are combined by a proprietary algorithm into a single ATSA score used to place candidates in referral bands. The DOT Office of Inspector General's 2023 audit adds that the FAA chose 7 of 15 vendor assessments for the final battery after a validation study involving certified controllers and Academy students. None of these sources names a "reading comprehension" subtest or says how much it weighs, so treat the rest of this page as a practical guide to a section candidates consistently report, not a specification.

What candidates report about the format

Across candidate write-ups on the r/ATC forum from 2017 to 2024, the reading section is described in broadly similar terms:

• Several short passages, a few questions each. Reported question totals vary between accounts, from around 15 to 18. One 2024 test taker estimated missing "maybe 2 of the 15"; other accounts describe more.
• A fixed time limit. One December 2024 account put the reading section at 20 minutes. Treat that as one person's recollection.
• Late in the session. Candidates usually describe it coming after the game-style sections (number differences, memory, visual relationships and the ATC simulation), alongside the work style questionnaire and the logic word problems. By then you have been testing for a couple of hours, which is a large part of why people find it harder than it looks.
• Everyday, non-technical topics. Nothing candidates report suggests you need aviation or air traffic knowledge. The questions test whether you can read accurately.

Section order has been reported differently by different candidates, and the FAA can change the battery, so don't plan your day around a particular sequence.

What the section likely measures

The OIG report says the ATSA was built from a job analysis identifying the skills, abilities and other characteristics entry-level controllers need. Controllers work from written procedures, letters of agreement, notices and briefing material, and they need to take exactly what a document says without adding assumptions. A reading subtest that rewards precise, text-bound reasoning under time pressure fits that picture. That is an inference, not something the FAA has stated for this section.

A worked example (original, illustrative)

The passage and questions below were written for this guide. They are not taken from the ATSA and are only meant to show the kind of reasoning involved. The airport is fictional.

Many small airports rely on volunteers to count birds near their runways. At Harlan County Field, volunteers walk a fixed route twice a month and record every flock larger than ten birds. The airport manager uses the counts to decide when to mow the grass strips beside the runway. Tall grass shelters small animals that attract hawks, while freshly cut grass exposes insects that attract starlings. Because neither choice keeps birds away entirely, the manager schedules mowing for the weeks when the counts show the fewest flocks and asks pilots to report sightings by radio. Last year the volunteers missed three counts during a stretch of heavy rain. The manager noted that the gaps made it harder to compare spring with fall, but she did not change the mowing plan.

Question 1: Which best states the main idea of the passage?

A. Volunteers are more reliable than airport staff at counting birds.
B. Harlan County Field uses volunteer bird counts to time its mowing, because grass height affects which birds are attracted.
C. Tall grass is the main cause of bird strikes at small airports.
D. Heavy rain reduces bird activity near runways.

Answer: B. It covers the whole passage: who counts, why, and how the counts are used. A compares volunteers with staff, which the passage never does. C is an extreme claim ("main cause") the text doesn't make. D confuses missed counts with fewer birds.

Question 2: Based on the passage, which statement must be true?

A. Hawks are a greater hazard to aircraft than starlings.
B. Neither tall grass nor freshly cut grass keeps all birds away from the runway area.
C. The mowing plan was changed after the missed counts.
D. The volunteers record every bird they see.

Answer: B. The passage says "neither choice keeps birds away entirely." A might be true in real life, but the passage doesn't compare the two species. C contradicts the last sentence. D is wrong on a detail: only flocks larger than ten are recorded.

Question 3: Which of the following cannot be determined from the passage?

A. How often the volunteers walk their route
B. Why three counts were missed last year
C. Whether bird sightings near the runway went down after the mowing schedule began
D. What the manager asks pilots to do

Answer: C. The passage gives the frequency (twice a month), the reason for the gaps (heavy rain) and the request to pilots (report sightings by radio). It never says whether the approach worked.

Technique that holds up under time pressure

Name the question type before reading the options

"Main idea," "must be true," "could be true," "not stated" and "cannot be determined" each call for a different test. For a must-be-true question, an option has to be supported by the text alone. For a main-idea question, it has to cover the whole passage, not one sentence of it. Deciding which test you're applying before you look at the choices stops a familiar-sounding option from pulling you in.

Use the passage as the only evidence

The most common trap is an answer that is true in the world but not established by the text, like option A in Question 2. If you can't point to the sentence that proves an option, it isn't a must-be-true answer.

Watch for words that overreach

"Always," "never," "main cause," "all" and "only" often turn a nearly right option into a wrong one. So do small swaps: "every bird" instead of "every flock larger than ten birds," or "changed the plan" when the passage says the plan stayed the same.

Read once, carefully, then go to the question

Skimming and rereading usually costs more time than one careful read, especially with short passages. As you read, note in your head who is doing what, any numbers or conditions, and any contrast words such as "but," "while" or "because."

Pace by the clock, not by feel

Going by candidate accounts of roughly 15 to 18 questions in about 20 minutes, that's a little over a minute per question, including reading time. The exact limit and count on your test may differ. If a question is eating your time, choose the best-supported option and move on rather than leaving a run of unanswered questions at the end. Some candidates describe running short of time in the later sections and answering the last few questions quickly just to have something down.

Common mistakes

• Bringing in outside knowledge. This happens most when a passage touches a topic you know well.
• Picking a detail as the main idea. A true statement about one sentence isn't the main idea.
• Mixing up "could" and "must." Something consistent with the passage isn't necessarily required by it.
• Going in tired. A candidate in 2023 described reading as the section they found hardest after the game sections had gone well. You can take up to 30 minutes of break time in total, according to the Pearson VUE page, and it can make sense to use some of it before the reading and reasoning sections if the format lets you.

How to practice

Reading accuracy improves with timed, deliberate practice more than with general reading. Useful habits:

• Work short passages against a timer and, for every miss, write down which trap caught you: outside knowledge, overreach, detail-as-main-idea or could-versus-must.
• Practice after doing something mentally tiring, such as a timed run of the Number Differences or ATC Simulation demos, so you get used to reading carefully when you're already fatigued.
• Pair it with the logical reasoning section, which uses the same must-be-true discipline with rules instead of prose.

You can try a short reading comprehension demo with original passages. Full timed sets are part of the Complete plan on the pricing page. Our passages are written from scratch to practice the reported format. They aren't copies of real ATSA content, and practicing won't guarantee a particular result. For the bigger picture, see the ATSA overview and how to prepare for the ATSA.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need aviation knowledge for the ATSA reading section?

Candidate reports don't suggest so. The questions test whether you can answer from the passage itself. Pearson VUE's FAA page describes the whole ATSA as an aptitude assessment for which "no studying or preparation is necessary."

How many reading comprehension questions are on the ATSA?

The FAA doesn't publish a number. Candidate accounts vary, generally between about 15 and 18 questions spread over several short passages, with a limit reported at around 20 minutes. Expect the details on your test to differ.

How much does the reading section count toward my ATSA result?

That isn't public. According to the DOT's privacy impact assessment, subtest scores are combined by a proprietary algorithm into one ATSA score, which places you in a band such as Best Qualified or Well Qualified. You don't get section scores. See ATSA score bands for how the bands are used.

Is it better to guess or leave a question blank?

The FAA hasn't published how blanks are scored. Since an unanswered question can't earn credit, most candidates choose the best-supported option when time is short rather than leaving questions empty.