A320 Simulator Assessment: How to Prepare and Pass

A320 Simulator Assessment: How to Prepare and Pass

An A320 simulator assessment is a short, observed flight in a full-flight simulator where an airline or examiner judges how you handle the aircraft, the automation, the checklists and the workload. It is rarely a pure stick-and-rudder test. The pilots who do well fly the profile cleanly, but they also communicate, prioritize and make timely decisions. This guide explains what is evaluated, how the assessment differs from a regulatory check, and how to structure your preparation so that you walk into the simulator with a plan.

TL;DR

• An airline assessment screens for competencies (flight-path management, procedures, communication, decision-making, workload), not only for raw handling.
• It is separate from an FAA practical test or an EASA skill test. The airline sets its own profile, length and standard.
• ATP-CTP simulator time does not prepare you for an A320 assessment. You need type-specific practice on the Airbus flight deck.
• Practice scenarios, not isolated maneuvers, and ask your provider which competencies the session will cover.
• Confirm the simulator’s qualification and the credit you expect before you pay for any session.

Table of Contents

• What an A320 simulator assessment actually is
• What assessors are looking for
• How the assessment differs from a checkride
• Do not confuse ATP-CTP with A320 preparation
• A preparation plan that works
• How many sessions do you need?
• Mistakes that cost candidates the most
• Our perspective
• Train in a Level D A320 simulator
• FAQ
• Sources

What an A320 simulator assessment actually is

People use “assessment” for three different events, and mixing them up leads to the wrong preparation.

1. An airline hiring assessment. The operator puts you in an A320 full-flight simulator to see whether you can be trained quickly and safely. Many candidates are not yet type rated, so the airline is looking at your underlying skill and how fast you learn the Airbus environment.
2. A type-rating skill test. You have completed an approved course and an examiner checks that you meet the standard for the aircraft.
3. A recurrent or proficiency check. You already fly the type and are being re-checked.

This article focuses on the first, with notes on the second. The first is the one where preparation changes the result most, because you often meet the A320 environment, the sidestick, the flight mode annunciator and the Airbus automation logic with very little time to settle in.

The airline sets the duration, the scenarios, the grading sheet and the pass mark. No regulation gives a universal price, length or pass rate for a hiring screen. The FAA’s own practical test rule describes what applicants must demonstrate for a certificate or rating: perform the tasks in the Airman Certification Standards, show mastery within approved standards and demonstrate sound judgment. A hiring simulator screen is a different thing and can add company-specific competencies on top.

What assessors are looking for

If you prepare only for the maneuvers, you prepare for half the test. ICAO’s guidance on competency-based training explains that realistic scenarios are chosen to develop and evaluate several competencies at once. Those include application of knowledge, procedure compliance, communication, automation and manual flight-path management, leadership and teamwork, decision-making, situation awareness and workload management.

EASA describes the same direction of travel. Its page on evidence-based training presents EBT as a competency-focused framework for commercial flight-crew training, and ICAO lists the second edition of its Manual of Evidence-based Training, Volume I as the current edition in 2026. In practice that means an assessor is watching observable behaviors. Did you brief the threats? Did you notice the airspeed trend? Did you say what you were going to do before you did it?

The competencies in plain pilot language

The last row matters more than many candidates think. Sound judgment is part of the FAA standard, and a technically capable pilot can still fail the session by continuing an unstable approach or hesitating over a go-around. Preparation should rehearse the decision points, not just the button pushes.

How the assessment differs from a checkride

A regulatory test is built around a published standard. An EASA multi-pilot skill test, for instance, is meant to establish that a candidate has the proficiency to operate the aeroplane safely in normal and non-normal operations. The EASA Flight Examiner Manual indicates that an examiner should plan about 120 minutes for the test profile and up to 4 hours for the whole examination. The examiner can verify prerequisites and ask for training records. Candidates should be ready to show ID or a passport, the applicable medical certificate, licence and rating pages, English-language proficiency, evidence of type-rating course completion and, where it applies, Advanced UPRT evidence.

An airline screen usually runs on a different clock and a different grading sheet. Use the regulatory material to understand the philosophy, then ask the airline for its own briefing document. Many carriers publish a candidate guide that names the aircraft, the location and the format of the day.

Two practical points follow:

• Do not assume the standard transfers. Passing a regulatory test does not tell you how an airline will score you, and the reverse is also true.
• Check what the simulator counts for. For FAA certification, 14 CFR 61.64 governs the use of a flight simulator or flight training device during training or part of a practical test. It is device-specific and task-specific. Availability of an A320 device does not by itself mean it will count toward a certificate or rating. Confirm the simulator, the operator, the qualification status and the credit you expect before you book.

Under the EASA framework, type-rating training, skill tests and proficiency checks for multi-pilot aircraft rely on the applicable FSTD framework. The EASA regulatory update document notes that where a course includes less than 2 hours of aircraft flight training, the skill test may be done in a full-flight simulator, with the required takeoff and landing training completed as the regulation specifies. The exact route depends on the authority that issued your licence, the approved course, the aircraft type and device availability, so check the current requirements with that authority.

Do not confuse ATP-CTP with A320 preparation

Pilots coming up through the FAA system often assume the ATP-CTP simulator block will carry them through an A320 screen. It will not. The FAA’s AC 61-138A requires at least 10 hours of FSTD training in the ATP-CTP, including at least 6 hours in a Level C-or-higher full-flight simulator representing a multiengine turbine airplane with a maximum takeoff weight of at least 40,000 pounds. The remaining 4 hours can be done in a Level 4-or-higher flight-training device and must include navigation and FMS topics and automation and autoflight topics.

The same guidance makes clear that this training reinforces transport-category concepts. It does not train you to proficiency on a specific aircraft type. The FAA’s ATP-CTP page says the course applies to multiengine ATP applicants and to those receiving an ATP concurrently with an airplane type rating.

So treat ATP-CTP as the foundation and the A320 assessment as a separate exercise. If you want the detail of the FAA course, our ATP-CTP syllabus breakdown covers what to verify in the academic and simulator hours.

A preparation plan that works

Good preparation moves from systems and procedures, to flows in a fixed-base setting, to scenarios in a full-motion simulator, and finally to a rehearsal of the whole assessment day.

Step 1: Learn the airplane’s logic before you fly it

The A320 rewards pilots who understand why the automation behaves as it does. Before any simulator hour, make sure you can explain, without notes:

• the difference between managed and selected guidance and when you choose each;
• what each flight mode annunciation means and what the aircraft will do next;
• how speed, altitude and heading are controlled in the main modes;
• basic FMS programming: flight plan entry, a direct-to, a hold, an approach change;
• the normal checklist sequence and the key memory items.

Step 2: Build your standard operating habits

Assessors reward consistency. Decide on your own routine for briefings, callouts, mode verification and checklist calls and use it every time. A routine that you practice becomes automatic under load, and automatic habits are what keep workload manageable when something goes wrong.

Step 3: Practice scenarios, not isolated maneuvers

A strong session combines several events, as ICAO’s examples do: a high-energy approach, an unreliable airspeed indication, a late runway change. Each one tests flight-path management, communication, decision-making, situation awareness and workload management at the same moment. Typical elements to build into a session:

1. A departure with a standard instrument procedure and a clean configuration schedule.
2. Raw-data or reduced-automation flying: a VOR or NDB tracking exercise, a holding pattern, a reverse-course procedure.
3. A precision approach and a non-precision approach, hand-flown and automated.
4. An engine failure after takeoff or on approach, and a go-around from a low altitude.
5. A system malfunction that needs a decision: continue, divert or return.
6. A diversion with a changed clearance and a new approach to brief.

The exact profile differs by airline, so use this list as a training menu rather than a prediction.

Step 4: Ask for a briefing that names the competencies

EASA’s EBT material implies a useful question for any provider: which competencies and operational threats will this session evaluate? A generic “A320 practice” booking may not match the airline’s screening profile. Ask for a pre-brief, a flown scenario and a structured debrief that connects what you did to the competency list above. Our guide on how to map drills to ICAO competencies shows one way to do it.

Step 5: Rehearse the day, not just the flight

Many airlines pair the simulator with technical questions, an interview and sometimes psychometric tests. Our overview of the stages of an airline assessment day lays out what pilots are asked to show at each stage, and our article on research-backed assessment priorities explains where to spend limited simulator hours.

How many sessions do you need?

No regulator sets a number for an airline screen, and a figure from a forum would be a guess. A better method is to measure yourself. After each session, rate yourself against the competency table: could you hold the flight path with and without automation, did you brief and call out consistently, did you catch errors early? When two sessions in a row show stable results and a clean debrief, you are ready. If you have never flown a fly-by-wire aircraft, plan for more time on sidestick handling and energy management before you worry about the profile itself.

Mistakes that cost candidates the most

• Memorizing flows without understanding them. EBT-style assessments favor observable competencies and threat management over rote recitation.
• Silent automation. Changing a mode without announcing it leaves the other pilot and the assessor guessing.
• Pressing on. Continuing an unstable approach because you have already flown most of it is the most common judgment error.
• Over-correcting the sidestick. Small, smooth inputs and a settled pitch attitude beat quick reactions.
• Ignoring the pre-brief. The assessor often credits you for naming the threats before the session starts.
• Skipping the paperwork check. Bring the documents the airline or examiner lists, in the format they list.

Our perspective

We see the same pattern with candidates who arrive for an A320 assessment prep session. They know the airplane’s systems reasonably well, but they have rarely flown a full profile with someone watching the competencies instead of the maneuvers. The change comes when the debrief stops being “you were 10 knots fast” and becomes “you saw the trend at 1,500 feet and did not say it aloud.”

That is why we run preparation in Level D full-motion simulators with instruction from current and former airline pilots and examiners. A realistic motion and visual environment makes the workload feel real, and instructors who have sat in the assessor’s seat know what a grading sheet rewards. We also encourage candidates to bring the airline’s own briefing material so that the session mirrors the target profile instead of a generic one.

Our advice is simple. Pick the competencies you are weakest at, build scenarios that stress them, and repeat until the correct behavior is the habit. Do not spend your hours polishing maneuvers you can already fly.

— Jake

Train in a Level D A320 simulator

If you have an assessment date, our A320 simulator training gives you hourly and block sessions in a Level D full-motion simulator, with airline-pilot instructors. You can use them for assessment preparation, refresher training or recurrent work. If you are heading toward a full course, see our type rating programs, or go to admissions to start an application. For a deeper look at the aircraft side, read our A320 simulator training guide.

FAQ

Is the A320 simulator assessment the same as a type-rating skill test?

No. A type-rating skill test measures you against a regulatory standard after an approved course. An airline assessment is the operator’s own screening, with its own profile and grading, and it often takes place before you hold the type rating. Ask the airline for its candidate briefing so you know which one you face.

How long is an A320 simulator assessment?

It depends on the airline. For regulatory multi-pilot skill tests, EASA’s examiner guidance suggests planning about 120 minutes for the test profile and up to 4 hours for the whole examination. A hiring assessment can be shorter or longer, and the airline will state the schedule in its invitation.

Will my ATP-CTP simulator hours help me pass?

They help with transport-category concepts, automation and navigation topics. FAA guidance states that ATP-CTP simulator training does not bring you to proficiency on a specific aircraft type, so you still need A320-specific practice before an A320 assessment.

Do I need a Level D simulator to prepare?

Not for every part of the preparation. Systems and procedures work well in fixed-base setups. For workload, motion cues and realistic visuals, a full-motion simulator closer to the assessment device gives you a more accurate read on how you will perform. If you expect regulatory credit, check the device’s qualification and the rule that applies, such as 14 CFR 61.64 for FAA certification.

What should I bring on assessment day?

Bring whatever the airline lists. For an examiner-led skill test under the EASA framework, that typically means ID or passport, medical certificate, licence and rating pages, proof of English proficiency, type-rating course completion evidence and, where applicable, Advanced UPRT evidence.

Sources

• EASA Flight Examiner Manual
• EASA regulatory update on pilot training, testing and checking
• EASA Evidence-Based Training
• ICAO guidance on CBTA FSTD consolidation training
• ICAO Manual of Evidence-based Training, Volume I
• FAA Advisory Circular 61-138A
• FAA ATP-CTP page
• 14 CFR 61.43
• 14 CFR 61.64

Recommended

• Airline Assessment Day: 6 Stages and What Pilots Must Show
• Beat Airline Assessment: 3 Research Backed Priorities, Sim Metrics
• Four Final Days: How to Prep for a Sim Assessment or Checkride
• A320 Simulator Training for Pilots: Level D Type Rating Guide