easyJet Pilot Interview & Assessment Prep
A founder-reviewed, source-flagged walkthrough of the easyJet A320 pilot selection process — covering the online Aon/cut-e tests, the simulator assessment, the competency interview, hours requirements, and the Generation easyJet MPL cadet scheme.
Entry routes and the process at a glance
easyJet recruits experienced pilots through Direct Entry and ab-initio trainees through the Generation easyJet MPL cadet scheme run with CAE.
- ✈Experienced hires run through a 5-stage funnel: online application, online testing, application review, non-technical assessment (group exercise + competency interview), and a technical simulator assessment.
- ✈Direct Entry is offered for both type-rated and non-type-rated First Officers, plus Direct Entry Captains; co-pilot grades range Second Officer / First Officer / Senior First Officer by experience.
- ✈Assessments are held either virtually or at an easyJet SIM Centre; Direct Entry sim assessments are commonly run at London Gatwick or Milan Malpensa.candidate-reported
- ✈easyJet states it does not cover travel or accommodation costs for assessment.candidate-reported
- ✈easyJet has signalled a need for roughly 1,000 new pilots over five years, driving steady recruitment across routes.candidate-reported
- ✈Official enquiries go to PilotRecruitment@easyJet.com via the easyJet Careers pilots page.candidate-reported
Requirements and eligibility
Hours and licence thresholds differ by route. Verify exact current minimums against the live easyJet vacancy you apply to.
- ✈Type-Rated First Officer: at least 500 hours on type (A320 family), per easyJet's published co-pilot criteria.candidate-reported
- ✈Non-Type-Rated First Officer: around 1,000 total hours including roughly 500 hours on aircraft above 10 tonnes MTOW.candidate-reported
- ✈Type-Rated Captain: approximately 4,000 total hours with about 1,000 PIC hours on the A320.candidate-reported
- ✈All applicants need a valid ATPL (or frozen ATPL where applicable), a Class 1 medical, and the right to work in the relevant base country.candidate-reported
- ✈Application requires uploading a CV with aviation employment history plus copies of passport, medical, licence and logbook evidencing the minimum criteria.candidate-reported
- ✈Reported junior/new-entrant-friendly bases have included London Gatwick, Luton, Bristol, Manchester and Southend; base allocation is not guaranteed.candidate-reported
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Online aptitude tests and personality questionnaire
easyJet's online stage is built on the Aon (formerly cut-e) test suite — speed and accuracy matter because most modules are tightly timed.
- ✈Vendor is Aon Assessment Solutions (formerly cut-e), used by easyJet for the online aptitude battery.candidate-reported
- ✈Numerical and verbal reasoning modules are multiple-choice and time-pressured; no calculator or dictionary is permitted.candidate-reported
- ✈Spatial/memory testing is reported as Aon's gridChallenge module — rotated/mirrored images plus recall of dot positions and the order they appeared.candidate-reported
- ✈A personality questionnaire is included, partly to align with EASA crew-suitability requirements; you rate how accurately statements describe you.candidate-reported
- ✈Prep vendors note the same Aon/cut-e battery is shared with carriers like Jet2, Aer Lingus and Etihad, so cross-vendor practice transfers.candidate-reported
Simulator / technical assessment
Direct Entry candidates fly an A320 sim profile. easyJet provides a full briefing beforehand; the focus is core handling, instrument flying and CRM rather than tricks.
- ✈The technical assessment is an A320 simulator evaluation; easyJet provides a full pre-assessment briefing pack.candidate-reported
- ✈Graded areas reported include raw-data instrument flying, scan, hand-eye coordination, multi-tasking and CRM.candidate-reported
- ✈Scenario handling and decision-making under a range of situations are assessed, not just stick-and-rudder.candidate-reported
- ✈A separate technical knowledge element covers A320 systems and ATPL theory.candidate-reported
- ✈Candidates report ILS approaches and standard instrument manoeuvres as typical sim content; confirm the exact profile in your own briefing pack.candidate-reported
- ✈Assessors also weigh how your behaviour fits easyJet's values (the 'Orange Spirit'), alongside flying standard.candidate-reported
Competency interview and group exercise
The non-technical day pairs a structured competency interview with a group exercise. Use STAR-structured answers grounded in real experience.
- ✈The panel is reported as roughly one hour with one pilot assessor and one HR assessor, mixing motivational and competency questions.candidate-reported
- ✈Reported question: 'Tell me about a time you made a mistake or a bad decision.'candidate-reported
- ✈Reported question: 'Tell me about a time you took a calculated risk.'candidate-reported
- ✈Reported question: 'Describe a time safety was your top priority.'candidate-reported
- ✈Reported question: 'Tell me about a time you showed resilience.'candidate-reported
- ✈Expect motivational 'why easyJet / why now' questions alongside the competency set.candidate-reported
- ✈A group exercise forms part of the non-technical assessment; collaboration and CRM behaviours are observed.candidate-reported
Generation easyJet MPL cadet programme (CAE)
The ab-initio route is a competency-based MPL run with CAE; cadets are selected and mentored toward an A320 co-pilot seat.
- ✈CAE and easyJet extended the MPL partnership for five years; applications reopened in May 2026 for a late-2026 intake.candidate-reported
- ✈Programme cost is quoted at €115,000, covering ground, sim and flight training, ATPL theory and exams, A-UPRT, uniform and CAE's First Officer Quality Insurance for resits.candidate-reported
- ✈Eligibility: 18+ by course start, 5 GCSEs grade C/4+ including Maths, Science and English, minimum height ~157cm, UK CAA or EASA Class 1 Medical, and right to work in UK/EU/EEA/Switzerland (no visa sponsorship for cadets).candidate-reported
- ✈Selection has three stages: application review, the CAE ADAPT pilot aptitude test (hand-eye coordination, motor skills, spatial awareness, technical reasoning), then group exercises plus a personal interview.candidate-reported
- ✈Assessment results are reported valid for one year.candidate-reported
- ✈CAE states the programme has delivered over 1,500 pilots to easyJet since 2010.candidate-reported
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- easyJet Careers — official pilots page (careers.easyjet.com/en/career-areas/pilots): official source for routes, 5-stage process, co-pilot/captain hour bands, virtual-or-SIM-Centre assessment, and no travel/accommodation cost.
- CAE — Generation easyJet Pilot Training Programme page (cae.com): official source for MPL structure, ADAPT aptitude test, and 1,500+ pilots delivered since 2010.
- CAE/easyJet five-year MPL extension news (afm.aero, asdnews.com, airmappr.com, May 2026): official/press source for reopened 2026 applications, €115,000 price, and inclusions.
- PPRuNe 'EasyJet simulator assessment' thread (pprune.org): first-hand candidate debriefs on sim profile and assessment day (fetch returned 403; details corroborated via prep-vendor summaries — flagged reported).
- Prep-vendor guides — pilotaptitudetest.com, jobtestprep.co.uk, practiceaptitudetests.com, pilotassessments.com (prep-vendor reliability): Aon/cut-e vendor identity, gridChallenge spatial module, numerical/verbal format, personality questionnaire.
- Interview-question compilations — airmappr.com (Orange Spirit), pilotprep.co.uk, yourpilotinterview.com, pilotassessmentprep.com (prep-vendor/candidate-report reliability): competency interview format (pilot + HR, ~1hr) and reported example questions.
- epicflightacademy.com and flightdeckfriend.com (prep/info-vendor): corroborating hour requirements and base information — flagged reported.
Items marked “candidate-reported” come from pilot forums and prep sources, not from British Airways. BA does not publish its question bank or test content. Always verify against the live BA careers pages.