This document provides information about the Computerized Pilot Selection System (CPSS) and Pilot Aptitude Battery Test (PABT) used to select pilots for the Indian armed forces. It describes the two parts of the CPSS, which tests psychomotor skills and cognitive abilities through multiple choice questions and machine tests. It then outlines the three tests that make up the PABT: the Instrument Battery Test, Sensory Motor Apparatus Test, and Control Velocity Test. These tests evaluate a candidate's ability to read instruments, respond to stimuli, and perform coordinated tasks. The goal is to assess qualities like mental alertness, presence of mind, self-confidence, and nerve control for pilots.

1. Compiled by Col Mukteshwar Prasad(Retd),
MTech(IITD),CE(I),FIE(I),FIETE,FISLE,FInstOD,AMCSI
Contact -9007224278, e-mail –muktesh_prasad@yahoo.co.in
for book ”Decoding Services Selection Board” and
SSB ON line guidance and training at Shivnandani Edu and Defence
Academy
Computerized Pilot Selection System(CPSS)
and
Pilot Aptitude Battery Test(PABT)

2. Computerized Pilot Selection
System(CPSS)
 Computerized Pilot Selection System
 Test for Selection of Pilot in Flying Branch of
 Air Force
 Army
 Navy
 Coast Guard
 Brain Child of A P J Abdul Kalam as Scientific Advisor to
PM in 1997
 Jointly developed by Defence Institute of Psychological
Research(DIPR) and Air Defence Establishment(ADE)
 Lay down special emphasis on Psychomotor Skills and
Cognitive abilities of candidates
 Single Chance to pass or fail like PABT
One time test in life to join Army/Air Force /Navy and
Coast Guard as a Pilot

3. CPSS PART -1Computerized Pilot
Selection System(CPSS) ...
 CPSS PART -1
 Multiple Choice Questions(MCQ) Test on different dials
present on the Air Craft
 Along with them you will get questions on IQ , Pattern
Matching , Basic Maths etc
 CPSS PART -2
 CPSS Machine Test
 A machine with Joysticks ,Pedals and levelled with
screen in front
 Co ordination with hand ,leg along with mental
cognitive skills needed
 There are three chances and best score is recorded

4. Conclusion CPSS
 CPSS is additional test to check validity and
consistency and pass/fail from this test does
affect result of PABT .
 Hopefully with evolution it may replace PABT

5. Pilot Aptitude Battery Test(PABT)
 It consists of tree tests
 Instrument Battery Test (INSB)—Paper Pencil
Test
 Sensory Motor Apparatus Test(SMA)-Machine
Test
 Control Velocity Test(CVT)-Machine Test

6. Apparatus Reading Test/Mock Pilot
Console

7. Instrument Battery Test(INBT)
 Air Speed Indicator-Gives Aircraft’s indicated speed in mile
per hour/Knots/Any other unit indicated by the Dial. It is like
speedometer of a car.
 Attitude/ Artificial Horizontal-This instrument provides the
Aircraft’s pitch (Nose up or Down) and roll/bank(Wing Tilt).If
you keep the wings level on the Instrument screen with the
Horizontal Line (Line dividing the blue colour indicating sky
and black colour denotes Earth),your Aircraft will be parallel
to the Ground .
 Turn Coordinator- This instrument indicates whether the
rudder is being applied in turn
 Heading Indicator/Compass-This instrument indicates the
direction in which Aircraft headed in magnetic degree
 Altimeter-This instrument indicates aircraft’s altitude from
sea level. This gauge has one small hand indicating
thousands of feet reading and another big hand indicating
hundreds of feet reading
 Vertical Speed Indicator-This instrument indicates the rate
at which aircraft is gaining or losing altitude. Units indicated

8. •Air Speed Indicator-Gives Aircraft’s indicated speed in mile per
hour/Knots/Any other unit indicated by the Dial. It is like speedometer of a car.

9. •
Attitude/ Artificial Horizontal-This instrument provides the Aircraft’s pitch
(Nose up or Down) and roll/bank(Wing Tilt).If you keep the wings level on the
Instrument screen with the Horizontal Line (Line dividing the blue colour
indicating sky and black colour denotes Earth),your Aircraft will be parallel to
the Ground .

10. Altimeter-This instrument indicates aircraft’s altitude from sea level. This
gauge has one small hand indicating thousands of feet reading and another
big hand indicating hundreds of feet reading.Combination of reading from
both of these hands give the altitude .It is just like clock reading time.

11. Turn Coordinator- This instrument indicates whether correct
amount of rudder is being applied in a turn.Infact Turn coordinator id
two tools in one.In the middle of the Instrument ,the aircraft replica rolls
proportionately to the air craft’s roll rate.

12. Heading Indicator/Compass-This instrument indicates the
direction in which Aircraft headed in magnetic degree

13. Vertical Speed Indicator-This instrument indicates the rate at which aircraft is
gaining or losing altitude . Units indicated will be feet per minute. The region
where the arrows are shown is the normal rate of ascending or descending
and range above and below those arrows depict a faster rate of ascending or
descending.

14. Here AC is level to ground(from attitude indicator).pointing 95Deg (approx East from
Compass ,air speed indicator and attitude indicate Zero(From attitude indicator Top
arrow coincides with marking shows degree of banking in 10,20, and 30degrees
and also from turn coordinator) nor gaining or losing altitude (from vertical Speed
indicator).It is not under or over turning (from turn indicator) with speed Zero we can
understand the aircraft is on ground

15. Air Craft Heading and Position
Identification Test
 This test uses two instruments (Compass and Altitude
Indicator) and image of Aircraft
 Objective type 60 questions in 20 minutes are to be
answered
 Test Officer explains about Compass
 North (0 Degree),NE (45 Degree),E (90 Degree),SE(135
Degree),S (180 Degree) ,SW(225 Degree),W((270
Degree),NW(315 Degree)
 Describes the movement adopted by the Aircraft
 Descending(moving down),climbing Up (Elevating)
 Top , Belly ,Wings ,Tail ,Nose (Painted White),Black
Dot(Tail)
 After explaining ,Testing Officer will show you various
positions that the plane is travelling in different

16. Some Points to be remembered
 When you see the nose of the plane is coming towards you and is
expected to move towards South direction
 When you see the Dot of the plane is going away from you and is
expected to move towards North direction
 When you see the plane moving in a direction such that the Nose of the
Plane is to your Right and Tail is to your Left ,then the direction is taken
as moving in East direction
 When you see the plane moving in a direction such that the Tail of the
Plane is to your Right and Nose is to your Left ,then the direction is
taken as moving in West direction
 After identifying the direction one has to check whether the plane is
ascending or descending
 For East to West Movement
 If the nose is at lower horizontal level compared to Tail then plane is
descending
 If the nose is at higher horizontal level compared to Tail then plane
is ascending

17. SW ,SE,E and SW Direction

18. Air Craft Heading and Position
Identification Test

21. Machine Test-1 (Sensory Motor Apparatus Test)
 This test consists of two tests
 Sensory Motor Apparatus Test
 The test evaluates candidate’s reflexive ability to respond to external
Stimulus
 In this test candidate’s locomotive and sensor ability is checked
 Both tests check eye-Ear-Hand-Feet coordination
 Candidate is given three chances each of 90 Secs.
 Best score is taken note of
 A light spot (Ball) moving randomly is expected to be kept in the centre of
two Concentric square
 Longer the ball is kept in the centre more marks is scored by the
candidate
 Two lights one Yellow and another Red blinks randomly which must be
put off using light turn off gear
 Joystick-Controls the movement of the ball(Spot) in up and down direction
 Foot Pedal- Movement of the ball moves the ball in Left or Right
 Light Lever-A lever is provided which when moved in forward direction
puts off the red light and when moved backward direction puts off the
yellow light
 Beep Button- An intermittent beep is heard which is put off by pressing
red button on stick
 Movement is opposite to What we normally do i.e. Left movement will move the

23. Machine Test-2 (Control Velocity Test-CVT)
 Control Velocity Test-CVT
 Collecting Dots
 Lot of dots keep coming from top and going down
 Red spot is to be superimposed on dots comimg down neutralisation is
indicated by beep on ear phone
 More you superimpose more points you get
 One gets three attempts for 60 Secs each.
 Best score is taken note of

24. Conclusion
 These Tests are designed to test
 Mental Alertness
 Presence of mind
 Self Confidence
 Adequate control over nerves
 This is like any Video Games hence Candidates must
take it easy with self confidence