What is ADAPT?
ADAPT is a computerised pilot screening system developed by Symbiotics, used across a number of ab-initio cadet programmes and airline direct-entry selection processes. It pairs a cognitive and psychomotor test battery with a separate personality questionnaire, commonly referred to by candidates as the APQ.
Publicly documented components of the cognitive battery include working memory, perceptual speed and accuracy, spatial reasoning, multitasking, and coordination tasks. These sit alongside the personality section, but are assessed separately from it.
CBAT Academy is independent and does not reproduce proprietary ADAPT assessments.
What ADAPT is known for
- Combining a cognitive/psychomotor battery with a standalone personality questionnaire (the APQ)
- Working-memory tasks that require holding and updating information rather than simple recall
- Perceptual speed and accuracy tasks scored on both correctness and consistency over time
- Coordination and multitasking exercises that assess divided attention
Skill areas relevant to ADAPT preparation
Based on ADAPT's publicly documented components, these CBAT Academy modules are the closest training match. This reflects training relevance only, not a claim that any exercise appears in ADAPT's actual proprietary assessment.
Each ADAPT component in depth
ADAPT is six distinct components, each testing something different — worth reading about individually rather than as one undifferentiated battery.
How to prepare for ADAPT
Preparation should focus on the cognitive and psychomotor components, where practice has a demonstrable effect, rather than the personality questionnaire. The questionnaire has no single correct profile to train for and is generally not something a preparation resource should attempt to coach.
Working-memory updating, perceptual speed and accuracy, spatial reasoning, and multitasking/coordination are the areas most consistently associated with ADAPT-style batteries. CBAT Academy's commercial training profile is weighted toward exactly these areas for that reason.
Where the Commercial Pilot Aptitude Diagnostic fits in
ADAPT’s documented components map closely onto the Diagnostic’s working-memory, perceptual-speed, spatial-reasoning and multitasking domains, so a Diagnostic run before you start drilling gives you a genuine per-domain baseline rather than a guess at where ADAPT-style preparation should begin.
Because ADAPT pairs its cognitive battery with a separate, uncoachable personality questionnaire, the Diagnostic result is also a useful reminder of where your actual leverage is: the cognitive and psychomotor domains it measures, not the APQ.
Create a free account and review the commercial access options to run it — the Diagnostic and the full practice library both require active commercial access.
Frequently asked questions
What is the APQ?
APQ is the personality questionnaire candidates commonly encounter alongside the ADAPT cognitive battery. It has no single "correct" answer profile, and answering strategically is generally discouraged by providers and easy to detect through internal consistency checks. CBAT Academy does not attempt to coach this section.
Is this the official ADAPT test?
No. CBAT Academy is an independent training service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or contracted to Symbiotics. Exercises are independently developed to train the same underlying abilities ADAPT is publicly documented to assess, and do not reproduce its actual screens or items.
Do I need aviation experience to do well?
No. The cognitive and psychomotor components measure general ability, not aviation knowledge or flying experience, which is why ADAPT is used from ab-initio cadet selection through to experienced direct-entry hiring.
Preparing for a different system?
Each provider is developed and owned separately, so read the page for the specific system named in your application if it differs from ADAPT.
Ready to start training?
Build the skills behind ADAPT in one focused workspace
Create a free account, run the Commercial Pilot Aptitude Diagnostic, and see exactly where your practice time is best spent.
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