How the reading comprehension section works
Each screen shows a passage with one question under it. The same passage comes back for three questions in a row before the next one starts. Candidates report six passages and 18 questions in 15 minutes, answered with the mouse in the same part of the test as the logic paper.
Candidates describe questions on the main point of the passage, which statement it supports, and which issue the author thinks still needs resolving. The number of options per question is not published.
How to answer ATSA reading questions
Match your reading to the question type:
- Read the question first, then the passage with that question in mind.
- Main point: choose what the whole passage argues, not a detail from one sentence.
- Stated fact: find the sentence that says it. If you cannot point to one, it is not the answer.
- Inference: pick what must follow from the passage, not what merely sounds likely.
- Author’s concern: look for words such as “however”, “still” and “remains”, which flag a problem left open.
- Answer from the passage only, not from what you know about aviation.
Worked example
Passage: “Many regional airports now use remote towers, where controllers work from a centre miles away and watch the runway through high-definition cameras. Supporters point to lower building costs and the chance to staff several small airports from one room. Early trials found that controllers adapted quickly. However, the cameras still struggle in heavy snow, and no airport has yet run a full winter on remote cover alone.”
Which issue does the author think still needs resolving? (A) Whether controllers can learn the new system. (B) The cost of building remote centres. (C) How the cameras perform in severe winter weather. (D) Whether several airports can share one room. The answer is C: “however” and “still” introduce the open problem. The trials answer A, and B and D are given as advantages, not concerns.
Tips for the real reading section
- Keep to about 50 seconds a question. Fifteen minutes for 18 questions leaves little slack.
- Read each passage properly once. It comes back for three questions, so a good first read pays off three times.
- Watch for options that are true in the real world but not stated in the passage.
- This section comes after the four keyboard subtests, when you may be tired. The ATSA allows up to 30 minutes of breaks in all, so save some for the second half.
Practise ATSA reading on CogniPrep
Our reading paper gives you 6 passages with 3 questions each, 18 in total, in 15 minutes, drawn from a bank of 32 passages on public service and aviation-adjacent topics in US spelling. Each question has four options, our choice since the real number is not published. You cannot go back. Your score out of 100 is the share you get right, and a question left unanswered when time runs out counts as wrong.