IndiGo ADAPT test preparation

ADAPT is Stage 1 of the IndiGo cadet pilot programme and it is eliminatory — the group task, the interview and everything after it sit behind it. It is built by Symbiotics in the UK, it is adaptive, it reports on a 1–10 sten scale, and IndiGo allows a maximum of two attempts at it. All twelve modules are rebuilt here, including the ball game, the instrument flying test and FAST.

The twelve ADAPT modules

• Control & Co-ordination (ball game) — hold a rolling ball on the cross of a tilting plate while it is disturbed without warning
• FAST multitasking — fly clear of obstacles, classify aircraft and waypoint markers on the horizon, and answer compass and mirror-image questions at the same time
• Numerical reasoning — mental arithmetic on speed, distance, time, fuel burn and conversions, no calculator
• Physics — school mechanics and fluids applied to flight: Newton, Bernoulli, pressure, moments, load factor
• Verbal reasoning — analogies, formal deduction, and precise reading of operational phraseology
• Abstract & perceptual speed — mirror images, rotations, odd-one-out and pattern series, scored on throughput
• Memory — digit spans, symbol grids and full ATC clearance readbacks
• Spatial orientation — read the DI, artificial horizon and RBI together to place the aircraft
• English language — grammar and error-spotting, operational vocabulary, and reading comprehension
• Radar monitoring — count the returns still on the scope as others track off the edge
• Instrument flying (Flight Test) — hold an assigned altitude, heading and speed at once while ATC reassigns them
• ADAPT Personality Questionnaire (APQ) — untimed, with consistency and extremity indices

ADAPT is not cut-e

Most Indian cadet preparation material is written for cut-e, because Air India uses it, and carrying those habits into ADAPT costs marks. ADAPT reports sten 1–10 with the mean at 5.5, so a 6 is average rather than competitive. It is adaptive, so item difficulty follows your answers and a wrong answer lowers the value of everything after it — rushing to raise your item count actively lowers your score. And Symbiotics additionally reports a learning scale measuring how much you improved across the sitting, which is read as trainability.

How to prepare for the ball game and FAST

These are the two modules candidates practise least and lose most on. The ball game is a tilt-command task, not a position task, so your correction arrives late and correcting again in the meantime sets up an oscillation — the fix is always smaller inputs. FAST is about task priority rather than task performance: fly first, classify second, answer third, and shed the side panel rather than the flying panel when you saturate. Both are built around a self-centring joystick in the live test.

Frequently asked questions

How many attempts do I get at ADAPT?

IndiGo allows a maximum of two attempts at the ADAPT stage. Each stage of the programme is eliminatory, so there is no route back to it afterwards.

How long is the ADAPT assessment?

The live sitting runs roughly three and a half to four hours across twelve modules, at a designated test centre.

What sten score do I need?

The cut-off is not published and it moves with the intake. What is consistent is that sten 5 is average — aim for 7 and above across the board with nothing in the 1–3 band, since Symbiotics reads the shape of the profile.

Do I need a joystick?

For the real test, effectively yes — the ball game and FAST are built around a self-centring stick. This trainer works with a mouse, keyboard or a joystick through the browser.