Minimum Score Requirement for IFATC: Explained

ATC
1

I just took the ATC practice test and scored 86 percentile. Can I join IFATC with this score? If not, then what is the minimum score required?

Screenshot_2025-04-23-18-33-09-74_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b12
Screenshot_2025-04-23-18-33-09-74_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b121080×2086 196 KB

1 Like
2

Hey there!

Yes this is above the pass mark, which is 80%.

I would advise you keep doing the practice tests though to make sure you can consistently get a passing mark with different sets of questions, before you undertake the real thing.

If you have any queries about incorrect answers, please feel free to reach out. :slight_smile:

1 Like
3

![Screenshot_2025-04-23-19-50-03-85_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b12|437x600](upload://mCeGdeuIPxn81XsyOAGRz6T26b"

Why is option D wrong when we can give the aircraft a ‘clear to land’ command somewhere?"

4

Screenshot hasn’t uploaded properly.

5

I can’t see the screenshot

6

@BennyBoy_Alpha You beat me to it :smiling_face:

7

Screenshot_2025-04-23-19-50-03-85_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b12
Screenshot_2025-04-23-19-50-03-85_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b121080×1481 116 KB

“Why is option D wrong when we can give the aircraft a ‘clear to land’ command somewhere?”

8

We are assuming there’s no radar so you need to give the aircraft a pattern entry first - in this case “enter straight in runway 36” is the most appropriate one. Then you can clear the aircraft to land.

1 Like
9

So I will first have to get the aircraft to enter the pattern, and then I will issue the landing clearance—no matter where it is in the pattern (Downwind, Base, or Final), I will issue the landing clearance there.

10

When there is no radar, you need to issue a pattern entry, a sequence (if required) and a clearance to every aircraft.

You can ideally issue the clearance as soon as you are confident of the landing order.

1 Like
11

When radar is NOT present at your airport and an aircraft is inbound or requests a runway change, remember this:

  • pattern entry: “enter left/right downwind/base” or “enter straight in”
  • sequence (if necessary): how are you going to sequence this plane behind other planes to the threshold? who is this aircraft following?
  • clearance: if they are inbound for landing, issue a landing clearance. if they are inbound for touch and goes, issue an option clearance with a traffic direction (“make left/right traffic”). this will tell the aircraft whether to enter a left or right downwind.

After this point, you can skip the pattern entry part (since they’re now in the traffic pattern) and issue sequences and clearances (without the traffic direction as you can assume they would be making this direction for all subsequent circuits).

2 Likes
12

Thanks, I understand now. I faced this situation when I was flying from VABB to OMDB—as soon as I checked in with the tower, they gave me a ‘clear to land’ command.

13

That was because there was radar and they cleared you for an ILS/GPS approach. In that case all tower needs to issue is a clearance.

Screenshot 2025-04-23 at 15.44.14
Screenshot 2025-04-23 at 15.44.14888×401 30.5 KB

1 Like
14

“No, radar was not available there.”

15

In that case, you should have gotten a pattern entry first.

2 Likes
16

I don’t clearly remember, but I believe I was coming through my arrival procedure, then I requested to join inbound for landing. Perhaps the tower instructed me to enter the downwind leg, followed by a clearance to land. I’m not entirely sure, as this happened a long time ago.

1 Like