What to Expect On The Delta AON

Preparing for the Delta AON Assessment

The Delta Air Lines AON assessment is designed to evaluate how you think, process information, and perform under pressure, not just what you know. Success comes from understanding the types of tasks you’ll face and preparing accordingly.

Aircraft Relation to a Navaid - You’ll be asked to determine an aircraft’s position relative to a navigation aid. This tests spatial awareness and basic instrument interpretation. Practice visualizing radial and bearing relationships, and think in terms of “where am I relative to the station” rather than getting lost in technical detail.

Shape Sudoku - This section measures pattern recognition and logical reasoning. It’s less about math and more about quickly identifying rules and applying them consistently. The key is staying methodical, rushing leads to avoidable mistakes.

Multitasking / “Fly the Airplane” Game - Expect a task that simulates flying while managing multiple competing inputs. This is a classic prioritization exercise: aviate, navigate, communicate. Keep the aircraft under control first, then layer in the additional tasks. They are watching how you manage workload, not whether you are perfect.

ATC Transmission Interpretation - You’ll need to listen to and correctly interpret ATC instructions. This tests listening accuracy, short-term memory, and your ability to process information quickly. You can not really practice these, and you don't have enough time to bid trips to ORD or JFK.

Psychological Questions - The personality portion evaluates consistency, judgment, and alignment with professional pilot traits. Answer honestly and avoid overthinking. Inconsistent or overly “engineered” responses are often more damaging than imperfect ones.

Final Thoughts

The AON isn’t about tricking you, it’s about observing how you perform. Stay calm, be consistent, and focus on fundamentals. Preparation should center on sharpening your mental agility, not memorizing answers. Click here to take a study course.