Radar Simulation

Prevent moving targets from colliding by removing the fewest necessary, while a second part adds mental math you must answer without dropping the traffic.

What it measures

The ability to monitor moving information, project where targets are heading, and prioritize safety over a secondary task. It is widely reported as the most demanding section.

Reported format

Two parts, each commonly cited at 8 to 10 minutes. Numbered targets enter in waves and move across the screen.
Remove a target on a collision course by pressing its number on the numeric keypad. The aim is zero collisions using the fewest removals.
A zero key signals that no collision will occur. Whether it applies only to waves that spawn conflict-free, or to any wave once you have resolved its conflicts, is genuinely disputed.
In Part 2, arithmetic appears below the radar and is answered with A, S, D, or F. Preventing collisions takes priority over the math.

Disputed or unconfirmed

The exact zero-key rule.
The precise difficulty curve, target speeds, and how feedback is shown at the moment of a collision.

How to practice

Scan for converging pairs rather than reacting to individual dots, and remove one target from a colliding pair rather than both. Treat the math as the thing you drop first when traffic is heavy. Practice both zero-key interpretations so the rule does not surprise you.

How this tool handles it

Scoring computes the true minimum number of removals needed for each wave and rates your efficiency against it, rather than only counting saves.
Both zero-key interpretations are selectable, and the arithmetic runs harder and in larger digits than lightweight practice math.
A seed reproduces an exact session, and the physics run on a fixed timestep so behavior does not change with your monitor's refresh rate.

Practice this section All guides

Sources

Pearson VUE (FAA ATSA page). Administration vendor. Source for the 2-hour-49-minute active ceiling plus up to 30 minutes of breaks, the three-year result validity, invitation-only access, the three result categories, and the FAA's statement that it endorses no practice test.
DOT Office of Inspector General, report AV2023011 (Jan 2023). Reviewed how the FAA developed and validated the ATSA, including the selection of 7 of 15 candidate assessments and the use of scoring bands.
U.S. GAO report on the ATSA (2026). Reported that the FAA plans a new version of the ATSA and examined validation of the skills assessment.
FAA hiring-reform announcements (2024-2025). Streamlined the controller hiring process, raised FAA Academy pay, prioritized higher scorers, and removed the earlier biographical assessment.
Candidate and preparation-community reports. First-hand descriptions of task mechanics. Useful for format but unofficial and sometimes inconsistent.

Candidate reports are first-hand but unofficial and can conflict. Where sources disagree, the disputed item is left configurable in the matching practice module rather than fixed to one guess.