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ATM · 8% of the exam

Human Factors practice questions

10 free Human Factors questions for the Airline Transport Pilot Multiengine (ATM) Knowledge Test exam, each with the correct answer and an explanation for every option.

Start the questionsFree 10-question ATM quiz

What this domain covers

The pilot and crew as part of the system: physiology at altitude, fatigue, crew resource management and decision-making on a multi-crew flight deck.

Exam weight
8%
On a real exam
≈ 10 questions
In our bank
49 questions

Topics that come up most

  • Hypoxia types and time of useful consciousness
  • Fatigue risk and its management
  • Crew resource management and communication
  • Threat and error management
  • Automation complacency and monitoring

How to study it

Learn the four types of hypoxia with a cause for each, and link fatigue questions to the Part 117 rules you have already studied.

Sample Human Factors questions

Try each one before opening the answer. Original questions written to the official exam objectives.

  1. Question 1

    What is closed-loop communication?

    • AThe receiver repeats the message to confirm it
    • BSending messages without replies
    • CUsing only written notes
    • DSpeaking only to ATC, not to the other crewmembers
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: A) The receiver repeats the message to confirm it

    • ACorrect. It catches misunderstandings.
    • BIncorrect. That's open-loop.
    • CIncorrect. It can be spoken.
    • DIncorrect. It applies to crew too.

  2. Question 2

    Gradually accepting unsafe practices as normal over time is called:

    • ACrew resource management
    • BNormalization of deviance
    • CSituational awareness
    • DThreat avoidance
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: B) Normalization of deviance

    • AIncorrect. CRM helps prevent it.
    • BCorrect. Counter it with standard procedures.
    • CIncorrect. It's normalization of deviance.
    • DIncorrect. It's normalization of deviance.

  3. Question 3

    What is automation surprise?

    • ATurning on the autopilot for the first time
    • BAutomation doing something unexpected
    • CA scheduled autopilot check
    • DA malfunction warning light
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: B) Automation doing something unexpected

    • AIncorrect. That isn't surprise.
    • BCorrect. It can lead to confusion.
    • CIncorrect. That isn't surprise.
    • DIncorrect. That's a failure indication.

  4. Question 4

    Fatigue risk management is a key aim of:

    • APart 107
    • BPart 43
    • CPart 117
    • DPart 139
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: C) Part 117

    • AIncorrect. That's small UAS.
    • BIncorrect. That's maintenance.
    • CCorrect. Flight and duty limits and rest.
    • DIncorrect. That's airports.

  5. Question 5

    If vestibular sensations conflict with the flight instruments in IMC, the pilot should:

    • ATrust the instruments
    • BTrust the inner ear
    • CLook outside for the horizon
    • DClose their eyes briefly
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: A) Trust the instruments

    • ACorrect. Cross-check them.
    • BIncorrect. Trust the instruments.
    • CIncorrect. In IMC, trust the instruments.
    • DIncorrect. Trust the instruments.

  6. Question 6

    Grogginess and reduced performance right after waking is called:

    • AHyperventilation
    • BCircadian desynchrony
    • CHypoxia
    • DSleep inertia
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: D) Sleep inertia

    • AIncorrect. It's sleep inertia.
    • BIncorrect. That's jet lag.
    • CIncorrect. It's sleep inertia.
    • DCorrect. It can last 15 to 30 minutes.

  7. Question 7

    Before departure, a captain gives a briefing that covers the SID, terrain, icing threats, and clear bottom lines for a rejected takeoff and an air return. The captain reads it quickly, talks over the first officer's attempt to raise a deicing holdover-time concern, and ends with "Questions? No? Let's go." Which AC 120-51E briefing behavioral marker was NOT met?

    • AEstablishing an environment for open and interactive communication
    • BMaking the briefing operationally thorough in its content
    • CEstablishing and communicating bottom lines for safety
    • DIdentifying the significant operational threats for the flight
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: A) Establishing an environment for open and interactive communication

    AC 120-51E says an effective briefing must be operationally sound and must also set up open, interactive communication: calling for questions, listening patiently, not interrupting, and not rushing. A briefing can be thorough in content and still fail that marker.

    • ACorrect. AC 120-51E's marker for this calls for the captain to ask for questions or comments, listen with patience, avoid interrupting or talking over others, and not rush the briefing. This captain rushed, talked over the first officer, and gave only a token call for questions.
    • BIncorrect. The briefing covered the departure, terrain, and icing threats, so its operational content was thorough. The problem was how it was delivered, not what it covered.
    • CIncorrect. The captain set clear bottom lines for a rejected takeoff and an air return, which meets the AC 120-51E marker that bottom lines for safety are established and communicated.
    • DIncorrect. The briefing specifically covered terrain and icing threats. The first officer's holdover-time concern went unheard because of the communication climate, not because the captain failed to address threats.

  8. Question 8

    According to FAA aeromedical guidance, what ordinarily relieves acute fatigue?

    • AA moderate dose of caffeine taken about an hour before reporting for duty
    • BRest after the exertion followed by roughly 8 hours of sound sleep
    • CBreathing supplemental oxygen for several minutes before beginning descent
    • DEvaluation and treatment by a physician to address its psychological roots
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: B) Rest after the exertion followed by roughly 8 hours of sound sleep

    Acute fatigue is short-term and is ordinarily cured by rest and about 8 hours of sound sleep. Chronic fatigue is not relieved by rest and usually needs medical treatment.

    • AIncorrect. Caffeine can briefly mask tiredness, but it does not cure acute fatigue. Only rest and sleep do.
    • BCorrect. FAA guidance says rest after exertion and about 8 hours of sound sleep ordinarily cures acute fatigue.
    • CIncorrect. Supplemental oxygen treats hypoxia, not fatigue caused by exertion or lack of sleep.
    • DIncorrect. This describes chronic fatigue, which often has psychological roots, is not relieved by rest, and usually needs a physician.

  9. Question 9

    On an ILS in IMC, the pilot monitoring calls "unstable, fast and high" at 700 feet above the touchdown zone, which is below the operator's 1,000-foot stabilization height. According to FAA stabilized approach guidance, what should the crew do?

    • AContinue the approach if the deviation can be corrected before crossing the threshold
    • BContinue if the landing distance available leaves margin for a long, fast touchdown
    • CContinue to decision altitude and decide on the go-around there
    • DExecute a go-around as directed by the operator's stabilized approach policy
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: D) Execute a go-around as directed by the operator's stabilized approach policy

    An approach that is not stabilized at or below the stabilization height (1,000 feet IMC / 500 feet VMC above TDZE) calls for a go-around under the operator's stabilized approach policy. Continuing and correcting later, relying on runway length, or deferring the decision to DA are not acceptable.

    • AIncorrect. The stabilization height is the gate for meeting the criteria. Planning to fix an unstable approach later in the descent is the kind of continuation that leads to runway overruns and hard landings.
    • BIncorrect. Runway length does not make an unstable approach acceptable. AC 91-79A addresses unstable approaches as a leading contributor to runway overruns.
    • CIncorrect. DA is the decision point for the required visual references, not for stability. Stability has to be established at the stabilization height, which has already been passed.
    • DCorrect. FAA guidance says stabilized approach parameters should be confirmed at 1,000 feet in IMC (500 feet in VMC) above TDZE, and a go-around should be executed if the approach is not stabilized.

  10. Question 10

    The three levels of situational awareness are perception, comprehension and:

    • AReaction
    • BProjection
    • CDelegation
    • DRecollection
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: B) Projection

    • AIncorrect. It's projection.
    • BCorrect. Anticipating what happens next.
    • CIncorrect. It's projection.
    • DIncorrect. It's projection.

Human Factors: FAQs

How much of the ATM exam is Human Factors?

Human Factors is 8% of the ATM exam by the official exam guide's weighting, which on a 125-question form works out to roughly 10 questions. The real exam's exact split varies by form.

What does the Human Factors domain cover?

The pilot and crew as part of the system: physiology at altitude, fatigue, crew resource management and decision-making on a multi-crew flight deck.

How should I study Human Factors for ATM?

Learn the four types of hypoxia with a cause for each, and link fatigue questions to the Part 117 rules you have already studied.

Where can I practise more Human Factors questions?

This page has 10 free Human Factors questions with answers. The ExamWize ATM question bank has 49 questions in this domain. Every practice exam result breaks your score down by domain, and Review Mode re-drills the questions you missed.

Other ATM topics

Also: 15 free questions across all topics, the ATM cheat sheet and the study guide.

Get Human Factors exam-ready

The full ATM bank has 49 Human Factors questions. Timed practice exams match the real exam's length and domain weights, every result shows your score per domain, and Review Mode re-drills the questions you missed.

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Not affiliated with FAA; questions are original, written from the official exam outline, and never copied from the real exam.