Flight dispatchers are heavily involved in planning flight paths, taking into account aircraft performance and loading, enroute winds, thunderstorm and turbulence forecasts, airspace restrictions, and airport conditions. Because flight dispatchers spend a good amount of time during a shift communicating back and forth between several pilots on the flights they are monitoring, being able to communicate in a proficient manner is of the utmost importance.

The ELP Test for Flight Dispatchers, which is used to assess speaking and listening proficiency in both ICAO radio phraseology and plain English, was specifically designed to test flight dispatchers and evaluates language proficiency in the six Proficiency Criteria (for the six ICAO levels):

• Pronunciation
• Structure
• Vocabulary
• Fluency
• Comprehension
• Interactions

The 40-minute listening and speaking test is computer-delivered to allow for easy and uniform administration and for maximum authenticity.

The listening section is computer adaptive and measures the examinee’s ability to understand English. This section consists of a number of traditional multiple-choice questions with four answer choices.

The speaking section assesses how effectively candidates can communicate in English and measures the examinee’s ability to respond to different aviation related situations and tasks. The speaking test is recorded and takes 20-40 minutes.

Once the ELP Test for Flight Dispatchers is completed, candidates receive individual reports outlining their result on each of ICAO’s six proficiency criteria and obtain an overall score. The lowest score achieved on any of the Proficiency Criteria becomes the overall Rating.

Across all areas of test delivery, test administration and test results, the ELP Test is secure. Every aspect of the ELP Test is subject to the highest quality controls and integrity management practices. Rating and reporting processes are controlled by accredited Aerosolutions personnel. The performance of each Rater is regularly monitored and evaluated. Each Rater is also tested every two years to retain their certification.