I don't know how many people are familiar with the new test the FAA is/will be using as a backup to the Isihara. I went in to complete my physical last tuesday and passed everything but that stupid Isihara plate test. The doctor went into the other room and called someone about my color test. I was then told there was another test I could take, but it was only offered in Salt Lake City. So I just left and decided to wait until they called me about taking the test in SLC (I figured it would take at least another month to hear back from them about it). At this point I wasn't too psyched about flying to Utah to take a test I wasn't even sure I would pass, but oh well, I waited. The good thing was I didn't have to wait very long, the next day I was at work and I got a call from ANM Medical, the woman said some people from Salt Lake City were at the ANM Regional Office doing a presentation on the new test for the nurses. She wanted to know how close I was to the regional office and if I could come in some time to take the test. I work at the FAA Western Service Center which is literally across the street from the ANM Regional office. Two hours later I was in a conference room at the RO taking the test. Anyways, I guess the point of this post is to try to familiarize as many people with the new test as possible, I'll try as hard as I can to be as descriptive as I can.
The test is completely different from the plate test, and takes much longer, but is completely application based. This is actually an ATC Color deficiency test. There are 5 different tests, each with an instruction section, a practice section, and a test section. The person giving the test was pretty nice, understanding that this test was pretty much going to determine the course of the rest of my life(as far as my career is concerned).
Test number 1.
In the instructions you are shown 5 different colors that will be used in the test(red, white, green, yellow, and cyan(light blue)). In each section you are given a screen with color to look for, the next screen shows about 25 data blocks evenly spaced on the screen (5 high and 5 wide). The blocks are all different colors, and you must pick out the color you were given in the first screen. red is a little different from the rest, just because some data blocks may have 3-4 red letters in them, and you want to click data blocks with ANY red in them. The rest of the blocks are all green, all yellow, all white etc. etc. There are about 10 sections to the test (2 per color) and you get 30 seconds for each section.
Test number 2.
This test is the same as test number 1...with 1 exception that I would hope no one on this forum would have difficulty with. In between the color given and the data block screen, you are given a "distractor" screen that is multicolored and has a 1st grade math problem on it (2+2, 5-3, 3-2 etc..). This is the difficult part, once you are done with the math problem, you have to REMEMBER THE COLOR YOU WERE GIVEN IN THE FIRST SCREEN!!!! oh no!!! lol. "yellow....1+1=2....crap, what was the color again??". If you for some reason have trouble remembering the color, you can go back to the color screen, but you have to re-solve the math problem before you get to the data blocks. (again about 10 sections in the test, 2 per color and 30 seconds per section)
Test number 3.
I didn't really see this as much of a color test, but it wasn't too hard so I didn't complain. This is a test to see how fast you detect red flashing alerts on the screen. The alert can be 3-4 flashing red letters or an entire red flashing data block. You get a 2 second view of the screen before it flashes to a black screen with 3 buttons (left, right, and no alert). You have to choose whether the alert was on the left/right side of the screen or if there was no alert visable. The test itself is pretty simple, but it goes in for about 7-8 minutes straight so after about 5 minutes of staring hard looking for red letters its a little interesting.
Test number 4.
This was the test that gave me the most trouble as far as color vision was concerned, but only in 1 or 2 places. The formatting for this section was similar to the first 2 tests, except this was with solid colored squares instead of data blocks. The first screen gives you two examples of the blocks you will be looking for. Each block has a small square inside of a large square. You are looking for the blocks with the same colored small square. This is what you will be given on the first screen:
The second screen will have 25 of the blocks above with all different colored squares. You need to pick out the blocks with the correct colored small center square given in the first screen. There are about 10 sections with 30 seconds for each section.
Test number 5.
This test seemed the most simple out of the 5. The first screen gives you a color, and the second screen gives you a data list. Each line is colored differently, and you need to pick out the lines that have the given color in them. The first screen could show yellow, and you need to pick out all the lines with yellow text, or red, or blue etc etc.. This test seemed a little shorter, so I don't remember if it had 10 sections or just 5. Again there were 30 seconds for each section.
Results.
The results are instantaneous, the test proctor opens up the scoring application and is then able to see a detailed view of each section of the tests you took and a percentage score for each of those sections. My lowest score for one test was a 93.7% or something like that, and my final score was like 96 or 97%. I nailed the test. I believe the cut off for passing is 80%, but that's just a guess from me, don't quote that as fact.
Hopefully this was useful. If somoene out there has already posted this information just let me know or feel free to take my post down.
Looks like I'll be seeing you at the academy!!!
The test is completely different from the plate test, and takes much longer, but is completely application based. This is actually an ATC Color deficiency test. There are 5 different tests, each with an instruction section, a practice section, and a test section. The person giving the test was pretty nice, understanding that this test was pretty much going to determine the course of the rest of my life(as far as my career is concerned).
Test number 1.
In the instructions you are shown 5 different colors that will be used in the test(red, white, green, yellow, and cyan(light blue)). In each section you are given a screen with color to look for, the next screen shows about 25 data blocks evenly spaced on the screen (5 high and 5 wide). The blocks are all different colors, and you must pick out the color you were given in the first screen. red is a little different from the rest, just because some data blocks may have 3-4 red letters in them, and you want to click data blocks with ANY red in them. The rest of the blocks are all green, all yellow, all white etc. etc. There are about 10 sections to the test (2 per color) and you get 30 seconds for each section.
Test number 2.
This test is the same as test number 1...with 1 exception that I would hope no one on this forum would have difficulty with. In between the color given and the data block screen, you are given a "distractor" screen that is multicolored and has a 1st grade math problem on it (2+2, 5-3, 3-2 etc..). This is the difficult part, once you are done with the math problem, you have to REMEMBER THE COLOR YOU WERE GIVEN IN THE FIRST SCREEN!!!! oh no!!! lol. "yellow....1+1=2....crap, what was the color again??". If you for some reason have trouble remembering the color, you can go back to the color screen, but you have to re-solve the math problem before you get to the data blocks. (again about 10 sections in the test, 2 per color and 30 seconds per section)
Test number 3.
I didn't really see this as much of a color test, but it wasn't too hard so I didn't complain. This is a test to see how fast you detect red flashing alerts on the screen. The alert can be 3-4 flashing red letters or an entire red flashing data block. You get a 2 second view of the screen before it flashes to a black screen with 3 buttons (left, right, and no alert). You have to choose whether the alert was on the left/right side of the screen or if there was no alert visable. The test itself is pretty simple, but it goes in for about 7-8 minutes straight so after about 5 minutes of staring hard looking for red letters its a little interesting.
Test number 4.
This was the test that gave me the most trouble as far as color vision was concerned, but only in 1 or 2 places. The formatting for this section was similar to the first 2 tests, except this was with solid colored squares instead of data blocks. The first screen gives you two examples of the blocks you will be looking for. Each block has a small square inside of a large square. You are looking for the blocks with the same colored small square. This is what you will be given on the first screen:
The second screen will have 25 of the blocks above with all different colored squares. You need to pick out the blocks with the correct colored small center square given in the first screen. There are about 10 sections with 30 seconds for each section.
Test number 5.
This test seemed the most simple out of the 5. The first screen gives you a color, and the second screen gives you a data list. Each line is colored differently, and you need to pick out the lines that have the given color in them. The first screen could show yellow, and you need to pick out all the lines with yellow text, or red, or blue etc etc.. This test seemed a little shorter, so I don't remember if it had 10 sections or just 5. Again there were 30 seconds for each section.
Results.
The results are instantaneous, the test proctor opens up the scoring application and is then able to see a detailed view of each section of the tests you took and a percentage score for each of those sections. My lowest score for one test was a 93.7% or something like that, and my final score was like 96 or 97%. I nailed the test. I believe the cut off for passing is 80%, but that's just a guess from me, don't quote that as fact.
Hopefully this was useful. If somoene out there has already posted this information just let me know or feel free to take my post down.
Looks like I'll be seeing you at the academy!!!
