You will not see "NOTECHS" on any airline job posting. But every interview, sim assessment, and group exercise you go through is scoring you against it. NOTECHS — Non-Technical Skills — is the framework airlines use to evaluate the human side of piloting: how you communicate, lead, make decisions, and stay aware of the situation around you. Candidates who understand what assessors are actually measuring have a significant advantage over those who think the selection process is purely about technical knowledge and flying ability.
Key Takeaways
- NOTECHS Explained: Non-Technical Skills Every Pilot Interview Tests - comprehensive guide with current 2026 information.
- What are NOTECHS? Behavioral markers for teamwork, leadership, situational awareness, decision-making.
- How airlines score non-technical skills.
- But every interview, sim assessment, and group exercise you go through is scoring you against it.
- Read the full guide below for detailed analysis and actionable advice.
What Is NOTECHS
NOTECHS was developed by the Joint Aviation Authorities (now EASA) as a structured way to assess pilot competencies that do not involve physically controlling the aircraft. The research behind it came from accident analysis — the finding, now well established, that the majority of aviation accidents involved failures in communication, teamwork, decision-making, or situational awareness rather than failures in manual flying skill. Pilots who flew the aircraft competently but failed to communicate a problem, challenge a Captain's error, or maintain awareness of degrading conditions were involved in accidents that structured non-technical skills training could have prevented.
NOTECHS gives assessors a common language and a structured scoring system for behaviors that would otherwise be subjective. Instead of "I thought the candidate communicated poorly," an assessor can point to specific behavioral markers: "The candidate did not make standard callouts, failed to brief the approach, and did not acknowledge the partner's input during the abnormal." This specificity makes the assessment fairer and more consistent.
The Four NOTECHS Categories
1. Cooperation
Cooperation covers how you work as part of a crew. It includes team building (establishing rapport, maintaining a positive atmosphere), considering the other person's perspective, supporting them when their workload is high, and resolving conflicts constructively. Cooperation is assessed from the moment you meet your sim partner or group exercise team — not just during the formal exercises.
Positive markers: Introducing yourself and agreeing conventions before the session. Offering to help when your partner is busy. Accepting feedback without defensiveness. Acknowledging good inputs from others.
2. Leadership & Managerial Skills
This goes beyond the Captain/First Officer hierarchy. Even as an FO candidate, assessors want to see leadership behaviors: taking initiative when appropriate, managing task distribution, maintaining standards, and setting a professional tone. It also includes assertiveness — the ability to speak up when something is wrong, even to someone more senior.
Positive markers: Clearly allocating tasks ("I will fly, you handle the radios and checklist"). Briefing before key phases. Maintaining SOP compliance. Speaking up about errors or deviations calmly but clearly.
3. Situational Awareness
Knowing where you are, what is happening now, and what will happen next. Situational awareness operates at three levels: perception (what information is available), comprehension (what it means), and projection (what it implies for the future). The assessor evaluates whether you maintain a "big picture" view even when workload is high, or whether you get tunnel-visioned into a single task.
Positive markers: Sharing awareness unprompted ("We are 15 miles from the hold, I will start slowing down"). Anticipating the next phase. Monitoring the other pilot's actions as well as your own tasks. Noticing changes in the environment (weather, traffic, ATC instructions) without needing to be told.
4. Decision Making
Structured, risk-aware, timely decisions. Assessors evaluate whether you define the problem before acting, consider multiple options, assess risks, make a clear choice, and review the outcome. Using a recognised framework (FORDEC, DODAR, or similar) demonstrates structure. Being decisive — not waffling or deferring — demonstrates confidence.
Positive markers: Verbalising the decision process ("The facts are... my options are... the risk is...").
Making a clear decision and stating it. Reviewing outcomes and adjusting if needed. Involving the other crew member in the decision where appropriate.
How Airlines Score NOTECHS
Assessors use behavioral markers — specific observable actions — to rate each category. A typical scoring scale runs from 1 (below standard) through 3 (standard) to 5 (exemplary).
You do not need to hit 5 in every category. You need to avoid any 1s and demonstrate a consistent level of competence across all four categories. A candidate who scores 4 in decision-making but 1 in cooperation has a problem — airlines do not want brilliant decision-makers who cannot work with other people.
The scoring happens across every stage of the selection process. In the sim assessment, the assessor watches your communication, task management, and decision-making alongside your flying. In the HR interview, scenario questions probe your cooperation and leadership through hypothetical situations.
In the group exercise, cooperation and leadership are the primary focus. In the debrief, your self-awareness and decision-making are evaluated through your ability to reflect honestly on your performance. There is no part of the process where NOTECHS are not being assessed.
Making Your Non-Technical Skills Visible
The challenge with non-technical skills is that they are internal processes — you might be perfectly situationally aware but if you do not externalise that awareness, the assessor has no evidence to score. The single most effective thing you can do is verbalise. Share your awareness: "Fuel is looking good, 30 minutes to the hold, weather at destination is trending down." Share your thinking: "I am concerned about the crosswind component increasing — if it exceeds limits I will divert." Share your plans: "After the hold I am expecting vectors for the ILS, I will start configuring at 12 miles."
This does not mean narrating every action. It means making your thought process audible at key moments — during transitions, before decisions, when the situation changes, and when you notice something your partner might not have seen. The assessor scores what they observe. If your excellent decision-making happens silently inside your head, it might as well not have happened at all.
The Bottom Line
NOTECHS runs through every stage of the airline selection process. Cooperation, leadership, situational awareness, and decision-making are scored alongside your technical skills — and in many cases, weighted equally.
The candidates who score highest are the ones who make their non-technical skills visible: they communicate clearly, share their awareness, structure their decisions, and work constructively with their team. Technical skill gets you to the interview. NOTECHS gets you the job.