You do not usually choose: your authority or school does
There is no exam called "the ICAO test". ICAO publishes the rating scale in Annex 1 (icao.int could not be fetched this week) and each national authority approves one or more tests that rate against it. The tests people search for by name are TEA (Mayflower College, UK), ELPAC (EUROCONTROL), RELTA (RMIT), EALTS and TEAP (two UK providers) and the Versant Aviation English Test (Pearson). The practical answer to "which one should I take" is almost always: the one your licensing authority accepts and your school, airline or air navigation service provider books for you. In India that means a provider on the DGCA portal list; in EASA states, a test your national authority approves; for ELPAC, a place through a user organisation such as your ANSP or airline. This page puts the tests side by side, with a source on every cell, so that when you are told which one you are sitting you know what the room will look like. Two of the six, TEA and ELPAC, could be verified in detail on official pages this week. For the other four the table says exactly what we could and could not read.
- TEA: 25 to 30 minutes, 3 parts, face to face with 1 examiner, recorded; approved by the UK CAA and "many other national authorities".
- ELPAC: Paper 1, 45 computer-marked listening items, about 38 minutes (ATC version four parts, pilot version five); Paper 2, about 20 minutes of live speaking in three tasks, two assessors; Levels 3 to 6; recognised by ICAO under AELTS, per the ELPAC site.
- RELTA, Versant Aviation: no official page reached; nothing beyond the name stated.
- EALTS, TEAP: owners from Wikipedia (secondary); formats not read.
- All report an ICAO level; TEA and ELPAC both state the lowest-score rule; none has national dates; no fee was read on any official page.
The tests at a glance, every cell sourced
"Verified" means we read it on the owner's own page or document on 21 October 2026, and the source is named in the cell. "Secondary" means a non-official page, named. "Not read" means we could not reach an official page and state nothing. Sources are abbreviated: TEA page is aviation-english.com's TEA page, TEA notes the TEA Notes for Candidates version 5.0, TEA locations the TEA test locations page, ELPAC the pages of elpac.eurocontrol.int.
| Test | Owner | Format | Length | Who rates | Recognition and acceptance | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEA Test of English for Aviation | Mayflower College, Plymouth, "the founder of the Test of English for Aviation" (maycoll.co.uk) | Part 1 interview; Part 2 interactive comprehension in 2A, 2B and 2C (six, four and three recordings); Part 3 picture description and discussion (TEA page, TEA notes) | 25 to 30 minutes: 7 to 8, 8 to 12 and 10 (TEA page) | "1 examiner", face to face; "the test will be recorded for security and quality purposes" (TEA page, TEA notes) | "approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority" and "many other national authorities" (TEA page); the UK CAA accepts six named TEA centres only (TEA locations) | Verified |
| ELPAC | EUROCONTROL, "developed and maintained with" ZHAW and "operated with ENOVATE" (ELPAC) | Paper 1: 45 listening items, ATC version four parts, pilot version five. Paper 2: three speaking tasks (ELPAC) | Paper 1 about 38 minutes; Paper 2 about 20 minutes, or roughly 20 to 25 minutes per test taker in the FAQ (ELPAC) | Paper 1 computer-marked; Paper 2 two accredited assessors, an English Language Expert and an Operational Expert; a third assessor reviews the recording on disagreement (ELPAC) | "Recognized by" ICAO "under the Aviation English Language Test Service (AELTS)", "valid through the end of 2026"; run by user organisations (ELPAC) | Verified |
| RELTA RMIT English Language Test for Aviation | RMIT, per the test's name; no owner page reached | Not read | Not read | Not read | Not read | Not read: every RMIT URL we tried returned 404 |
| EALTS English for Aviation Language Testing System | LTAS Ltd, UK (Wikipedia, secondary) | Not read | Not read | Not read | Recognised by "numerous National Aviation Authorities and licensing authorities, including the UK CAA" (Wikipedia, secondary) | Secondary; ealts.com refused the connection |
| TEAP Test of English for Aviation Personnel | Anglo-Continental School, UK (Wikipedia, secondary) | Not read | Not read | Not read | Same Wikipedia sentence as EALTS (secondary) | Secondary; no official page read |
| Versant Aviation English Test | Pearson (Versant is a Pearson brand, per Pearson's Versant page) | Not read: Pearson's page describes Versant generally as "automated language tests" and does not mention aviation | Not read | Not read | Not read | Not read |
TEA in detail
Everything in this section is from the TEA page on aviation-english.com, the TEA Notes for Candidates (version 5.0), the TEA locations page and the Mayflower College aviation English page, all read on 21 October 2026. TEA "assesses spoken and listening ability according to the ICAO Rating Scale", "meets the ICAO English Language Proficiency Requirements (LPR's) for licensing purposes", is "approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority" and "many other national authorities", and is "a face-to-face, human interaction test with 1 examiner". Mayflower says "75,000+ pilots and controllers have taken T.E.A." and that its test centre operations run in "20+ countries". The notes say TEA is for "professional, private or student pilots (aeroplane or helicopter), professional or student controllers, FISOs and radio operators".
| Part | Name (TEA wording) | Time (TEA page) | What happens (TEA notes) | Skills under most strain (TalkDrill reading) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction and Experience-related Interview | 7 to 8 minutes | Questions on your role in aviation, then on a specific aviation-related topic, with follow-up questions on things you mention. | Fluency (the move out of rehearsed speech), structure (past-tense narration) |
| 2A | Interactive Comprehension | 8 to 12 minutes | Six recordings of a pilot or controller in a non-routine situation. After each, report "what was the message?" and "who do you think was speaking, a pilot or a controller?" | Comprehension, interactions |
| 2B | Four longer recordings in which a pilot or controller describes a problem, says what they need and gives extra details. You may take notes and report as fully as possible. | |||
| 2C | Three short recordings in more general non-routine situations. After each, "you have 20 seconds to ask the speaker questions", then the examiner asks what advice you would give. | |||
| 3 | Picture Description and Discussion | 10 minutes | Two connected pictures to describe and compare, with questions on each, then a discussion of aviation topics in which you give opinions, speculate about the future and justify your ideas. | Vocabulary (paraphrase), structure (speculation and conditionals) |
Four rules from the notes change how you should behave in the room. Recordings in Part 2 "will only be played once unless you ask for repetition", you "cannot hear recordings a third time", and "regular repetition will suggest that your Comprehension is slower". The test "will be recorded for security and quality purposes". You get a score from 1 to 6 for each of the six skills and the overall level "will be the lowest of these scores". And the result is not given on the day: the certificate is posted to your centre "within 10 working days of your test date".
The TEA page is explicit about what the test is not: "not a test of aviation phraseology" and "not a test of operational knowledge". Candidates who arrive with a revised phraseology manual have prepared for a test that does not exist. On location, the notes put the burden on you: "It is your responsibility to check that your licence-issuing authority accepts a TEA certificate from the TEA Centre where you take the test." The locations page lists centres including Trans Aviacons in Hyderabad, AviA MEA in Dubai, a Kuwait centre and the University of Turkish Aeronautical Association in Ankara, and says the UK CAA accepts only six named centres: Plymouth, Madrid (EF European Flyers), Kuwait, Hong Kong, Hyderabad and Dubai. If your authority sends you to TEA, the practice bank is arranged in the same three shapes, and the DGCA ELP page covers the Indian checks.
ELPAC in detail
Everything in this section is from the ELPAC site and its About the test, results, implementation and sample-test pages, read on 21 October 2026. ELPAC is EUROCONTROL's test "for assessing the English language proficiency of air traffic controllers and pilots", "developed and maintained with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and operated with ENOVATE", and "designed for use in accordance with ICAO, EASA and local licensing rules and requirements". The site states that "ELPAC ATC and ELPAC Pilot are recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) under the Aviation English Language Test Service (AELTS)", and that the recognition "is valid through the end of 2026".
| Paper | ELPAC wording | What that means for you (TalkDrill reading) |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1, listening | "Computer-marked, 45 items", "separate ATC (four parts) and Pilot (five parts) versions"; "recognition tasks based on radiotelephony recordings" and "multiple-choice questions on short and longer audio files" | Voice-only comprehension in your own operational context, marked by the computer. There is no examiner to re-ask, and forty-five items is long enough for a habit of listening only for key words to show. |
| Paper 2, speaking | About 20 minutes, 3 tasks: "Standard phraseology and an unusual situation on the radiotelephony frequency"; "Picture description with hypothesising and problem-solving"; "Conversation about aviation topics in general" | Task 1 opens in standard phraseology, and the unusual situation is there to push you out of it into plain English. Task 2 asks you to speculate and solve; Task 3 is open conversation. |
| Raters | "Two accredited assessors: an English Language Expert (ELE) and an Operational Expert (OPE)", the OPE being "an operational or former air traffic controller or pilot"; on disagreement "the recording of Paper 2 is reviewed by an independent Third Assessor", whose "decision is final" | One rater listens as a linguist, the other as a colleague who knows what the situation demands. A fluent answer that would not work operationally is heard by the second rater. |
| Result | "The ICAO level awarded is determined by the lowest rating across the six criteria from both assessors; there is no compensatory marking." Reported on the ICAO scale, Levels 3 to 6. "Your user organisation issues the official report to you and may also inform the relevant licensing authority." | Your weakest skill, as heard by either rater, is your level. ELPAC does not report below Level 3. |
| Access | User organisations are "ANSPs, airlines, training organisations and aviation authorities" that sign the ELPAC Licence Agreement | You reach ELPAC through your employer or training organisation, not as a walk-in candidate. |
The ELPAC FAQ fills in the rest. Paper 1 "takes about 38 minutes" and Paper 2 lasts roughly 20 to 25 minutes per test taker. A result is valid for 3 years at Level 4 and 6 years at Level 5, and Level 6 is "not subject to re-assessment", for controllers and flight crew alike; in EASA member states Level 4 for flight crew is extended to 4 years and Level 6 for controllers is capped at 9, and "the decision about validity is at the discretion of the competent authority". Partial re-sits "are possible within the rules of your user organisation and national authority". No ELPAC page we read gives a fee. The site also offers free sample tests for the ATC and pilot versions that "show the ELPAC test interface, audio quality and question format before the test", with "no sign-in" needed; do one before test day. The air traffic controllers page goes through Paper 1 and Paper 2 from the controller's side.
RELTA, EALTS, TEAP and Versant Aviation: what we could and could not verify
RELTA
RELTA is the RMIT English Language Test for Aviation. Every RMIT URL we tried for it on 21 October 2026 returned 404 or redirected away, and the relta.org domain is now an unrelated site. We therefore state nothing about its format, length, raters or approvals. If a school or airline names RELTA as your test, ask it for the current candidate information from RMIT and treat descriptions on coaching sites as unverified until you have read that document.
EALTS and TEAP
Wikipedia's Aviation English article, a secondary source read on 21 October 2026, names the English for Aviation Language Testing System (EALTS) as from LTAS Ltd in the UK and the Test of English for Aviation Personnel (TEAP) as from Anglo-Continental School in the UK, and says that TEA, TEAP and EALTS "all have recognition from numerous National Aviation Authorities and licensing authorities, including the UK CAA, as being both ICAO Doc 9835 and EASA compliant". The EALTS site refused the connection and we did not read a TEAP page, so the owners and that sentence are all we state.
Versant Aviation English Test
Versant is a Pearson brand. The Pearson address we tried for the aviation test now shows a general Versant page that describes "automated language tests" for recruitment and does not mention aviation. We do not know from an official page whether the aviation test is still offered, how it is built or who accepts it. Before you prepare for it, confirm in writing with your authority that a Versant result will be endorsed.
The ICAO recognition question
Wikipedia says the ELPAC test for air traffic controllers is "currently the only test formally recognized by ICAO as being fully compliant with ICAO Doc 9835". The ELPAC site's own claim is narrower and dated: recognition of ELPAC ATC and ELPAC Pilot under ICAO's AELTS, valid through 31 December 2026 per its FAQ. We could not read ICAO's own AELTS list (icao.int returned 403 on 20 and 21 October 2026), so we cannot say which other tests are on it. For your licence it does not decide anything: TEA, for example, is approved by the UK CAA on its own page, and what matters is the approved list of your own authority.
Decision table: your situation, the test you will probably sit
The third column is our reading of where each group is usually sent, built only from the official pages above. It is judgement, not a rule; the only authority is the approved list of your own regulator.
| Your situation | Who decides | What you will probably sit (TalkDrill judgement) | Check first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian CPL student or airline pilot under the DGCA ELP scheme | DGCA; your flying school or airline books | A provider on the DGCA portal list under "ELP Training and Testing Service Provider". TEA lists a Hyderabad centre (Trans Aviacons); whether a given centre is on the DGCA list must be confirmed. | The DGCA portal entry (Personnel, Training, Pilot) and the DGCA ELP page |
| AAI air traffic controller | DGCA (the portal lists ATCO licensing); AAI trains and employs controllers | The test your unit arranges; no AAI page we read names it | Your ATC training unit; the controllers page |
| Controller or pilot whose ANSP or airline is an ELPAC user organisation | Your national authority; the user organisation runs the test | ELPAC, ATC or pilot version | Your training department; the ELPAC sample tests |
| Pilot on an EASA licence | Your national authority's approved list | A test that authority approves; ELPAC says it is designed for EASA rules, and TEA lists centres in Spain and Italy | Your authority's language proficiency page |
| Pilot in the Gulf (UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman) | The authority that issues or validates your licence; the airline books | An authority-approved test. TEA lists centres in Dubai and Kuwait; its locations page lists none in Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Oman. | The airline's training department |
| Cadet in the Philippines, Indonesia or Vietnam | CAAP, DGCA Indonesia or CAAV; the school books | A nationally approved provider. The TEA locations page lists no centre in any of the three countries. | The school's written statement of the approved test |
| Pilot in Turkey or Egypt | The Turkish DGCA or the ECAA; the airline or school books | An authority-approved test. TEA lists a centre in Ankara; its locations page lists none in Egypt. | The authority's approved list |
How the format changes your preparation
Every compliant test rates the same six skills with the same lowest-score rule, so the core preparation is the same: comprehension of unfamiliar accents, plain English for non-routine situations, and the habit of checking and confirming. The format changes where the strain falls.
- One examiner face to face (TEA). The examiner is also the interlocutor, so interactions are tested continuously. Part 2A asks two fixed questions after every recording, the message and who was speaking, so practise answering both every time. Part 2C gives you 20 seconds of questions, so practise asking four or five short questions fast. Part 3 is two connected pictures, so practise comparing and speculating ("it looks as if", "they may have").
- A separate listening paper (ELPAC Paper 1). Forty-five computer-marked items of recognition and multiple choice in your operational context, in about 38 minutes per the ELPAC FAQ. There is no examiner to re-ask. Daily listening to controllers and pilots in accents you do not know, re-told aloud, is the preparation; the pilot and ATC versions mean you should practise in your own role.
- A phraseology task with a twist (ELPAC Paper 2, Task 1). Standard phraseology, then "an unusual situation on the radiotelephony frequency". Practise the moment phraseology runs out and plain English has to take over without a pause.
- Two raters including an operational expert (ELPAC Paper 2). An answer that is fluent but operationally odd is heard. Practise saying what you would actually do, in the order you would do it.
- An automated test (Versant Aviation, not verified). We could not read how it is built, so we give no format advice. Confirm acceptance before you prepare for it.
Whatever the shape, the rating scale page gives the six lines the rater is holding, and the levels and validity page shows how long each result lasts.
Practice route
- Find out which test, in writing, from your authority or the organisation booking you. Then read that test's own candidate material: the TEA notes, or the ELPAC pages and sample test.
- Listen daily. Ten minutes of recordings in unfamiliar accents, re-told aloud with every uncertain item named, and the speaker identified as pilot or controller. This serves TEA Part 2 and ELPAC Paper 1 alike.
- One non-routine role-play a day in TalkDrill role-play practice: the AI plays the controller or the captain and introduces something unexpected; you check, confirm and decide. The non-routine situations page has 25 scenarios to run.
- Picture description twice a week from the practice bank: two connected pictures, describe, compare and speculate, then discussion. Both TEA Part 3 and ELPAC Task 2 use pictures.
- Numbers and call signs aloud, five minutes a day, in read-aloud practice, on the sounds your first language merges.
- A full mock in the shape of your test in week four, scored on the six skills. A human mock with an ICAO-trained rater is not on TalkDrill yet; until it is, the AI mock is what we offer, and we say so.
Fees, re-sit rules and result times, provider by provider and only where published, are on the fees, booking and results page; every official link with its verification date is on the official resources page; and the aviation English hub links the rest of the module.