CogScreen-AE test day: what to expect from start to finish

Dr. Jordan 'Coach' Keller•
CogScreen-AE test day: what to expect from start to finish

CogScreen-AE test day: what to expect from start to finish

By Dr. Jordan 'Coach' Keller | Published February 25, 2026

Quick facts
Appointment length 60–75 minutes
Location Neuropsychologist's office (not your AME)
What to bring Photo ID + corrective lenses
Results LRPV score typically available same day
Written report 1–2 weeks to your AME

This is part 1 of the CogScreen-AE test day series

Part 1 — What to expect on test day ← you are here
Part 2 — 5 mistakes pilots make on the CogScreen-AE ← publishes February 25
Part 3 — Your results came back low. Here's what to do. ← publishes March 1

Each article stands on its own. Read them in order or jump to what you need.

TL;DR

  • The test is administered by a neuropsychologist, not your AME
  • You'll get a practice trial before each subtest — treat those seriously, not as a warm-up to skip through
  • 60–75 minutes, no breaks, touchscreen or mouse input depending on the facility
  • Your LRPV score is typically available the same day; the written report takes 1–2 weeks
  • Sleep is the single highest-impact variable you can control the night before

Table of contents

  1. Why what you don't know actually matters here
  2. The night before
  3. The morning of
  4. At the clinic: check-in
  5. The testing room setup
  6. How the test runs: subtest by subtest
  7. The three subtests that trip pilots up most
  8. When it's over
  9. What happens with your results
  10. FAQ
  11. One last thing

Why what you don't know actually matters here

You've scheduled your CogScreen-AE. Now what?

For most pilots, the time between booking that appointment and sitting down at the testing computer is filled with questions nobody has given them complete answers to. What exactly happens in the room? Who runs it? How long does it take? What do they tell you when it's over?

The CogScreen-AE is a specialized evaluation and there isn't much plain-language guidance available about the actual experience of sitting through one. This article is the walkthrough you should have gotten before you scheduled the appointment.

More to the point: the gap between "knowing generally what a cognitive test is" and "knowing specifically what the CogScreen-AE looks like, sounds like, and asks you to do" has a measurable effect on your score. Format surprise is one of the most common reasons a pilot's performance on test day doesn't reflect their actual cognitive ability. Not deficits. Not age. Just walking into something unfamiliar with no prior frame of reference.

The night before

Sleep is not negotiable. I'll say it plainly because it tends to get lost in preparation advice: seven to eight hours of sleep the night before your CogScreen-AE has a larger impact on your score than almost anything else you could do at that point.

The subtests that carry the most weight in the LRPV composite — Backward Digit Span, Dual Task, Divided Attention — are precisely the tasks where a fatigued brain shows up fastest. Working memory degrades measurably on five to six hours. Sustained attention degrades. Processing speed slows. You can train for weeks and give a significant portion of it back in one short night.

No alcohol for 48 hours, not just the night before. Alcohol fragments sleep architecture even when you feel like you slept through the night without issue.

If you've been doing structured preparation, tonight is not a training night. Fifteen to twenty minutes reviewing what the subtest formats look like — the interface mechanics, the response patterns — is appropriate. No full battery runs. No new material. (If you haven't built your preparation yet, the 4-week CogScreen study plan gives you a structured schedule with a proper taper built in, including exactly what the days before your test should look like.)

Confirm your logistics before you turn the lights out: address, parking, departure time. Bring a photo ID. If you use corrective lenses, bring them. The test has visual components and the display is not something you want to be compensating for.

The morning of

Eat what you normally eat. If you're an eggs-and-oatmeal person, have that. Avoid a high-sugar start — blood glucose spikes and the subsequent drop don't do attention tasks any favors, and several CogScreen subtests measure exactly those attentional fluctuations.

Caffeine: have your normal amount. Don't skip it trying to be clean — caffeine withdrawal affects concentration in habitual users and the effects can appear within a few hours of your regular intake window. Don't add an extra cup hoping for an edge; jitteriness shows up clearly in precision timing tasks, particularly those measuring processing speed and response consistency.

Arrive ten to fifteen minutes early. This matters more than it sounds. Rushing before the test elevates cortisol, and elevated cortisol measurably degrades the same cognitive domains the CogScreen evaluates. The few minutes you give yourself to settle, breathe, and orient before the test starts are not wasted time.

Dress for comfort. You're going to be seated at a workstation for over an hour. There's nothing to gain from being physically uncomfortable while you do it.

At the clinic: check-in

You'll meet with a licensed neuropsychologist — not your AME, not a technician. The CogScreen-AE is a clinical evaluation and the person administering it has specialized training in cognitive assessment. That distinction matters: this is not a routine medical appointment.

Before the test begins, there's typically a brief intake conversation. They'll confirm your information, review any notes from your FAA referral, and give you an overview of the process. This is your window to ask procedural questions.

What input device does this facility use — touchscreen, mouse, stylus? Are there any instructions you should know about before we start? What happens when the battery is complete?

Once the test starts, the examiner can't coach you. They can't clarify what a question is asking or answer anything about how you should respond. Ask your procedural questions now, before you sit down at the computer.

The testing room setup

Quiet room, controlled lighting, minimal distractions — standard clinical testing environment. The workstation will have either a touchscreen, a mouse, or both, depending on the facility. Input method varies across CogScreen administrations and it matters for certain subtests, so confirm before you start.

One thing worth understanding about preparation tools, including PilotPrep: no practice platform can replicate the exact clinical setup because the official CogScreen-AE is only administered by licensed neuropsychologists using licensed software. What preparation gives you is cognitive and format familiarity — you've processed the task mechanics, you know what each subtest is asking of you, and none of the formats are surprises. That's the value: not pixel-perfect replication, but removing the "I've never seen anything like this before" variable from your performance.

For a deeper look at how aviation-specific preparation differs from general brain training apps, see why generic brain games won't help you pass the CogScreen-AE.

How the test runs: subtest by subtest

Thirteen subtests total. Each one begins with a brief explanation and a practice trial.

Pay close attention to the practice trials. This is the only orientation you get to each subtest's specific interface and response mechanics before your performance starts counting. Pilots who rush through the practice portion — treating it as a formality to get past — make preventable format errors on the subtests that follow. Those errors don't reflect cognitive ability. They reflect impatience.

A few structural things to know:

The subtests are not presented in the same fixed order across all administrations. Don't expect a sequence you practiced in a specific order to match what you see.

Some subtests are strictly timed. Others allow self-pacing within a window. The instructions will tell you which is which for each subtest.

You can't go back. When a subtest ends, it ends. No reviewing, no revising previous responses.

There are no breaks. The battery runs continuously for 60–75 minutes, and sustaining focus across the full duration is part of what's being measured.

For the complete breakdown of all 13 subtests — what each one measures, what the interface asks you to do, and how each connects to real cockpit cognitive demands — the CogScreen-AE subtests guide covers every one in detail. If you haven't read it, do so before your appointment.

The three subtests that trip pilots up most

These three come up consistently as the sources of preventable underperformance among pilots who weren't specifically prepared for their format.

Dual Task: You're simultaneously tracking a moving target on the screen and responding to auditory memory prompts. The dual-demand structure — two cognitive streams running at the same time — is unlike anything in ordinary computer use. Many pilots have never done anything cognitively structured like this before. The confusion that shows up as errors on a first encounter is almost never a cognitive deficit. It's novelty. With prior exposure, it becomes manageable.

Backward Digit Span: Auditory digit sequences presented at a set pace, recalled in reverse order, entered through a specific interface. The reversal requirement on top of an unfamiliar input method creates a double layer of cognitive load for pilots who haven't seen it before. Working memory capacity is real, but so is the recoverable cost of format surprise. (The Backward Digit Span training guide, publishing this week, covers exactly how to build this skill before your appointment.)

Manikin: Spatial orientation with a figure that appears in various rotated positions. The response format is counterintuitive on first encounter — pilots who haven't seen the mechanics tend to freeze briefly or respond incorrectly in ways that don't reflect their spatial reasoning ability at all. One exposure to the format typically resolves most of the confusion.

All three of these are covered in PilotPrep's practice modules. The goal isn't to memorize specific items — the CogScreen uses approximately 12 different item versions — it's to remove the interface and format variables from your performance so your score reflects you.

From the PilotPrep resource library

The CogScreen-AE test day series is part of a broader collection of resources on faacogscreen.com covering every stage of the CogScreen process:

When it's over

Total time is typically 60–75 minutes, occasionally slightly longer. After the battery finishes, the examiner may conduct a brief clinical interview. This is standard — it gives context to the quantitative data, and it's not a reason for concern.

The LRPV composite score is often available the same day. Some examiners share it verbally at the end of the session. Others don't, depending on their clinical protocol. Neither approach signals anything about your result. If you want to know and they haven't offered, it's reasonable to ask before you leave.

The full written report — which includes interpretation, clinical context, and the neuropsychologist's professional assessment — typically takes one to two weeks to reach your AME.

What happens with your results

The neuropsychologist sends the written report to your AME, not directly to the FAA. Your AME reviews it and submits it to the FAA as part of your medical application.

FAA review typically takes 30 to 90 days from there. The LRPV is not a binary pass/fail. It's a probability value that compares your cognitive profile to healthy pilots your age. A score below the review threshold doesn't mean denial — it means the FAA will look more closely, and may request additional evaluation.

For a thorough explanation of how LRPV scoring works, what the component scores measure, and how to make sense of your results, the understanding CogScreen-AE scores guide is the right next read.

If your results trigger additional review, Part 3 of this series — Your CogScreen-AE results came back low. Here's what to do. — publishes March 1 and covers your options, the HIMS AME conversation, and what the next 90 days realistically look like.

FAQ

Can I retake the test if I'm unhappy with my score? Yes, retesting is possible. Timing and conditions depend on your AME's guidance and the FAA's review. Talk to your AME before scheduling a retest independently — and if your results have triggered FAA review, a HIMS AME is the right call, not a standard AME.

Will I see my LRPV score? Usually yes, verbally, the same day. Some examiners hold that conversation until the full written report is complete. Ask before you leave if you want to know.

Can I stop mid-test if I feel unwell? Yes. Tell the examiner immediately. The test will need to be restarted from the beginning or rescheduled, so only flag this if you genuinely need to. Your health takes priority.

Does the examiner evaluate me beyond the computer test? Sometimes. A brief clinical interview after the battery is common practice. It provides context and should not be read as a sign that something went wrong.

Can I bring notes? Can someone come with me? No notes in the testing room. A support person can accompany you to the facility but will wait outside during the evaluation.

Is the test the same every time? Approximately 12 versions exist with different item sets but the same subtest structure and format. This is why memorizing specific items — from a previous test, from a practice tool, or from forum accounts of other pilots' experiences — doesn't work. And it's why preparation should focus on task mechanics and cognitive skill, not specific content. See why generic brain games won't help you pass the CogScreen-AE for more on this.

What if the examiner doesn't tell me anything about my performance? That's normal and within their clinical discretion. The written report will go to your AME. Focus your follow-up conversation on your AME, not on getting an informal read from the testing room.

One last thing

The pilots who walk out of that room feeling good about their performance are almost always the ones who knew what was coming. Not necessarily the ones with the most training hours, or the most time invested. The ones for whom none of the formats were surprises.

Format confusion is the most preventable source of underperformance in a CogScreen evaluation. Every subtest has a specific interface mechanic. Most of them are unlike anything in ordinary computer use. Walking in without prior exposure — even once — puts you at a disadvantage that has nothing to do with your cognitive fitness.

Your preparation window is before you sit down at that computer. Not during.

Up next in this series: 5 mistakes pilots make on the CogScreen-AE — and how to avoid them → (publishing February 25)

Get familiar with all 13 subtest formats before your appointment. PilotPrep's adaptive modules are built around the same cognitive tasks and mechanics — so on test day, nothing is an unfamiliar interface. No account needed to start.

Try 5 free questions →

More from faacogscreen.com

New guides publish every Tuesday and Friday at faacogscreen.com.

References

  • Taylor, J.L., O'Hara, R., Mumenthaler, M.S., & Tinklenberg, J.R. (2000). Cognitive ability, expertise, and age differences in following air-traffic control instructions. Psychology and Aging, 15(4), 753–762.
  • Kay, G.G. (1995). CogScreen Aeromedical Edition: Professional Manual. Psychological Assessment Resources.
  • Van Benthem, K., et al. (2024). Cognitive screening in aviation: current practice and future directions. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine.
  • FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine. Neuropsychological evaluation requirements. FAA AME Guide. faa.gov/ame_guide

Ready to prepare for the CogScreen-AE?

Start training with our adaptive cognitive modules designed specifically for pilots. Get instant access to real-time scoring and performance tracking.

Start Free Trial