Multitasking and Prioritization Flashcards
7 cards from real ATSA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Multitasking and Prioritization flashcards as text
A controller hears a TCAS resolution advisory (RA) call on frequency during a busy period. What is the immediate priority?
Answer: Acknowledge the RA, clear the frequency, and avoid issuing instructions that conflict with the RA
When a TCAS RA is issued, controllers must not issue conflicting instructions; the RA takes precedence for separation.
A high-priority task arises during a low-priority coordination call. The appropriate action is to:
Answer: Briefly explain to the other controller that a higher-priority situation requires attention, then disengage
Briefly explaining the need to disengage is professional and allows the other controller to follow up without confusion.
Which of the following is an example of effective task batching in ATC?
Answer: Grouping aircraft at similar altitudes and issuing coordinated traffic calls in a single scan
Batching related tasks — such as traffic calls to aircraft in proximity — reduces context-switching and improves efficiency.
An aircraft reporting a medical emergency and another reporting a suspected bird strike both call in at the same time. Which takes priority?
Answer: Bird strike, as it may affect aircraft controllability immediately
A bird strike can immediately affect flight control surfaces and engine function, making it a more immediately life-threatening controllability emergency.
How should a controller respond when their sector's traffic count approaches the maximum accepted workload level?
Answer: Notify the supervisor, consider flow control measures, and coordinate sectorization changes if needed
Proactively communicating workload levels to supervisors allows for systemic relief before safety is compromised.
During an ATSA simulation, a candidate is given two tasks with equal urgency but cannot complete both simultaneously. The best approach is to:
Answer: Choose the task with the greater safety consequence and complete it fully before starting the second
When true simultaneous completion is impossible, full execution of the higher-consequence task before switching is safer than splitting attention.
A controller uses a personal abbreviation system to track multiple aircraft on a strip. The risk of this practice is:
Answer: It improves recall speed but may confuse relief controllers who are not familiar with the abbreviations
Personal abbreviation systems can create handoff errors if the relief controller cannot interpret the strips accurately.