Airbus Arctic Shores Assessment

TL;DR: For the Airbus Global Graduate Programme (AGGP), you apply online, then get a link to an Arctic Shores game-based assessment and have three days to complete it. If you don't meet its criteria, all your AGGP applications for that window are declined. Shortlisted candidates go to a virtual assessment centre with group exercises and interviews (Airbus AGGP page). UK apprenticeships use the same Arctic Shores assessment, also with three days to complete it, followed by an online assessment centre or an in-person skills day (Airbus UK apprenticeships). Arctic Shores reads how you behave in short tasks, not right answers, so practice mainly removes the surprise of the format.

Timing. Airbus says applications for AGGP 2027 are now closed and applications for AGGP 2028 are expected to open in September 2027 (AGGP page). UK apprenticeship applications run from October until February, and some roles close earlier (UK apprenticeships).

The stages, in order

Global Graduate Programme (AGGP)

All of this comes from the AGGP page and its FAQ.

1. Online application. Applications open each September, "but only for a short time", and some roles close earlier. You may apply to only one AGGP position per recruitment cycle. Airbus screens for a maximum of three years of relevant work experience and a degree completed before the programme starts. Mandatory internships, sandwich years and student jobs don't count towards the three years.

2. Arctic Shores assessment, due within three days. "After you have submitted your application we will send you a link to an online test - from receiving the link you will have three days to complete the test." Airbus says it uses the tool "to evaluate your potential and fit for the programme".

3. Virtual assessment centre. If your application meets the role's requirements and you're selected, you're invited to an online assessment centre with "group exercises and interviews".

4. Offer. "If you're successful at interview, you can expect to receive an offer within a week!" The AGGP is a 24-month programme on a permanent contract from day one.

One UK-specific point: Airbus says it cannot sponsor Skilled Worker visas for UK AGGP roles. It welcomes candidates with an existing right to work or another route, such as the Graduate visa.

UK apprenticeships

From the UK apprenticeships page:

1. Online application. Include the grades you hold and your predicted grades. Airbus says an application without them is declined. Its expected closing dates for this cycle, as checked on 4 November 2026: digital, business, engineering, project management and procurement degree apprenticeships "closed on 26 October"; Level 3 craft apprenticeships are "likely to close between 6 and 30 November" at Bristol/Filton, "between 6 November and 15 December" at Broughton, and "by 20 December" at Belfast; supply chain and quality engineering degree apprenticeships "before 4 January"; Level 2 craft apprenticeships in Stevenage "by 30 January". So some Filton and Broughton craft roles may close from 6 November.

Entry requirements. Craft and technician roles ask for "a minimum of five GCSEs at Grade 4 or C (or equivalent), which must include maths, English language, and a science". Degree apprenticeships also need A-levels or a BTEC, or equivalents (UK apprenticeships).

2. Arctic Shores assessment. "The online assessment, Arctic Shores, is usually sent to you within three working days, you will have three days to complete the assessment."

3. Assessment centre or skills day. Level 2 and 3 roles are assessed in person at skills days. Other levels use online assessment centres unless you're told otherwise. You attend one assessment, lasting no more than a day. The published dates are: Level 3 Broughton, 26 January to 4 February and 15 to 19 February; Level 3 Filton, 8 to 10 February; Level 3 Belfast, 15 to 18 March; Level 2 Stevenage, 16 to 18 March; all Level 4, 5 and 6 apprenticeships, March 2027.

4. Offer. By phone and email, often conditional on your results, confirmed after results day.

Other Airbus early-careers routes

We found no Airbus page naming Arctic Shores for these:

• UK industry placements. You apply with a CV, a cover letter and some questions. The 2027/8 placements opened in two waves: Wave 1 (engineering, digital, programme roles) from 7 to 27 September, with some roles extended to 5 October, and Wave 2 (business operations, finance, HR, support functions) from 28 September to 25 October (UK industry placement). The page doesn't describe an online assessment.
• France and Spain. Internships and work-study apprenticeships in France, and graduate programmes in Spain, describe an application review followed by a recorded video interview (internships in France, apprenticeships in France, Spain). Airbus's general FAQ says the video platform shows written questions, you record short answers, no AI is used, and a person reviews them (Airbus careers FAQ). Rehearse the recorded interview stage with our video interview practice: 30 seconds to prepare, 2 minutes to answer, recorded only in your browser.

If your invitation for any route names a different test, trust the invitation.

What the Arctic Shores assessment involves

What Airbus says. The AGGP FAQ describes "our online gamified assessment, powered by Arctic Shores". It "consists of interactive modules designed to evaluate natural cognitive behaviours, decision-making styles, situational judgment, and problem-solving approaches rather than technical knowledge". Airbus recommends doing it "in a quiet environment free from distractions" (AGGP page). Airbus doesn't name the individual tasks.

How Arctic Shores works in general. You play a handful of short interactive tasks, each about 5 to 15 minutes, and the employer picks which ones you get. Your responses are compared with other candidates and read against what the role needs. You receive a feedback report, but there is no visible pass mark. Our Arctic Shores assessment guide covers every task candidates report, with its sources.

What candidates report (not Airbus's words). In a Student Room thread on AGGP 2025, applicants say they got no email confirming they had passed the Arctic Shores stage. Instead, their application status changed to "assessment" and they were asked to fill in a security form. Several describe waiting weeks after that. One applicant says they were rejected minutes after an email about the assessment. Treat these as individual experiences from an earlier cycle.

What you can practise

Airbus doesn't say which tasks it uses, so prepare for the format in general. Its description (cognitive behaviours, decision-making, problem-solving) fits both kinds of Arctic Shores task. That mapping is our reading, not Airbus's:

• Tasks with right answers or a clock, where knowing the rules early helps: Balance (guide), Order (guide), Direction (guide), Ticket (guide), Security lock (guide) and Predict (guide).
• Behavioural tasks, where there is no winning style: Energy (guide), Balloon (guide) and Team Sales (guide).

What first attempts look like. Among players' first attempts on GamePrep (October to November 2026), the median raw score was 9 level points on Balance (78 players), 19.5 level points on Order (48 players), 83 points on Direction (54 players) and 56% better bets on Predict (163 players). On the behavioural Energy game the median first run ended on 3,575 energy (39 players), which describes play styles, not a target. These are people practising, not Airbus candidates, and Arctic Shores compares you with its own norm groups, not with ours. The full spread for each game is on our score benchmarks page.

Be realistic about what this does. Arctic Shores reads behaviour, so practice won't change who you are or guarantee a better profile. What it does is remove the surprise: you won't spend the first rounds of a timed task working out the controls. In the behavioural tasks, play the way you would actually work, and play consistently.

Engineering and craft apprentices: mechanical reasoning

Airbus's UK apprenticeships page doesn't say what happens at the in-person skills days, and we found no Airbus page that mentions a mechanical or technical test. The Arctic Shores stage itself is described as testing behaviour "rather than technical knowledge" (AGGP page). So treat mechanical practice as general preparation for an engineering career, not as a known Airbus stage. If you want it anyway, our mechanical aptitude test covers gears, levers, pulleys and belts, and our mechanical aptitude guide explains the format. If your skills day invitation names a specific test, prepare for that instead.

How to prepare

Clear time in your diary before you submit. The three days run from when the link arrives (for apprenticeships it usually comes within three working days), so check your spam folder. Play each practice game once a few days before, then focus on the timed ones you found hardest. On the day, use a laptop with a keyboard if you can, a stable connection and a quiet room.

If you need adjustments, Airbus says you can raise them on the assessment platform for the Arctic Shores stage and should flag them early in your application so the recruitment team can contact you. They also apply at the virtual assessment centre (AGGP page). Declare them before you start the assessment. Our hub guide explains how Arctic Shores handles them.

For the UK apprenticeships, Airbus allows AI for research and polishing your CV and answers, but says "all formal assessment stages must be completed entirely by you without real-time assistance from AI" (UK apprenticeships).

FAQ

How long do I have to complete the Airbus Arctic Shores assessment? Three days from receiving the link, for both the AGGP (AGGP page) and UK apprenticeships (UK apprenticeships). For apprenticeships, the link is usually sent within three working days of applying.

What happens if I don't pass it? For the AGGP, Airbus says that if you don't meet the criteria, "all applications to the AGGP will be declined, subsequent applications in the same window will also be declined". You can only apply to one AGGP position per cycle anyway.

When do AGGP applications open? Each September, for a short time. Airbus says AGGP 2027 applications are closed and AGGP 2028 applications are expected to open in September 2027.

Is there a video interview? Not on the AGGP page, which describes a virtual assessment centre with group exercises and interviews. Airbus describes a recorded video interview for internships and apprenticeships in France and graduate programmes in Spain, and says "some roles" use one.

Do Airbus UK industry placements use Arctic Shores? The placement page doesn't say. It describes applying with a CV, a cover letter and some questions. Check your invitation.

Is there a mechanical test for Airbus apprenticeships? Airbus doesn't say. Its UK apprenticeships page describes the Arctic Shores assessment and then an online assessment centre or an in-person skills day, without listing the skills day's content. Mechanical practice is reasonable background for craft roles, but it isn't a confirmed Airbus stage.

GamePrep is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with Airbus or Arctic Shores. We provide practice only — no leaked questions or answers. Hiring processes change — verify against your invitation.