Neuropsychological Evaluation
 

Hello:

Long story, but company wants me to do a neuropsychological eval. Wondering if anyone has done one and what to expect, how to prepare etc. Not a fun spot to be in.

Thx

What does the contract, the ADA, and/or Washington State law say about company mandated fitness for duty exams?

https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/em...oyee-to-81095/

Time to speak to your union rep and a lawyer knowledgeable in such cases.

Ya my union guys have been helping me out...but haven’t a lot of experience with this.


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He isn’t talking about an FAA neurocognitive evaluation, he’s talking about a neuropsychological fitness for duty exam.

https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/mental...al-evaluations

Fitness for duty exam
 

I got referred by my airline for a single fatigue call months ago....(which I question the legality of).......was sent to a local psychiatrist for a fitness for duty evaluation (not an AME btw)........6 weeks ago........it was zero testing, a 4 hour interview about my whole life, career, family, the fatigue event (which this guy didn’t seem to grasp at all)........so there.......100% discretions of airline who you get referred to....or however your CBA reads about fitness for duty....

Yep, if your pilot group doesn’t feel strongly enough to fight for it in the contract, to make sure that the union and management have to agree about who performs these exams and negotiates for a process that assures the qualification and impartiality of them, they are exposing their members to whatever process management wants to use.

Conversely, if you do have a pilot whose bubble is significantly off level, it is in everyone’s interest to get that identified and resolved. But the process is only going to be as “fair” as management wants it to be, unless you get it in the contract.

Eval Summary
 

Well, I suffered through it the other day. Since I couldn't find a lot of info about it (I did get a couple PMs, thx for that), I figured it may help someone else that's facing this know what to expect. Here ya go:

Aptitude Test


This was a grueling 6-hour appointment with a PsyD Dr. The Dr called it a neuropsychological evaluation. A questionnaire was filled out ahead of time and brought to the appointment. The evaluation consisted of about 70% oral evaluation with the rest computer testing and paperwork.

It started with a very comprehensive life history, literally starting with “Were there any difficulties in your childbirth?” to what childhood, family, school etc. was like. Also, the questionnaire I brought with me was gone over extensively. This took the majority of the first hour.

Then the orally administered exams started, of which there were many. A recurring theme was recall, i.e. 20 minutes later after a few more types of tests I would have to recall something from a previous test. For example, there was a chart with symbols associated with a number (1-9). There was two pages of symbols and I was required to fill in the associated number, and as with most all the tests, speed and accuracy both were judged. Then several tests later, I was asked to write down the symbols that went with the numbers.

One thing that could be practiced ahead of time was number recall. The Dr read 2-8 numbers which you must repeat in order. Then you must repeat them in reverse order. Another exercise: every 4 seconds a number is read, and you must sum the last two. Not too hard but then the numbers come every 2 seconds, which is too fast to keep up.

Another test was the Dr read a very detailed short story, which I was asked to repeat all the minute details of. Then another story which I repeated, after which I was asked to repeat the first story. Then 20 minutes later after more tests I was asked to repeat the story again. There was a word exercise where the Dr read off about 20 words and I was asked to repeat as many as possible. Then another list of words to repeat, then back to the first list without mixing them up. Then say words from the list that were in certain categories, i.e. modes of transportation, vegetables, etc. Then 20 minutes later-how many of the list of words can you say. I was asked to define several words, all of which I was familiar with but struggled on some to verbalize a definition. There was also a long list (2 pages) of words I was required to read, many of which I hadn’t heard of before and were difficult to pronounce. I had to say as many words that begin with A and S as I could in one minute…no proper words that are capitalized. A minute is a long time! It was harder than it sounds.

There was a very intricate figure I was asked to draw. The Dr kept handing me different colored markers while I was drawing. Then 20 minutes later I had to redraw the figure from memory. 20 minutes after that there were two pages of very similar figures and I had to pick the one matching the original. There were other figure drawing tests where I could view the figure for 10 seconds, then draw it from memory, with the figures getting more and more intricate.

There was a page full of words in black, blue and red ink. The words were black, blue and red, but the colors didn’t necessarily match the word, i.e. the word red might be in blue ink. I had to read first the word, then switch to say the color of the ink (not what the letters say), then back and forth. As all the tests, speed and accuracy were both judged.

I endured several math tests; the Dr would read the problem and I was required to do the math in my head with no paper allowed. They started easy, then like all the tests progressed to problems you could not do.

There was a pile of cards with symbols with different colors, symbols and number of symbols on each card. I was required to figure out which pattern to match, i.e. color, symbol or number of symbols on a card and when I got it they would change the pattern and I had to figure out the new pattern.

There was an entire battery of computer tests also. One was a 14-minute test where a letter flashed on the screen and if it wasn’t an X I was to tap the space bar. It seemed easy, but I was told I scored low, which was troubling because I’m certain I only mistakenly clicked an X a couple of times. When I said as much the Dr said my reaction time was slow. I guess I was going more for accuracy than speed. Speed is a factor on all the tests. There were many types of tests on a touch screen with a stylus where speed and accuracy both counted. Some were multi-tasking, there was a line that kept trying to go sideways off the screen and with the non-dominant hand I had to use the arrows to keep the symbol centered while solving problems with the stylus in my other hand.

Of course, it also included a nearly 600 true/false questions on the usual psychology/personality tests, which I worked on throughout the day until it was completed. At no point was I given any feedback, so it was very discouraging. As I said all the tests got progressively harder to the point of failure. There was no way to tell if you failed beyond the threshold set by your peers or prior to it. The Dr said several times that “you just have to average same as your peers”. Overall, it was quite taxing with a lot on the line. The only thing that it is possible to prepare for ahead of time is possibly the number exercises as mentioned above, and the Lumiosity app or some similar “brain game” app, it actually had some games that were close to the ones in the evaluation. And it would have been nice to know that I would have to recall so many things later in the testing.

Unbelievably, I don’t get to see the results, they go right to the company. I asked what company would get, i.e. every score of every test or what? Dr. said she would just send a summary and if they were satisfied with that nothing else. I hope this can help someone prepare for it, or at least know what to expect.

For a test that seemed to be about detail-recognition and recall....your summary of the ordeal is impressive. Incredible, really.

This testimony alone should be enough to give you a passing grade.

Seems like the company is vindictive and trying to make an example out of you. Wishing you the best outcome.

It sounds excessive.
I wonder how many pilots would pass coming in off the street without any prep.
You report for duty and you get told you’ll be doing 8 hrs of brain games with a head shrinker.

Sounds like pilot pushing to me. ASAP that crap, and write your Congress critter.

Turns out he was talking about a FAA neuropsych eval like I linked to.

Do you have a difficult time admitting when you are wrong? FAA exams do not “go right to the company.” That would be a violation of federal law.

This was a company directed occupational fitness for duty exam. That there should be some overlapping in the testing between what the FAA would request on a neuropsychological exam and what the company would mandate certainly isn’t surprising.

But all the more reason why the content of the exam, the decision mechanism for who could perform it, and the confidentiality of the medical information produced should all be negotiated in the contract.

Dang, my memory sucks, always has. I'd flunk that test bigtime most likely. I'd never make it on the old "Match Game". But I flew recreationally from 17-23 and professionally from age 24 to 60 with no issues. Now my wife is convinced I have ADD, but I think what I have is SADD (Selective Attention Deficit Disorder) :p

Memory is overrated. Nothing happens twice in exactly the same way, so you might as well start each day with a blank slate. :D

Neuropsychological evaluation
 

Hi, i am one of the neuropsychologist who perform the exams. I know pilots like to prepare for EVERYTHING but you really can not, nor do you need to prepare for one of these examination. I tell people it is like studying for a urine test, if everything is OK, it will just work and if not there is not much you can do to fix it before the exam. Best advice is get a good nights sleep and try to not be overly anxious. If you can, spend some time talking to the doctor about the evaluation so you will know what to expect. The exam is really just testing everything your brain does, which is why it takes so long.

I would have been much less anxious if I could have read a report like I posted beforehand. And yes, there’s not much prep that can be done other than what I said, i.e. the number string recall, math in your head and some Luminosity games-some of which were very similar to what I endured.

I guess the test administrators don’t want prep done so as not to skew the results....but being anxious about losing you’re career and livelihood can skew it as well.


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Is it legal to be given company mandated medical testing and then not to be given the results?

If it’s a fitness for duty exam, it generally is. It depends on the law in your state. Generally the employer does not get the results of the testing, merely the opinion of the examiner that the examiner is either fit for duty, fit for duty with restrictions, or unfit for duty. Some states require the examinee be given access to the actual testing results by the examiner, most do not but only require the examiner get the same limited information (fit/fit with restrictions/unfit) the employer gets. Some don’t even require the examinee to get that, and unless you legally challenge and depose the examiner you may never get access.

Even if you do get access, unless the ‘expert witness’ changes their opinion all you can really do is have another ‘expert witness’ either review the testing or redo the testing since even you disagreeing with the test results or opinion will have no legal weight.

Which is why the union contract ought to negotiate a mechanism to insure that fitness for duty exams are done by a mutually agreed upon disinterested expert and that provision is made for a second opinion in the event of disputes. Unfortunately too few pilot unions pay any attention to this essentially granting carte blanche to the HR types to use providers and procedures favorable to them.

This will give you an idea of the FFD process:

https://www.theiacp.org/sites/defaul...aluation_0.pdf

As a union member, I don't think I want to spend negotiating capital trying to protect job applicants, in fact it might be in my best interest if the company is as selective as the law (and the market) permits. Anything relevant to someone on property is different of course.

FFD exams ARE for people on property though, not for job applicants

Depends how much you trust your HR.

Man that even sounds worse than the old "check six" exam.