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100+ Free ATPL Navigation Practice Questions

Pass your CASA Airline Transport Pilot Licence (Aeroplane) — Navigation (ANAV) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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2026 Statistics

Key Facts: ATPL Navigation Exam

100

Practice Questions

OpenExamPrep

40

Official Questions

CASA

70%

Pass Mark

CASA

2.0 hrs

Time Limit

CASA

The CASA ATPL Navigation (ANAV) exam is a 40-question test on global geometry, IRS, GPS, and advanced radar displays. It has a 2.0-hour time limit and a 70% passing score. This prep includes 100 practice questions.

Sample ATPL Navigation Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your ATPL Navigation exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1What is the primary difference between a great circle track and a rhumb line track on the Earth's surface?
A.A great circle track only exists along the equator or meridians of longitude, while a rhumb line track can be drawn between any two points.
B.A great circle track maintains a constant track angle, whereas a rhumb line represents the shortest distance.
C.A rhumb line track represents the shortest distance and constantly changes direction, whereas a great circle track has a constant track angle.
D.A great circle track represents the shortest distance between two points but has a constantly changing track angle, while a rhumb line track maintains a constant track angle but is a longer distance.
Explanation: A great circle is the shortest path on a sphere but cuts meridians at changing angles, making its direction vary continuously. A rhumb line cuts all meridians at the same angle, maintaining a constant track direction but representing a longer distance.
2Which of the following best describes the shape of the Earth and the relationship between its polar and equatorial diameters?
A.The Earth is an oblate spheroid, meaning its polar diameter is larger than its equatorial diameter by approximately 23 nautical miles.
B.The Earth is a prolate spheroid, meaning its polar diameter is larger than its equatorial diameter by approximately 45 nautical miles.
C.The Earth is an oblate spheroid, meaning its equatorial diameter is larger than its polar diameter by approximately 23 nautical miles (43 km).
D.The Earth is a perfect sphere, meaning its equatorial and polar diameters are identical.
Explanation: The Earth is an oblate spheroid (flattened at the poles) due to centrifugal forces from rotation. The equatorial diameter is about 6,888 NM (12,756 km) and the polar diameter is about 6,865 NM (12,714 km), a difference of approximately 23 NM (43 km).
3What is the mathematical relationship between Earth convergency and conversion angle?
A.Conversion Angle = 2.0 * Earth Convergency
B.Conversion Angle = Earth Convergency * cos(Latitude)
C.Conversion Angle = Earth Convergency * sin(Latitude)
D.Conversion Angle = 0.5 * Earth Convergency
Explanation: Conversion angle is the angle between the great circle track and the rhumb line track connecting two points. It is defined as half of the earth convergency between those two points: Conversion Angle = 0.5 * Convergency.
4What does the term 'departure' represent in practical air navigation?
A.The angular distance in degrees between two meridians measured along the equator.
B.The change in track angle when flying a great circle route from departure to destination.
C.The east-west distance in nautical miles along a parallel of latitude between two meridians.
D.The geodesic distance measured along a great circle track between any two points.
Explanation: Departure is the physical distance in nautical miles along a parallel of latitude between two meridians of longitude. Because meridians converge toward the poles, the departure distance for a given change in longitude (dLong) decreases as latitude increases: Departure (NM) = dLong (min) * cos(Latitude).
5Which astronomical and geographical factors determine the times of sunrise and sunset at a specific location?
A.The longitude of the observer and the orbital speed of the Earth only.
B.The local barometric pressure, wind velocity, and ambient air temperature.
C.The observer's altitude above sea level and local magnetic variation only.
D.The latitude of the observer, the declination of the Sun (date), and the observer's altitude above sea level.
Explanation: Sunrise and sunset times are determined by the observer's latitude (which determines the sun's path angle), the declination of the sun (which changes with the season/date), and the observer's altitude (height above sea level extends the visible horizon, making sunrise earlier and sunset later).
6On a Polar Stereographic chart projection, how are the meridians of longitude represented?
A.Parallel straight lines equally spaced across the chart.
B.Parabolic curves converging at both the North and South poles.
C.Curves that are concave towards the nearest pole.
D.Straight lines radiating outwards from the pole.
Explanation: On a Polar Stereographic projection, which is projected from the opposite pole onto a tangent plane at the pole of interest, meridians of longitude are represented as straight lines radiating outwards from the pole, and parallels of latitude are concentric circles.
7Why does scale distortion occur on a direct Mercator chart projection as latitude increases?
A.Because the projection surface is a cone tangent to a standard parallel, causing scale to shrink towards the equator.
B.Because meridians converge at the poles on the chart, requiring the scale to shrink as the secant of the latitude.
C.Because parallels of latitude are projected as parallel straight lines of constant length (equal to the equator), requiring the East-West scale to expand as the secant of the latitude, which is matched by a North-South scale expansion to maintain conformality.
D.Because parallels of latitude are concentric circles, causing scale expansion to vary as the tangent of the latitude.
Explanation: On a direct Mercator chart, the meridians are drawn as parallel vertical lines rather than converging at the poles. To maintain the correct shape of landmasses (conformality), the East-West scale must expand by secant(latitude). Consequently, the North-South scale must also expand by secant(latitude) at the same rate, resulting in severe scale expansion at high latitudes.
8How is chart convergency calculated on a Lambert Conformal Conic chart projection?
A.Chart Convergency = dLong * sin(Mean Latitude)
B.Chart Convergency = dLong * cos(Mean Latitude)
C.Chart Convergency = dLong * sin(Parallel of Origin) or dLong * Constant of the Cone (n)
D.Chart Convergency = dLong
Explanation: On a Lambert Conformal Conic projection, the constant of the cone (n) represents the relationship between chart longitude and earth longitude. The chart convergency is given by Chart Convergency = dLong * n, where n = sin(parallel of origin). This is constant across the entire chart, unlike earth convergency which varies with latitude (dLong * sin(Lat)).
9An aircraft departs Position A (30°S, 010°E) flying to Position B (30°S, 030°E). What is the conversion angle between these two positions?
A.5.0°
B.2.5°
C.10.0°
D.8.66°
Explanation: First, calculate Earth convergency: Earth Convergency = dLong * sin(mean Lat). Here, dLong = 30° - 10° = 20°. Mean Lat = 30°S. Earth Convergency = 20° * sin(30°) = 20° * 0.5 = 10°. Conversion Angle = 0.5 * Earth Convergency = 0.5 * 10° = 5.0°.
10What is the departure distance in nautical miles between longitude 120°E and longitude 124°E along the parallel of 60°S?
A.480 NM
B.208 NM
C.120 NM
D.240 NM
Explanation: Departure (NM) = dLong (minutes) * cos(Latitude). The change in longitude (dLong) is 124° - 120° = 4°. Convert degrees to minutes: 4 * 60 = 240 minutes. Parallel of latitude is 60°S. Departure = 240 * cos(60°) = 240 * 0.5 = 120 NM.

About the ATPL Navigation Exam

The CASA ATPL Navigation Exam (ANAV) is a mandatory subject for the Airline Transport Pilot Licence in Australia. It tests navigation theory at the airline level, covering earth geometry (great circles, rhumb lines, sunrise/sunset, polar navigation), chart projections (Lambert, Mercator, Polar Stereographic), Inertial Navigation Systems (INS/IRS, Ring Laser Gyros, alignment, drift), GNSS (GPS, RAIM, augmentation, SBAS/GBAS, errors), radio navigation aids (VOR, DME, ILS, ADF/NDB), and airborne weather radar and transponders (Mode S, ADS-B, TCAS).

Assessment

Closed-book computer-based exam administered at approved ASPEQ centers. Candidates are permitted to use a navigation computer, calculators, and approved chart references.

Time Limit

2.0 hours

Passing Score

70%

Exam Fee

Approx. $150 - $250 AUD (plus test center provider fees) (CASA / ASPEQ Exam Delivery)

ATPL Navigation Exam Content Outline

20%

Earth Geometry & Projections

Latitude/longitude, great circles, rhumb lines, sunrise/sunset, Lambert, Mercator, and polar projections

20%

Inertial Navigation Systems (INS/IRS)

Accelerometers, gyros (mechanical vs laser), Schuler tuning, alignment modes, and IRS drift

25%

GNSS (GPS & Augmentation)

GPS constellation, pseudo-ranging, RAIM requirements, SBAS/GBAS, and GPS errors

15%

Radio Navigation Aids

Ground station principles, limits, and indicators for VOR, DME, ILS, and ADF/NDB at jet speeds

20%

Radar & TCAS Displays

Airborne weather radar attenuation, transponder modes (Mode C/S, ADS-B), and TCAS displays

How to Pass the ATPL Navigation Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 70%
  • Assessment: Closed-book computer-based exam administered at approved ASPEQ centers. Candidates are permitted to use a navigation computer, calculators, and approved chart references.
  • Time limit: 2.0 hours
  • Exam fee: Approx. $150 - $250 AUD (plus test center provider fees)

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

ATPL Navigation Study Tips from Top Performers

1Study Schuler tuning: understand how Schuler tuning (an 84.4-minute loop) prevents accelerometers from accumulating gravity errors as the aircraft moves over the curved earth
2Understand GPS RAIM: Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring requires a minimum of 5 satellites to detect a bad satellite, and 6 satellites to isolate and exclude it
3Practice airborne weather radar interpretation: understand how radar beam attenuation (shadowing) can hide severe thunderstorms behind an active rain cell (the 'radar shadow' effect)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the passing score for the ATPL ANAV exam?

The passing score is 70%.

How does an IRS align?

Inertial Reference Systems require a stationary period on the ground (alignment phase) to determine local latitude through sensing earth rotation rate and gravity. This is a critical concept in ATPL Navigation.