DLR Test Practice: Software, SkyTest and Apps Compared

Search for "DLR test practice" and you land in a crowded market: official preparation software, desktop programs, web platforms, phone apps, books and online courses. They solve different problems: a program built around the joystick test is little use on a train, and a ten-minute app is no substitute for a joystick.

This article compares the common tools against fixed criteria and says which one suits which job. It names no winners and no losers, because the most sensible preparation is almost always a combination. Everything stated about other providers comes from their own websites (as of September 2026) and is linked below. We deliberately leave out other providers' prices, because they change.

ImportantDisclosure: this article is written by the maker of the DLR Test Trainer app. We are a provider ourselves and therefore not neutral. That is why we rely only on what other providers say about their own products, link to them, and state plainly what our app cannot do.

What can you practise the DLR test with?

There are four kinds of tool: the DLR's official preparation software, third-party desktop software, web-based trainers and mobile apps. The official software is the foundation and everything else is a supplement.

Official DLR software. On its page about the pilot certificate, the DLR says that with your invitation you receive the necessary documents and access details for preparation. If you book through the European Flight Academy, its FAQ states that the link to the preparation software is in the confirmation email. Only this material shows you the task formats the way the DLR itself presents them. The DLR recommends spreading the prescribed training units over three weeks. How to plan that time is covered in DLR test booked: the final 3 weeks.

Desktop software. Programs for Windows and Mac, usually with a large number of modules and the option of plugging in a joystick. The best-known provider in the German-speaking world is SkyTest, which has been developing software for pilot and air traffic controller screenings for many years and also runs the Pilotenboard.de forum.

Web trainers. Platforms that run in the browser, such as pilotest.com, PilotentestTraining or SkySupp. Nothing to install.

Mobile apps. Training on your phone for short sessions in between. These include our own DLR Test Trainer, SkyTest's Lite app and the PilotentestTraining apps.

Courses and books. General aptitude-test providers such as Plakos, Testhelden, Ausbildungspark or eTrainer list pilot test courses, and there are offers such as Easyflight Training or the PilotPass app. For physics, technical comprehension and English, ordinary school textbooks are a good source too.

Which criteria should you use to compare practice tools?

Seven criteria decide whether a tool suits you: closeness to the original format, platform, offline use, statistics, MIC training, pricing structure and data protection. No tool leads on all seven.

1. Closeness to the original. The official DLR software is closest. Every third-party provider, ourselves included, rebuilds the mechanics and uses no original tasks. SkyTest puts it this way on its own product page: the training modules are "similar to the original tasks but not meant to simulate or reproduce actual tests".
2. Platform. Desktop, browser or phone. What matters is where you will actually practise.
3. Offline use. If you commute or travel, you need a tool that works without a connection.
4. Statistics and benchmarks. Without evaluation you cannot tell whether you are improving. Some providers compare you with other users, others with fixed target values. Both are guides, not official DLR norms.
5. MIC and joystick. The MIC multitasking test is controlled with a joystick, which can only be practised sensibly at a computer. For background, see the article on the MIC multitasking test and the question page on MIC and the joystick.
6. Pricing structure. One-off purchase, fixed-term licence or subscription. Work it out for your own preparation period: over three months a subscription may be cheaper, for a second attempt six months later a one-off purchase may be.
7. Language and data protection. Check whether the tool supports your language, whether you need an account and where your training data is stored.

What do SkyTest, pilotest, PilotentestTraining and SkySupp offer?

The four providers have different strengths: SkyTest is classic desktop software with joystick support, pilotest.com is a web trainer in French and English, PilotentestTraining combines browser and apps, and SkySupp is a German-language online trainer. The table sums up what the providers state themselves (as of September 2026).

SkyTest. According to the product page, the desktop software for the DLR 1 screening runs on Windows and Mac and comprises 41 training modules in eight areas, from attention and memory through orientation and psychomotor skills to physics, technical comprehension and English. The psychomotor section lists a module called "Monitoring and Instrument Coordination". A joystick and headset are recommended but not required. The interface can be switched between German and English, and you can benchmark your performance against anonymised pool statistics from the SkyTest user community. The licence is a one-off purchase with no subscription. There is also the "SkyTest BU/GU Lite" app for iOS and Android with eight modules, which SkyTest itself describes as a mobile complement to the desktop software.

pilotest.com. The French platform is web-based, available in French and English, and covers other test systems such as PILAPT, COMPASS and cut-e alongside the DLR. For the DLR procedure it lists 16 tests in five categories. After each test you receive your result as a stanine class, meaning your position relative to the site's other users.

PilotentestTraining. The provider describes its product as training in the browser and in apps for iOS and Android, with the apps also working offline. According to the website, MIC can be trained with a real joystick or gamepad instead of the keyboard. After each run you see a score from 0 to 100, plus a "Clearance Score" as an estimate of test readiness. Licensing is by fixed terms. Like us, the provider points out that it has no connection with the DLR.

SkySupp. A German-language online trainer which, by its own account, has more than ten interactive practice modules on concentration, reaction, memory, mathematics, physics, technical understanding and language. SkySupp advertises a licence of unlimited validity with no subscription, and personal email support.

TipFeatures and terms change. Before buying, look at the provider's website, check whether there is a demo and read the privacy policy.

What can a phone app do for the DLR test, and what can't it?

A phone app is good for short daily sessions: working memory, mental arithmetic, path figures, cube folding and knowledge questions can all be trained usefully in ten minutes. For MIC and anything that needs a joystick, it is the wrong tool.

The strength of the phone is regularity: modules such as VMC, RMS or mental arithmetic benefit from many short repetitions, and a device you carry anyway lowers the barrier to practising every day.

The limits are just as clear: the screen is smaller than the test monitor, you tap instead of using a keyboard, and a tram is not a test room. So plan extra sessions at a desk, with headphones and no distractions.

About our own app: DLR Test Trainer runs on iOS, fully offline, with no account and no adverts. All data stays on your device. It trains ten test types (SKT, VMC, RMS, KRN, OWT, PPT, WFG, TVT, PHY, ENS) in German, English, French and Italian, generates every task afresh and shows target-value traffic lights, your history and an error analysis after each session. The Pro version includes an exam simulation with all ten modules in one sitting. What it cannot do: train MIC, run on Android or desktop, or replace the official DLR software. Its target values are based on publicly known experience reports, not on official DLR norms. More on the question page Preparing for the DLR test with an app.

Can you practise for the DLR test for free?

Yes, in part. The official preparation software comes with your invitation, four modules in DLR Test Trainer are permanently free, and for the knowledge tests school textbooks and freely available content often suffice. For complete training across all test types you will generally pay something.

• Official software: You only receive the access details with the invitation or booking confirmation. If you want to start months before booking, you need something else.
• DLR Test Trainer: The download is free. Cube folding (PPT), path figures (WFG), technical comprehension (TVT) and English (ENS) stay free for good, including error analysis and level recommendations. You can try each of the other six modules once for free. Pro costs CHF 9.90 per month or CHF 39.90 as a one-off (as of September 2026; App Store prices may vary by country).
• Other providers' demos: Whether trial versions exist, and how extensive they are, is stated on the respective websites.
• Knowledge sections: Physics and technical comprehension at lower to upper secondary level are in any school textbook. For English, podcasts, articles and grammar exercises help. Specific topic lists are in the articles on physics and English.

What the test itself costs is covered on the question page How much does the DLR test cost?.

Which tool is right for which job?

Our recommendation is a combination of three building blocks: the official DLR software as the base, desktop software with a joystick for MIC, and an app for short daily sessions.

In practice, two to three months before the date you start with short daily sessions and close knowledge gaps. The 8-week training plan gives a time frame for that. In parallel, you get used to the joystick at a computer. Once the invitation arrives, the official software takes centre stage.

No tool and no combination can guarantee a particular result. The DLR certificate contains no selection decision in any case: you receive ratings, and airlines and flight schools set their own minimum requirements.

Sources

• DLR: DLR-Zertifikat Cockpit (pilot certificate)
• European Flight Academy: FAQ
• SkyTest: Preparation Software for DLR 1 Screening (BU/GU)
• SkyTest: Mobile Apps
• pilotest.com: DLR BU/GU tests
• pilotest.com: overview of test systems
• PilotentestTraining
• SkySupp