DLR Exam TrainerWhat is the MIC test (joystick test) in the DLR test?
MIC (Monitoring & Instrument Coordination) is a computer-based DLR test part where you use a joystick and pedals to monitor and control several instruments at once. Because it needs real hardware, no app trains it, including the DLR Exam Trainer.
MIC stands for Monitoring & Instrument Coordination and is one of the computer-based performance tests in the DLR test battery. You sit at a workstation with a joystick and pedals and have to keep an eye on several displays at once while using hand and foot inputs to hold set values or correct deviations. Rather than testing knowledge, it measures a mix of attention-splitting, reaction speed, and fine hand-and-foot coordination — skills that matter later when actually flying an aircraft or simulator.
Why MIC is part of the DLR test
Unlike pure knowledge tests such as English, technical comprehension, or physics, MIC targets basic psychomotor skills: how well can you track several changing instruments in parallel while making precise, simultaneous joystick and pedal corrections? That's directly relevant to manual flying and to managing multiple instruments in the cockpit at once. MIC is one building block among a broader set of computer-based test types — including the triangle test, visual memory, digit span, mental arithmetic, instrument reading, cube folding, path figures, and spatial orientation — and the exact mix and order used can vary between procedures.
Why MIC is hard to train on a phone
The key difference from many other DLR test types: MIC needs real hardware — an actual joystick and pedals — plus a matching simulation setup. A smartphone or tablet can't realistically reproduce that physical control, neither the pedal input nor the haptic feel of a joystick. That's exactly why the DLR Exam Trainer leaves MIC out on purpose — the app trains ten of the computer-based test types, but explicitly not MIC. If you want to prepare for MIC specifically, a flight simulator setup with joystick and pedals is the closest approximation, though it still won't exactly match the official test setup.
Where MIC fits in the overall process
Based on the available descriptions, MIC appears as part of the computer-based performance tests that may be used across different procedures — the Lufthansa BU, the DLR Pilot Certificate, or the SWISS/EFA route via the certificate. Which test types are actually included in any given round, and in what order, tends to change between sittings and isn't published in detail.
TipFocus your prep on the test types you can actually train, like mental arithmetic or the triangle test, and go into MIC with a calm, focused mindset rather than looking for a dedicated app for it.
Exactly how MIC is set up on test day, and how heavily it's weighted, can differ by procedure and over time. The current information from the DLR or from the relevant airline or flight school is what counts.