Reach test
Assessment-day check that you can touch a marked height on tiptoe — 212 cm at most Gulf carriers — so you can reach overhead equipment.
Definition
The reach test is a physical check at an assessment day: you stand barefoot or in flat shoes and reach up, usually on tiptoe, to touch a line marked on the wall. The height reflects the aircraft — the release of an overhead emergency equipment stowage or a bin latch on the type the airline flies — and it is a hard pass or fail. Many airlines use it instead of, or alongside, a minimum height.
What it means for you
This is the requirement candidates most often misjudge, because the figure is a reach, not a height, and tiptoe is normally allowed. Measure yourself against a wall before you apply: if you are short of the line by a few centimetres, no amount of interview preparation helps, and if you clear it comfortably, a modest height need not stop you. Airlines vary, so check the figure for the carrier you are targeting rather than assuming the Gulf standard.
In practice
Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad and Turkish Airlines all set 212 cm; Qantas, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic ask for 210 cm; Cathay Pacific, Korean Air and Air Canada 208 cm; British Airways is among the lowest at 201 cm.
Go deeper
Related terms
3 terms- Assessment dayRecruitmentThe invitation-only selection day — reach test, group exercises, English test, grooming check, final interview — that decides the offer.
- Open dayRecruitmentA walk-in recruitment event where anyone can present a CV and photos; a short screening that decides who is invited to the assessment day.
- Emergency exitSafety & trainingAny door or hatch certified for evacuation — the doors crew operate and the overwing exits passengers are briefed to open.