CBTA assessment explained: competencies, observable behaviours and grading

Competency based training and assessment (CBTA) is training and assessment built around a performance standard. ICAO describes it as training and assessment “characterized by a performance orientation, emphasis on standards of performance.” A trainee is judged on what they can demonstrate. The evidence is observable behaviors, grouped into defined competencies and graded against a stated standard.

This guide is for heads of training, quality managers and chief instructors at aviation training organizations. They must write competencies, observable behaviors and grading rules into courses. It uses ICAO, IATA and EASA texts as of October 2026 and separates what a rule requires from what is only guidance. It ends with a worked grading example and a record template. This is not legal or airworthiness advice, and rules differ by country and course type, so check your competent authority before you change an approved course.

Most published grading detail is written for pilots. Where a source covers only pilots or only air traffic controllers, the text says so.

Key takeaways

• A CBTA decision rests on three linked parts: a competency, the observable behaviors that show it, and a competency standard that says what level of that behavior is acceptable.
• ICAO’s principles call for clear performance criteria, multiple observations across multiple contexts, valid and reliable evidence, and assessors whose judgments are calibrated against each other.
• The five-point grade scale and the “how many, how often, what outcome” method come from pilot-training guidance, not from a rule for every aviation course, so confirm which one your authority expects.
• Written exams do not disappear under CBTA: EASA’s draft air traffic controller text pairs a theory exam with a 75% minimum and a separate competency assessment.
• Record which observable behaviors were seen, not only the final grade, so a reviewer can see why a grade was given and you can measure assessor agreement.

How does competency based training and assessment differ from traditional training and from EBT?

Traditional assessment often rests on one test score or a completed task list. CBTA judges demonstrated performance against competency standards, using several observations. Evidence-based training (EBT) is narrower. It is the pilot training and assessment program EASA sets out for operators in ORO.FC.231, which must use a competency framework and a grading system.

ICAO’s PANS-TRG (Doc 9868, third edition, Amendment 7) sets out the CBTA principles, with separate parts for pilots, aircraft maintenance personnel and air traffic controllers. IATA’s guidance material (fourth edition, 2025) says CBTA principles apply to all licensing and operator training. Five principles recur across these documents:

• Clear performance criteria are used to assess competence.
• An integrated performance of the competencies is observed, not one competency at a time.
• Assessment rests on multiple observations across multiple contexts.
• The evidence is valid and reliable.
• Instructors’ and assessors’ judgments are calibrated so that different assessors reach similar results.

Where is CBTA written down, and what does each source say?

CBTA appears in ICAO procedures, an ICAO maintenance manual, IATA guidance, two EU regulations and EASA safety promotion material. They differ in force: some are regulation text, some are guidance. The table lists each source, who it covers and what kind of document it is, as of October 2026.

The EASA sources reviewed for this post did not include a Part-147 or Part-66 requirement to use CBTA. If you run maintenance training courses, ask your competent authority whether CBTA principles apply to your approved courses and which competency framework it expects.

What is a competency in CBTA?

ICAO defines a competency as “a dimension of human performance that is used to reliably predict successful performance on the job.” A competency framework is a selected group of competencies for one discipline. Each competency gets a description and a set of observable behaviors, so assessors know what to look for.

IATA’s pilot framework has nine competencies:

• application of knowledge
• application of procedures and compliance with regulations
• communication
• flight path management with automation, and with manual control (two competencies)
• leadership and teamwork
• problem solving and decision-making
• situation awareness and management of information
• workload management

EASA’s EBT Manual describes its framework as the same set: eight competencies from ICAO plus application of knowledge.

You do not have to use a framework unchanged. IATA says an organization may adapt a framework’s names, descriptions and behaviors, but must adapt the final competency standard and the conditions to fit the training purpose. EASA’s air traffic controller text calls the result an “adapted competency model.” For maintenance, dangerous goods or ground handling, your adapted model is the document an assessor works from.

What are observable behaviors, and how do you write good ones?

ICAO’s wording for an observable behavior (OB) is “a single role-related behaviour that can be observed and may or may not be measurable.” In the draft rules EASA published with Opinion 06/2024, a performance criterion combines an OB, its conditions and a competency standard. So write each OB as one visible action. Then state when and how well it must happen.

IATA’s pilot appendix gives examples such as “Conveys messages clearly, accurately and concisely” under communication and “Monitors, reviews and cross-checks actions conscientiously” under workload management. Each describes one action an assessor can see or hear. A competency standard, in ICAO’s terms, is “a level of performance that is defined as acceptable when assessing whether or not competency has been achieved.”

The table shows three weak behavior statements and a rewrite of each into an OB with a condition and a standard. The examples are invented for this post and do not come from any ICAO, IATA or EASA framework.

Pro tip: Write What You Saw First. Record the raw observation in plain words, such as what was said and when, before you pick an OB. IATA’s method is to observe, record, classify against OBs, then look for root causes. Classifying too early turns notes into impressions.

How does grading work in competency based training and assessment?

CBTA grading has two layers. The summative decision is competent or not competent against the standard. Many pilot programs also record a grade for each competency, often on the five-point scale in EASA’s EBT Manual. IATA treats grade 3, “adequate,” as the target. A grade records performance data and is not the competency decision itself.

The table shows the grade descriptors in EASA’s EBT Manual (version 2.4, 3Q2026), which describe each grade by how many observable behaviors were shown, how often, with what outcome and how well.

This scale is pilot guidance, and the manual states that it is non-binding and does not form part of the EASA regulatory system. The air traffic controller rules use a different test. A pass goes to a candidate who “consistently demonstrates” the defined competencies, and the draft text has no numeric scale.

How do you turn observations into a grade? A worked example

Use IATA’s order of work: record, classify, rate each dimension, take the lowest level, then decide the action. The example below is invented for illustration. A trainee finishes a simulated fault-handling exercise, and the assessor’s adapted model lists seven communication OBs.

Step 1: Record. The assessor notes that the trainee briefed the fault clearly at the start but gave no read-back at two later handoffs.

Step 2: Classify. Notes are matched to OBs. Two OBs were not called for by this exercise, so they are marked N/O (not observed) and left out. Five remain.

Step 3: Rate each dimension. The trainee showed four of the five OBs at least once, which the assessor reads as “most” (grade 4). They showed them on about half the occasions that called for them, which is “occasionally” (grade 2). The situation stayed safe, which the table places at grade 3 or 4.

Step 4: Take the lowest level. IATA’s overall rating reflects the lowest level on any dimension, so the competency is graded 2, minimally acceptable.

Step 5: Decide the action. IATA allows grade 2 in a limited number of competencies. It requires remedial or tailored training after two successive grade 2s in the same competency, or after a grade 2 the trainer judges will not reach grade 3 next time. The record must therefore carry this grade forward.

In the IATA and EASA texts reviewed, words such as “most” and “occasionally” are not tied to counts. Your assessment guide has to define them, and assessors should practice on the same recorded performance until they agree.

What does a rule require, what is guidance, and what do you decide?

Regulations set the outer frame, guidance suggests methods, and the training organization writes the details. Under EASA’s EBT rule an operator must use a competency framework and a grading system with a minimum acceptable point. The five-point scale and the agreement statistics sit in guidance. Anchors, counts and forms are yours, within what your authority accepts.

Do written exams still matter in a CBTA course?

Yes. CBTA adds observed performance and does not remove knowledge testing. Application of knowledge is one of the nine pilot competencies, and EASA’s draft air traffic controller text pairs a theory exam with a 75% minimum and a competency assessment. An online exam supplies knowledge evidence, but observable behaviors still need an assessor’s record.

IATA’s guidance treats formative assessment as support for learning, summative assessment as the decision on competence, and oral assessments and examinations as supplements. For how regulators treat computer-based testing in general, see our overview of online assessment in aviation training. Scenario-based written items can test the reasoning behind non-technical competencies. They show what a learner would choose, not what they do, as our guide to case-based assessment for soft skills explains.

How do you keep assessors consistent?

ICAO’s principles say assessors’ judgments are calibrated to achieve a high degree of inter-rater reliability, and IATA says instructors are trained and monitored to maintain it. EASA’s EBT Manual lists agreement methods, including joint probability of agreement, Cohen’s kappa, Scott’s pi and Fleiss’ kappa, and notes that the requirements set no statistical thresholds.

That last point means you choose a target and defend it. Run the check per competency, using the same recorded performance for every assessor. Our competency checklist guide walks through percent agreement and kappa with real numbers.

Pro tip: Keep Observable-Behavior Data. Store which OBs were seen and how often, not only the competency grade. EASA’s guidance to inspectors separates grading data for competencies from data related to OBs, and the EBT Manual says concordance must be assessed per competency. Without OB data you can see that assessors differ but not where.

What should a CBTA assessment record contain?

A CBTA record should let a reviewer who was not in the room see what was observed, against which behaviors and standard, how the grade was reached and what happens next. The table lists ten fields. It is a design suggestion built from IATA’s process, not a regulatory form, so align it with your approved manual.

What should you do next?

Pick one course and one competency. Write its observable behaviors, one action per line, then set the competency standard and define each grade in your own assessment guide. Have two assessors score the same recorded performance, compare their results and rewrite any behavior they read differently before the first live cohort.

Before you change an approved course or manual, ask your competent authority which framework and grading approach it expects. For a worked application to one subject, see our dangerous goods CBTA assessment plan.

On tools, the SimpliAssess features page lists item banking, test management and analytics and reporting, which suit the knowledge side. Its published pages do not describe rubric scoring or observation forms, so confirm that before planning to record observable-behavior grades there. SimpliTrain is a separate training platform from the same company. Its aviation industry page lists “competency based training model paths” in a comparison table. The page does not say how observations or grades are recorded, so ask for a walkthrough of that first.

Frequently asked questions

What does CBTA stand for in aviation?

CBTA stands for competency based training and assessment. ICAO describes it as training and assessment characterized by a performance orientation and an emphasis on standards of performance. A trainee is assessed on whether they demonstrate defined competencies, through observable behaviors, to a competency standard, rather than only on whether they completed set tasks or passed one test.

What is the difference between CBTA and EBT?

CBTA is the wider approach, and ICAO sets its principles for pilots, maintenance personnel and air traffic controllers. EBT is a specific pilot training and assessment program that EASA regulates for operators in ORO.FC.231, and it must use a competency framework and a grading system. So EBT applies CBTA principles to one pilot program.

Is CBTA mandatory for aviation training?

It depends on the discipline and your authority. As of October 2026, EASA’s EBT rule requires operators using EBT to apply a competency framework and grading system, and Regulation (EU) 2025/2143 introduces CBTA for air traffic controller training. For maintenance training, the sources reviewed here describe guidance rather than a rule. Check your competent authority.

How is CBTA graded?

There are two layers. The summative result is competent or not competent against the standard. Many pilot programs also record a grade per competency, often on the five-point scale in EASA’s EBT Manual, where grade 3 means adequately. IATA says the overall rating for a competency reflects the lowest level reached across its dimensions.

Can an online exam assess CBTA competencies?

Only in part. Online tests and scenario-based questions can gather evidence of knowledge and of the reasoning behind decisions. Observable behaviors, such as stating a fault aloud or cross-checking an action, need an assessor to watch and record them across several occasions. A CBTA course therefore needs both kinds of evidence.

What is an observable behavior in CBTA?

An observable behavior is a single role-related behavior that can be observed and may or may not be measurable, in ICAO’s wording. It is one visible action, such as conveying a message clearly. Assessors classify what they saw against these behaviors, and each competency in a framework is described through a set of them.