ATC school is academically challenging, however I caution anyone trying to learn it on your own (It could end up confusing you at the school). The material is well presented here and there are other checks and balances to make sure that you learn the material, such as SIA(specialized individual assistance), and mandatory study groups. The students that have a hard time are the ones who do not put forth the effort, just don't care or the rare student who just doesn't get it. If you want to better prepare for the CCT Operator Course(ATC) I recommend coming here in good shape, and be prepared to work your butt off. The days are 12 hours long before you are released back to the barracks to study. If you want it bad enough then you will find that the course will just roll on by. But slackers need not apply.

What would you say is more challenging, ATC school or CC school?

From what I have read, ATC is more academically challenging than CCS. CCS is very physically challenging, but I think by the time you have reached CCS, you can take on anything. ATC is the beginning of the course, so a lot of recruits don't know what to expect yet, and have a lot of work ahead of them with class and pt. But I think it is how the recruit takes it, if he tries and excels and puts 110% forth towards everything he will negogiate the course much easier and faster than the recruit trying to breeze by.
-2 cents

CCS is more challenging!

ATC school appears hard because it is the beginning. ATC (hopefully) helps set your routine so you are better prepared when you arrive for CCS. CCS is more diverse in the information you need to assimilate including variations to the basic information that you learn at ATC. Kinda like algebra seems hard but is need to make calculus easier.

CCS is definitely a ball-breaker. From what I hear, the FTXs are pretty ridiculous. It makes sense, though. You attend ATC, SERE, and Airborne beforehand, and at CCS you put it all together. Sounds fun to me.

Hooyah!
SJP

Ah, bringing back some memories of Cody Hall at Keesler AFB where ATC is taught. Since I used to be in ATC maybe I can shed some light. You can't really be enough prepared to go to ATC school because if you do there might be a chance that you taught yourself something wrong and might forget to correct it. But I'll try and shed some light on the subject. The whole course is broken down into five blocks:
Block 1 - Intro to ATC
Block 2 - Intro to Tower (You start to learn "phraseology"
Block 3 (the most fun one to me) - Tower Simulation
Block 4 - Intro to RAPCON (Radar)
Block 5 - RAPCON Simulation
Which combined is 14 weeks and two days.

You can start learning about ATC and what you'll be studying by reading FAA Manual 7110.65M, otherwise known as the "Bible" of ATC. Every regulation and rule that applies to ATC is in the ".65". And since the FAA regulates "all airspace in the U.S." (even the military air space) the military follows the FAA regs & rules. You will be introduced to the book in Block 1. And use it throughout the course (especially in Block 5). Also, start to study the theory of "wake turbulence" because if you don't understand that concept it will haunt you and really hammer you in the Block 5.

The tower sim (Block 3) is fun. Alot of people either hate it or love it, what's funny is that the people that hate Block 3 love the RAPCON sim in Block 5. Alot of people will washout in Block 3, simply because they either don't want to continue and "find ways" to get out or they just really have a tough time understanding the concepts in ATC. And the instructors won't "baby" you either. If you have trouble during the course and score badly on either the written or the sim tests you will recieve "SIA" which stands for Single Individual Attention. All that is, is when everyone leaves at the end of the day you get to stay behind while the instructor explains it to you so you can understand it. If you get SIA alot and fail you block tests then the instructor puts your name up for elimination and you will be washedout.

Block 4 isn't really that hard aslong as you study and keep up with the work. Block 5 is the real killer. It's the Radar Sim (RAPCON). You will watch people drop like flies also. And the instructors will also do their best to "weed you out" and make your life a general hell. Block 5 is five weeks long so it's also not a short block. So if you have made it this far don't go out on the weekends all the time, study, it will be worth it because after this block and you have a 70% or higher you are awarded your three level. I was in ATC school and not CCT school so I only had to deal with the mental portion not the physical. Good luck, ACT/CCT are probably the hardest mental enlisted jobs in the Air Force, so it's no cake walk by any means. Good luck!

Unless I am mistaken a new curriculum has taken effect (on the enlisted side) students either go Tower or RAPCON, I would assume CCT is going the Tower route (one of the instructors at Keesler should be able to give that info), so the block schedule that Slilock posted probably is no longer correct.

A51,

AF ATC has never taken the FAA exam, per se. When I went through ages ago, we took the whole course. When I arrived at the teams, the only part of the radar training that was useful was radar out procedures since we didn't use radar. Someone else can correct me but I believe they have removed the radar procedures but still teach area control or radar out.

A51
I went through on the Officer side of the schoolhouse, so the new curriculum doesn't apply to me. But from my understanding you learn either Tower or RADAR, I don't think you get any training in the other. We just got two new troops at my unit that went through the new course but I haven't had a chance to talk to them.
As for the FAA question, I am pretty sure you will have to earn your pink card in order to graduate because regardless of the schoolhouses curriculum the FAA still governs ATC.
If any of the instructors at Keesler could pass this info on it would be appreciated.

Here is the way ATC school works since Oct 1st
The course is actually 2 courses for everyone.
The first course is ATC fundamentals which all students attend it is broken down into 3 blocks
1. ATC Fundamentals
2. Tower principles
3. Radar principles
this course is 28 days long, upon completion all students will take the CTO exam and earn their pink cards from the FAA.
This is where Radar and Tower split. If you are going to be a Radar controller in the AF you will then Attend the Radar performance course. And if you are going to be a Tower controller or CCT you will attend the Tower Performance course. Both courses are 44 days long and are broken into 4 blocks of instruction
1. Intro
2. Basic
3. Intermediate
4. Advanced
These 4 blocks are all done in a simulator and are all performanced based. So it is true to say that if you are going to be CCT "you will not recieve any RADAR simulator training" but you will learn the princilpes of Radar. I hope this clarifies any questions anyone may have.

I stand corrected. We did receive a "pink" card and the FAA is the controlling authority. I would point out that the pink card is not the equivalent of an FAA certificate as an air traffic controller.