View Full Version : Failed Exam - How Important?
Jaydee27
22nd Oct 2003, 21:03
Got the dreaded envelope through the post today and I dropped PofF (71%) :(
What I want to know is whether this is going to follow me around for the rest of my career - stop me getting interviews and generally piss me off for years to come?
I did get 13 first time - but am still gutted.
Anybody out there that can reassure me - or not!
flyfish
22nd Oct 2003, 21:43
Hi there. if thats the case then i am off to learn to drive a london bus.
I cant see it really makes much difference, or at least i hope it doesnt.
The CAA give you 4 attempts at each and a total of six sittings as I am sure you know, so they allow for many slip ups.If airlines didn't hire anyone who had dropped an exam or 2 then i am sure the allowance wouldnt be as it was, there would be no point.
However i could understand am employer being cautious if someone had taken 4 attempts at the CPL or IR, because now you are talking about practical safelty stuff.
All the best with P OF F , If i can get it anyone can.
NineEighteen
22nd Oct 2003, 22:07
What I want to know is whether this is going to follow me around for the rest of my career - stop me getting interviews and generally piss me off for years to come? Of course not! If you were an airline's chief pilot, would you send someone out because they dropped an exam? They're not looking for Supermen, they're looking for pilots. Everyone fails exams and 71% is hardly a fail anyway. For most other exams, that would be a pass.
Far more important to ensure a good first time pass in the flight tests (the fun bit). IMO
Forget it and keep working. Good luck. :ok:
0918
Be possitive!! 13 first time:ok: Good Lad!!
I know its frustrating but with 71% already.. more study and its in the bag.
Good luck next time
YYZ
Send Clowns
22nd Oct 2003, 22:29
From a certain airline personnel manager: Pilots hate groundschool. You are interviewed mostly by pilots/ex-pilots. They want you to have passed the exams in a reasonable time. Pilots will always place more importance on flight tests, and he thought a "first-series" pass on the initial IRT was the most important statistic from the course.
Good luck with the resit and the flying!
batty
23rd Oct 2003, 17:20
The airlines want to know that you have the CPL/IR and frozen ATPL as a newbie pilot. They want you to have passed the IR at the first or definatly the second attempt, the ground exams count for nothing except a tick in a box to say they are passed.
Dont worry just get that IR first time!
in case, somewhere down the line, you get interviewed by HR company person then it might be worthwhile having some b*ll**** answer at the ready for:
Q) What did you learn about yourself by failing that exam and what measures have you taken since?
etc etc blah blah
other than that, i would say well done to you and best of luck with the practical(fun) bit :ok:
TurboJ
23rd Oct 2003, 22:56
I got 11 first time passes via distance learning.
My UK PPL instructor was on an airline sponsorship scheme and went to his fourth attempt on 'quite a few' of the subjects and even then only passed by a whisper.
He is now flying shiny turboprops !
A and C
26th Oct 2003, 17:29
Just regard getting the ATPL as a war of attrition with the CAA and take the attitude that you have passed more than you have failed.
I,v probably taken more CAA exams than most ( ground engineer , flight engineer and ATPL ) and have failed a few bits along the way but have always regarded the first exam sitting as part of the trainning.
The whole industry knows that the exams have no relation to the real world , I was lucky as my ground engineers licence exempted me from some of the techincal exams , at the time I had just done the A320 airframe/engine course with Airbus at toulouse and I would have failed the CAA hydrulic exam with a mark of zero % ! the whole thing was writen by some one who must have had a good knowlage of the airspeed oxford or the DC3 because it sure did not look like anything I had ever seen.
Failing a few exams never did me any harm ( except when I had to write the next cheque ) as most personnel departments dont have the first idea of what the exam system is about and if it is a pilot who asks the question then just tell him that you had been holding down two jobs at the time to pay for it all !.
Keith.Williams.
29th Oct 2003, 02:23
My god Keiran how many airline jobs have you had???? It seems like only yesterday that you were on this forum asking about groundschools.