How do you study for exams?

[FlyFreeWbe]

I mean, its not like being at school and having the teachers drum it into you regularly until you understand, and its not like you get a specific set time frame to do it in. So how did you PPLers do it? Was it mostly a get the book and study thing, or did you have p2p interaction?

[PPRuNe Dispatcher]

I don't look upon the PPL exams as "something to pass" - they are they to check that at least I have the theoretical knowledge to safely aviate. Whether I have the practical skills is a different matter...

My plan was to read the relevant book (either Pratt or Thom, both are excellent), then after each chapter I did the exercises for that chapter. Any area I'm weak on I noted down, then went back through the chapter and underlined that point.

While I was reading I tried to think how each thing I've learnt relates to flying a light aircraft. Sometimes this is easy, e.g. in the air overtake on the right. Sometimes it's hard, e.g. the minimum age for granting a pilots' license is ?? years. In my case I'm "over 21" so that doesn't matter to me!

The day before the exam I used the confuser for revision, again noting which areas I was weak on.

This works well for me, I've passed each exam I've taken first time. I've only got the performance and the radio exams to do now.

--Mik

[Whirlybird]

People vary as to the best way to study, but this is what I did.

I read through each book first without trying too hard to remember anything, just understanding and making sense of the subject and knowing how much work I was likely to have to do for it. I then went through again slowly, doing the exercises at the back etc. Then I went through again and used the Confuser, and swotted specifically for the exam. I set aside specific periods to study, never longer than about an hour and half without at least a short break, as I found it counterproductive after that time; I just couldn't take anything in.

It sounds like a lot, but learning stuff takes me a long time; maybe you'll be quicker. And I passed them all first time that way, so I must have done something right. I did my CPL ground exams in a similar fashion, though I did go on a couple of courses for those as I couldn't understand half the stuff by myself :confused:

Good luck!

[timmcat]

Hi Mik.. will mail you soon..

[redsnail]

As has been said, different folks have different methods of study.
I make a summary of the notes I took in class or chapter of a book. Reread them every so often.
Come revision time for the exams I make a topic heading and then write every thing I can remember about it. Then use the notes to check my scribblings. This ensures I know the topic, not the answer to some feedback question.
I try to ask myself as many different versions of the same question so it won't be a surprise in the exam.
I also use feedback questions as a adjunct to the study, not the backbone to it. If the exam bank changes, you can be in trouble.
This technique worked for 14 out of 14 JAR ATPL exams :D

[FlyFreeWbe]

I don't view the PPL exams as something to pass either, just that there are a lot of them and when you're 16, doing 5 AS + CSLA, have modulars in January, going solo soon but have the pass te Air Law b4 January...plus all the other exams I didn't mention deliberately,then studying gets mega hard. I gues I'm going through the reading stage (understanding) b4 I think about the passing. There is just so little time to do so many things!
Thanks for your views, all very helpful. I'll probably combine the 3.

[DJXL]

My theory for doing PPL exams...

I did all mine during my A-levels. So, sign up for some A-levels, and you´ll find revising for the PPL exams no problem at all. Compared to some of the mind-numbingly boring crap I had to do for Geography reading about hypoxia was really quite interesting.