New PPL Examinations Paper Release
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New PPL Examinations Paper Release
Just received the latest PPL (A) Examination Papers. On a cursory glance through they are definitely an improvement on the old set.
The text below can be found in a thread concerning iphone APPS in the PPL Forum. It was originally provided by a member of the CAA PPL Working Group.
For those who missed it, the thread also contains a link to a CAA IN on the subject.
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/Informa...ice2014147.pdf
The October 2014 LAPL/PPL exam revision is in accordance with the WG's recommendations for a 43% reduction (and cr@p clearance) of the current exam questions, but there was no recommendation at this point in time for a reduction in the total number of exams. Which is understandable, due to the need to deliver a quick first achievement for the GAU and the avoidance of difficulty in administering a more complex revision.
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/Informa...ice2014147.pdf
Last edited by keith williams; 27th Sep 2014 at 08:18.
If you're going to quote from my posts, keith williams, at least have the courtesy to credit them.
My post went on to say:
I am not now, nor have I ever been, a 'member of CAA GAU'. Given that 3 sets of papers with 120 questions means 360 questions with either 3 or 4 multi-guess answers, I'm not sure whether the CAA can cope with such a level of work these days. Whether they intend to put the task out to tender, I do not know - but I intend to do some investigations once the far more important work on the RF-to-ATO AltMoC has been completed.
My post went on to say:
However, the next revision will include new questions, more relevant to the average LAPL/PPL pilot and designed to test fairly, not to trap. The Authority has confirmed that its target is for 120 questions in 6 exams - and an end to 'sittings' restrictions.
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It's all the same old questions as before, just less of them. AL, AGK and Met have 16 questions each, the rest 12.
The Nav exam is just the same dogs dinner of questions culled from the CPL and ATPL question bank as was introduced last year.
As beegle says, they don't seem to have anyone who can write any new questions at the CAA.
And why anyone thinks they deserve a pat on the head for reducing the number of exams for 9 to 6 is just a mystery ( if it ever happens, of course).
3 would be better, but with all the hot air that has been generated for no result, it is probably more likely that you could catch a bus to the moon than for this to happen.
I wonder how many prospective PPLs decide to go and play golf instead when they learn there are 9 written exams to do ?
The Nav exam is just the same dogs dinner of questions culled from the CPL and ATPL question bank as was introduced last year.
As beegle says, they don't seem to have anyone who can write any new questions at the CAA.
And why anyone thinks they deserve a pat on the head for reducing the number of exams for 9 to 6 is just a mystery ( if it ever happens, of course).
3 would be better, but with all the hot air that has been generated for no result, it is probably more likely that you could catch a bus to the moon than for this to happen.
I wonder how many prospective PPLs decide to go and play golf instead when they learn there are 9 written exams to do ?
With the current CAA concern over Infringements, one has to question the wisdom of reducing the Navigation exam to a worthless entity. The naive belief that the Examiner will check all the missing items is simply pie in the sky; so long as the candidate can produce a series of headings and times, how they acheive this is of little consequence, they could simply traspose it from a tablet. EASA places no specific distances on the navigation section and GM1.FCL1015 recommends the following times:
so how is the Examiner supposed to check anything?
The latest papers seem to be just more of the same, some questions obscured by waffle and what relevance is an aircraft with an 80 Kts stalling speed to an ab-initio PPL student?
In complete contrast, a brief look at the FAA questions reveals Sanity, Simplicity and Relevance (SSR). The BMAA has always produced the Microlight question bank, relevant to their purpose, and then printed by the CAA. Maybe there is a lesson here. One instructor commented yesterday, I no longer know how to justify all the the stuff I now need to teach to pass the exam!
(c) When planning the duration of a test, check or assessment of competence, the following values may be used as guidance:
(2) 90 minutes for LAPL(A) or (H), PPL and CPL, including navigation section;
(2) 90 minutes for LAPL(A) or (H), PPL and CPL, including navigation section;
The latest papers seem to be just more of the same, some questions obscured by waffle and what relevance is an aircraft with an 80 Kts stalling speed to an ab-initio PPL student?
In complete contrast, a brief look at the FAA questions reveals Sanity, Simplicity and Relevance (SSR). The BMAA has always produced the Microlight question bank, relevant to their purpose, and then printed by the CAA. Maybe there is a lesson here. One instructor commented yesterday, I no longer know how to justify all the the stuff I now need to teach to pass the exam!
If people continue to scan and cheat in such a way, mad_jock, it is quite possible that LAPL/PPL exams might, in the future, need to be taken unseen only at 'approved locations'. As commercial exams once were.
There are 2 choices - cheat and screw it up for everyone else, or don't cheat and continue under present arrangements.
There are 2 choices - cheat and screw it up for everyone else, or don't cheat and continue under present arrangements.
There are 2 choices - cheat and screw it up for everyone else, or don't cheat and continue under present arrangements.
The sooner we adopt an FAA style system of secure, computer based, Exams, with a large, published bank of questions, the better.
For the price of a copy of the FAA questions from ASA we could even have a ready made question bank, easily adapted, where necessary, to suit European rules/practices.
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"need to be taken unseen only at 'approved locations'. As commercial exams once were."
But even then the commercial question bank is available.
So perhaps the CAA should come up with a method of testing that's more suitable to the 21st century.
How about Keith Williams previous suggestions or dare I say it why not do it like the FAA do.
And at the same time look at the content.................,,
But even then the commercial question bank is available.
So perhaps the CAA should come up with a method of testing that's more suitable to the 21st century.
How about Keith Williams previous suggestions or dare I say it why not do it like the FAA do.
And at the same time look at the content.................,,
'Doing it the way the FAA' do, perhaps. Which includes a fairly demanding oral exam, which might perhaps weed out the cheats....
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We have gone through a plethora of, quite frankly, nonsense concerning the knowledge that is appropriate for, and required of private pilots. Both JAA and EASA and have imposed requirements that have no vocational or academic validity, and erstwhile arguments have been proffered, by amongst other AOPA, that have essentially had us going around in circles so that we end up back to where we were in the 1980s. The same can be said of the professional examinations; trained chimps could pass them, and in the world of academia pass marks of 85-90% are unheard of. MJ mentions this stuff being available on the net - no surprise there. Beagle alludes to the FAA Oral; If you have been through that you know you need to, and know your stuff. Focusing just now on the PPL exams, there is a huge amount of talent and guts on here to make a difference. If the exams lack credibility, don't be surprised if they are treated accordingly and the pass rate might be very high!!
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fairly demanding oral exam,
The FAA examiners who used to conduct these put themselves out of business and lowered their standard for commercial reasons as they wouldn't get any business as everyone chose the easy examiners.
Most FAA orals last less than 10-15 minutes now with the same questions asked to every candidate.
If you think the FAA system is better you clearly up to date with the current reality of the system in use.
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The caa needs to enter the real world with its procedures.
Its getting there with commercial but still some of the form filling rubbish procedures are farcical if they think we actually do it the way they think we do it.
There have obviously bought some expensive adobe software to try and lock forms down so you have to print and sign them then scan them back in etc.
It takes 10 seconds to get round this security feature.
As long as they are sending out paper copys of exams it will never be secure. And there will be a small number out there that will cheat.
They seem hell bent though not using a commercial proffessional exam provider which the likes of microsoft and others use.
The exams are unproffessionally set and of poor quality and it could be argued not fit for use.
I don't have a clue what the new ones are like I didn't even bother to pull the torent.
I suspect i wouldn't be able to pass them anyway.
Its getting there with commercial but still some of the form filling rubbish procedures are farcical if they think we actually do it the way they think we do it.
There have obviously bought some expensive adobe software to try and lock forms down so you have to print and sign them then scan them back in etc.
It takes 10 seconds to get round this security feature.
As long as they are sending out paper copys of exams it will never be secure. And there will be a small number out there that will cheat.
They seem hell bent though not using a commercial proffessional exam provider which the likes of microsoft and others use.
The exams are unproffessionally set and of poor quality and it could be argued not fit for use.
I don't have a clue what the new ones are like I didn't even bother to pull the torent.
I suspect i wouldn't be able to pass them anyway.
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Hehe mj love your rants! Especially cos they're often true.
The FAA method seems to be much more appropriate and relevant. It's good that the latest release are somewhat of an improvement, but the fundamental issues are still there.
The FAA method seems to be much more appropriate and relevant. It's good that the latest release are somewhat of an improvement, but the fundamental issues are still there.
There are 2 choices - cheat and screw it up for everyone else, or don't cheat and continue under present arrangements.
But this currently appears to be unthinkable to the minds of the CAA (and AOPA apparently).
Last edited by keith williams; 29th Sep 2014 at 14:52.