OK, lost the bet, name the charity, I'll post the receipt.
Now for a more articulate response. The average Grade 3 being as useful as tits on a bull is more a reflection of the (Part 61) watered down Instructor Rating. No fault of the candidate in this regard. The exam is as per usual, ad-hoc, given little thought in it's implementation and is generic and in no way specific to the CASA Part 61 Instructor Rating. If you can't do something properly, don't do it, stop adding unnecessary cost and yet another rote learn exam to syllabus.
Generational thing? I'm older than you, have been instructing longer than you and have done more than enough courses in TEM, PMI & HF. I've been around the industry long enough to know there are some Grade 3's that run rings around some Grade 2's and even the odd Grade 1. The relative worth or usefulness of any instructor, regardless of the grade, in my opinion is more a function of their attitude. You will never learn everything you need to know in a CAR 5 Instructor Rating, let alone a Part 61.
As Ascend Charlie him or herself states:
No multi-guess questions, it was all written answers, so you had to know your stuff, not "pluck it out of your @rse"
Well, this exam is multi guess and it gets the respect from candidates it deserves.
Oh lord.. You can't 'steal IP' when its given with approval. Further, what exactly has been 'plucked out of the arse'. The exam has been around for decades.
Semantics. If you want a more accurate description, too lazy or under resourced to develop an exam that actually tests knowledge content. Instead of, 'that book looks ok, lets grab it, knock up a multi guess exam, Bob's your mother's brother' There is no way that exam can be multi guess, ridiculous.
This car accident of a sentence neatly sums up your attitude.
I honestly do not care one bit what judgement you make of me ;-)
I tell you, I do not miss the days of supervising junior instructors. Luckily by the time they're senior 2's, most of this has been hammered out of them.
I don't mind it at all, enjoy it actually.
I have interviewed applicants for instructional jobs in the 90s
I have interviewed and employed mainly through the noughties, very hit and miss. The hit and miss part wasn't knowledge of PMI, very much attitude, being able to work with people and students mainly.