I have a few mates in Cathay training, and the 20% pass rate for the sim is confirmed.
The ability/experience level of the applicants for the current package is abysmal, and it's no wonder. All they can attract now are misfits and desperados, or pilots from countries with highly questionable logbooks and licences.
The trainers/checkers are quite rightly putting their foot down, and demanding the same standards as Cathay used to have.
They would rather see Cathay go down the swanny, which is where it's headed, than be directly or indirectly responsible for a hull loss, which is where it's also headed.
Karma is a biatch.