Originally Posted by
Fly highhigh
I’m considering whether I should study by reviewing the answers directly and memorizing them.
This may get some blowback but you absolutely
should use QBs as your primary aid.
Unlike the FAA who quite sensibly
publish books full of stuff they want you to know -
then ask you questions only on that stuff, on the other side of the pond they just publish a vague set of learning objectives and leave it up to ATOs to essentially guess what to teach which makes QB feedback invaluable.
However... using QBs as your primary aid does not simply mean remembering the answers all of the time. For a question such as "What is the speed limit below 10,000ft?" if the answer is (c) 250kts then it's perfectly acceptable to memorise 250kts. It's not acceptable to memorise (c).
For the Rote learning of facts and figures, QBs can teach you directly and quickly (so if the QB tells you that the answer is (b) 1944 in Chigaco, you really don't need to read it anywhere else.)
For formulaic questions found in NAV exams, if the answer is 57°T the QB teaches you nothing, although it generally points you towards the explaination. The primary use for the QB with these types of question is to allow you to confirm that you have got the formula right, so in order for the QB to work effectively you have to actually
make an effort NOT to remember the answer. A good QB will have multiple similar questions with the same answers to force you to do this.
Many people make the mistake of reading the book then trying to do the questions. This is a mistake. Books are dry and boring and you'll have no idea what is important and what is not, with no frame of reference for any of it. You'll likely over-study and under-score when you do hit the QBs which will have a negative psychological impact.
The fastest way to learn what they want you to know is to hit a QB and do a block of 50 questions in sequential order with no prep. It doesn't matter how many you get right or wrong the first time round, just that you see the answers. If it's a rote question read it and move on, but if it's a formula question then read the explaination that comes with the question and write down the formula. Once you've seen all 50 questions then do them again making sure to write down the formulas and work them through each time, even though you probably know the answer is 57°T. Keep doing them until you have got 100% then move on to the next 50 questions and keep doing that until you have completed the question bank.
Then open the book and read it through from start to finish. 95% of it will now make sense, with maybe a few things not already covered by the QBs. The QB will provide a base of knowledge and high level of familiarity and the book will tie it all together.
I used this method to pass the EASA exams studying full time at a rate of 1 subject per week.