There has always been a problem with the AGK exams being unbalanced. Some months you get no electrics and other months you get no engines. In some exams electrics questions are all DC and others they are all AC.
The computer program used by the CAA to generate the exams works primarily on the basis of number of marks and time required. Achieving an even spread of subjects appears to be very low on its priority list. This problem should be overcome by the proof reading process carried out by the examiners, but this clearly isn't always the case.
AGK has always included radio theory. Most feedback lists include such things as "what is the wavelength of this or this?", "What is the best frequency to use when coasting out over Ireland?" and " Under what conditions is fading likely to be greatest?" Is it possible that the "questions from RNAV" were actually radio theory questions?
The pass rate for this exam took a bit of dive in January, so your freind was not the only one who had a problem with it. All schools receive details of the national pass rates each month, so you should ask your CGI if you want to know what they are.
The "good?" news is that the CAA agreed four or five appeals relating to questions in the January AGK exam. This means that all of the students who took it got four or five free marks. So those who passed with anything between 75 and 80 should consider themselves lucky and those who failed with 74 shouldn't feel quite so bad.