Hi
Have been using Bristol notes and their forum and qbank.
Have just sat module 1, and found that the feedback, course material and online instructors covered all that was necessary. I had some Oxford manuals and felt that they were almost too comprehensive. As much as I hate to say it, there is so much to assimilate in a short period of time that Oxford manuals where a little too scary, although I was looking at them as back up and they were 5 years old. It would be nice to be able to say that there was enough time to get to grips with ALL the material and that you would finish the ATPL's with a great depth of knowledge, but the truth is, for me at least, it came down to simply being able to answer the questions on the day, and I certainly only have a brief understanding of the overall. At home, you have A LOT of figuring out to do on your own, even with online tutors, but sometimes it's hard to ask the right question to get the exact answer you are looking for. Therefore, you need material which does not go into intricate detail, which may end up overwhelming you. In full time courses, you have a few weeks per subject, and the instructors guide you through the material, pointing out only what you need to know about, and you cannot underestimate how valuable that is ( what I have been told by some full time course friends, not my own experience). At home you do not have that benefit, and tend to think that everything you read is massively important, so the material needs in my opinion to be simplified. NO COURSE WILL BE PERFECT!
I am happy to continue with Bristol and the pass rate is high.
Time to get answers back online, varies from that same day to 2/3 days. A search will reveal that many students before you have asked the same questions so you may find the answer you are looking for already on the forum. QBANK QBANK QBANK!!!!
Get on it ASAP and start answering questions, it will get you prepared for the type of questions that come up in the tests.
I could not have answered 75% of my test at least without the progress tests and the question banks. Again, Bristol are accurate and for me were bang up to date. Will have my results next week so lets see!
Long and short, you are dealing with the two big guns and both have great reputations, I chose bristol and am quite happy.
Best of luck you will do well with either I would imagine.
Sorry that's not much help but having only delt with one school, I can only offer one side of the story. I simply feel Bristol may be a little more concise......
