Background
In earlier years CAA/CASA did not permit underlining, highlighting and tagging of reference documents allowed in exams for the reason that reference publications such as the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) (1988), Civil Aviation Orders (CAO) and the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) (the book itself) have excellent coverage of the sections and procedures in both the Contents and Index pages.
However, recognizing the usefulness of ‘selective’ underlining, highlighting and tagging of some of the more-frequently used or important sections in these publications, CASA decided a few years ago to allow these practices, with conditions that there shall be no training/explanatory notes, study aide-memoires, formulae, or cross-referencing between pages of a document or across to other documents, either in the documents or on the tags.
Problems
Not understanding purpose of tags
Unfortunately some exam candidates might not have realized the existence and usefulness of the Contents and Index pages, or have abandoned or ignored their use. They seemed to depend solely on tags, a practice acknowledged by a few schools teaching these candidates.
It would appear that these candidates have virtually replaced the functions of the Content and Index pages with a staggering multitude of tags. Such an approach is actually counter-productive to the aim and value of tagging. As the purpose of tags is to swiftly and precisely locate a selected number of the more-frequently referenced sections in publications, these candidates have, through the over abundance of tags per publication, unwittingly neutralised any benefits they may derive from them.
The same observation applies to the practice of highlighting and underlining of texts in permitted publications. Some candidates have highlighted or underlined entire pages. What then would be the benefit in such indiscriminate actions other than for the candidates to view coloured and completely underlined pages during exams?
Security issue
When a candidate brings into an exam session several reference publications, as would be the case in air law or IREX exams, with each book having as many as 30 tags or more, and the session comprises 12 to 15 candidates, the supervisor is confronted with a security situation which may adversely affect his/her primary supervisory role. CASA cannot accept any situation which impacts adversely on the integrity of CASA exam sittings.
Updated Policy w.e.f 03 May 2010
Given the current unsatisfactory situation, CASA has updated its policy on the use of tags, to be made effective on Monday 03 May 2010.
The new policy will specify which exam-permitted documents may have tags and their respective maximum number. This will actually make the role of tags more effective and thus benefit exam candidates. The policy on underlining and highlighting of text in exam-permitted documents remain unchanged.
Role of schools & instructors
Schools and instructors are also encouraged to guide their students back to more effective use of the Contents & Index pages of the exam-permitted documents when the students need to refer to specific air laws and flight procedures to answer exam questions.
Instructors should also advise their students on the correct way to highlight and underline texts in the exam-permitted publications. The aim is to bring out for their immediate attention, during a very involved exam session, useful keywords or phrases, therefore the operative word in highlighting and underlining should be judicious selections of the text.
‘Contents’ and 'Index' pages
CASA updated policy has taken into consideration the respective publication’s layout, availability of official printed section dividers, and the quality of the 'Contents’ and 'Index' pages.
Tags permitted or not permitted
The following lists the maximum number of tags per respective publication where such publications are permitted in exam session:
- (i) CAR (1988), (ii) CASR (1998) [used in only Balloon exam], and (iii) Part 137 [used in aeroplane agricultural rating exam] – no tag permitted
- CAO – no tag permitted
- AIP Book (or its Jeppesen equivalent) – maximum 10 (ten) tags
- ERSA – maximum 5 (five) tags
- Day VFR Guide (note: this publication has been temporarily withdrawn) – no tag permitted
- DAP East & West – no tag permitted
- CAAP – no tag permitted
- Handbook and Operations Manual of exam aircraft model – no tag permitted
- All charts – no tag permitted
- Any exam-permitted publication not listed here – no tag permitted
Condition for sitting exam
Candidates who tag their exam-permitted publications in excess of the above limits will not be allowed to undertake the exam until they remove the extra tags.