PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - How do you study between lessons?
View Single Post
Old 22nd Jun 2011, 18:42
  #2 (permalink)  
Conventional Gear
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Essex UK
Posts: 186
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
If it's any help it's a bit of a war of attrition, just keep at it and when you think you have peaked on a subject go sit the exam. You'll probably get plenty of cancelled flying lessons which you can use for study too.

Some people seem to be able to cram each exam into a week or less, I'm a bit older but quite use to sitting exams, it took me a couple of weeks for each of the larger subjects.

I would read through a topic without worrying too much about understanding. Then go through and make brief notes making sure you do understand it.

Then use either the PPL Confuser or PPL Perfector to go through the topic to get an idea of how the exam questions will be asked. It's an old technique but writing out the question in full as well as your answer really aids memory and correct response in an exam. If you come across one that appears to contradict what you have learnt, revisit the book and check the explanation given in the Confuser/Perfector, more often than not it's simply the way the question is asked which makes it seem contradictory when in fact it isn't. You'll know when you are ready to sit the exam if it is simply a mistake in the Confuser or what have you, there are a few but not many. The fact is this is very representative of the way the actual CAA exam questions are written.

Once you have that done, condense it all. I would say try to get all the important information and facts from a Chapter or topic on a single sheet of A4 paper. Use this as your 'memory' source. If you have to, copy it several times each day until you can remember everything on the piece of paper without checking your original sheet. You might expect to have say around 14 pieces of paper for Met, 20 or more for Air Law which is nothing more really than a memory test.

I passed most of the PPL exams first time with 100%

I'm not saying it's easy, I did work hard but I've given you a study technique that for me at least lessens the pain of it all. Essentially you'll find you are making notes just on the bits you can't easily remember or grasp and that is what you need to concentrate on to get a first time pass. Most people seem to target going over and over the bits they do get before an exam, it's not efficient. My technique assumes the bits you do get will look after themselves (and trust me they do).

The OatMedia CD ROMS are not too bad if you get really tired of book work. They will at least get you to sleep the night before an exam. Or go sit ground school, I use to go along even though I knew I would walk the exams, quite enjoyed it really and if there is something you are stuck on it's way better to discuss it with a ground school instructor than fry your brain with the books.

Last edited by Conventional Gear; 22nd Jun 2011 at 18:52.
Conventional Gear is offline