Samuel, Beagle et al,
Perhaps I am one of the last serving officers still with B and C exam qualifications - still duly filled out on the front of my OJAR (F1369 in old money). I completed both in 1986 in the RNZAF and they were recognised when I subsequently trasnferred to the RAF in the 1990s.
The B Exams consisted of 2 general papers (Air Force Law and General Service Knowledge) - each about 3 hours long, if I recall correctly. Then there were special to branch papers: aircrew had to do an Airmanship paper, an Air Operations paper (drawn from the archaic but strangely prophetic AP1300) and a Nav/Pilot/Eng/ALM...paper. Ground Branches completed an additional Branch-specific paper. The knack in passing all the papers was to sit them immediately after completing officer training (for the general papers) and then immediately after your professional training for the Branch-specific papers.
The C Exam was renamed the International Affairs paper and involved attending a week-long series of seminars and lectures on...international affairs, follwoed by the exam. It was a subtley renamed PI$$EX for Flt Lts. From mid 1985 onwards, if you completed the 19 week IOT, the C exam was accredited as the IOTC included quite a bit on IA.
Even in my time there were Fg Offs who were unable to progress to Flt Lt becasue they had dropped papers and there were several elderly Flt Lts that I can recall who refused to sit the C Paper.
Bring them back, I say!
PS: Remember the Filofax thingy introduced by Sir Peter Harding that required you to get Akala's signature on as a junior officer?
Last edited by Whenurhappy; 8th May 2012 at 07:41.