"How to pass those DGCA exams...."
I was just reading another thread where someone posted a few charts & statistical comparison of DGCA exams results. Someone really did a nice job, collecting all that data & posting those charts.
DGCA Pilot License Exam Results And Statistics [since Jul-2006]
These charts have some very good statistics & figures & they are really good for coffee table discussion or even discussion over a few drinks, during which everyone can freely criticize DGCA for the exams.
My first thoughts were, the guys who spent so much time & effort collecting this data & putting in to charts, and the guys who spend even more time, reading, analyzing & discussing about it, are wasting a lot of their precious time, especially if they are still trying to pass the DGCA exams...
A few months ago, I was here on this forum, in similar shoes as a lot of you are today, asking a lot of questions & trying to decipher the mystery of DGCA Exams.....
So, I decided to give back to the community & this write up is an effort to give a few tips & pointers to my fellow young aspiring pilots, who are struggling to solve this million dollar puzzle "How to pass those DGCA exams....".
So, Boys & girls, please read it & take it with for what its worth, but I think that if one person can benefit from my experience, it is worth my effort to take the time to write it.
I agree that the DGCA written exams are difficult, in fact very, very difficult, but not impossible and I am a living proof of that.
April 2012 session was my 1st attempt at DGCA exams after 14 or 15 yrs. 1st time I passed the CPLG Air Nav, was in 1992 & there after every 2 years for 3 more times before my CPL could be issued.
In April 2012 session, I passed all the CPLG exams, Air Reg, Avn Met, Air Nav & TECH GEN. All the difficult exams passed in one shot, 1st attempt & I flunked the Tech Specific 172-R. (read became complacent)
In July 2012 session, I passed ATPLG, both the Air Nav & radio Aids, again 1st attempt & that too, again, without any professional coaching……
So, what did I do different……?? Probably not much that most of you guys don’t already know… I went back to basics… The only way to pass those exams is to study, real study...
Guys & girls, you keep on criticizing DGCA, for having out of the world questions, irrelevant subjects & topics, for example Lambert, Mercator & all the other non-sense crap that we don’t need & may never use in our real life….. TRUE…. VERY TRUE….. However, that attitude doesn't solve the problem.
REMEMBER ……… ATTITUE + POWER = PERFORMACE
It is the ATTITUDE first & then the POWER (Thrust) comes secondary…..??? (Recall from flying days)
1) It is the time wasted, where you spend your time on something unproductive….……
2) Negative thought process takes control & surrounds you with negativity…
Then, the equation becomes
–(neg.) ATTITUDE + POWER (read study ) = -(neg.) Performance
The process is self feeding & drags you down. Stay away from all people & especially from negative people….
I had no professional coaching available nearby, I did not know what the pattern of exams was like these days & all my old notes were also somewhere I could not reach. So, I had the only option of self study & start from the scratch.
I studied about 3-4 hrs every day & 1 full day (abt 6-8 hrs NET) either sat or sun for about 2 months & 1 week with 6-8 hrs each day before the exam day, with full concentration.....
Now the Mechanics, I remebered from my past experience with DGCA exams that DGCA exams consist of 3 types of questions:
1) 60% questions are moderately difficult, similar to very good line & length deliveries from a very good bowler.(this is the category where you will also score the most).
2) 20% questions are giveaways, very easy, basically lollipops.
3) 20% are bouncers & Yorkers, best deliveries of the best bowler, capable to baffle even best batsmen like Tendulkar.
The 1st category is the most important category to prepare for, as this the one catagory where a well prepared batsman can continue to play & consistantly get a single or double 80% of the time.
And this is exactly how you play...... keep the singles coming, hit a boundary on the lollipops, dunk on the bouncers and carefully play the Yorkers.
By being well prepared, one can convert some bouncers into boundaries or sixers by playing the short pitch delivery real carefully & thereby, reduce the number of questions that may otherwise appear to be a bouncer. The remaining, you can just play anyway U like or even omit & just simply refuse to play.
80% of 60% questions is 48 of 100 questions, 48 marks; 20% of the lollipops are 20 marks; you are already at 68; all you need is 2 more from the bouncers or Yorkers…..
Now the percentages may change depending upon indiviual's preparedness & flying experience & also each exam, means the bowler setting the exam.
I started with the single most important thing, the syllabus available at DGCA website & printed a hard copy for each subject.
Buy a bunch of highlighters & good pens with good flow for writing, a circular rotating type E6B & electronic E6B & a scientific calculator.
Then, I opened the OXFORD book for each subject & started reading the chapter of each book in the order of DGCA syllabus & made notes according to the DGCA syllabus. If the syllabus talks about a topic in detail, I would make detailed notes of the topic from OXFORD & then scratch a line for each topic done. NO MORE NO LESS, I would cover every single topic as per DGCA syllabus….
Why write notes?? Because when you write something with your own hands, it gets printed somewhere in your subconscious mind in a file folder. One may not know the topic very well but in the examination, when you see the questions, the memory item from the sub-conscious mind helps you to identify the correct answer. One may not agree but, this technique helps A LOT.....
Then attempt questions from “1000 questions, answers & explanations by Keith Williams” on each subject. Take a plain paper, write 1-100 for each chapter, Keep answering each question from the topic, write 1 a 2 b 3 c, etc etc.....
Finish the topic & then only evaluate the answers at the end after attemping all questions from that topic.
The ones that you got wrong, read the explanation & make notes in the subject, where you made notes from OXFORD.
You will finish each topic according to DGCA syllabus & pretty much know everything on that topic starting with basic knowledge from OXFORD books & how to implement the knowledge from Keith Williams’ books.
MOST IMP:
1) Make sure you learn & understand, how to solve each & every type of numerical.
2) Build speed in solving numericals & practice to do the numerical fast & accurate but don’t short cut the process.
DO NOT LEAVE ANY NUMERICAL TYPE UNCOVERED.
Next, Read the book “From the Ground UP” at least 3-4 times, the Bible for every trainee pilot. You will build a good general knowledge & may help you answer some questions which no one knows where they came from, they came from here....!!!!!!
Now, you are ready to test your knowledge. Use the website turbineturbine.com for practice tests of JAA broken down by each subject.
Aviation Training
AIR NAV, RADIO AIDS & INSTRUMENTS, MASS & BALANCE, and PERFORMANCE: These topics can be successfully studied by using the above strategy.
For FLT PLANNING & CP PNR questions, GSP can be used to understand the basics & save time.
MET: Basic knowledge from GSP or OXFORD & then followed by IC JOSHI.
REGS: Now includes Medical factors & human performance. Use turbineturbine.com to learn about those questions. Read Indian Rules from Latest Edition of A HAND BOOK OF AIR REGULATION FOR PILOTS 2 VOL SET by V. KRISHNAN
GPS questions: Turbineturbine.com
TECH GEN: Theory of flight & aerodynamics, Aircraft & engines, Turbine Engines, Airplanes Systems Like hydraulics & pressurization etc from OXFORD followed by 1000 Questions & then followed by questions at turbineturbine.com
Near the exams or on the day before the exams, DO NOT STUDY ANYTHING NEW; Just revise from your OWN NOTES that you have made
FORGET FACE BOOK, FORGET WHAT’S APP, THROW AWAY YOUR PHONE OR TURN THE RINGER OFF, NO TALK, NO TEXT, NO CHAT, NO GIRLFRIEND/ BOYFRIEND;
BASICALLY FORGET THE WORLD……..
In a NUTSHELL, there is no short cut for success, only positive attitude & hard work consisting of focused & concentrated study ethics can get you the success.
For me, that was the recipe of my success in DGCA exams. This is how I used to pass the exams back in the days, this is what was taught to us by our instructors.
It worked for me, it has worked for many folks in our days, who used to do it this way, so I hope it will work for some of you guys in the new generation……
Best of Luck......
PS: DO NOT ASK ME FOR A COPY OF MY NOTES, There is a reason you need to make your own....
Last edited by pilotbaba; 30th Sep 2012 at 05:03.