F4TCT, Going back to leaving the RAF in '73 (when I already had a CPL), I still had to study for, and pass the CAA exams. Although I had a Transport Command & Strike Command procedural IR I still had to fly the CAA Initial IRT.
Not a breeze because one had to study for the specific civil exams. I used Avigation, who were very good but recollect a chap turning up for a week or two in class and being sent home because he hadn't done enough home study to cope with the intensity of the classroom.