BGS Are they really that good!!

[scraglad]

Just on the BGS site and a survey said that their pass rates on average were 99.7%. If that is so,why do people do full time ground school for more cost?? I find it very very hard to believe the their students average the above marks.

Any past or present students at Bristol,can you confirm this because they got my custom if this is true.

Thanks.

[GoldenMonkey]

I went through with Bristol whilst keeping a full time job. They did me OK. 14 first time passes. No complaints from me at all.
Good notes, excellent instructors and very attentive to any questions you may have.:ok:

[scraglad]

Thanks Goldenmonkey, is the 2 week brush up class enough time for any student to get your questions and your problems sorted. Having a full time job and to get the exams done,especially first time pass,is some achievement. I went to a full time school 2 years ago and the instructors I have to say,were very poor. Do BGS give you the full attention that you really need??

[Deano777]

Surely the 99.7% pass rate means that 99.7% passed their ATPL exams with BGS and not that they actually achieved 99.7% in the ACTUAL exam/s ?

Dean

[Sky Wave]

Run a search on BGS and see just how many ex and current students support them. I got my Mod 2 results yesterday. I passed all 14 first time with a 93% average. Don't be thinking that I'm particularly clever, because I'm not. I got average grades in my GCSE's (My highest was a C) and that was 12 years ago!

Their results are consistently higher than the national average, their notes are very clear and the instructors are all highly experienced, helpful and amusing which also helps keep the lessons interesting.

Don't take my word for it, search Pprune and I feel certain that you'll find that others share my views and have had similar successes.

Good Luck

[scraglad]

Im not doubting for one minute that you all got the marks you say you did,I just find it very difficult to accept that BGS is all that people say it is. I have seen a lot of their notes and they are not the best Ive seen nor the worse. What gives BGS that spark people say it has.

[GoldenMonkey]

Not sure if you are aware.. They work the 14 subjects into 2 modules. 8 in the 1st and 6 in the second. Each module has a 2 week brush up before the 4 days of exams. (Appologies if you already knew this!!)

Whilst studying at home, you can make as many calls, join their forums, send emails, blah, blah, blah as you want. I always found they gave a very quick response.

As for when you are at the brush ups, you learn an horrendous amount. I went along with a general understanding of the notes. Whilst there, all pertinent points are emphasised leaving you quite confident for the exams.

On the last evening of my Mod 2, one instructor stayed explaining points to me one on one for an hour.

OK, so I know one or two people who just scraped a fail in a subject or so, but the majority of my peers hit a full 14 first time pass.

As I said before, they get my :ok:

[EGBKFLYER]

For once you can believe the hype!

I too was sceptical but I got 14 first time at 93% average while working full time. As SW says, the notes and instructors are world class (I don't use that term lightly). I've listened to a lot of lecturers in my time and the BGS lot are the best I've ever sat in front of.

The two week brush up works brilliantly if you've done what's required at home up to that point. BGS have proven ability and unlike some schools (let's not stir that hornet nest) are straightforward about their results. They publish them warts-and-all on their forum and don't fiddle the stats (probably because they don't need to!).

What can I say - BGS rocks...

[Nereus]

only need a one word answer to this. YES.

[give me an axe]

Nereus that was more than one word - but couldn't agree more - great value for money , professional and friendly......

[North County Pilot]

Scraglad,

At the end of the day you must put in the work yourself at home and you can only do this with good material and on line support if needed. BGS has both and the brush course brings it all together very well. They are also cheaper overall than the school in Dublin even with the exchange rate.

NCP

[gdnhalley]

Worked for me, and I hadn't studied for 25 years. I just did the work exactly in the order they recommended and passed them all first time, while working full time. Couldn't fault them.
good luck
gdn

[spitfire747]

I wasn't even enrolled at BGS and Alex went out of his way to help me pass my last exam, which i did with a very high mark

Excellent and highly recommended by all

Spit :ok:

[mattd2k]

Scraglad,

The spark you are asking about is the enthusiasm and willingness of all of the instructors at BGS for their students to excel. They seem to have found a perfect balance of instruction, flying anecdotes (1st Class menus and Airbus Vs Boeing debates) and the best GPWS and GPS impressions you'll ever hear!

Having just finished Module 2 with them I would have no problem recommending them to anybody. Both two week brush-up courses are exceptionally intense but well worth the hard work put in by all.

The deciding factor on whether to go full time or distance learning depends entirely on you and how you find it best to study. If you are the sort of person who can learn by sitting yourself down and reading then BGS is great. They also have a great support team for while you are studying with any problems. If not and you need to be instructed to help you learn then you should consider classroom study. Either way, BGS get a big :ok: from me.

The final point I would make would be to look at the number of replies you have had to your post in such a short time!

Hope this helps answer your questions.

Matt.

[EGCC4284]

I think I must the student who has been doing a correspondence course with
Bristol Ground School for the longest period of time.

I think I started with them in November 2001, yes 2001 and hopefully will
have all 14 passed before this year is out.

It has nothing to do with Bristol that it's taken me this long just the fact that
about 2 years ago I actually stopped studying for about a year due to personnel problems
and then picked up from were I had left off plus the fact that I do shift work with an average
of between 55 - 65 hours a week. Very tired when I get home.
5am starts and midnight finishes, 12 hour shifts etc etc etc.

Plus I have a wife and daughter to feed and keep a roof above their heads
so I couldn't think about jacking my job in and giving it 100% time.

I have nothing but praise for ALL the team down at Bristol.

The only thing I would say is what does it tell you when CTC are sending their cadets to Bristol.

Check out these statistics



http://jals.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=550

http://jals.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=487

http://jals.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=362

http://jals.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=280

[High Wing Drifter]

You get out of BGS what you put in. BGS provide a supurb set of tools; the rest is up to you.

My own opinion is that I couldn't fault their approach.

Look inward if you don't do as well as you would have liked!

Regarding full-time courses: No I don't get it either!

[Northern Highflyer]

I can only support what's already been said. The whole set up is first rate and a credit to the team at BGS.

I have just passed all 14, also with a 93% average, at the first attempt. It's taken about a year while working full time.

The guys and girls are very helpful and supportive. They have the patience to give you a detailed answer, even though they have probably answered that same question a hundred times before.

On the brush up they add in humour to make even the hardest of days seem like fun. The atmosphere at BGS HQ is great and I thoroughly enjoyed my four weeks there.

Oh yes, and Alex's ADF impression has to be seen to be believed. ;)

[G SXTY]

To answer your original question – yes, they really are that good.

I’ve just sat my first 8 exams & passed them all with an average of 95% (just in case that sounds like willy measuring, I honestly believe the results were down to BGS’s high standards rather than mine).

The course notes are excellent – in 8 subjects, I only managed to find 1 question that wasn’t covered by the notes, and of course you have the option of reading the manuals or using the CD-ROM. I found the computer-based progress tests particularly useful, as you get an instant appraisal of your progress.

As everyone says, the classroom phase is extremely intense, but the instructors have the ideal combination of knowing their subjects inside out, while being able to get across concepts in a way that even someone like me can understand. Believe it or not, we even managed to have a few laughs in general nav . . .

I can’t comment on other schools as I have no experience of them, but I can say - hand on heart - that BGS has served me (and a lot of others) extremely well.

[scraglad]

Dear all,
Thank you so much for your posts,I think I may be swayed to Bristol. If my results are as good as all yours,the beer is on me,I promise!!!!

[Megaton]

As someone has said, they won't do the work for you but they certainly make the experience much more bearable. First time passes all round for me too. Can't speak highly enough of them.

[trotts]

As a Nav of 20 years RAF experience I went to BGS on the multiple recommendations of wannabee colleagues. They were right. I have had many instructors and teach a few aviation subjects myself- I couldn't fault the attittude or technique of any instructor there. I found answers to all questions (except the 'why the f*** do we need to know this'? type) well presented and thoroughly explained.

Alex and his team are as good as I have seen.
Trotts

[ramshorn]

Hi all
Just finished the mod 1 brush up at BGS yesterday.As roy and norris used to say"dedications what you need".They certainly have that.Things went well on the 2 week course.V intensive.Now looking forward to start of exams on monday!!ahhhh!

[Pole Hill]

I passed mod 1 with Bristol in July and I have to say that they are excellent.
The Brush up phase is hard work, but they make it interesting and often entertaining - I look forward to going back for the module two brush up.
You get what you put in, and Bristol is an excellent tool that will help you get the job done.
POL

[MileHigh76]

Hello all,

came across this BGS thread by chance, as am searching for more info, about FTO for the CPL/ ME / IR flight training.

I have to agree and add to all the positive comments said so far, as its been the way they do it at BGS, in style and with a smile, that I consider, to be the reason, for me to pass the theory exams, considering the very little time i had for studying at home.


Well thanks to all at BGS and good luck to all the wannab's

regards