New PPL exams - Structure and advice

[davew1]

Hi All,

I have recently started my PPL flight training, and have purchased the AFE text books by Jeremy Pratt.

So, I believe (please correct me if I'm wrong) that the exams are now done in a series of 6 sittings, each sitting lasting 10 days and a total of 9 exams. I have so far finished reading the Air Law and operational procedures, but I'm struggling to decide what to do next. I will obviously need to do more than one exam in any one sitting in order to do them all in the 6 sittings, but should I aim to get them all done asap or just do them as I progress through the course :ugh:

Apologies if its a bit of a daft question, not really sure of what the best way forward is

Atb

[Cobalt]

All the negativity surrounding this makes it sound harder than it is.

Here is what I recommend:

Sitting 1 - Air law, ops procedures, Communications.

Air law and ops procedures used to be one exam with 40 questions, now it is two exams with 20 questions each. Just do them back to back. Throw in comms for good measure because it is really easy.


Sitting 2 - Aircraft General Knowledge, Principles of Flight

Related subjects, actually jolly interesting as a subject. Again, this used to be a single, 50 question exam, just do the two shorter ones back to back.


Sitting 3 - Navigation, Human Performance

Both rote learning rubbish, low point of all the exams...


Sitting 4 - Flight performance and planning, Met

Both benefit from being done in later stages of the training, when you have done the long nav briefing with your instructor, and had a fair bit of exposure to weather information in practice.


Now, if you don't feel up to it, you could split sitting 3 and 4 into two and max out your 6 sittings, but then you have nothing left if something goes wrong. Since a sitting can take 10 days, you could also do the two exams a week or so apart.

[JDA2012]

Note that (as I understand it) any re-sit automatically constitutes starting a new sitting - so be careful how you approach these (or just pass them the first time!)

[davew1]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Atb

[vjmehra]

So out of curiosity what would happen if you ran out of sittings?

[BillieBob]

All of your exam passes are invalidated and you start again.

[vjmehra]

Ouch! Not worth taking that risk then!!

[Groundbased]

I've heard different things about the time allowed to do the skills test after completing the exams as well.

I've read that you have only 6 months from completing the last exam to do the skills test, whereas my FTO says I have 2 years from completion.

Any definitive answers on this would be welcome, but either way be aware that there is a time limit in which to get the skills test done.

[BillieBob]

Both figures are incorrect.

All theoretical knowledge examinations must be passed before taking the skill test and are valid for the issue of the licence for 24 months from the date of passing the last examination. There is no legislated time limit between passing the theoretical knowledge examinations and taking the skill test but, of course, it must be passed with sufficient time remaining to allow the licence to be issued before the 24 month limit is exceeded.

[jamesfletcher4]

Just out of curiosity, as a new member, and as only just reading this after leaving a thread...how much are the exams? :bored:

[AberdeenAngus]

Depends where you do them.
I'm learning through Cabro at Aberdeen.
First attempt is free. They do free ground school through the winter too :ok:

[FirstOfficer]

Where I am learning each exam is: £40 :eek:

[stephenr]

Hey Guys,

I'm 5 down (first pass was in August) 2 to go (Human Performance and Communications). I think I will pass Human Performance then leave communications so I get the full 18 months to pass them, then the two years to take the skills test...

I'm self taught and also used the Pratt books (mine are a few years old). They were pretty good for the old tests, but there were a few questions on the new test that would have been impossible to answer even with the book open in front of you.. It may have been possible in a later edition though..

I think the benefit of Ground School is that the instructors will know the papers and can guide your training and hopefully make sure that the areas in the exam are covered.

Good Luck.

PS I think it would have been possible to answer all the questions with the OAT Media CD's..