CASA Cyber Exam Questions

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

am presently converting CPL-A to CPL-H, in sitting these exams I have seen some really ordinary and inconsitent questions,

EG

Q. what symptom could indicate a magneto failure inflight ?

a. Rough running
b. Reduced airspeed
c. Increased power available
d. Reduced power available

has anyone else out there experienced this, who did you address your concerns to, how did they deal with your concerns, did they agree with any of your concerns and give you the marks on a re-mark.

[the wizard of auz]

I am in the process of doing the same change over and have just sat an exam and had the same problem. I was battling to recall what the damn question was actually asking by the time I finished reading the question. I dont believe that the exam is questioning my knowledge of aerodynamics or even questioning my knowledge of anydamnthing apart from my ability to decypher the friggen question.
why don't they ask a straight forward question and test the knowledge that is required to operate the damn machine.
I was also asked quite a few questions about the internal workings of a few instruments that have absolutley nothing to do with reading them or understanding what they did......... they seem to forget that I am just the guy that looks at the damn things, not repairs them.
why do they word the questions in such a way that the answer could be one of many......depends on all the variables.....and they dont bother to add the variables.
all in all I think the whole exam was a waste of every ones time and effort and so does anyone in the industry that I have spoken to. :mad:

Oh, I did manage to pass the subject, so it isnt sour grapes, just wish they could be testing my knowledge of whatever the subject that is being tested, is, and not how well I am able to interpret a very fuzzy question or my knowladge of the english language.(coz I'm australian not english)

[Ash767]

The CASA exams only test your aviation knowledge to a small degree. What they really do is test your comprehension and conundrum solving skills.

Ash767:)

[the wizard of auz]

Well they should call the exam "Conundrum solving" and not freaken "Aerodynamics" then. If they did this I could study conundrum solving and pass with ease. :mad: :mad:

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

Ash767, with all due respect, i would have to strongly disagree with what you are saying, my concerns have nothing to do with the comprehensability of the questions, more to do with the ability to effectively asses ones knowledge in the relevant field, with examinations that are multiple choice there needs to be clearly one answer that is totally correct, as opposed to my example above, all those answers could be correct under certain circumstances, but a,b and d will in practise be seen.

c could even be the answer if the engine was leaned to 25 degrees lean of peak ( although not a normal thing to expect ) before the magneto failure.

in my jaded opinion the new sytem is better for frequency of exams but content is by far less "fitting".

[Skypark]

Anyone have an idea how much the CPL-A cyber exams cost now, assuming no re-sitting?

Regards,
SP

[Wing Root]

Full CPL with no resits. - $563

Full cost structure can be found here. (http://www.aslexam.com/ACEBS/Unrestricted/Policy/FlightCrewExaminationFeeStructure.htm)

[Skypark]

Thanks Wing Root.

Just for those of you interested, the cost is made up of two sets of fee's; CASA's and the ASL supervision fee's.

The totals:

PPL -> $145
CPL -> $563 (as Wing Root stated)
ATPL -> $639
IREX -> $164

TOTAL --> $1511

Boy, that's a lot of money for exams.

SP

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

can it be that I am one of very few that thinks these exams are not very well constructed ?, i wonder.

people have your voice heard, i can assure you the CASA folk frequent PPRUNE for gossip and feedback.

[the wizard of auz]

What do ya have to do? yell?......I dont think the exams are appropriate

[flymarshall.com]

A little birdy told me that the exam questions for CPL (7 different subjects) had been changed of late.

So in other words, Uncle Trevor Thom and Aunty Bob Tait have totally missed the boat in regards to exam question layout!

Just a thought......

[aero979]

If casa people do frequently read these posts, then first off, and I am sure everyone will agree that the cost of these exams is too high... to cover a supervision fee?? It is hard to imagine that if you have a room, with 10 candidates, each paying an average of $60 per exam... is needed to cover one person sitting in a chair reading a paper for no more than 3.5 hours!!! The computer does the rest. I also find it hard to justify that it costs $20 to change the date of an exam... again the computer does everything... doesn't it???

Can anyone fill us in on why the cost of exams jumped SO much with the introduction of cyber exams???

I have recently started ATPL Aeroplanes and agree that some questions can be difficult to answer. They are often very different to any practice exams, and sometimes none of the answers seem to be 100% correct. I feel most of the questions require more information for it to be answered properly.

Looking at the costs in the past, but when I did my CPL theory it cost me $100 for a whole day, and I feel the supervisor did more back then than they do now!!!

You also have an option at the conclusion of the cyberexam to report any questions you don't agree with, I have never done it myself, but been close a few times...

[Ang737]

G'Day Aero

I guess we can blame that on the capitalist approach that CASA is taking. How on earth does the increase in costs relate to a safety issue. It must make sense to someone on Capital Hill so to speak but it makes no sense to me. The development of the software infrastruture believe me would not have cost as much as they are making out of each candidate. Take note CASA

Ang

[aero979]

Hi Ash -

You don't get KDRs??
What exam are you doing? All the ones I have done as a cyberexam I have been issued with a KDR.. sure you are not just excited about passing and leaving too early???:D

totally agree with you ang... this approach is rearing its head in all areas of GA now, increase services charges and so on...

The only reason I can afford my ATPLs at this stage is because I am currently working in a well paying job outside of the industry, hoping that I will be able to get back into it in about six months time.

Maybe in the next issue of ASLs newsletter they can explain why the charges are so high. I would like to see that!:eek:

[Wing Root]

If you don't get a KDR you either got 100% or less than 50%......

which group do you fall into? :D

[Ash767]

aero979

You will see that I have deleted my post. I decided to have a look at my last ATPL flight planning exam. I think I was so bl##dy happy to pass I did not even look for a KDR. It is just after the exam someone said that you do not get a KDR. Maybe I should live by my motto "Never assume"

Wing Root,

Well I certainly do not fall in to the 100% category (I wish I did) nor the less than 50% one.

Ash

[tubby one]

I am all for kicking CASA (when a kicking is due), but in this instance (the cost of Cyberexams) you either have the facility of cyber (and pay for it) or you keep the old costs and put up with the limited number of oportunities to sit the exams. The simple economics are that the "supervision fee" is there to cover not only the body doing the supervision, but also the cost of the room the computers and all the other 'on costs' associated with the provsion of cyber sittings. One of the reasons for the delays in introducing cyberexams was the lack of parties willing to devote space and terminals for what is in fact an inconsistent and irregular demand - plus the need to have the same costs regardless of where you are sitting (Sydney or Karratha!!).
Like everything you get nothing for nothing - in the main it was the bitching from industry that played a large part in CASA moving to cyber. So live with it!

On the subject of questions - unless candidates take the time to comment/complain about poor questions - for whatever reason - nothing will change. So again don't just bitch - ACT.

[the wizard of auz]

I reckon the costs are fair enough, and the availability to facilitys and more oppertunitys to sit theexam each month certainly make up for the cost in my veiw. I am saving more than the exams and supervision costs just going to the new place. It is about 650Kms closer than the old place.

[McIce]

Tubby
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the subject of questions - unless candidates take the time to comment/complain about poor questions - for whatever reason - nothing will change. So again don't just bitch - ACT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How do you suggest a student comment/complain about poor questions?

In a forty question exam, say you get a 1/2 dozen dodgy questions. Is a student expected to remember the question and the options they give as answers, whilst at the same time trying to pass the exam.

Remeber for the Supervision fee that they are paying they are not allowed to ask,question or discuss any part of the exam with the supervisor. Nor are they allowed to write down or take anything from the exam in order that it can be discussed at a later date with someone who knows anything about flying.

I would suggest CASA are playing with a 'Loaded Deck'

[tubby one]

McIce - you dont have to remember many (if any) details. If you take the trouble to go to the CASA website you will find there is provision to make comment/complaint about questions - wrto content choices etc, but reasonably not because you dont like the questionor your instructor did not teach you that bit etc. Its a bit like CRM you have to make use of ALL the resources at your disposal.

[the wizard of auz]

I have had a change of heart....... after talking to the ASL staff ( I suspect she was suffering PMT) it seems that you cannot even book an exam without giving over hands full of money into their bank account...... all well and good if you live in the city or have a credit card ( I know...shut up bino's) and it seems that there is one computer at the place where I want to do the exam and after driving 240Ks to book the friggen thing I was told to come back in a fortnight and have another go at it coz some one beat me to the one sitting per fortnight that is available.........yeah right. that will be two days of work and 980klms to sit one exam, and if I'm late for the sitting there is a no refund policy.
its a good thing for the city but it sux for us country folk....... and they dont care..... neither do CASA it seems after my breif chat with them. Its do it our way or not at all.... ragardless of cost to you. :mad:

[McIce]

Tubby
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
you dont have to remember many (if any) details. If you take the trouble to go to the CASA website you will find there is provision to make comment/complaint about questions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You have lost me
If you dont 'remember many (if any) details'
How can you 'make comment/complaint '? on any of them

Wiz
I live in the city and have numerous credit cards Just seems like none of them have enough free credit to pay for a Cyber exam
:D

[Lefthanded_Rock_Thrower]

Wiz of Auz,

more the issue I feel is the exams I sat very much are biased toward people who can attend a course such as AFT or the like. Personally this is not possible as I hold down a fulltime job.

Many of the exam questions are, as earlier pointed out, conundrum solving, as opposed to clear and decisive questions with clear and decisive answers, not a terribly obscene concept I feel.

[the wizard of auz]

LHRT, your right mate, and I agree with ya....... I was a bit cranky with the whole system when I wrote the last reply. :rolleyes:

[Bill Boeing]

Tubby One,

I completed the CPL Cyber Exams when they were first introduced (2 weeks after the promised date if I remember correctly) in March last year.

I'm sure there have been improvements to the system since then but aside from the glitches where the computer wouldn't even allow me to select an answer, there were other ugly scenarios.

I had a couple of easy questions that were indisputably correct (What colour is 100LL Avgas?) that turned up on my KDR when they were the only question on the subject.

Other questions had two possible correct answers or other such scenarios. There was a facility to fax a complaint on the spot so I took the time (while the questions were fresh) to send an extremely detailed fax after each of these situations arose. By the end of the week, the Exam Supervisor was almost waiting by the fax machine when I finished my exam!

I left all of my contact details but received no reply. After several weeks, I searched for and found a contact on the CASA website. I sent a fax to them and again received no reply.

It would appear that the complaints procedure isn't as simple as you would have us believe.

Seeing this topic also reminded me that I was overcharged when I booked the Cyber Exams due to a glitch in ASL's on-line booking procedure. I contacted ASL and was told by a young lady with the initials JD that they didn't have the facility to do refunds at that time. No problem taking money, just can't give it back when they make a mistake. I'll be chasing that one up!!

If you work for either CASA or ASL and you are involved with the Cyber Exams, I would very much like to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected].

In case you are wondering, I passed all of the exams, so like previous posts, this post is not the result of sour grapes.

Hope to hear from you.

FS

[flyboy6876]

I must say that I generally don't have a problem with the costs of the exams as some other exams I've had to take are much more costly.

I do agree however about the standard of the questions. I found some in the PPL to be difficult to follow as far as the logic is concerned and some with very ambiguous answers.

At the start of the exam, in the pre-spiel, it does tell you to note any question numbers down where you feel that there is some concern and log these with CASA.

I took note of a couple which I thought were a problem, on the working paper that was given to me, which was promptly taken back at the end of the exam. This sort of defeated the purpose, and I was too knackered to think about it at the time.

I believe that in any multi choice exam there can be questions with some ambiguity, however, at least one of the answers should be much more correct than any of the others. I did not find this in the CASA exams which did make it more difficult for me.