exam errors

[BEagle]

The CAA view now is that if the questions are collated and distributed, there will be a ban on LAPL/PPL exams being taken at ATO / DTO and candidates will have to attend at exam centres.

[MrAverage]

Equally punishing those of us who endeavour to invigilate correctly..........................

[Fl1ingfrog]

The CAA view now is that if the questions are collated and distributed, there will be a ban on LAPL/PPL exams being taken at ATO / DTO and candidates will have to attend at exam centres.

Well, it's had little effect on CPL schools even though these exams have always been taken at CAA exam centres! LAPL/PPL questions and answers are being collected and then widely distributed for a price.

The author of the Confuser actually sent a copy of the questions he had written to the Head of Standards at the CAA asking if he could publish it.

That is not what the author told me at the time. Someone is kidding someone here.

The CAA can take action re Copyright.

Unlikely and very expensive should they dare such an escapade. Exam questions must be on facts and texts that it is expected all should know and therefore cannot be owned. How can you copywrite the track/radial from CPT to Wycombe Air Park? My understanding from the author of the Confuser at the time was that the CAA didn't grant licence to him at at all but realized they could do nothing about it.

[Whopity]

My understanding from the author of the Confuser at the time was that the CAA didn't grant licence to him

Of course not they don't grant licences, but equally they didn't know what the material contained. I do however recall the conversation with the ground examiner after he found out.

[Fl1ingfrog]

Whopity you said;

The author of the Confuser actually sent a copy of the questions he had written to the Head of Standards at the CAA asking if he could publish it. The answer was Yes!

[Whopity]

FF
That is just the answer to a question, it was not a licence or approval, simply that he couldn't see any reason why not because he didn't know what he was looking at. A bit like can I park my car here?

[BigEndBob]

Basic navigation is simple, been taught for what 100 years. I read some of these convoluted questions that are unnecessarily complicated at PPL level.
I have students that plan a xc no problem, but come exam time fail the exam. Unless you look over their shoulder you have no idea why they failed.
The decode system is useless and vague.
These students are hobby pilots, not astronauts.

[BigEndBob]

Flight planning and performance should be 2 separate exams. Ask say 10 questions on planning a flight and 10 on w & B, aircraft performance.

[BigEndBob]

Was it in the days of ppsc they would ask candidates what questions came up in the exam so they could adjust the syllabus.

[rudestuff]

What we need is a real-life Savant to take the exams to get some real life word-for-word questions and answers.

[Mickey Kaye]

Originally Posted by BigEndBob

Was it in the days of ppsc they would ask candidates what questions came up in the exam so they could adjust the syllabus.

Yes

It should be one exam of 120 questions covering all 9 subjects and due to blatant plagiarism by the industry it should be sat at test centres.

As for the content well the output of that is dictated by the person who is writing the exams. I always thought the IMC papers were very good. Any chance of getting that person back?

[Fl1ingfrog]

Any chance of getting that person back?

Well, the PPL exams are now the result of a committee so what should we expect?

[TheOddOne]

I always thought the IMC papers were very good.

I find them sadly out of date. I was discussing this the other day and it was acknowledged that they are really out-of-date and in fact contain wrong information. It's not good when you have to tell a student that the answers to questions are wrong and to put an 'x' in a particular box.
The IMC exams are based on flying using navigation using NDB and VOR and feature resolving a PLOG based on this. They are sorely in need of re-writing. AOPA started the IMC rating - perhaps someone like BEagle could give them a prod.

There was a tragic 'VFR into IMC' accident over the English Channel recently. The CAA have produced a cartoon illustrating the dangers of this. All well and good but their time would be better spent promoting getting an IMC qualification that doesn't mean taking 3 months off work to achieve. It is rightly claimed that many lives have been saved over the years by the IMC rating but with the uncertainties of its future, many PPLs have shied away from doing it.

TOO

[shorehamite]

I have also been made aware of another question in the nav. exam showing a picture of an RBI and asking what is the true bearing to the NDB.
this surely should be in an IMC question paper not a PPL one.

[ve3id]

Originally Posted by shorehamite

I have also been made aware of another question in the nav. exam showing a picture of an RBI and asking what is the true bearing to the NDB.
this surely should be in an IMC question paper not a PPL one.

Same thing on the Canadian CPL exam. Question asked what could you derive from given equipment, I said you could get bearing and distance to DME station because the GPS was included. Got it wrong.

[EXDAC]

The RAF definition of track that was provided earlier is just the same as used by FAA. Track describes the path taken by the aircraft. The measurement of a bearing on a map or chart does not require the involvement of an aircraft.

[BigEndBob]

Well the exam board has the data. If there is a significant failure rate on some questions, either the question is worded incorrectly or no viable answer is given.
UK we use term "track" for line drawn on the map.
We use "track made good" for actual in flight path.

[BigEndBob]

Originally Posted by ve3id

Same thing on the Canadian CPL exam. Question asked what could you derive from given equipment, I said you could get bearing and distance to DME station because the GPS was included. Got it wrong.

I don't mind a candidate being asked for a QDM to a station if they are given a picture of DI and RBI.
Such a skill is quite basic if the aircraft is so equipped.
I always ask candidate on test if they can obtain a QDM with equipment if fitted.