PPL theory exams UK - how are the new exams?
 

Any feedback as to how students are doing? Or examiners?

I am a ground examiner but haven’t seen any students since the e-exams started due COVID so have yet to have a chance to use the new system!

I’d like to know too if at all possible.

You may both want to look at my post number 1826470 on a thread on the "other" forum. It won't tell you how the actual exams are but will be a heads up!

other? help me here

I heard some comments a couple of weeks ago. The process seems to have settled down with use however; an observation was that the pass marks were lower than in the past, possibly due to a different range of questions and material.

Alex

I'm surprised a guru like yourself didn't know of the forum glued to a certain magazine.

I have had a bit of experience of these. Probably seen about 7 now.
My personal view is that they are generally too difficult. There are many questions written more like the CPL exams and designed to catch you out.
There are numerous ambiguous questions which are not particularly well written. I have also seen a few questions with I think wrong answers according to the feedback afterwards.
Passmark has not changed but the option to question a question has.

me too please

It's a forum that has flyers

As a GR(A) (now Invigilator) for the new e-exams, I'd agree that the process has settled down a bit now, but we had teething problems in the beginning that meant we were actually late starting. Once you can get your head around what's involved and required and you're reasonably PC/tablet-literate, it not too bad. The move towards an e-based system is certainly welcome and I for one am glad we've finally done away with paper, commensurate with advances elsewhere in the industry. There are a myriad of guidance notes supplied by e-exams for the various roles involved in the systems (admin, schedulers, invigilator etc) which really need to be read and understood for things to work smoothly. I'd also agree that the questions are a lot harder compared to what we've seen before, and unsurprisingly this had reflected in some failed exams. I've got mixed views on this tbh - we have had instances where question content can't immediately be traced back to learning objectives and text books and do sometimes place a question mark on the marked relevance to PPL flying; on the other hand, the unpredictability of questions does (pleasingly) mean that candidates now have to learn the subject matter rather than the questions which surely makes them better all-round pilots and also better-prepared for the ATPL theories that follow. Under the previous paper-based system, the likes of 'PPL Tutor' and other study aids removed the complexities involved and enabled candidates to take and pass exams without any real effort required, aside from memorising the questions. I'd say that is very much not the case now.

Is this really one of the 'thinkings' behind the PPL exams?

If somebody wants a PPL, then they want a, er, PPL. If they want to go on to 'the ATPL theories that follow' then they will, and will need to put in the necessary effort. Who on earth thought that the PPL exams should be preparation for an ATPL?? For Christ's sake, don't try to make the PPL some sort of 'entrance exam' for the ATPL course.

Hopefully I've got the wrong end of the stick...

Kemble P,

my sentiments exactly.
There is, like many things, a balance to be struck. If you make it too hard then less people will go through training. If you make it too easy then the approach to flying becomes like jumping on your bike. I don’t know what the answer is but at the moment some of the e-exams need attention.

As early as 1993 Ron Campbell was pushing the idea that the PPL was the first module in a Modular ATPL. Without that there was no justification for a European PPL.

We in the industry seeing the questions need to hold the CAA to account and email them about their short comings. This has already resulted in some e-Exam questions being changed.

I think they are generally an improvement. My overall impression is that the questions are more relevant to real world flying than the paper exams. That said, I've seen some shockers. One FPP candidate got a multi-engine question! I've also seen some where I think they had the wrong answer marked as correct but it's very difficult to check this given the limited feedback linking to a part of the 'syllabus' (but don't get me started on how the 'syllabus' is nothing like a syllabus but infact a very ambiguous list of topics)

With respect, you have. Our ATO students are all modular, and the vast majority will go on to do either full-time or DL-based ATPL theory exams as soon as they've obtained their PPLs. The PPL e-exams ARE good preparation for those going down the commercial route - not only is the subject matter obviously relevant, the e-exam format is exactly what they'll see with the ATPLs. The complexity of the new e-exam questions is certainly an issue in places and is reflected in some failed papers; but surely this is better than three potentially tatty paper exams for each of the nine subjects, with the bulk of the question formats (if not the actual questions themselves) in the public domain. I can't comment on students who stay with a PPL as very few of ours will.

Thank you, have found the flyer thread. Not massively informative about the content of the exams. Having had some experience of (EASA) examiners' loose interpretation of learning objectives I was particularly interested to find out if they had managed to stay within the bounds of the LOs?

I think I might have the wrong end of the stick as well as I am with Kemble Pits on this one.

Whilst the PPL exams may be seen by some as an entrance exam for the ATPL TK that is not their purpose. It goes without saying (or should) the PPL exam should check the level of understanding appropriate for the Private Pilot. The ATPL TK should then build upon that foundation.

That’s not to say the exam at PPL should be a walk in the park and let’s hope that any problems with the question bank get ironed out quickly. Let’s face it, the old system was long overdue an overhaul.

I'm baffled but not surprised to read so many convolutions for the purpose of an exam. Any course for a private pilots licence is for one purpose: to operate safely meaning with the risk of harm to oneself and to others kept at the minimum. So the course contains a mixture of necessary handling skills and necessary knowledge. This is then followed by both a practical and a knowledge assessment to ensure this is achieved. The PPL is not a 'unit' offering 'credits' for anything else. The licence stands on its own merit. The content should not include anything not relevant nor be done in such a way that is not part of the immediate aim.

I can see how some view the PPL theory as being the first module of professional groundschool, the EASA/UK regs encourage this idea. An integrated groundschool, for instance, has an ab-initio assumption and must have a min duration of 750 hours whereas a modular groundschool requires a PPL to start and has a min duration of 650 hours, this lower figure is based on the assumption that the candidate has already completed 100 hours of PPL theory instruction. In theory a modular course design can assume the candidate already has PPL theory knowledge, but no one does. Evidently the first statement is also true, the purpose of the PPL theory is to prepare the candidate to exercise the prvileges of the PPL. IMHO the flaw lies in equating required course hours with competencies achieved - but this flaw runs like a thread of poo through all the EASA training requirements and will not be overturned until they figure out a way of actually testing required knowledge and competencies effectively.

Hmmm....well I could almost have wrote the script guessing as to what the feedback would be. I had to ask, I suppose.......

And of course, it’s got to be an over complicated screw-up where the exams are taken as a a lead-in to ATPLs. Lots of irrelevant guff, incorrect answers, tenuous links to LOs, let’s keep the questions a secret, Etc etc.

OK, that’s they way it is. So, who is going to set up the question bank site for PPLs, like we have for the ATPLs, so people can jump through the hoops?

Someone will do it soon. If it’s already there, can someone put the link on please.