Bridging Package CAA Exams - Advice sought, please

[Farm-for-sale]

For starters: Festive Greetings to the mil Ppruner fraternity, especially those 'enjoying' the Season within reaching distance of an SA-80... Our thoughts and prayers to get you back safe.

Back at 'Homeistan', I am stumbling my way through a Mil Bridging Package with Bristol GS and have the first set of CAA exams looming, but now turn to the SMEs for some thoughts and guidance:

1. What's the best study plan - reading notes or running through exam papers... what do they do on the 'crammers'?

a. Where can I find the exam format (No of Q's / time limit / allowed equipment etc)?

ii. Any advice on best places to stay for either Gatwick or Oxford?

- Any other top tips graciously accepted (in the spirit of Christmas, obviously)!

Bound to be previous links, and I'll wander over to the Civ side to also ask, but any steers most welcome.

Cheers all and Merry Christmas all

FFS

[deeceethree]

If you are doing this with Bristol GS (near Cheddar these days?) then they should be able to give you all those answers ..... surely? I did the CAA exams (ALL of them, back in the old days, when I were a lad, blah blah ...), so I can't talk about JAR format or content, sorry.

Long time since I did the crammers, but it involved ensuring you understood the exam content (tricks and tips, traps for the unwary, etc) and practise questions. Definitely worth the time and money.

[Farm-for-sale]

DeeCee,

Good point, well presented: I shall ask, but help on the other Q's most welcome. Unfortunately the crammers aren't available for Mil Bridgers!

Cheers

FFS

[Projecting GAP]

Bristol will send you past exams and a question bank. I just went through them again and again just to learn the answers and not really understand all the questions! It works. Don't worry about not having a crammer - I was worried that I wasn't on one but Bristol gets you ready with what they send so don't sweat it.

Went to Oxford which was very civil and like being back in school a little. Didn't stay long - did the exams and got out sharpish.

Anyway good luck and Bristol will guide you through with great efficiency!

Merry Christmas.

[Czech MaShortz]

Farm-for-sale,

Become a member of the JAR/CAA question bank. I think it costs about 50 euros for 3 months membership, and you can join online. This then gives you access to ALL the latest JAR questions.

I did my bridging exams about 5 years ago with Bristol GS. They were excellent throughout and did send me copies of 'past papers' however, by far, the best help was the online question bank. I used this to do my own crammer, and when it came to the 4 exams, it was a case of question recognition throughout (even in the Mass and Balance exam).

Hope this helps - good luck with the exams, the IR (go to Exeter) and more importantly, with finding a job in the civvie market (if indeed this is your overall gameplan).

[Farm-for-sale]

Gents,

Very appreciative, thanks. I have the Q bank from ATPonline and they discuss V2 and V3 of the database... Any recent experience on which was more relevant?

Any hotels / hostel recommendations too?

Cheers

FFS

[Horror box]

I did mine with Bristol GS about 2 1/2 years ago, so fairly recent. I read through all the notes first in quickish time in the months before the crammer, and did the tests at the end of each chapter quick as possible. I probably understood about 50% at best, but just ploughed through. Then once I had got through all this, I got the online question bank going, and this was excellent preparation, and I cant recommend it enough. Then I did as much of this as I could in the couple of weeks before and kept doing it until the night before the exam. The crammer was excellent and if you have missed anything or not understood anything, not to worry, as the crammer will sort it out. I was, probably like you, very nervous about the exams prior to the crammer, but really needn't have worried. Alex and the team there will have you more than well prepared, and you will know this before you go into the exams.
As far as accommodation - I found the nearest officers mess and stayed there. I did the exams near to RAF Henlow, so that worked very well (although I cant remember what the test centre was called.) There is bound to be an Army or RAF mess within a manageable drive.
Good luck, and while you are here online - do another run on the question bank before you log off!

[I'm Off!]

Just do the Bristol GS online Q bank (Ł50 for 3 months) over and over and it'll all be fine.

Gatwick is good for exams, less cadets spouting off about things they know nothing about. Plenty of travelodge's etc around, but no mil mess that close unfortunately. I suppose Northolt would be doable but a ballache of a drive through M25 traffic.

[A and C]

Mostly on track

You seem to have most of your ducks in a row but if is is Gatwick for the exams dont try to save a few quid by staying at Northolt, the drag around the M25 is not very good for the brain at the best of times and the motorway has a habit of turning in to Europe's largest car park at the drop of a hat.

Do your self a favour and get a hotel room at Gatwick so as to have the brain on top form for the exam, after all you dont want to have to re-sit because you made a stupid error induced by M25 stress.

As for jobs, they are in short supply at the moment but some of the RAF flying clubs are a very good sorce of what is going on in the industry as some of the instructors are flying for the airlines and usualy know what is happening long before it is public knowledge. Also joining the flying club will let you use your new civil licence for you own ends............ taking the Wife/girlfreind/mistress to France for the weekend is usualy worth a few points in the bank!

[Tonkenna]

Only did the air law exam (a few weeks ago) and Oxford was fine (only a few miles away). The on-line question bank mentioned above was a life saver and worth every penny!!

Tonks

[BEagle]

Hope you've got the IR squared away, Tonks?

At least you'll have an ATPL to put a 330 TR on soon, eh?

[Horror box]

Thanks CBA, Shuttleworth was the place. Highly recommend it if it is still an option. The mess at Henlow is only a short drive away, and it is really nice to have a decent gym and bar (in that order??), to help relax a bit in between. Definitely made the whole thing quite a bit easier.

[silvereagle]

Bristol GS was my preferred route. Reading the books interspersed with lots of practice exams. The on line database is a must and well worth it.

I also got the relevant question books from aviationexam.com. These books contain 99% of the current question bank.

Re accommodation at Gatwick - I used the Ibis which is about 1.5 miles away. Each time I got there the night before. The hotel is close enough so that you could walk if the weather is crap or the car refused to start. I didn't want to be anywhere else on the day of the exam/s having done all the work.

I did the rotary exams and then bridged across to get a CPL(A) as well. Only another 3 exams and well worth it.

PM if you need any more info.

[Farm-for-sale]

Gents, All,

Very much appreciate all the intel to date, thoughts on my other Qs?

- V2 or V3 database.
- Any other Crammer top-tips (not eligible to go, unfortunately)
- Format of exam.

Cheers all and Best Wishes.

FFS

[silvereagle]

Not sure about databases - I did my last exam in Feb 08 so am slightly out of date.

Crammers - I didn't do one, just a day with the GS provider clarifying some concepts I didn't fully understand. I did that about 2 weeks before the exam so I had time to go through the question bank and make sure I understood what was being asked.

Exams - I must say, I found the exams easier than I had feared. I did a mountain of work/study, concentrating on the really difficult stuff. In every exam, I found myself rattling through the questions and on one paper couldn't believe I had finished in under half the time.

The composite exams are a bit more tricky because they cover such a wide range of topics. But is you check the CAA website, you will be able to find a list of all that is included. Then it's just a case of going through the relevant books and question banks.

PM me if you need more detailed help.

[MrBernoulli]

I used the mess at Henlow for some of the exams but the exam venue wasn't Shuttleworth - have vague memories of it being a nearby agricultural college? Was quite a while ago now, though (2002?).

[BEagle]

Silsoe Agricultural College, probably?

Went there to do my Air Law exam for the R/BCPL/FI which military QFIs used to be able to do in the pre-JAA days.

Good thing was, it was allowable towards my ATPL 10 years later.

All I can remember is that you had to get 100% in 'Paper 2' in those days - and there was 'negative marking'. A wrong answer scored -1, a correct answer +3.... So the moral was 'quite whilst you're ahead' - and NEVER to guess! I passed 100% of everything I'd attempted - and couldn't be @rsed to answer 3 of the more tedious questions.

That and all those $odding roundabouts in Milton-bŁoody-Keynes on the way there and back!

But it is NOT the same these days, so for heaven's sake contact Alex and his guys at Brizzle!

[Farm-for-sale]

Thanks all,

I'm booked into a B&B in Horsted (with wifi) and I'll be beating myself senseless with V2 and V3. Bristol came through with all the exam format stuff. You gents are scholars and saints, much obliged.

Best Wishes of the Season

FFS