Failing Exams..
 

hey all,

Well ive been studying the PPL syllabus like crazy the past few months and i just re-sat my exam today for the second time... failed. :ugh::{

I dont what else to do because ive gotten 65% both times. More study i guess.

Anyway it got me thinking, how many ppruners failed exams and if so how many times?

Jay

First of all, Dont give up! If this is something you really want to do, its worth trying again.

Is there a specific area you are consistently getting questions wrong in? For example, is it the performance charts? Is it fuel calculations? Is it weather?

Have a talk with your instructor, and ideally, get the Knowledge Deficiency Reports from both your attempts at the exam, and together with your instructor, go over them to see if there's a pattern.

Definitely take the time to learn and fully understand these areas, because they are what's letting you down. Take your time, there is no rush, either to study or to pass the exam. Take as long as you need, practise as much as you need, and when you book in for your next attempt, do it when you know you'll pass, not when you think you'll pass.

Take as much time as you need, and please - go over the areas you had trouble with, with your instructor, a cup of tea and some biscuits. Your instructor wants you to pass, too!

Failed PPL Basic Aeronautical Knowledge first up, back in the old days. Nobody told me I could take my whiz-wheel into the exam!

Dr :cool:

Get a job driving a truck at a mine. Then you won't have to spend hours flicking through these forums:*

Don't stress I have been teaching for a few years now, and to be honest if you attempt theory subjects without any help. (i.e. based on syllabus only you will be burned).

The syllabus provided is B.S. same as CPL the trick is in knowing what will be asked.

Talk to an instructor with a bit of experience.

Sorry don't agree. I sat every one of my CPL exams besides one after self studying and passed every one with 80% or more, a few with 90%+. That was from studying from the syllabus. The one i did with an instructor only just scraped through.

As for advice, i agree talking to an instructor, and they can be very helpful for those odd things you just cant get your head around, but i found many many practice questions help. Do them, find your weaknesses from them, restudy those parts, retest yourself, all until you believe you are confident with it all. Good on you for taking it on self study. It is harder, but it makes you understand it more i think. Good luck and dont give up buddy :ok:

Isn't that a sad reflection of the quality of instruction being given in the aviation industry and many others these days.

The real trick is being taught the subject matter in depth, ALL OF IT!

If you know the subject in depth, there will be no surprises when you sit the exams.

This business of teaching people only what they need to pass the exam currently in use is completely bogus.

Bob S. I applaud you for the great complete education you gave so many Adelaide pilots over the years. :D:D:D

Thanks everyone. I'll definately have a chat to my instructor but ive been thinking i mite get my HSC out of the way first.. then hit the study.

Another thing ive always wanted to know is I see that you can get alot of the American syllabus on DVD or CR-ROM, like visual learning I guess. Is there any CASA approved or not approved versions of this??

Thanks again :ok:

Don't get disheartened, its not a test of your knowledge, but rather a test of your interpretation of the English language. Keep trying. Check your KDR and go from there.

Good luck and keep trying.

I failed FRTO (FlightRadioTelephoneOperators?), the easiest exam and I cabbaged it - how thick am I :confused:

All my mates took the piss and said I wasn't fit to fly a paper dart -

3600 hours later and I still havent crashed :}

guess there's hope for you too jmoody

If you don't trip up and fail on the odd occasion, then you aren't stretching yourself enough!!!!!

I cannot, and therefore could not, study well on my own. Try different methods - the best can be a general discussion with fellow ppl'ers and/or an instructor (perhaps with reference material nearby to confirm). Talk scenarios and perhaps actual occurrences. It can make the world of difference.

A few thousand hours later, and just the one crash for me.........

Keep at it, and enjoy the journey.

Rob Avery has some pretty good computer based practice PPL and CPL exams out at the moment. Worth going through!

Perf and Loading is usually the big killers, if you dont get the marks for this area throw the computer in the bin, my advice is as stated previously in the thread, get your instructor to go through it all with you and show you the traps.

Remember if it is a forcast wind on a P chart, assume nil wind!

Good Luck!

JMoody, two things. Love your VFG! And, GET BACK UP ON THAT HORSE!

wow i didnt expect this much support! thanks for the advice everyone! :D

And dont worry i wont be giving up anytime soon.. third time lucky? ;)

Jay

Third time Lcuky
 

Hey Jmoody,
Hang in there champ. I failed my CPL theory twice. Scrapped through on the third attempt which is the lucky bit cause that was the last time they did the three exams in one day (6 hours worth). I passed the three exams each time but my aggregate total was 68%, 67% and 72% respectively.
I was at a flight school in Cooranbong (no i was not on the bong's myself) and the instructor in charge of the theory section was amazing. It was one section that I constantly got a low score in. He came up with some practical ways of learning the content that included physically walking out some simple procedures on the ground. (my maths sucks). As I said. Third time was the charm. now just got to get the flying bit done.
Dreamy look out window at airfield close to work. :)

Just personal experience, I found rushing through exams and flight tests to be extremely unbeneficial

Best way to do things is slowly. Go over everything again and again. Practice whenever you can. Don't try to squeeze everything in at once... One topic at a time. Fully understand that topic and move on. If you feel someone is trying to rush your training, take a step back and remember who is going to benefit in the long run.... Hope this helps

jmoody,

everyone fails exams all the way from the BAK to the airline captain.

just have another go.

I failed my IREX 3 or 4 times i can't remember, failed a bunch of others also. I have never studied so hard before in my life and still had extreme difficulty passing. When i applied for my ATPL they considered rejected the application because of my failures.
My 2 cents, use you KDR as a guide to study. And know your weak areas.
PS. do what smokinhole says and get a job driving a truck at a mine. you'll save youself a heck of a lot of $ and time.

hey
 

Bob Tait is the way to go and hold your head up high mate you will get there i failed agk on my cpl no big deal...

Jump the hurdles as they come to you. Get your HSC squared away first. It's going to be harder to go back and sit that one again. It's boring and stupid but tick the boxes and move on and upwards.

With the PPL, if you've gotten the same mark and possibly the same questions wrong shows there's something fundamental lacking. Talk to your instructor and go back to basics. If your self studying, try a different textbook. Not that the ones that your using are wrong, but you may find something explained from a different point of view makes perfect sense. Thsi will be true throughout your career.

Don't let it get to you, everyone fails things from flight tests to theory exams. Just keep working at it. It's worth it in the end. Back to the first point though......get your hsc.