Hardest PPL exam
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2010
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From: upminster
Hardest PPL exam
Just wondering what JAR PPL exam people found the hardest as NAV was a killer for me 
I did pass - ONLY JUST, but I think it must have been my maths that ever so slightly let me down.
I did pass - ONLY JUST, but I think it must have been my maths that ever so slightly let me down.
Fleet Manager
Joined: Aug 2006
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
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From: Ontario, Canada
I once had a 30 questions aircraft type conversion exam, where 10 of the 30 questions had nothing whatever to do with the type (so I had not reviewed those aspects at all). One question (which I got wrong) had as the "correct" answer, a violation of an air regulation (which is exactly why I did not choose it). I failed the exam by one question.
I complained, and it was agreed I should have passed, and I was sent a letter saying I had. I'm told the exam was changed.
I complained, and it was agreed I should have passed, and I was sent a letter saying I had. I'm told the exam was changed.
Joined: Aug 2005
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From: EGSX
Air Law.
Ghastly.
Get yourself the PPL Confuser and get your head down and pass the exam...
Ghastly.
Get yourself the PPL Confuser and get your head down and pass the exam...
Found I coped with the exams Ok, with the Confuser. The worst was the Air Law exam as it's quite possibly the most tedious subject on the face of the Earth.
The ones you enjoy are the best. Aircraft (Tech) was good fun ( I was a Physics geek at uni ).
Joined: Oct 2006
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From: Yeovil, UK
By far it is MET for me. Failed the first time!! Interestingly I found NAV to be the easiest. Air Law is probably a close 2nd although I didnt have a major issue with it, I did however spend the most time studying for Air Law.
Joined: Jun 2003
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From: EuroGA.org
It may depend on your education and general background.
For me, with an engineering/electronics background, Air Law was the exam which was totally disconnected from any form of common sense.
It was like a Geography O-Level; do that and the amount of revision wipes out 3 other O-Level passes.
But I can imagine that tech subjects are going to be hard for people without a tech background.
For me, with an engineering/electronics background, Air Law was the exam which was totally disconnected from any form of common sense.
It was like a Geography O-Level; do that and the amount of revision wipes out 3 other O-Level passes.
But I can imagine that tech subjects are going to be hard for people without a tech background.
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Just a bit lower than the point where the falling angel meets the rising ape
Air Law.
Every other exam (barring RT perhaps) follows some sort of logical pattern, relating to maths or one of the sciences. Air Law? loads of rules made up by some dudes in the first part of the last century, that you either know or you don't.
Lots and lots of rote learning. Ew.
Agree about the confuser. Well worth getting hold of one.
JR
Every other exam (barring RT perhaps) follows some sort of logical pattern, relating to maths or one of the sciences. Air Law? loads of rules made up by some dudes in the first part of the last century, that you either know or you don't.
Lots and lots of rote learning. Ew.
Agree about the confuser. Well worth getting hold of one.
JR
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Joined: Feb 2000
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
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From: UK
Anything involving air law, at all levels (PPL(M), then JAR-PPL(SEP), and finally CPL. I passed them all first time, but near as dammit minimum mark on all of them, and hated all of them.
For me to learn stuff, I need to understand it. Air law is all about memory - it's why I was also useless at history at school, and foreign languages at most times.
G
For me to learn stuff, I need to understand it. Air law is all about memory - it's why I was also useless at history at school, and foreign languages at most times.
G
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 61
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From: Bahamas / Sweden / Ireland / Australia
Meteorology for me as well. A bit too interpretive for my liking. It always seemed to me like there were a number of possible answers to some of the questions related to interpreting weather conditions and you needed to know which one they were looking for.
For the most part with the other exams there was only one answer and you either knew it or you didn't. Air law was pretty boring but I didn't really think of it as hard.
For the most part with the other exams there was only one answer and you either knew it or you didn't. Air law was pretty boring but I didn't really think of it as hard.
Joined: Mar 2011
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From: Essex UK
I didn't enjoy Airlaw much, but the hardest for me was Nav. I left it to last, seemed to have mental block preparing for the exam. Passed comfortably when I actually got around to sitting it and only took about 20 minutes to do it. Trouble is I want to do an IMC now and as far as I know it's going to be the same thing all over again. 
Joined: Aug 2010
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From: UK
Gen tech was the most difficult for me because a lot of the information was new to me. Reading the book twice and doing a lot of practise with the confuser meant I managed to scrape a pass first time. I'm reading it all again to make sure it stays relatively fresh in my mind. I didn't find Air Law difficult, but it was very boring - I found the most effective way of getting to sleep was to read that stuff.
I thought Nav was the most fun and it was also the exam in which I did best.
I thought Nav was the most fun and it was also the exam in which I did best.