IMC Theory
 

Hi Folks,

I have my IMC Theory Exam at the weekend and I just wondered if the format of the exam is the same or similar to the questions in the 'IMC Questions and Answers Simplifier"? I.e. 4 or 5 questions to open, followed by 12 questions on a plog and then some nav to finish?

Many thanks & Happy Landings

Jetset

Don't know the 'IMC Questions and Answers Simplifier' but I took the test over the summer. It was 25 questions, quite a lot of them on a navigation exercise similar to (but more precise than) the PPL nav exam, plus radio nav, weather, instruments & failure modes, rules etc. A reasonably tough exam but perfectly manageable if you've read the books and done some question practice. I've heard that Oxford Aviation have a good but expensive IMC training DVD.

I don't remember the exact amount of leading questions, but about halfway through they indeed had you do a plog for a given route, and most of the remaining questions were about that plog.

Did mine the other day. A few questions on privileges/validity of the rating. Then about 6/7 on a PLOG, followed by some general navigation questions. There was a morse code question but all morse is at the bottom right of the chart so that's an easy mark!

So you noticed that too, eh?:E It's like that question on the PPL exam where you were given a METAR to interpret, and are asked for the current visibility. One of the multiple choice answers was along the lines of "it's totally irrelevant as it's yesterdays METAR". You then check the date and realize that that is indeed the correct answer.

Anyway, I remember one of the questions I got wrong. It was about the degrees of accuracy of a "class B VDF steer" (or QDM response, or something like that). I guessed the answer wrong and when the examiner told me that I got that question wrong, I remember saying "Don't know, don't care". The examiner just nodded.

Oh, and something else. You might get questions about the minima on non-precision and precision approaches. The people who wrote the exams somehow assume that the 250' and 200+50' additions are not recommendations, but are legally required additions. This means that, for instance on a question about an ILS approach, you need to use the minima from the plate, add 200' for your IMC and 50' for altimeter error, and that becomes the minima you need to use on the exam.

However these additions are not a legal requirement, so in real life you can legally descend to the minima on the plate. (Whether you have enough skills and confidence to do so is a different matter though - the recommendations are there for a reason.)

At least, the above was the case with my exam set. I remember discussions on here about whether these additions are recommendations or requirements, and I asked the examiner specifically beforehand what minima the IMC exam would expect me to use.

IMC written exam
 

I need to get this exam out of the way quite soon as I'm in a position to get my test booked, I can recommend the Oxford Aviation IMC CD-ROM, but then again it just delivers the information available to you from other sources at a higher cost, plus my missus wanted to castrate me when she saw how dear it was! Anybody reading this with the exam coming up I wish you good luck! I get extremely nervous before tests, but hopefully will have covered all bases before I take the plunge with this one.

Cheers, Jim:ok:

You can do your written exam after your test if you want (I did). No set order it in which they need doing.

Many thanks for the responses :ok:

order of exams
 

are you sure you can do the written after the flight?

I did. My applications is at the CAA now so if I get an angry phone call from them I'll let you know! Don't forget you send off an application that states you've completed the necessary requirements, there is no set order in which you have to do them.

I passed guys, really enjoyed it actually very satisfying