Why do ATPL QB's vary across Europe?

[Greg2041]

... some talk about V.14, others 15 and apparently some are more accurate than others.

Seems a bit weird considering there is one body overseeing the exams.

Does anyone know if EASA are planning to have just one accurate version?

[Alex Whittingham]

Its because, up until recently, the national Authorities were supplied with question banks by the JAA. In the early days these were highly flawed and most of the larger Authorities kept their own local versions of the databases with edited questions and answers in them, plus their translated versions, plus extra questions in the case of some like the German LBA. When a new CQB was sent out they would import only the questions they wanted to use and run the exams from their local databases.

The Authorities (Greece, Malta etc.) without the resources do do this had no choice other than to import each new (and hopefully improved) version of the CQB in full and use the 'raw' questions. That's why you get LRJT flight planning questions in some states but not others.

As an interesting side point, I'm told that, now the JAA has gone, EASA have just discovered that they are neither funded nor authorised to hold a central question bank, so the whole thing is in limbo. My guess would be that the national Authorities will continue to hold their own local databases and we'll bumble on as normal.

[Greg2041]

As an MCQ process guru (sad I know but I have had the course, occ psychology etc), from what I hear I find is astonishing that the CAA can still produce badly written questions and/or wrong answers. How on earth do they validate/test their product? In this litigious society, I am surprised that 'they' can't get it right.

Out of interest if EASA has just discovered that it is neither funded nor authorised to hold a central question bank, where does all the money go and who is the authorising body?

OR just maybe aliens have landed.....

[Alex Whittingham]

It is astonishing. The evidence suggests that there is very little validation. The CAA stopped accepting feedback and discussions from FTOs about possibly defective questions some years ago, saying that they didn't have the staff available to deal with queries, and now only accept appeals from candidates, not those routed through FTOs.

Under EASA the national Authority, the CAA, will still be responsible for producing exams and issuing licences. We had assumed that the exams would be generated from a properly maintained Central Question Bank, generated and owned by EASA. This may no longer be the case.

[IO540]

Don't most of the southern European FTOs either use the UK CAA exam papers, or accept passes from Gatwick?

I know Greece uses the UK papers, and charges a mere 5 euros per exam (compared with £68 at LGW)

[Alex Whittingham]

I don't think that they use UK CAA exam papers but they do look to the UK (amongst others) for a lead in how to deal with the JAA and EASA systems.

Most JAA states, including the UK, now accept a full set of exam passes from another state. Very few will accept an incomplete set of passes. There should be no barrier to you completing your exams in Greece and then taking your exam passes to the UK, completing a skills test in a UK approved school, and then getting a UK issued licence. Equally, there doesn't seem to be much point in doing that, if you've passed your exams with the Hellenic CAA why not do your skills test there as well? - much better weather factor.

[howflytrg]

Am i right in thinking that the CAA can now create new questions unhindered by EASA for the Uk CAA exams?

[paco]

As EASA have washed their hands of it, and each country has intellectual property rights in the previous ones, it would appear so. Not before time.

phil