Today, I took a written test. Actually there were multiple exams covering nine subjects. I couldn’t help but remember my student years when I used to stay up all night before an exam, trying to fill every gap in my knowledge.
Generally, I am a passionate learner, especially if I find the subject interesting. That’s why I don’t struggle with the theoretical part of my education. However, Air Law annoys me a bit. I fail to understand why I need to remember a year of the Rome convention of something like that. Nevertheless, most of the information is relevant and important.
I am always nervous before an exam, and this time was no different. I entered the room and got the question list. Initially I read every question multiple times. But, after a few minutes, my brain started working on the subject itself, and I realized that I was well prepared, and I just needed to carefully read the questions and select the best answers.
Around the sixth subject I felt like that: “ONE MORE? Oh, I supposed that it was the last one!”
Unfortunately, I failed the subjects I was most confident in before the exam: Navigation, Aircraft General Knowledge, and Principles of Flight. I realized that I was in trouble after receiving the question list, and it became clear that I would likely need to retake these exams.
I did fine with charts and computations, but I struggled with compass turning and acceleration errors, magnetic north drift, and AIP GEN 1-2-1. As for Aircraft General Knowledge and Principles of Flight, I realized that I needed to study more, as they are not so easy that I thought.
I have to tell some words about question banks. I used to read the books, but I also use question banks to estimate my level. For PPL I used ppltutor.com (heh, now they provide only FAA version, but in 2017 they gave EASA) and pplcruiser.co.uk. None of them is a good idea for Czech. Later I also found aeroweb.cz, and it is great. The only problem is that it is in Czech, and google translate works (or worked in 2017?) terribly with that language. Anyway, oxford books works in any case.
I want to mention question banks as well. While I usually read books to prepare, I also use question banks to assess my level. For PPL, I used ppltutor.com (heh, now they provide only FAA version, but in 2017 they gave EASA) and pplcruiser.co.uk, but neither was a good fit for the Czech Republic. Later, I found aeroweb.cz, which is excellent, but it’s in Czech, and Google Translate doesn’t work well (or didn’t in 2017?) with that language. Anyway, oxford books work in any case, but they require considerable amount of time.
Although I’m not thrilled with my results, I’m not very disappointed either. The main point is that I passed Air Law, which I had to do before my first solo. My instructors don’t think I’m ready to fly solo yet, but it’s good to finish the paperwork at least. The next exam is in a month, so I have enough time to prepare for just three subjects, especially now that I understand my weak points better!
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