Hi everyone, I’ve just passed CMET today and also finished all my CASA exams for the year. For context, I’m doing an integrated course and started my PPL training earlier this year. This year I was able to do 4 CPL exams (CHUF, CADA, CSYA,CMET). I’ve got Law, Performance, Nav and IREX next year but thankfully I won’t have to worry about them for 4+ months. I thought now that I’ve passed, I believe it’s best to help everyone out who may be about to sit these exams.

CHUF (93%)
My first CPL exam. This subject wasn’t too bad, apart from TEM. I used Bobs book and PPE mostly for this, and I also referred to CASA’s [url= https://www.casa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-06/safety-behaviours-human-factor-for-pilots-8-threat-error-management.pdf ]TEM bookletTEM booklet[/url] for a further deep dive, as well as their AC on teaching and assessing non-technical skills so I knew the exact terminology to use. Some of the TEM questions in the exam literally depended on you having read these linked documents, so if you’re sitting CHUF and want to score high or pass, these are a must. Apart from that, it was mostly basic questions in eyes, ears, sleep credits, effects of alcohol and drugs, visual illusions on approach, monitored cockpits and crew coordination, etc. Nothing too new or out of left-field in this one as long as you read the question properly.

CADA (98%)
Aerodynamics, my favourite subject, but obviously, there’s more behind the score. Before I sat this, I read through so many posts on this forum, and that helped orient me for the kinds of questions I was going to be asked. Buying Bobs practice exams helped as well, and reading through the book and doing the exercises was a godsend. Reading CASA’s AC on wake turbulence was very helpful too. What I didn’t expect, at least for CADA, was that this exam felt nearly nothing different to Bobs practice exams. There were a couple of unique questions especially on aircraft stability and wake turbulence, but I found that If you just read Bob’s book carefully, take extensive notes, and in your spare time watch some videos on topics you’re struggling on, this subject will be very kind to you.

CSYA (95%)
From the get-go, I knew this subject was going to be content-heavy. It’s the only CPL subject (so far) that I bought Rob Avery’s practice exams for. Nevertheless, I found AGK to be really enjoyable - I feel like this is the only CPL subject that is “truely CPL” rather than just PPL + a couple of minor additions tacked on. Learning about hydraulics, turbochargers, fire protection systems in particular was all cool stuff. I found the exam to be nicely balanced amongst all the things in Bob Tait’s textbook, except they were a bit heavy on turbochargers, MP and CSUs (rightfully so). Overall, if you know your carburettor icing, CHT indicatons, fuel systems, fire protection systems, fuel grades, fuel transducers, DG precession, electrical system indications, the effects of advancing throttle, or climbing or descending through critical altitude in a turbocharger with either a fixed or automatic waste gate you should be fine. Also be wary of a couple questions on mixture control and boost pump operations as well because I thought I had the hang of those but they still showed up on my KDR.

CMET (88%)
Honestly my least favourite subject. Not really because of the operational meteorology but rather the general MET stuff got me in the exam. CASA can ask you anything they want and it showed. Whether it be a line taken out from a pdf BOM document or Bob Tait’s book or PPE, be prepared to get asked anything, with their “most correct” scheme being added to the questions too. In a sense, I would say it’s good to have half the exam just be operational MET and TAFs and GAFs and GPWTs because it’s really the science part of met where things get ambiguous, at least for me. Anyhow, I’m still happy to get it out of the way.

Extra tidbits of advice -

1. DON’T second guess yourself, especially on the exam. This occurred a lot with CMET and you just have to compare that result with the other subjects to know that it statistically won’t help you. I knew this fact from the beginning, but still did it. Honestly, you have to “train”yourself to stick to your first answer. Just like training a muscle at the gym!
2. You can use ChatGPT to make sure you’re ingesting the material. I know people are mixed on this, but you can ask AI to generate a multiple choice exam based on the subject. Sometimes it’ll get a concept blatantly wrong, but you can use that as an opportunity to use your understanding of the subject to explain why it is wrong.
3. Use flash card apps like Anki, so you’re engaging your mind and going through those “ah crap! It was x instead of y” moments. That moment is going to be seared into your head much more than passively reading a sentence. That’s the whole point of flash cards anyway.
4. Read through these forums deeply. Reading these forums should be part of your study for any CASA exam.
5. Take breaks during your study. I didn’t with CMET.
6. Watch a LOT of South Park. In particular, you should pay attention to a big-boned, small kid in a red coat with a light-blue beanie. He sits on the couch eating Cheezy Poofs all day. That’s the person at CASA who writes these exams.

All jokes aside, I want to thank Bob Tait for his commitment and diligence, and everyone on this forum for your insights and your experiences. I love this industry as much as you all, and I’m excited for what lies ahead!

For those who are about to sit these exams, I’m happy to explain further if you still have any questions.

But until then, I’m off to 4 months of holidays and flying! Onwards and Upwards!