Hi guys,

I recently sat the CPL AGK exam and missed out on a pass by two questions.
Reading over my KDR's and it's basic content that I know quite well.
I don't want to be "that guy" and blame CASA's ambiguity when it comes to asking questions. But I would like to know if there are any tips to get through the questions and be able to understand what they're asking.

i've struggled with reading the questions for AGK as well as AERODY and I don't want to go any further without sorting out this issue I seem to have.

I've only attempted three exams now and managed to get through MET quite well, but I'm worried I'm in a little bit of a slump and won't be able to get out of it.

Any tips or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.
Josh

Hi Josh
I like your attitude in avoiding immediately 'blaming the question'. Even if that is the case, we just have to live with it. What can YOU do to improve your chances?

Don't fall for the trap of 'learning questions'. There is always a temptation to concentrate on hundreds of questions to the point where they become 'old friends' and you are actually providing answers to known questions (Oh yes, I know this one!).

Read the stem of the question only and cover up the responses/distractors. Ask yourself what answer you would give if the question was put to you directly without choices.

Don't look at the choices until you have carefully read the question. There is always the danger of your brain snapping onto one of the choices as the required answer and then reinterpreting the stem of the question to make it fit! I'm sure you've heard of RTFQ.

Can you give an answer in your own words, as though you were explaining it to a friend?

Read the text thoroughly and make your own notes and diagrams without reference to the published questions.

Hi Bob,

Thank you for your response. I re-sat the exam yesterday morning and passed with 80%! Although I probably should have got a bigger score, I am very happy that I was able to take your advise and use it properly. I took my time I read the questions slowly and repeatedly.

I’ll be sure to use the same methods going forward with the rest of my exams.

Once again thank you so much!

Bob's advice is very much correct and to the point.

The other technique which helps when you then get to actually selecting the answer is to identify the distractors (those answers which are trying to trip you up to sort the student wheat from the chaff) among the answer alternatives. Sometimes, the examiner does his/her task very skilfully and the distractors can look very invitingly like they might be correct.

That is to say, figure out which answers are wrong and then bin them.

If you are fortunate, you end up with only one feasible answer and the outcome is easy. If not, you may have to pick between, say, two answers, rather than four or whatever.

Knowing the work is the more important aim in study. Getting the pass is the sideline "has to be done thing". With the exams, technique is important to maximise the probability of getting each question out correctly (even if the examiner often makes it a case of getting to the most, rather than an absolutely, correct answer .... )

Congratulations Jashton
That's a solid mark, well done. Home study can be a long lonely slog so I'm sure you're glad to have put that one behind you. Keep it up mate!!

Thanks, I have passed four of the CPL exams and have expired with the two year expiry period. I re sat two exams yesterday and failed both. I really got caught with practicing Denisty Altitude, Pressure Altitude and ISA Deviations. None of these were on the Met exam. I ended up with 69%.... and a similar result with HUF.

I’m also trying to home study.
Thanks for your above technique advice!