Hi all,

I passed my IREX (fairly comfortably) last Friday and I thought I might be able to offer some insight. Much of this has been said before by other students but I hope it helps. I used the Bob Tait book as my main guide, this forum as a reference for those tricky topics, and the four cyber exams (all of which were worth every cent).

As nearly everyone has said, it is a VERY wordy exam. RTFQ twice... three times if you can. Then read it again. The person/s writing these questions have a great command of the English language and seem to use it almost sadistically. Sometimes you are bombarded with information and then asked a very straightforward question at the end. Sometimes you'll be asked a very simple question then spend 5 minutes wondering if you missed something and start second-guessing yourself. The presence or absence of one word can completely change the answer. What I tried to keep reminding myself was that (most of) the answers were right in front of me and that I had time to check and make sure I picked the right one.

The biggest piece of advice I can offer regarding IREX is do not become "question oriented". Make sure you are familiar with all of the documents. I tried to make sure I knew where to find the key information from memory and then used tags for the more obscure stuff. This was a big help in removing any time pressure in the exam itself. On the day, I really relaxed and took my time. I finished the paper in 2 hours, used my allocated break, and then read through the paper again twice (about 30 mins). I changed the answer to one question (dangerous, I know) but I ended up getting it right. Do as many practice questions as you can before the real thing. The more you do, the more you'll have to go through the documents, and the more familiar with them you will be. I guess that's what CASA want...

It's been nearly a week since my exam but I've tried to recall the content:
* 3-4 questions on recent experience for approaches, single pilot ops, NVFR etc.
* 3-4 questions on alternate requirements (due Wx, lighting etc)
* A couple on fuel planning (alternate/holding etc.)
* 5 or so questions referring to the DAPs re' SIDs, STARs, minima etc. (this included a "dirty trick" question - those who've done the Tait exams know what I mean)
* A couple on route selection
* 2-3 on interpreting ERC information (LSALTs, reporting points etc)
* Comm failure procedures in IMC/CTA
* 3-4 on NDB/VOR (these were surprisingly simple)
* 2-3 on general met'
* Take-off minima for a qualifying aircraft
* Circling area dimensions
* Visual circling procedures (day and night)
* Requirements for remaining clear of CTA

I'm sure there are parts that I've missed but I think that was about it.

Well, I really hope this information helps future IREX candidates as similar, previous posts certainly helped me. This forum is a great resource and cannot recommend it highly enough.

Best of luck everybody,

Nick

PS: If I could, I'd like to (humbly) suggest adding a 'T' to A.C.V.W.P.L.S. ("Alternates Could Very Well Prove Life Savers Today"). The T is for "Traffic" holding at SYD etc. I had a question like this in my exam and this helped me not make a silly, simple mistake.

Congratulations Nick!

Thanks very much for an excellent post and review of the exam. It can't help but give guidance to other students working towards their instrument ratings.

Your comment regarding traffic holding at Sydney is intriguing. ACVWPLS covers the factors used when deciding if an alternate is required or not, and traffic holding is not one of those. It is definately part of calculating your fuel requirements, however.

Was traffic holding somehow part of your decision to carry an alternate in the question, or was it referring to calculating holding fuel requirements?

Cheers,

Rich

Hi Rich,

Thank you for your reply, and no problem at all.

Regarding the T for "Traffic", sorry, I didn't really explain that very well. I found my self using the acronym for alternate questions but also if the question asked if an alternate or holding fuel was required. I would go through the list and jot down notes on each point (as required). The T just prevented me from missing the traffic holding, but only in those rare cases such as SYD etc.

I guess I wasn't really using ACVWPLS 100% the way it was intended to be, but it did help me out on at lease one occasion.


Cheers,

Nick

Hi Nick,

Doesn't matter at all - whatever helps you remember is totally fine Others may well use the same approach and I'm sure it will help them too.

Cheers,

Rich