My Thoughts on the IREX exam

After sitting the test – second attempt - this week I passed…. 

On my first attempt I was not prepared mentally for the test – even though I had done all the practice exams and done a lot of study (got 65%). I got very frustrated with about 4 questions and I think that “bamboozled” my thoughts and in the end I was rushing. I was also very tired for long hours at work and I know now that it is so important to be FRESH and MENTALLY ready for the test. HUMAN FACTORS 101 !!!

Second attempt this week I was much better prepared. (got 85%) I had taken a day off work before this test so I wasn’t going to be so tired, and I felt mentally better prepared.

Study
- Read Bob’s IREX book TWICE – do all the practice questions and the practice exams
- Buy Bob’s practice exams and do them as though exam situation

Recommendations when doing the test
- Go through the question – 2 or 3 times – if it looks like it going to take a bit to decipher leave the question and go back to it at the end – I found this time that I completed the test in 2.5 hours with 5-6 questions left to go back to and work through – long TAF’s to decipher or fuel calculations and alternatives– that way you don’t feel stressed because one question seems to be taking a long time to work through
- Have a bottle of water – do not dehydrate
- Have a toilet break in the middle – stretch the legs and give the brain a break.

Some ideas on the questions
- Know all the recency requirements for IFR – including single pilot - and the NAV aid requirements for different types of flight
- 3 -4 – TAF’s, alternate requirements, one with fuel calculation
o Use Bob’s A,C,V,W,P,L,S principle and work through them
o Expect very tricky questions with TAF, FM INTER and then TTF and FM trying to work out which time is applicable !!! takes time to work it out - - DO a time line like in Bob’s IREX book
- Icing question – cloud types
- NDB coastal refraction question
- Tricky CASA question where they give you all this information about PEG and ILS but all they want is the ALTERNATE values. READ the question all the way through and look at what they area asking BEFORE the ? mark – will save you a lot of time.
- Also tricky question on a HOLDING pattern with the direction of turn and track to take ( considering the value in the DAPs could misled you if you didn’t double check approach heading )
- Know your drift and track error calculations from NDB’s and VOR’s
- Know how to work out intercepts angles.
- DME arrivals
- use of a GNSS TSO-129 unit for alternate aerodrome– luckily I remembered that it cannot be used – must use a VOR or NDB (see CAO 20.18 9D.10 (note 1)
- Calculating LsAlt considering use of Nav Aids

Now onto the flight test

Happy and Safe flying to all