Hi guys,

I am not far off sitting the IREX. So I can reassure myself in regards to the AIP tagging, are there any specific parts that would be a good idea to tag in relevance to the exam questions that prior exam goers have witnessed . I don't want to waste my 15 tags!

Thanks in advance.

Everyone will have a different view on this, so I can only tell you what worked well for me:
* (1) Tag only the stuff that is hard to find!
* (2) Don't use too many tags ... see (1)

So what did this look like for me? Believe it or not, just a single tag on ENR1.4/4 Classes of Airspace.

If you've prepared well for the IREX examination you will know where pretty much everything is as you will have been flipping back and forth through the AIP throughout your study. To this end, it's a very good study habit to (i) find each AIP reference as it's mentioned in BT's book (see note below) and highlight the relevant text; and (ii) when doing practice questions, force yourself to look up the AIP for every question (even when you know the answer). In addition to my singular tag and lots of highlights in the AIP text, I also cross-highlighted in the table of
contents for the GEN and ENR - different colours for different themes (but that's just me). Generally, if I had highlighted a section in the ENR, I had also highlighted that same topic in the table of contents.

If you've studied effectively, you'll be able to find 95% of what you're looking for quite efficiently (if not, you're probably not ready for the exam). And if you're at the point where you're efficient at using the AIP, you will find there is plenty of time in the examination. You will not need to rush and can take your time looking up references and confirming your answers. Should you get some obscure question, you'll have the time to start calmly searching and reading to chase down the answer. Feeling pressured and in a rush will not improve your performance, so please don't feel you need to know the AIP by memory - you don't.

Quite a few people I spoke to before taking IREX told me the exam is a nightmare and really, really tough. It's simply not true. Prepare properly and you can look forward to your exam and to a solid result.

FWIW, here's my recommended approach for each question:
* Decide what the question is asking about (eg. radio comm requirements / alternates / en-route procedures / tolerances etc)
* Quickly hit the TOC and determine the sections that are relevant (if not 100% sure)
* Read the relevant section of GEN/ENR (chase down any complications in the question)
* Determine the correct answer
* Look for that answer in the options provided (prove the correct answer)
* Check/confirm other answer options provided are false (disprove the false answers)

I also recommend accessing BT's IREX practice exams. There are four in total, do one each day in the four days preceding your exam.

Good luck!!

Note: Please note Air Services changed references again in the 17 Aug 2017 AIP update. While these new references are probably already reflect in BT's online materials, if you've got a hard copy of the book it may still refer to the previous update. Make sure you've got the current materials for your exam.