Hello,

This is my first time ever posting on the Bob Tait forums because at this stage I don't know where to go for help. I re-sat CPL MET today after studying really hard for the last 2 weeks and once again (like many other CASA exams I have sat) failed another attempt. First attempt I got 64% and now on the second attempt 68%. An absolute joke of a result considering I've crunched out several practice exams dozens of times over through the paid Pilot Practice Exams and the exams in the Bob Tait CPL MET text book. Last night I even purchased the extra online Bob Tait exams getting anywhere from 88 - 95% on those.

I felt really confident, having a fairly good understanding across most of the subject but still no pass. The questions on the CASA exam were nothing like any of the ones on the practice exams and were all written in a way which I felt gave very little context in regards to what they were asking. On top of that my questions were mostly based on a small portion of the text book.

I have absolutely no idea of what CASA expects us to know and the KDR's do not help in any way to narrow down the deficiency. After throwing hundreds of dollars at this, giving up so many shifts at work, and all while my physical and metal health is on the decline, you could imagine why I'm a little upset to say the least.

I look forward to a response and hopefully a solution.

Hey ngolle….
I’m absolutely feeling your dilemma… I have now failed performance twice… and already working in aviation… I honestly find it really hard to motivate myself to sit and study… I’ve decided to put it all down to strengths and weaknesses….to put it simply…some things we find easier than others…. I found met not too bad of an exam… however… I wanted to stab myself after sitting performance…I have no clue as to why I can’t pass the damn thing… I study…read, Google, ask questions….I’m really questioning… am I just stupid.?
Self study is tough…I think you have to be able to identify which study technique works for you…I’m more of an auditory/visual learner…so you tube was my best friend… I would Google it all… trying to find videos that explained the weather to me… rather than reading it all the time…
Keep going,…. You’ll get it …

Thanks Misssoph

And you definitely aren't stupid! I also failed performance twice. First attempt getting 65% and then somehow getting 54% on a the second attempt after another 2 weeks of study. Performance is just a downright terrible exam. It honestly just seems to be luck of the draw with the questions. Every time I've studied for these exams I have dedicated probably around 100 hours to each subject, studying up to 8 hours per day over several weeks but somehow that still doesn't seem to be enough.

Nobody can guarantee a pass in any exam. People do pass them whilst computer randomly pulls questions from the question ​bank. There is no built-in programming logic such as:
​
if ARN then
​use-easy-questions;
else
​use-super-hard-questions;
​
So, try recalling the questions that you've had and weren't sure about the answer.

On my 2nd attempt (different exam) I wrote down every question that I wasn't sure during exam on a yellow working paper. I knew I couldn't take the yellow working sheet out of exam, however writing down questions on a paper would help me memorising questions after exam.

Thankfully there was no 3rd attempt.

To move forward I suggest re-reading BT book again as well as BOM Meteorology book, assuming you've already read them once?

Usually a person on a first read memorise about 50%, 2nd read about 75%, 3rd read 90%..
Allow yourself more time to study.

Have a look at the past forum topics, I found similar questions and answers.

Now, what were the questions that you've guessed the answer?


​

Reading the text again (any text) is a good suggestion. One possible trap is to put too much emphasis on 'learning' questions by going over and over questions and answers. Just put the questions away for a while and carefully read the texts making your own notes. By the way, what seems to be the main problem area, general met or operational met?

Good morning,

Thank you all for the feedback! When I was studying I really tried to avoid learning the questions but it ended up happening anyway. Surprisingly I got just about all of the operational met questions correct. After contacting CASA for advice they told me I was getting the "easier" questions wrong which only made me feel worse and confused.

I ended up going to the Flight Store to buy another text book and got talking to the guy at the counter who recommended that I read the manual of aviation meteorology. I am about a third of the way through the book now and have come across a load of helpful information.

On the exam I got questions similar to these which I wasn't entirely sure on

1. What indication would a pilot notice when approaching microburst activity?
An increase in Indicated airspeed is definite but what about the ROC/ROD? I thought a downdraft would cause a ROD but wouldn't that imply you are in the downdraft region rather than approaching one?

2. Stable conditions and cloud on the leeward side of a mountain, what is the air on the leeward side of the mountain?
After reading the manual of met I am certain this is a Fohn wind so warm dry air would be on the leeward side however I don't recall reading anything prior that made mention of cloud on the leeward side so I think that's what threw me off a bit.

3. What is the difference between METAR and SPECI?
I could identify the conditions for a SPECI but I couldn't find much on the METAR. The AIP says that METAR are issued as SPECI when meeting SPECI criteria. The answers were very wordy.

4. You plan to fly point 1 to point 2 at 2500ft. What is the lowest cloud base en route and what are the winds? (something like that)
This is the second time I've received this exact question and I still don't know if I am getting it right or not.

The route takes place between Point 1 which is clearly in area B, and Point 2 which is on the inner edge of area C1 and it has the lowest cloud base. The actual route also cuts along the border of another area as well. Looking at this question am I to assume that Point 2 being the destination is considered en route? They also throw a cyclone symbol in but I don't know if that has any significance. This question is loaded with data and takes a while to read and without a hard copy, I found it very hard to focus on the big picture.

I would really love some help in understanding these types of questions. Maybe I am getting tricked by the wording or some met law that I am unware of.