2013 IFR Knowledge Test Changes?

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GeddyLee

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GeddyLee
I read this statement in P&P yesterday..

Since June of 2012, The FAA has gotten wise to students simply memorizing written test answers, so they no longer publish the instrument exam questions. They've added questions and scrambled the way questions are presented. As a result, you need a solid foundation of actual knowledge or you won't pass.

So if I buy the Gleim test prep kit, will it have any of the test questions on the current tests? Gleim no longer says "2013 IFR Test Prep" it just says IFR Knowledge Test.

I need to get my test done in the next month and while I agree that I need a solid foundation of actual knowledge, I need to study "the Test" as well.

What say ye? Any of you pass this test recently and care to share what worked for you?

Thanks
 
I took the test in august 2012. About 30% of the questions were not in the database, and about another 30% were from the database but with the answers changed in some fashion or another. I passed with a wide margin, and attribute it to the way I prepped which was not to cram, reading a lot from different sources, asking a lot of questions, and being familiar with the material. Some of the questions require rote memorization of the material being tested, but other questions require applying concepts. For me understanding the concepts behind the material helped a lot. There seemed to be an increased emphasis on icing issues, and weather at least in my exam.
 
Took mine in January. I recognized most of the questions If not all. I used the same prep book.
 
I took mine recently as well. I used the sporty's practice tests available on line. As a result I had seen just about all of the questions before. The major area where their were new questions was for icing.
 
I took the written test a few weeks ago. I used the ASA book and the Sporty's online practice tests, and I recognized nearly every question. There were several weather questions, but I don't remember a single icing question (which I studied for).
 
GauzeGuy said:
The major area where their were new questions was for icing.
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The icing questions were added three years ago. The GPS questions were added at the same time. However, they're not particularly difficult questions, especially the GPS, where they can't get too specific due to the differences between various GPS systems.

That said, the knowledge test has not changed in any material fashion in the last few months. They still cover the same material even if the questions and answers have been slightly reworded. The biggest limitation on that is staying within the parameters of the test supplement book with all the figures in it. In that regard, if you study the figures in the supplement (which has not to my knowledge changed in about 15-20 years) and read the questions and answers carefully, you'll have no problem with the test.
 
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Ron Levy said:
The icing questions were added three years ago. The GPS questions were added at the same time. However, they're not particularly difficult questions, especially the GPS, where they can't get too specific due to the differences between various GPS systems.

That said, the knowledge test has not changed in any material fashion in the last few months. They still cover the same material even if the questions and answers have been slightly reworded. The biggest limitation on that is staying within the parameters of the test supplement book with all the figures in it. In that regard, if you study the figures in the supplement (which has not to my knowledge changed in about 15-20 years) and read the questions and answers carefully, you'll have no problem with the test.
Click to expand...

...and won't change until 2014. The same black-and-white weather charts that are difficult to find using the ADDS page will still be in the computer testing supplement.

The good news is that there is now a committee (met in DC just this week) consisting of representatives of the test prep book publishers and FAA test writers. ASA's Jackie Spanitz asked me to send her my top three gripes about the private, commercial, and instrument tests and I sent her far more than three. She says that they were well accepted by the feds but there is no guarantee that they will follow my suggestions or those of any other outsider. They do seem motivated to get rid of the "memorize and forget" questions like the height of the tropopause.

Bob Gardner

Bob Gardner
 
Some of those questions are worded so poorly, they are not testing knowledge, but reading comprehension. I also found questions that were just wrong. One of them asked something about opening hours of something at Yakima during daylight savings and you have to convert zulu time to local time, and it gave answers for daylight savings and non-daylight savings, and it claimed the correct answer was the non-daylight savings time, but the question asked for daylight savings (this was on the Sporty's website, and maybe the ASA book also).
 
I took the IFR written for the second time in August 2012 and wrote about the two questions that gave me trouble here.
The others, I recognized from the practice bank for the most part. At least one I remembered from my previous written in July 2010.

BTW the supplement booklet was definitely revised between 2010 and 2012. The MSA question involving (I think) the BTG VORTAC referred to a plate in the supplement that had the height smeared over and illegible in the earlier version. I am about 99% sure that I got that one the first time I took the written, as well as this time around. As of August, the plate was totally legible.
 
bluee said:
Some of those questions are worded so poorly, they are not testing knowledge, but reading comprehension. I also found questions that were just wrong. One of them asked something about opening hours of something at Yakima during daylight savings and you have to convert zulu time to local time, and it gave answers for daylight savings and non-daylight savings, and it claimed the correct answer was the non-daylight savings time, but the question asked for daylight savings (this was on the Sporty's website, and maybe the ASA book also).
Click to expand...

This question exists in the King products too.
 
bluee said:
Some of those questions are worded so poorly, they are not testing knowledge, but reading comprehension. I also found questions that were just wrong. One of them asked something about opening hours of something at Yakima during daylight savings and you have to convert zulu time to local time, and it gave answers for daylight savings and non-daylight savings, and it claimed the correct answer was the non-daylight savings time, but the question asked for daylight savings (this was on the Sporty's website, and maybe the ASA book also).
Click to expand...

If this is the question I'm thinking of, it is a valid question and the 'correct' answer is actually correct. The A/FD uses a double dagger to denote that during daylight saving time, the times are an hour earlier than shown. Meaning the local times for daylight saving and non-daylight saving time are the same. I was unaware of that until studying for the written and coming across that question.
 
bobmrg said:
The good news is that there is now a committee (met in DC just this week) consisting of representatives of the test prep book publishers and FAA test writers.
Bob Gardner
Click to expand...

The biggest problem is that it appears NOBODY bothers to actually proof read the blasted thing. It's annoying to have questions that there are NO correct answers from (not even if you buy the test preparers weasel words "best answer") or test questions that have right answers but you can't answer with the provided supplement illustrations.
 
Ron Levy said:
The icing questions were added three years ago. The GPS questions were added at the same time.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I should have specified: the icing question were new to me. Most of the other questions I was given I had seen on the Sporty's practice tests...
 
FWIW I took the commercial written today and I didn't recognize about half the questions. I took the instrument about 3 months ago I'm not sure if this is a very very new thing, or if it's a difference in the two tests.
 
Most of the question hover around various key topics, so if you study the topics generally, you should be able to pass the exam without any major problem. For example, then are a multitude of questions about ADF/NDB, but how many different ways can you ask the bearing to or from the station or where you are in relation to a VOR or which way to the localizer? Unfortunately the test items remain very far out-dated. regardless, the questions in the prep materials are still very valid for the content, just not necessarily the identical questions you will see on the exam.
 
Rubber Boots + Muddy Hole = Muddy Boots
 
I took this exam for my CFI-I ride last month, and I used the ASA 2013 Instrument Test Prep... About 8 questions were not in the test prep and was mostly about Next Gen stuff, like "if you had a Dual WAAS system or a GNSS system what minimums could you go down to on a GPS approach?" etc. And there were about 13 questions that were the same questions as in the test prep but the answers were worded differently. I got an 88%

So my advice is to wrote memorize all those questions, but if you run across a figure question or a another question that touches on a subject you don't know/understand/or forgot about. Just go through it and get general knowledge on it so if a different question is asked about that subject, you wont get stuck guessing.

Good luck,
 
bobmrg said:
...and won't change until 2014. The same black-and-white weather charts that are difficult to find using the ADDS page will still be in the computer testing supplement.

The good news is that there is now a committee (met in DC just this week) consisting of representatives of the test prep book publishers and FAA test writers. ASA's Jackie Spanitz asked me to send her my top three gripes about the private, commercial, and instrument tests and I sent her far more than three. She says that they were well accepted by the feds but there is no guarantee that they will follow my suggestions or those of any other outsider. They do seem motivated to get rid of the "memorize and forget" questions like the height of the tropopause.

Bob Gardner

Bob Gardner
Click to expand...
you happen to know "when" the change in 2014? I'm using ASA 2013 test prep book and this website http://www.mypilottests.com/mod/quiz/review.php?attempt=59084
which is free, but added up total questions of 764, so really unsure if they have it all together or not. I'm probably about 1 month from testing, if I keep studying at my current rate. Hope I'm not ****ing away my time in a 2013 book. Thx, DM
 
For Bob Gardner,

Do you know who the FAA contracted with to write the questions? I have written several rounds of questions for the CPA exam. The way they handle the question writing is interesting....
 
asgcpa said:
For Bob Gardner,

Do you know who the FAA contracted with to write the questions? I have written several rounds of questions for the CPA exam. The way they handle the question writing is interesting....
Click to expand...

Doesn't the AICPA handle the formulation and administration of the uniform CPA written exam?

That is my recollection. They are a vastly different organization than an arrogant, self-serving federal agency.

:)
 
asgcpa said:
For Bob Gardner,

Do you know who the FAA contracted with to write the questions? I have written several rounds of questions for the CPA exam. The way they handle the question writing is interesting....
Click to expand...

FAA does it in-house, as far as I know.

Bob
 
drmax said:
you happen to know "when" the change in 2014? I'm using ASA 2013 test prep book and this website http://www.mypilottests.com/mod/quiz/review.php?attempt=59084
which is free, but added up total questions of 764, so really unsure if they have it all together or not. I'm probably about 1 month from testing, if I keep studying at my current rate. Hope I'm not ****ing away my time in a 2013 book. Thx, DM
Click to expand...

No. Have you gone to www.asa2fly.com and looked at the Update page?

Bob
 
aterpster said:
Doesn't the AICPA handle the formulation and administration of the uniform CPA written exam?

That is my recollection. They are a vastly different organization than an arrogant, self-serving federal agency.

:)
Click to expand...

In a sense yes...and no. AICPA contracts out to test prep companies. The companies hire on a per question basis CPAs either in education or public practice, or in my case both. You write the questions and submit. Reviewers review and modify. The questions are then submitted to the AICPA for technical review and committee acceptance. Long process, but I think a fair one. I have had 80+ questions accepted that I got paid for. Not a lot of money, but you get CPE and learn the thinking behind question writing, which I like to impart to my students. I have had several former students pass the audit section of the exam first crack. That is the ultimate compensation in my opinion - to see my students succeed.
 
asgcpa said:
In a sense yes...and no. AICPA contracts out to test prep companies. The companies hire on a per question basis CPAs either in education or public practice, or in my case both. You write the questions and submit. Reviewers review and modify. The questions are then submitted to the AICPA for technical review and committee acceptance. Long process, but I think a fair one. I have had 80+ questions accepted that I got paid for. Not a lot of money, but you get CPE and learn the thinking behind question writing, which I like to impart to my students. I have had several former students pass the audit section of the exam first crack. That is the ultimate compensation in my opinion - to see my students succeed.
Click to expand...

I've done exam writing in my field and had to sign an agreement not to reveal anything about the process nor instruct for several years thereafter.
 
Jaybird180 said:
I've done exam writing in my field and had to sign an agreement not to reveal anything about the process nor instruct for several years thereafter.
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We had to sign an agreement not disclose specific questions for three years.....however, nothing said I couldn't teach students how to analyze multiple choice questions.
 
I took mine in March and got two wrong. Of the two, one was related to icing which I had never seen before.
 
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