ChrisK
En-Route
I might be going a little stir crazy.
Studying for IR written
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azure
Final Approach
I especially hated the ones where there was a leg requiring estimating a distance, and the uncertainty in the final result that came from making the estimation was greater than the difference between two of the answers. Then there were the ones where they TELL you to use the wind entry closest to the flight planned altitude, but that altitude is exactly halfway between two wind entries. In the real world you would interpolate, but they're explicitly telling you NOT to do that here. Again, the answers are so close together that which method you choose could make a difference in which answer you pick.
Grrr, makes my blood pressure rise just thinking about it. This is a good reason to make sure you don't take the written until you're SURE you will be able to finish the rating in less than two years.
Grrr, makes my blood pressure rise just thinking about it. This is a good reason to make sure you don't take the written until you're SURE you will be able to finish the rating in less than two years.
ChrisK
En-Route
I bet you're talking about the one with the DME arc in the DP.
I just now got that one wrong, and I'm not even sure why, AFTER reading the explanation! Grrr
ja_user
Pattern Altitude
Those are the questions where you just memorize the answer... Of course, it helps if they don't have 500 questions on their test software that aren't actually going to show up on the test....
Sheppard Air
Sheppard Air
Warrior
Line Up and Wait
I was really bogging down in the written test preparation when my instructor suggested focusing on the non-cross country questions. Those questions take an incredible amount of time to figure out. I ended up with a 97 on the written partly because I really concentrated on the non-cross country questions. I later was able to go on to learn the cross country and those weren't the 2 I missed but it was nice to see some dramatic improvement after skipping the cross country questions for a while in my study.
The instructor said that some of his students just skip those because there aren't that many on the exam.
The instructor said that some of his students just skip those because there aren't that many on the exam.
I can tell you that when I was getting ready for the instrument written I skipped all those time/distance/fuel questions. Sometimes I'd skip the ADF ones though I did learn them about a week before I took the written. 87% - I think I only missed 1 question that wasn't an XC question.
DavidWhite
Final Approach
Memorize the question bank
Headspace
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Taking a systematic approach to the time/distance questions generally results in getting them right. Making a single mistake along the chain results in getting them wrong. Writing down each step is a good idea.
The instrument written is kind of like an advanced private pilot written. Compared to a differential equations exam (or any college level math test, really) where the answers are most certainly not available in multiple choice format, the instrument is pretty easy. Memorizing all the regs was the most time consuming.
I like math, though. If you don't like it, then I guess I could see where it would be frustrating.
The instrument written is kind of like an advanced private pilot written. Compared to a differential equations exam (or any college level math test, really) where the answers are most certainly not available in multiple choice format, the instrument is pretty easy. Memorizing all the regs was the most time consuming.
I like math, though. If you don't like it, then I guess I could see where it would be frustrating.
ChrisK
En-Route
I majored in physics and minored in math. I think I'm just getting old. It does remind me a lot of classical college math problems. One tiny sign reversal and you're way off the mark.
Mr White, I'm working on it, more or less. I call it studying though =)
Mr White, I'm working on it, more or less. I call it studying though =)
rbridges
En-Route
david is right. I heard they were overhauling the questions. I studied quite a bit using the test booklets. There were a few new ones, but I recognized at least 80% of the questions. This was last summer.
I took mine in January. I'd say I recognized 90% of the questions. And I agree with memorizing them. Sme you do need to know, like regs. But if you memorize the ADF questions its not going to kill you later.
azure
Final Approach
I teach physics at the college level. I don't have a problem with math. I do have a problem with test questions in which the given answers are so close together that more than one is correct to within reasonable approximation. I also have a problem with test questions for which none of the given answers is correct. If I gave my students questions like that on an exam they would ream me a new one.
And in reality, does it really matter if it's going to take you 36 minutes or 39 minutes? No. And chances are the winds are EXACTLY what they say they are either.
Headspace
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There are a couple like that (answers close together). But are your questions multiple choice?
I do not recall running across a question for which there was no correct answer, not on Exams4Pilots (which has a reasonably complete bank of the older questions) the actual test I took, or in the Gleim book. There are some questions that you get in the exam that don't count toward your grade. Are these the ones you're referring to?
My point: I am not suggesting that people are frustrated with the questions because they're bad at math. I'm suggesting that the XC planning questions be approached like you would on a math test, instead of a memorize-and-recall test such like you'd take if you were doing FARs only. Use a blank piece of paper, write down each step with a pencil. That worked. If you get hit with the "too close together" scenario, you'll lose less points than if you skipped all the questions.
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ChrisK
En-Route
That is fine until you see the problem where one of the givens includes a total fuel time on a provided flight plan that is 2 minutes off. You are supposed to recognize the error and correct it, I guess...
If these math problems worked out perfectly with no interpolation or measuring error, I'd agree with you.
azure
Final Approach
Yes, at least the ones I'm thinking of. My incorrect answers are often the ones you would get by making common conceptual mistakes, but NEVER so close to the correct answer that rounding off at a different point in the calculation than I did, or not rounding off at all, could make you choose one of the wrong ones.
The one I'm thinking of was on my retake; see this thread. You'll see that several people here tried to puzzle that one out without success. It's not in any practice booklet or publicly available test bank as far as I'm aware. Also, on my second time around, there were no extra questions that didn't count.
That's how I did them myself, and I didn't miss any of the XC planning questions. Though I do recall getting one on my first take that I would have missed if I hadn't worked it before in practice and remembered the "trick".
My point is that no "trick" should be necessary. I do recall a question about MSAs where the side of the MSA circle that the question was asking about was smeared over and unreadable. The King course even prepares you for that one by telling you what the answer is because the plate in the test booklet was unreadable. I got that one on my retake and the plate in the booklet had been fixed. But that's the only case I know of where the FAA actually fixed a bad test question.
Headspace
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I never got the second one. If I had, my feelings toward it would have been the same as yours. Maybe they thought that you should have picked the one that was "more right." It seems unfair though.
It's probably because they didn't throw that question at me (or the one azure is referring to). I can't conceive that they would expect you to ferret out a badly formed question. It seems more like someone made a mistake, if all three answers are incorrect.
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Having taken the actual FAA written a few times (passed it in the 90's each time, but failed to get around to taking the checkride), it's pretty clear the FAA tests are horrid. Not only not relevant, but poorly designed and written. There are questions where there are clearly no right answers (not even a "best" answer). It became pretty clear that they don't even proof them by having someone other than the person who wrote the questions attempt to solve them.
SbestCFII
Line Up and Wait
It's too bad that the FAA is so far behind on the written testing. NDBs have been dropping like flies and GPS took over Air Navigation over a decade ago and still there are dozens of NDB questions and only a few on GPS navigation.
As far as flight planning, no one does the calcs anymore. Most folks are doing their planning in DUATS are a similar computer product, getting their briefings and filing flight plans all at the same time. That means I would also pick answer, D.
As far as flight planning, no one does the calcs anymore. Most folks are doing their planning in DUATS are a similar computer product, getting their briefings and filing flight plans all at the same time. That means I would also pick answer, D.
X3 Skier
En-Route
My instructor also said save the planning questions for last. If you haven't memorized them, they take so much time compared to the others and each are still only worth the same number of points, do all the "simple" questions so if you miss one of the planning question, you haven't shot yourself in the foot by wasting time trying to get a ambiguous result to fit the specific set of answers.
Cheers
Cheers