Test Prep

tonycondon

tonycondon

Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
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Tony
Well I'm deciding I need to start studying for ATP. Ill be 23 in April and hope to have access to an airplane to do the multi-ATP checkride. In the past I studied for writtens with Gleim books and read through the ASA Oral Exam guides. That was like 4 years ago. I see that ASA has software kits out now that are comprehensive. I have no experience with that type of study material, and i dont believe that any of my students have used it. Im kinda thinking that since i pretty much sit on my computer all the time i might as well be doing something productive like studying for ATP. What do you all use for study materials and what are your recommendation? thanks!
 
The ATP written doesn't have much more relevance to the realities of being an air carrier captain than any of the other writtens have to their corresponding certificates/ratings. The only difference is that for the Private, Instrument, Commercial, and CFI writtens, you will likely be exercising the full privileges of those certificates/ratings immediately upon passing the practical test, so you need to really learn the aeronautical knowledge material, not just pass the written. OTOH, American Airlines isn't going to drop you in the left seat of one of their jets the day after the DPE signs your ATP Temporary Airman Certificate. If you get hired by an airline, they will teach you everything you need to know in a way that you will truly learn it as opposed to just remembering the answers long enough to pass one written test.

I say this as background for what you may find heretical coming from me: I suggest doing one of the weekend cram courses and taking the test the day after (that's what I did). Don't bother with any other ground training materials before taking the written. You'll pass with a high grade, fill the square for your ATP (whose practical test doesn't cover any of the material in the written), and be on your way to the airlines where they'll teach you what you really need to know before they turn you loose in their airplanes.
 
I have a feeling that Tony will never be on his way to the airlines.
 
jesse said:
I have a feeling that Tony will never be on his way to the airlines.
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In that case, he'll never need to worry about how many bullhorns, flashlights, or flight attendants must be aboard a Part 121 flight.
 
I would suggest you take the Part 135 ATP written rather than the Part 121 written since that is what you are more interested in.
 
Ron Levy said:
In that case, he'll never need to worry about how many bullhorns, flashlights, or flight attendants must be aboard a Part 121 flight.
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I thought Tony already had a personal flight attendant?
 
yea ill probably take the 135 version. I dont really plan on having a job in the near future that requires the ATP certificate, but i figure what the heck i got the hours and im old enough and i suppose im of good moral character so i might as well go for it. im hoping to get hired on doing 135 work this spring, thats what id do the checkride in. dropping the cash to take the weekend cram session sounds really nice as long as i dont have to pay the bill. id rather pay 50 bucks for the test prep book or software and spend a couple months studying and pass rather than several hundred plus a weekend in timbuktu (probably chicago i suppose) to accomplish the same thing. so, does anyone have any experience with the ASA test prep software? good or bad?
 
tonycondon said:
so, does anyone have any experience with the ASA test prep software? good or bad?
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I used it for the IR. I wasn't particularly impressed. I think several runs through the Gleim did me much more good.

At worst, it would be good for more realistic computer test runs. Just be sure to have a real test example booklet, not the graphics on the screen. ASA no longer provides the test booklets with the disk.

6,000!
 
KennyFlys said:
I used it for the IR. I wasn't particularly impressed. I think several runs through the Gleim did me much more good.

At worst, it would be good for more realistic computer test runs. Just be sure to have a real test example booklet, not the graphics on the screen. ASA no longer provides the test booklets with the disk.
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excellent point, i dont believe ive been able to find an online source of free practice tests, so the software could be good for that.
 
tonycondon said:
does anyone have any experience with the ASA test prep software? good or bad?
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I have always been more partial to the Gleim software and the features they list over the ASA. Granted I have not taken the ATP but I have taken three other writtens and Gleim has served me well.
 
Let me know what you decide upon, Tony, as I have to take it by 30 April, too. I'll let you be the software guinea pig.
 
I agree with Cap'n Ron. I took Airline Ground Schools (Bill Phelps) and got an 88. There was no 135 test at the time. I just can't see home study as hacking it. The material is so foreign to what you have been doing as a GA pilot that there is no substitute for just having the material crammed down your throat and regurgitating it. I've never used ANYTHING that I learned in ATP ground school in actual practice.

Bob Gardner
 
ok, you guys going to send me money for a weekend at ATP then?
 
according to their website, i can go to ATP in Aurora for 1 day and cram the 121 ATP written for the low low price of 300 dollars. thats only like 2 months of nutrition. or gee i could spend 50 bucks or less, study on my own for the 135 written, ask PoA any questions when im confused, get all the studying done in my already wasted free time, particularly coming up on the holidays when im going to be sitting at home for weeks.

so...does anyone have any experience with the ASA test prep software? and what did you think?
 
Tony,
When I took the ATP/Dispatcher written back in '98, I used King prep for it. While the videos may have helped a little, I think the practice exam software that came with the package was the saving grace. Being able to go over every question, just like you will in a Gleim book is what did it for me. When I took the written, I had seen every question several times.

I purchased the ASA test prep for the CFI, and have been disappointed. Unless I just haven't found it yet, there is no test software in the package (just a copy of the ASA CFI written prep book).

I would look for something that allows you to view all the questions/answers...doesn't have to be King, but something that has the test software as well...or you could save all that money, and just go with the Gleim as you have in the past.
 
yea the ASA Test Prep series is just the book with answers/questions. the ASA Prepware is the software.
 
I really like the format of the software from Dauntless Software (checkride.com). That's what I was/am using for my IR, and I liked it the best of the ones that I tried.
 
tonycondon said:
why the deadline matt?
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Nothing exciting, we're just required to have our ATP written done within a year of our hire date (avg upgrade is 14 months, so they want to make sure you're ready as soon as they can get you over to the left side).
 
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