What happens if fail PPL exam 4 times?

[pilot2b]

I know if any exam is failed 3 times then the CAA have to send another exam specially but what happens if that one is failed? I am not in that position and I hope I don't end up in it but just curious.

Has it happened to anyone?

[Irv Lee]

I've never actually heard of 3 fails in this country, I bet someone has done it though.

I'm sure being told 4 times that you have failed is illegal under some human rights legislation somewhere, it will be too stressful or something.

I know a club (not UK) who were "lucky" enough to get a certain UK university graduate as a PPL student in the year following graduation, and eventually contacted me to check if they were being (expensively) wound up in that this graduate simply could not do exams, and scores obtained seemed to be on a par with 'random eyes closed' choices. Names for the constituent parts of the aircraft (flaps, elevators, ailerons) on a walk-around did not seem to last too long in memory either...

[weirdfish]

From the CAA......

2.12.6 FAILURE of the FOURTH Paper. An applicant failing the final paper will be barred from making any further attempts for a period of 3 months. After this period, they will be required to re-enter the examinations as though for the initial attempt i.e. start again. ALL previous examination passes, in ALL subjects are rendered null and void and ALL further examinations will be required to take place at CAA Aviation House or a Ground Examination Centre, after the Applicant has undertaken further training to be determined by the ATO.


So, no pressure on that fourth attempt then

[jollyrog]

After a couple of fails, you seek out an Examiner that is able to do the special price examination.

[kingjame]

Do you have a copy of the PPL Confuser? It gives vital practice if struggling.

[peterh337]

You can find the Confuser on Ebay, but it's not cheap.

[Flyin'Dutch']

If you have failed it three times it maybe time to consider your options.

If you haven't done any swatting for them before you may consider doing that; if you did and failed you may benefit from some tuition from your instructor/a friendly soul or someone dedicated to helping struggling students.

Good luck in getting them done.

[QSD]

If you ever get a silly score = around 25%, challenge the examiner. This happened to me on my IMC theory - the marker had marked me against the wrong paper

[mo0g]

If you have failed it three times it maybe time to consider your options.

If you fail 4 times perhaps ask yourself is this your kind of hobby!

Not being funny, but if someone doesn't have the capacity to at least remember the answers for that subject after so much study, what chance is there that they will remember the drills in the air, which could be a matter of life and death (who has way for example).

[QSD]

If you have failed it three times it maybe time to consider your options.

If you fail 4 times perhaps ask yourself is this your kind of hobby!

Not being funny, but if someone doesn't have the capacity to at least remember the answers for that subject after so much study, what chance is there that they will remember the drills in the air, which could be a matter of life and death (who has way for example).

Actually I have had at least one student who struggles with the exams but is a cool as a cucumber in the air and knows the drills better than most.

[mo0g]

Actually I have had at least one student who struggles with the exams but is a cool as a cucumber in the air and knows the drills better than most.

There is struggling, and there is failing 4 times!

[Flintstone]

Chaps.

Some very helpful replies but RTFQ

I am not in that position......

[Iceman]

I would hope that anyone who fails an exam 4 times would seriously question whether or not this is the right thing for them, flying or anything else.

Iceman

[Flintstone]

Suggesting that someone shouldn't pursue a PPL because they struggle with the books is a bit harsh. Why should the ability to pass written exams necessarily reflect their piloting ability? I had several students who took an awful lot of extra help to pass ground school but were perfectly good pilots. Their brains just happened to lock up when confronted with books or an exam paper. It made quite a change when the lowest common denominator in the room wasn't me.

One guy in particular couldn't ask any question put to him in a classroom no matter how simple. Once I wanted him to tell me the difference between a QNH of 1013 and one of 1020. All he had to say was "Seven" but he just couldn't do it and the more I tried to convince him that it really was a simple question the more flustered he became.

Mind you he did tell us a story about climbing his Partenavia "...to see how high it would go...", passing out through lack of oxygen and waking up in the wreckage after it spiralled to the ground so you may be right

[Genghis the Engineer]

Whilst I agree fully that much of the JAR exam material is irrelevant and of limit value in real world flying - equally there are a lot of written documents that are needed in flying. Club FOBs, aircraft POHs, GenDAC forms, flight plans, NOTAMS, AIP material... that if somebody can't hack the PPL exam material then there's a substantial risk that they'll not be very good at all of that either.

It's very glib to say that all that really matters is the ability to pole an aeroplane around and follow the checklist, but in reality that just isn't true and probably never has been.

G