Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

Moderator: AndyR

User avatar
By flyingearly
#1901714
Rjk983 wrote:
nickwilcock wrote:
It was the lamentable lack of security and level of cheating in UK PPL exams which led to the current e-Exam system and requirement for invigilation by Ground Examiners.


This isn’t a troll post, I’m genuinely interested, can you point me towards any evidence of this prolific cheating? Is there a publicly available document or research that details the lack of security and the cheating going on?


I wouldn't quite go so far as to call it cheating - FWIW, I think us pilots are a genuinely honest lot and I think most of us recognise the value in treating an exam with proper consideration, rather than a hoop to be jumped through.

That said - certainly a few years back when I took my exams - my experience was very much in line with what others have said: no real invigilation, sat on a bench in the sun outside, tatty exam papers with notes already scribbled on them...if I wanted to cheat, then I doubt it would have been hard; I have no desire to cheat though.

To a separate point, I totally agree that exams shouldn't be viewed merely as hoops to jump through, but the problem is that the mix of questions doesn't align with that perspective.

There is a world of difference in needing to know who has right of way in different situations, versus knowing which Clause of the ANO specifies X, Y and Z. We should be testing people on the stuff that matters, not wasting questions to test memory of references that someone can look up in their own time in the real world.

Personally, I think it's great that the exams are being made tougher. I always thought that they were shambolic and just a tickbox exercise; I actually resented paying a non-negligible sum of money for each one as they were pretty much pointless.

I'd be fascinating to know the pre and post pass rate for the tests.
Milty, T6Harvard liked this
User avatar
By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1904434
Rjk983 wrote:
nickwilcock wrote:
It was the lamentable lack of security and level of cheating in UK PPL exams which led to the current e-Exam system and requirement for invigilation by Ground Examiners.


This isn’t a troll post, I’m genuinely interested, can you point me towards any evidence of this prolific cheating? Is there a publicly available document or research that details the lack of security and the cheating going on?

My very limited sample size of one flying training organisation was that it was extremely secure, the CFI was the ground examiner, and he had a locked filing cabinet in the reception area where it was constantly visible to all. The only time I ever saw it opened was when he got an exam out or put it back. I can’t speak for the times that I wasn’t there, but the reception desk did have CCTV as the tea fund honesty box was on the counter…

He checked the exam paper before issuing it to ensure it had no marks. He sat in the room where the exam was taken to ensure there was no cheating.

He checked there were no marks on the exam paper and materials before he put them back in the envelope and locked them up. Only once the exam was back in the cabinet did he discuss the exam with us and point us towards the study material to revisit if we got anything wrong.


It was a while ago now, but I well remember something very similar to the above. And I have a sample size of 2. 1st at the establishment I did my RAF flying scholarship, 2nd at the establishment where I actually got my PPL.

flyingearly wrote:my experience was very much in line with what others have said: no real invigilation, sat on a bench in the sun outside, tatty exam papers with notes already scribbled on them


Such comments just blow me away...Never seen anything like this.

Maybe I was just lucky.

Regards, SD..