Instrument Rating tests

Robert M. Gary wrote
I'll admit to having done that a few times. However, I didn't need to
take the test dozens of times to do it, the bank of questions is
available on the internet and ASA, etc provide all the answers already
(I know you know this). It doesn't seem like there is much benefit of
taking a test over and over to memorize the questions when the
questions are available on the internet.

But that was not the case back in the '60s and '70s. The FAA had IIRC,
4-5 individual tests with 40 questions each. There was a company in Texas
that hired people to take the tests just to memorize the questions. I
recall buying their booklet with all of the tests in it. I debriefed all
of my students taking the tests for any changes.

No one ever worked out the problems, if you had test "A", the answer to
the flight planning problem was 2:47. :-)

What was the name of that company and their test guide ?????

Bob Moore

ACME SCHOOL of Aeronautics, Ft. Worth, Texas. At Meacham
Field.



"Bob Moore" wrote in message
46.128...
| Robert M. Gary wrote
| I'll admit to having done that a few times. However, I
didn't need to
| take the test dozens of times to do it, the bank of
questions is
| available on the internet and ASA, etc provide all the
answers already
| (I know you know this). It doesn't seem like there is
much benefit of
| taking a test over and over to memorize the questions
when the
| questions are available on the internet.
|
| But that was not the case back in the '60s and '70s. The
FAA had IIRC,
| 4-5 individual tests with 40 questions each. There was a
company in Texas
| that hired people to take the tests just to memorize the
questions. I
| recall buying their booklet with all of the tests in it. I
debriefed all
| of my students taking the tests for any changes.
|
| No one ever worked out the problems, if you had test "A",
the answer to
| the flight planning problem was 2:47. :-)
|
| What was the name of that company and their test guide
?????
|
| Bob Moore

Jim Macklin wrote

ACME SCHOOL of Aeronautics, Ft. Worth, Texas. At Meacham
Field.

That's it !! The ACME Guides as they were called.

Bob Moore

Glad to kick the old memories in the rear.


They had pilot, rigger, mechanic and instructor guides. All
at a time when the FAA test questions were closely guarded
secrets. The FAA was forced by court order to open the
question bank, so the FAA wrote thousands of new questions
and published them in booklets, without an answer key.
Publishers would work out what they thought was the correct
answer and then wrote their own books.
You had a choice, memorize 1,000s or learn a few facts and
figure out the answer to any question.



"Bob Moore" wrote in message
46.128...
| Jim Macklin wrote
|
| ACME SCHOOL of Aeronautics, Ft. Worth, Texas. At
Meacham
| Field.
|
| That's it !! The ACME Guides as they were called.
|
| Bob Moore

In article ,
"Jim Macklin" wrote:

Glad to kick the old memories in the rear.


They had pilot, rigger, mechanic and instructor guides. All
at a time when the FAA test questions were closely guarded
secrets. The FAA was forced by court order to open the
question bank, so the FAA wrote thousands of new questions
and published them in booklets, without an answer key.
Publishers would work out what they thought was the correct
answer and then wrote their own books.
You had a choice, memorize 1,000s or learn a few facts and
figure out the answer to any question.

I remember when I was cramming for my Instrument written. There were three
questions about MLS (Microwave Landing System) on the test. I had never
flown an MLS and figured I never would, but I knew I might get those
questions on the test, so I had to be ready for them.

Once I noticed the pattern, it was easy. The correct answer (at least
according to Gleim), was the one with the largest number in it. If the
question was:

How many frobnitzes are in an MLS blurfl:

A) 40
B) 6000
C) 22

I knew the answer was B. I didn't know what a frobnitz or a blurfl was,
but I'd sure get all three questions right.

What a crock.

General rule for any multiple choice test, the answer is 3,
C or the longest answer. It also probably does not contain
the words, always, never, or not.

If you don't know the correct answer, look for those clues.

Eliminate answers you know are wrong.
Look for common math errors, the feds will put answers that
have deviation corrected in the wrong direction.
Why 3 or C? you ask. Because with 4 answers, they put two
wrong answers and then knowing that they need the correct
answer, put it in as 3. Of course with computer based
testing, the answer does get switched around so this is
become less useful to the test taker.
Longest answer, it takes more words to tell the whole and
correct answer.

Any wrong word or part of an answer makes the whole answer
wrong.

Also, it is important to look over any reference materials
available before you begin testing, this is probably the
most useful part of the :study guides" that detail what and
where to look for available legends, keys and supplementary
materials.


"Roy Smith" wrote in message
...
| In article ,
| "Jim Macklin"
wrote:
|
| Glad to kick the old memories in the rear.
|
|
| They had pilot, rigger, mechanic and instructor guides.
All
| at a time when the FAA test questions were closely
guarded
| secrets. The FAA was forced by court order to open the
| question bank, so the FAA wrote thousands of new
questions
| and published them in booklets, without an answer key.
| Publishers would work out what they thought was the
correct
| answer and then wrote their own books.
| You had a choice, memorize 1,000s or learn a few facts
and
| figure out the answer to any question.
|
| I remember when I was cramming for my Instrument written.
There were three
| questions about MLS (Microwave Landing System) on the
test. I had never
| flown an MLS and figured I never would, but I knew I might
get those
| questions on the test, so I had to be ready for them.
|
| Once I noticed the pattern, it was easy. The correct
answer (at least
| according to Gleim), was the one with the largest number
in it. If the
| question was:
|
| How many frobnitzes are in an MLS blurfl:
|
| A) 40
| B) 6000
| C) 22
|
| I knew the answer was B. I didn't know what a frobnitz or
a blurfl was,
| but I'd sure get all three questions right.
|
| What a crock.