Passed the IR written today...what a ridiculous test.

[dmspilot]

People can argue against rote memorization, but I personally feel that a well designed open book and closed book test with appropriately high passing scores are valuable in that it ensures knowledge of specific material. The oral portion can then focus on more grey/subjective areas that can be presented as part of a scenario.

The complaint against rote memorization in the context of the FAA exams is that people memorize the landing distance over a 50' obstacle according to Figure 48 when the pressure altitude is 5,000' and the temperature is 101°F and the wind is calm is 1,866 feet, for example.

 

[TCABM]

The complaint against rote memorization in the context of the FAA exams is that people memorize the landing distance over a 50' obstacle according to Figure 48 when the pressure altitude is 5,000' and the temperature is 101°F and the wind is calm is 1,866 feet, for example.

I get it and understand completely. That type of question, in my opinion, is a poor question and a poorly designed test.

It grates on me that with the quality of instructional design and learning performance professionals in the US that the FAA puts out such poor material.

 

[brcase]

The FAA has been coming up with some, what I think, are bizarre and subjective risk management questions for the written lately. I'm not sure those are any better than the ones above. I know part of the reason is that the FAA is concerned with rote memorization of answers, which is why they no longer publish the test bank. But since the writtens have not been "written" for a long time, I don't know why they can't computer-generate questions with various numbers. "The temperature is X and the pressure altitude is Y, what is the density altitude?" does not seem so hard to implement rather than having 6 different questions in the bank with various numbers, which is still few enough to memorize.

Apparently the request for bid is out for the new computer system. Bases on the capabilities they described of the current system, it must be over 30 years old. So perhaps that capability of better more random questions is coming.

 

[Palmpilot]

Somehow, I just can't understand the appeal of learning by rote memorization. What a dreary way to do it!