TC Exam Questions and Publishers

[zed]

SHINY SIDE UP wrote...
For some reason TC is really afraid that their test secrets might get out. I questioned this once and the reason I was given (and the same reason that they require 10 hours of flight training before you can write as well) is so they don't have professional test writers coming in, just to get their closely guarded bank of questions out there. I'm still not sure why the written test questions are such a national secret, but that's neither here nor there.

In order to not hijack the thread this came from...

I believe that in the US, they are able to have full access to the question bank. Whereas here, you aren't even supposed to copy or discuss the questions provided by TC.

The question I have, is how do the authors of the different Canadian sample Question/Exams books develop their questions so that they are so similar to the actual exam questions provided by TC?

It's always been something I've wondered about. Do they have a special relationship with TC? Have they received contracts to develop questions on behalf of TC? Or are they just sitting in some dark room going hmmmmm. I think a good question would be....

[lanceair]

Whenever a student writes a test, he is given a feedback printout on all the questions he got wrong. Having worked as an instructor at one of the biggest flight schools in Canada, we had a large bank of feedback forms in which a clear picture emerged of the questions TC was asking. This was done for PPL, CPL, and instructor ratings 4, and 2. I believe that the writers of test prep books have used this avenue as one way to create questions.

[zed]

Thanks... Didn't remember that avenue. Would certainly require a good number of them.. And wouldn't necessarily cover the ones they got right.

[Challenger144]

Dale Crane (producer of the ASA test guides) does not have access to the question bank at the FAA. Those test guides were made from simply asking the mechanics what questions they were asked after they'd written the tests. Nothing fancy, but effective.