ATPL study breakdown....HEELLLLPPPPP!!!!!

[supercooled water droplet]

Hello everyone.

Was wondering if those of you that have recently written the ATPL exams could help me out for a brief moment.

I plan on writing the SAMRA first and was just wondering what the breakdown of subject matter is on this exam. I called Transport, and they told me to focus on MET. The TC site link says MET, RADIO AIDS TO NAV, and FLIGHT PLANNING. So I've studied these areas, but where does WEIGHT & BALANCE, HUMAN FACTORS, AIRFRAMES, and FLIGHT OPERATIONS fit in. Are they all on the SARON with the CARS? If I only study Met, radio and flight planning, will that be enough to do the SAMRA?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[windshear]

One word...AEROCOURSE!

[C-GPFG]

For me, SAMRA was 90% met, 10% everything else including a law question about the CVR. SARON was 90% theory and law, 10% everything else including a weather radar question.

[supercooled water droplet]

windshear,

I did sign up for the aero course but decided against it to save some bucks. I knew a few people that have self-studied in the past and have done well.

C-GPFG,

How lond ago did you write? I think the format changed not long ago, which means the MET section has less MET questions and more nav aids and flight planning.

Also, where does performance fit into? I just don't want study all the subject material if I'm only writing one exam at a time, especially if I only need to study certain areas for each exam....I already studied it all once before when I wrote the IATRA a long time ago

[Jim la Jungle]

Hey SWD.

I have written both exams 2 weeks ago.

SARON: Air Regs, W&B, Flight Ops, performance and Nav

SAMRA: mostly Met general and practical, a few Q's about radio aids and NAV

Both exams had questions on Nav.

Buy the "Canadian ATPL workbook" by Aerocourse and you'll do fine

[aileron]

Passed both last week. Aerocourse attended recently.

For SAMRA read, in it's entirety, Air Weather Command Manual. Know the MET section of the AIM. Know all the symbols on PROG, ANAL & GFA's - for instance do you know what a convergence line is represented with?

Read up on Wx Radar, FGU is allright in that department (as well as AWCM).

I'd say 60 out of 80 were wx related, directly or indirectly. For Radio Aids to Navigation about 10 and Flight Planning about 10 questions each.

There IS crossover with the exams; however, I'd say SARON would have more of the SAMRA type topics than the other way around. Hope this helps, btw check out Weak knowledge areas on TC's web site.

[ajet32]

OK been flying 23 years 17 commercially. Best money I ever spent was on the Aerocourse run by Peter S. With out a doubt the best money period. take the course pass with a high mark and go drink beer .

[Crazed Windscreen]

Just did the ATPL Exam. SAMRA had lots of WX questions on Jet Streams, Fog, Icing, fronts and Source regions. Know your Mature Wave, boundry layer friction, Buy's Ballots Law, CAT in a jet and where to find it. Or better yet avoid it. Oh yah your flying in the winter in cold air towards a warm front and you encounter Ice pellets?

Get this I had at least 4 questions on Loran C!!!!!
And about the same for HF.
GPS...only one question on RAIM and one on GPS overlay from what I can remember.

Know your Thunderstorm detection and avoidence, and of course...the thunderstorm itself. Several questions on Wx radar and its opperation.

Nothing to killer on NAV. Critical point was about it.

I wrote exam # 3

Hope this helps.

Cheers

[C-GPFG]

C-GPFG,

How lond ago did you write?

January of this year.

[supercooled water droplet]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

Just wrote the SAMRA and got 83%. I'm pretty happy with that considering all I did was read the ACW manual and go through the Aerocourse study guide once, maybe twice. I used the FTGU and AIM as a backup to the study questions to research the answers.

I think the exam I wrote was #013. About 52 questions on Met: Only 1 question about Surface Analysis, 4 on Metar, 4 on TAF, 1 on GFA, 3 on Jetstreams, 1 on CAT, 1 on Sigmet, 1 on Notam, 1 on Mountain Waves (where would the Lenticular clouds be most prominent?), and the rest was all theory as far as Fog, cooling and heating process, etc. 1 on ISA deviations. No symbols or anything like that. 1 Thundestorm advoidance and nothing on icing. 1 on Volcanic ash (what is most severe about volcanic ash).

There were questions on GPS RAIM, GPS Stand-alone approaches, HF airways, INS, VOR-DME-TACAN-VORTAC (know the difference).

My advice to people getting ready to write SAMRA exam: if you can't afford the course, then just get a hold of the course questions and use them as a study tool to help you delve into the FTGU and AIM to research the answers. By the time you are done, you'll have covered everything and be more than prepared. The ACW manual is an excellent read for the theory.

I hope this helps others.