Holy Crap! That Test Was Difficult!

I've taken many proctored Federal exams in my life. I know that each test has a different emphasis area and is drawn from a huge pool of questions. For example, the 60 question Instrument Pilot exam is drawn from 926 questions. But dang, do I always have to get the toughest one?

The special emphasis area for my exam was "making a grown man cry". I've taken the series 7 and 8, 63, 65 and 66 exams before. They are long and difficult, but nothing like the instrument exam I took today. I must have taken 40 practice tests, which in theory would mean I've answered 2,400 questions. My test had at least 10 questions I've never seen before. My ego was feeling bruised and I found myself questioning everything. Second guessing and suddenly unable to comprehend questions I really did know the answers to.

The Instrument exam alots 2.5 hours. I actually took nearly 2 hours. I refuse to memorize answers, which takes time. As tempting as it is, I know guys that have gotten near perfect scores that didn't know squat. When I'm sitting for my airline interview, I want to have in-depth comprehension of the subjects they test me on. Great test scores don't mean a thing if you don't know what you're talking about.

To make a long story short, it was one of the most difficult tests I've taken and I was shocked to find out that my score was a solid 92! Feeling cocky, I decided to get the CFI-II out of the way. It is the same pool of questions, after all. I was sick of testing and should have just waited. I got an 80. That's not bad, but I should have done better. Oh well, it's one less exam I'll have to worry about over the next several months.

For anyone about to undertake the FAA Instrument Rating Airplane exam, here are the most recent nation-wide stats: 92.6% pass rate, average score: 84.6

You'll do just fine.

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Miriam, the woman who is the proctor at my school is a very interesting person. She is from France and has lived in the US for 15 years. When she was a child, she lost her entire family in the Holocaust. She worked hard, raised a successful family and then lost much of her retirement when the company she worked for in France was bought by Kaufman and Broad, er KB Home.

Miriam is 72 and you'd never think she was a day over 60. She works full time out of necessity and has such a great attitude. She says she is fortunate to live in the US, the only country that would allow someone her age to have a full time job. She told me that in France, if you're over 55 and jobless, that's pretty much the way it's going to stay. The way she told it was much more interesting, but it would take a while to write.

Well that's a little about Miriam, a bright spot at school. She's really a neat person. Always upbeat, happy and filling up the candy jars with Brachs candy that she pays for out of her own pocket. I hope I'm not the only one that contributes a few bucks here and there toward her candy fund. She deserves some appreciation.