The Civil Aviation Authority has announced changes to the ground-based exams taken by PPL students.

In order to accommodate new EASA regulations, the number of exam papers sat by students will increase from seven to nine. Each exam will include between 16 and 20 questions, with a pass mark of 75 per cent.

The organisation will also extend the definition of a ‘sitting’ to ten days in order to help students cope with the increase in exams. However, only one attempt at each subject paper is allowed in a sitting.

Ray Elgy, Head of Licensing and Training Standards at the CAA, said: “The new exam syllabus which will take effect in the autumn offers a practical and fair arrangement for student pilots training for a PPL. We very much welcomed input from industry in formulating these changes which represent a constructive outcome for everyone involved in pilot training.”

The changes will come into force on the 1 September 2013. The CAA will publish in due course details of arrangements for students who find themselves midway through their exams on that date.

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