Going Direct: “Cheating” on the Writtens

Isabel Goyer

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 05:48 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA's updated knowledge tests are criticized for including many new, irrelevant, and overly difficult questions, leading to high failure rates and being perceived as designed to make applicants fail rather than assess practical skills.
FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt's response for test-takers to "study harder" is dismissed as a misunderstanding of the tests' inherent flaws and their public perception.
Model aviation, from balsa wood planes to advanced RC models, has historically provided an accessible and engaging way for aspiring pilots to connect with flight.
Modern flight simulation programs are celebrated as vital, accessible tools for engaging new generations in aviation, teaching essential systems and airspace knowledge, and ultimately promoting the future of flying.

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(June 2011) I recently asked FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt about the tough time that applicants have been having on FAA Knowledge Testing (the tests that many of us still refer to as the “writtens”). Many test takers are failing the tests because the FAA has included a lot of new, previously unpublished questions that are hard to get right even if you do know your stuff. The FAA thought it would see this as proof that test takers had been gaming the system and found out instead that, if it wants to, it can get people to fail the written.

Babbitt’s response to my question on the subject was essentially that test takers need to study harder. This was a disappointing response and betrayed a misunderstanding of two things: how bad most of the FAA written tests are and how the flying public at large views the tests.