Fresh on the heals on the previous FOI request in regards to the ATPL exams I decided to take it one step further and request the ATPL Exam First time and overall pass rates 2013 – 2018. I feel it is important for this information to be made public and it should be available for all of us to see.
The first table is the 2013 data and it is in a slightly different format, but it is there and complete.
The second table is the data from 2014-2018.
It is quite easy to see which subjects are the “hardest” by seeing which ones have the lowest first time pass rates.
I will be making another request in January 2019 so we can get a better look at how quadrant has affected things.
Just a FYI this is the UK CAA only.
| First Time Pass Rates per Subject – FY 2013/2014 | Overall Pass Rate2013/14 | |||
| Subject | Pass Rate | Passed | 81% | |
| AIR LAW | 80.3% | Failed | 19% | |
| AIR LAW (H) | 76.6% | |||
| AIRFRAMES/SYSTEMS/POWER PLANT | 77.9% | |||
| AIRFRAMES/SYSTEMS/POWER PLANT (H) | 65.7% | |||
| INSTRUMENTATION | 69.6% | |||
| INSTRUMENTATION (H) | 66.8% | |||
| MASS AND BALANCE | 58.8% | |||
| MASS AND BALANCE (H) | 72.5% | |||
| PERFORMANCE | 49.2% | |||
| FLIGHT PLANNING AND MONITORING | 71.0% | |||
| FLIGHT PLANNING AND MONITORING (H) | 80.1% | |||
| PERFORMANCE (H) | 98.0% | |||
| HUMAN PERFORMANCE | 86.9% | |||
| HUMAN PERFORMANCE (H) | 92.1% | |||
| METEOROLOGY | 58.5% | |||
| METEOROLOGY (H) | 62.6% | |||
| GENERAL NAVIGATION | 62.8% | |||
| GENERAL NAVIGATION (H) | 62.1% | |||
| RADIO NAVIGATION | 78.5% | |||
| RADIO NAVIGATION (H) | 70.5% | |||
| OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES | 92.7% | |||
| OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES (H) | 91.9% | |||
| PRINCIPLES OF FLIGHT (AERO) | 52.1% | |||
| PRINCIPLES OF FLIGHT (HELI) | 45.6% | |||
| VFR COMMUNICATION | 97.9% | |||
| VFR COMMUNICATION (H) | 98.0% | |||
| IFR COMMUNICATION | 97.1% | |||
| IFR COMMUNICATION (H) | 96.8% | |||
| Subject | 2014/2015 | 2015/2016 | 2016/2017 | 2017/2018 |
| 10AA: 010 Air Law | 85% | 84% | 76% | 76% |
| 21AA: 021 Airframe/Systems/Power Plant/Electrics | 84% | 81% | 84% | 81% |
| 22AA: 022 Aircraft General Knowledge – Instrumentation | 74% | 80% | 76% | 74% |
| 31AA: 031 Mass & Balance | 75% | 82% | 76% | 72% |
| 32AA: 032 Performance (Aeroplane) | 67% | 69% | 60% | 65% |
| 33AA: 033 Flight Planning and Monitoring | 76% | 85% | 75% | 66% |
| 40AA: 040 Human Performance and Limitations | 91% | 86% | 78% | 75% |
| 50AA: 050 Meteorology | 64% | 70% | 71% | 68% |
| 61AA: 061 General Navigation | 73% | 68% | 74% | 77% |
| 62AA: 062 Radio Navigation | 83% | 86% | 87% | 82%* |
| 71AA: 071 Operational Procedures | 89% | 84% | 81% | 78% |
| 81AA: 081 Principles of Flight (A) | 59% | 62% | 62% | 65% |
| 91AA: 091 VFR Communications | 96% | 95% | 91% | 89% |
| 92AA: 092 IFR Communications | 95% | 95% | 93% | 92% |
| Overall Pass Rate% | 89% | 88% | 86% | 85% |
| *Please note the 2017/2018 FY 62AA includes the PBN subject |
Thinking of training via the modular route? Or started and still have questions? Then read The Essential Modular Flight Training Guide.
Does the 2014-2018 data represent the first time pass rate or the overall pass rate?
First time pass rate mate, the overall pass rate is at the bottom.
Great data here mate. I made the original request which I posted over at PPRuNe. Those first time pass rates are really interesting.
Good work mate, I think they should be more upfront about this and publish it themselves but at least now we have a way to get it out there.
.
Stumbled across this page and the subsequent post on PPRuNe by Jaair as above. First of all, good idea, and very interesting reading!
In regards to the figures (and I might be missing something), why is there such a difference between the first time pass rates posted here vs the first time pass rates that Jaair got hold of?
If we take a look at the first time pass rate for 2017/18 for e.g. Performance (A) as above, it’s 65%. However, the first time pass rate that Jaair got hold of for Performance (A), also for 2017/18, it’s 78%.
That’s a big difference. Again, I might be missing something!
Thanks for posting the entries in this blog, too. Has been good reading!
Hi Ben I think the original request only had the overall pass rate. This is why I requested the first time pass rate.
Hi, Hope you can help with a debate a colleague and I are having. What is a first time pass (a) Passing all exams at the first attempt in series 1 or (b) Passing all exams in series 1 more than one attempt in some subject? Thanks
It is defo A 🙂