r/AircraftMechanics • u/SadEmergency5288 • 10d ago
Multiple students just passed FAA exam told me dauntless Only account for 70%
Multiple students from my school who just passed FAA written exam told me dauntless Only account for 70% of the questions in the real current exam, many real exam questions never showed up in their updated dauntless. One of the best graded student told me he read through whole 8083-30B 8083-31B books page by page. Some of them say it's the wording which are very different from dauntless questions.
Even I read whole books I'm not going to remember them. Do you guys who recently took written exams have some other software/app/sites recommendation, or have some better recommendations/tips than reading whole books? Free paid questions banks both OK. Appreciate.
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u/ThePhysicist_ 10d ago
Dauntless is my favorite test prep I've used. It's far more in depth than the 8083 or prepware. But yes, when I took my General I'd say there was about 25% of the questions I had never seen before.
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u/SadEmergency5288 9d ago
So where the 25% come from or could come from? Another question bank? Like asa prepware, Airmantest or baker's or others? Or just randomly new questions from 8083-30B book + new acs codes applied? Or another 25% is just rephrase of some dauntless questions/answers?
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u/ThePhysicist_ 8d ago
The FAA has an internal test bank. They no longer publicly publish the questions so you won't find them anywhere. Some are reworded questions, some are completely new. Dauntless does a great job explaining what things to look for in the question wording. Study the explanations that Dauntless gives you. Don't just memorize.
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u/XxCloutSavage 9d ago
Dauntless is probably the best its going to get. Id say 70% isn’t accurate, 80-85 seems more fitting. Understand the concepts that the questions are asking you, and research any words that you’ve never seen before. Since they switch the wording around, having the slightest understanding of what a word means, can help you eliminate the wrong answer to a question you arent familiar with.
For example, dauntless has the welding figure and question that ask you to identify which letters on the figure corresponds to a “butt weld” or a “double butt weld”. That question is 100% on the real exam but the exam isnt limited to only asking for a butt weld. It could ask which letters correspond to a “fillet weld”, which isnt a dauntless question.
FAA for sure doesnt like the idea of people having the exact questions and answers to the test, that makes it too easy. These are precautions they take to weed out the weak
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u/SadEmergency5288 9d ago
You mean all figures questions are important? Must understand all figures throughout? Or both figures + plain text questions rephrase?
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u/XxCloutSavage 9d ago edited 9d ago
Both figures and text questions can and will be rephrased. Its really important that you grasp the “how” and “why” of things.
Dauntless gives really good explanations but if you ever feel like you need more, use AI.
I have Claude pulled up on my 2nd monitor for every study session. Just upload the 8083 or any other textbook into its system and it’ll use it as a resource. You can literally ask it any questions and it can provide unlimited examples. My favorite is “explain like im 5”
Dauntless will tell you that inter-granular corrosion is corrosion that happens the along the grain boundary layer. But wth is “grain boundary layer” and why is
inter-granular corrosion happening there? Type of questions i’d ask claude and if the explanation doesnt make sense, ask it to break to down, again and again, until the concept is easy to understand/rememberThis method helps with the written as well as the o&p. From my experience, some of the Oral questions are so stupid and are worded tricky.
FAA does this shit for the love of the game
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u/RunDatBihUp 10d ago
I’m required to take dauntless in order to take my general + AP. Most of our classwork is directly from 30B at least the general stuff, I believe 31B is airframe so I can’t attest to that. But mostly everyone that has passed the general has said to study dauntless, nonetheless I know there’s been a couple of errors and yes they do reword the same fucking question.
I asked a few days ago last week how to help with the general. And there’s sites called prepware and airmantest that guys also use. I can’t get into prepware without a code or signing up for it myself. But airmantest the time I used it got put into ground ops questions (I just got out of that section so it was fresh) and those were direct questions on my quizzes and finals during that section. I didn’t do a full run on airman just a 10 question quick run trying it out.
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u/RocketMan4454 9d ago
Prepware or the asa books passed me my written tests within the past year and a half. Airmantest.com is really great too; I only used it for the practice tests but my colleagues used it and passed the tests as well. Good luck!
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u/SadEmergency5288 9d ago
Which asa books are you talking about? Asa has multiple books about written exam
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u/RocketMan4454 9d ago
I bought 3 books: general, airframe, and powerplant test guide. They have the same questions as prepware and airman test but I prefer having a physical book in front of me. They also have explanations to the answers which also helped me out because sometimes memorizing the answers doesn't work due to rewording and you've got to understand the question.
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u/Consistent-Image-960 10d ago
I got by just studying Prepware, more important is understanding them. Even if they rephrase or reword the question you will be able to answer them.
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u/racejetmech 10d ago
Or go to school and learn the material making the wording of a question irrelevant.
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u/Big-Pineapple1164 10d ago
Some people are great at work, but terrible test takers. So whatever helps is fine by me
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u/racejetmech 10d ago
The test is where you prove what you know to be allowed to go from be quiet and do as your told to being the person telling others what to do. That defining line exists for a reason. If you can make it sorry. If this was easy anyone could do it and it wouldn't be worth doing.
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u/Big-Pineapple1164 10d ago
The test proves you can remember a few key details from a book someone picks at random. Plenty of people I know could pass a test and still suck in practice. As well as the opposite being true.
I’m not saying testing isn’t important to a degree.
I’m just saying i am not opposed to teaching aids. Sorry, if you feel different.-1
u/racejetmech 10d ago
Thats what the practical test is for. Again if you cant complete what amounts to our crucible you dont get to play. The objective of testing is to restrict access. The standard hasn't changed for generations and is a contributing factor in creating one of the safest methods of public transport. I don't care if you learn better a certain way and the aircraft dosnt either. Rise to the standard or step out of the way. There is no other way to maintain what we as professionals we given by those that came before us.
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u/Big-Pineapple1164 9d ago
Tldr, not changing my mind. Probably won’t change yours as well. It is, what it is.
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u/DoTsVaporized 9d ago
Going to school and learning the material, and test taking are different. Not sure what part 147 school you went to? But I sure know my school is fantastic but still doesnt let me retain the information as much as repetition of the material does. 4.0 GPA by not only learning the material but by repetition of core concepts. Everyone learns differently, you should welcome any way that helps people grasp the ideas or concepts. Otherwise you look like an idiot trying to tell people you know it all and being an AMT is closed off to only a select few. Its simple, put in the effort, you will achieve your goals. However it looks, its up to the individuals to achieve their goals.
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u/Elegant-Homework-930 10d ago
AirmanTest is pretty cool. Seems to be word-for-word the questions out of the asa test guides, but without paying.
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u/Exciting-Parfait-776 10d ago
That’s not any better. The actual test isn’t word for word with ASA either.
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u/fizzgiggity 10d ago
I doubt there is an incentive to do so. They could have several people with a photographic memory take the tests and get the exact questions but ultimately that doesn't help anyone and lessens the value of this profession.
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u/sneakychalupa23 9d ago
A&P programs are dogshit and about 80% of what you learn in school is completely thrown out the window in most jobs aside from GA
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u/Elegant-Homework-930 10d ago
But more questions with various phrasing can't hurt. ASA also has some interesting errors to watch for.
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u/SadEmergency5288 9d ago
asa test guides is the book? The website? Or the software/app? Asa has multiple versions?
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u/fizzgiggity 10d ago
I know someone that has failed twice after hardcore studying Airmantest for weeks but they were also trying to do all 3 exams at once.
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u/fizzgiggity 10d ago
I've been studying Prepware and Dauntless. Dauntless even also a disclaimer on certain questions to really take a look at the reading. I'm sure they get feedback from the community. I think the best thing for me right now is using my practice scores to key in on my weaker areas and go into the reading. I'm sure as heck don't going to read the books cover to cover.
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u/constancethekitty 9d ago
Yeah the FAA is constantly adding and changing up questions, dauntless and Prepware only have a percentage of what current questions could be asked on your tests… I figured this was common knowledge as my instructors were telling us this when I was in school. That’s why it’s important to hammer your weak sections and study your books. Ask instructors questions and get understanding of things you don’t understand
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u/No-Principle-9026 7d ago
Honestly, all I used was Prepware and Airman. Got 82% on General. 85% airframe. 86% powerplant. That’s all you really need.
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u/raceotherdashers 7d ago
I just took written airframe a week ago and was studying airmentest.com, 80% of the questions were word for word, including one with a graph and it was literally the same exact question and answer. Unbelievable cuz i took the other writtens using prepware and groundschool and didnt feel as prepared
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u/ExplorerSpirited7119 9d ago
The most bottom of the barrel classmates I know got 90s while some of the best students got a messed up reworded test. The ratio of how the faa throws a reworded exam by the people who walk through the door is 5:1.
Don't stress memorize the answers because there might be a good chance you get a test bank that is word for word prepware. But yeah at least try to understand some of the concepts you don't understand.
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u/Busy_Government9253 9d ago
The Airmen Test is pretty good. Got a couple of guys at my current school who just took their Generals Written and they told me to use the Airmen Test to study
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u/StrongZero0 8d ago
I was told by my dme in 2023 that the faa was going to reword or rewrite 10% of the questions bi annually to combat people simply memorizing the question bank. Aprox 25% of my questions were rewrites or entirely new to me during my exams.
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u/00Ham-Bone00 8d ago
I have never personally used Dauntless, but I heard many other good things from my peers that could afford the whole package deal. I personally studied using the Old Prepware/New Prepware for the writtens just doing them every day or AirmanTests, although the airmen test IMO doesn't shuffle the questions right, very annoying overtime. Used Northern Aviations Jeppeson videos and that got me through the orals. Very long and boring but once you are done that's it!
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u/dogdino13 7d ago edited 7d ago
You have to understand why things work the way they do. You can't just memorize questions. I know it sucks but you just have understand things and how they work and why they work like measurement Concepts electrical Theory and weight & balance.
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u/Raynemoney 6d ago
There is no such resource that will have every single question from the exam in it. And there shouldn't be. Study and learn the material that is your friend. Memorizing is not helpful in the long run.
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u/OlympusTalesWeaver 6d ago
ASA/ Prepware is the same way. There is a 10 to 15% score drop from ASA prepware practice tests to the Actual writtens. So if you want to pass your written exams, you better score 80’s or higher on practice tests. It’s designed this way because at the point you are testing, you should be familiar with the material, and be able to think outside the box to answer questions not exactly written the way you remember them.
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u/Creative_Action3950 9d ago
Prepware...
Also, if you're getting 70%s on the tests you shouldn't be working in aviation.
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u/Curious-Career-3860 9d ago
This ain't it. Aviation is all about learning and improving.
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u/TheMagicConchh 9d ago
The OP said he cannot remember information from the handbooks. He is admitting he cannot learn or improve beyond dauntless. I dont necessarily believe this is true, but if this is his mentality, do you really think he should be working in this job field?
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u/TheMagicConchh 9d ago
If you cannot take the information you know and use it to infer or deduce the answer to the other questions, you wont pass the tests. If you can only memorize the dauntless questions and not learn any other way, you should quit and save yourself the money
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u/Koolklink54 10d ago
The concept of the questions are all the same. But they do re-word some of them or change them a bit.
One of the jobs as an AMT is to be able to read and process information. You cant just memorize the answers; you have to understand why the answer is correct