The ATPL Theory Exams, Explained Properly
Most ATPL content explains the syllabus. This series explains the exams themselves — the decisions and rules that determine your cost, your timeline and your stress level: which authority to sit with, which ECQB version you will actually face, how sittings and attempts really work, and what order to take the subjects in.
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The exam-strategy guides
Which EASA authority should you sit your ATPL exams with?Comparing the national aviation authorities EASA candidates commonly sit with — costs, sitting definitions, and what FCL.025 keeps identical everywhere.Which ECQB version is your exam? ECQB 2026, explainedECQB 2026 is the current release of EASA’s central question bank — but each state migrates on its own timetable. How to find out which version you will actually be examined from.Converting an ICAO ATPL to an EASA ATPLThe Article 3(c) theory-course credit, why it does not waive the exams, the Article 9 trap, and the practical logistics of converting a third-country ATPL.ATPL exam sittings, attempts and time limits (FCL.025)The FCL.025 rules quoted exactly: 75% pass mark, 4 attempts, 6 sittings, the 18-month window — and why "sitting" itself is defined by your authority, not by Part-FCL.The recommended order to study the EASA ATPL subjectsWhich subject to start with, which subjects to group into a sitting, and the prerequisite trap that makes Flight Planning an expensive early pick.Why “the last 500”? ATPL recency rings, explained honestlyThe L800/L500/L300/L100 ritual nobody explains: what a recency ring is, the decay maths behind ours, why reporter reliability has to be weighted — and the three cases where studying by ring will let you down.
Is it hard? All 13 subjects, honestly
One page per subject: what it actually covers, how much is memorisation versus understanding, the common traps, and which subjects to sit alongside it — based on what students in the community actually report.
010Is Air Law hard?021Is Aircraft General Knowledge hard?022Is Instrumentation hard?031Is Mass & Balance hard?032Is Performance hard?033Is Flight Planning & Monitoring hard?040Is Human Performance & Limitations hard?050Is Meteorology hard?061Is General Navigation hard?062Is Radio Navigation hard?070Is Operational Procedures hard?081Is Principles of Flight hard?090Is Communications hard?
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Then practise like it’s the real thing
All 13 subjects, per-topic readiness tracking, spaced-repetition review and timed mock exams at the real 75% pass mark.