Maintenance and Manufacturing Staff Instructions (MSI) No. 18: Appendix D

Appendix D - Examinations

1. Transport Canada Examinations

1.1 All examinations are closed book - no other method of examination is permitted.

1.2 Technical Exams:

  1. Applicants who are required to complete the TC technical examinations at a TCC may obtain approval to attempt the examinations once acceptable documented proof of age, citizenship and basic training are received. Approval to attempt the technical examinations is to be issued on the AME Licence Application Supplement form and is valid for 12 months from date of issue.
  2. The Inspector/Officers are required to sign their names, date and stamp the approval (using their inspector stamp). Applicants are to be given the original signed/stamped application, and a copy of that document is to be placed on their 5802 file.
  3. Technical exams that were successfully completed by applicants after January 01, 1990 are deemed to be valid and need not be rewritten provided that all examinations required for equivalency have been completed (refer to 1.2.2(b)). Details of any previously completed exam are to be annotated on the AME Licence Application Supplement form.

1.2.1 Approvals Granted Prior to June 2003:

  1. In order to address transition issues, invigilation of the old technical exams will continue until June 2, 2004, after which time, these exams will be cancelled and removed from circulation.
  2. Approvals granted under this process remain valid until their applicable expiry dates. All exams indicated on the applicants' approval must be completed within the required 12-month time frame.
  3. If an AME licence applicant is currently approved to attempt these technical examinations and has not yet completed them; they may request approval to attempt the new technical exams using the updated 26-0638 Supplement form.

1.2.2 Re-application to Write the New Technical Examinations:

  1. If the applicants' approval for the old examinations expires, and they have successfully completed some but not all of these examinations; or they choose to reapply to write the new examinations; a review for equivalency to the new June 2003 examinations will be required.
  2. Equivalency may be granted provided all of the old examinations that are required for equivalency have been passed. In situations where the applicant has not successfully completed all old exams necessary for equivalency the applicant must attempt the applicable new examination in its entirety. For example:
    • Applicant wrote/passed FWA & RWA (equivalency) = AF
    • Applicant wrote/passed FWA (no equivalency) = the new AF exam must be written/passed
  3. When an applicant has been re-approved to complete the new technical examinations, the approving TC representative will indicate in Part 2 of the 26-0638 Supplement form where equivalency has been given to any new examination, and this approval will be valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
  4. Examination equivalency is as follows:
M rating Old exams (9)   New exams (3)
  Standard Practices (PRAC) Standard Practices-M (SPM)
       
  Fixed-Wing Airframe and (FWA) } Airframe (AF)
  Rotary Wing Airframe (RWA) }  
       
  Piston Engine, (PENG) } Powerplant (PP)
  Turbine Engine and (TENG) }  
  Propellers (PROP) }  
       
  Small Piston Aeroplanes (*)  
  Small Turboprop Aeroplanes (*)  
  Small Piston Rotorcraft (*)  
 

(*) The technical knowledge content of the old SPA, STP and HELO exams has been dispersed throughout the new technical exams; therefore, there are no equivalent stand-alone exams under the new June 2003 exam system.

E rating Old exams (4)   New exams (2)
  Avionics General (AVGN) Standard Practices-E (SPE)
       
  Radio Navigation, (RADI) } Avionics (AV)
  Electrical Instrument and (ELCI) }  
  Autoflight (AUTO) }  
S rating Old exams (4)   New exams (2)
  Standard Practices (SPRC) Standard Practices-S (SPS)
       
  Sheet Metal Structures, (SHT) } Structures (ST)
  Tubular Structures and (TUBE) }  
  Wooden Structures (WOOD) }  

1.3 Regulatory Requirements Examination:

  1. Applicants may obtain approval to attempt the regulatory requirements examination once they have obtained all but 6 months of the required total experience for the rating sought.
  2. Approval to attempt the regulatory requirements examination is to be issued on the AME Licence Application Form, 24-0083; this approval is valid for 12 months from date of issue. Should the exam not be successfully completed within that 12-month time frame the approval & application form expires. Submission of a new application form is required, including applicable fees and rewriting of the regulatory requirements exam.
  3. The Inspector/Officers are required to sign their names, date and stamp the approval (using their authorized stamp). Applicants are to be given the original signed/stamped application, and a copy of that document is to be placed on their 5802 file.
  4. Should a licence not be issued within the 12-month time frame, the applicant is required to reapply for licence issue.
  5. Applicants are not required to provide documented proof of meeting the skill (maintenance task) requirement prior to writing the regulatory requirements examination; however the skill requirement must be completed within the 12-month approval of the 24-0083 application form. If the applicant does not successfully complete the required examination and meet the skill requirement within that 12-month time frame they are required to resubmit an application form (reapply), pay the applicable fee again and write (or re-write) the examination.

1.4 Examination Room Entry Requirements:

Applicants presenting themselves to attempt an examination are required to provide the following information/documentation to the Exam Invigilator:

  1. Proof of identity by way of a licence or other official document bearing a signature and photograph issued by a municipal, provincial or federal authorities and;
  2. The applicable AME Licence Application Supplement Technical Examinations form, 26-0638, which provides authority to attempt the required technical exams or;
  3. The applicable AME Licence Application form, 24-0083, which provides authority to attempt the regulatory requirements exam and;
  4. A copy of the Exam Fee payment receipt.

1.5 Examination Validity periods:

The validity period of AME examinations are as follows:

  1. Technical examinations - indefinitely (subject to requirements of item 1.2 as applicable)
  2. Regulatory examination - 12 months from date of writing (if all requirements for licence issue are not fulfilled within that timeframe the applicant must reapply and rewrite the exam).

2. Examination Version

  1. Designators, followed by a two-digit number that indicates a series or version number, identify examination papers. Example: PP-001 01.
  2. Ensure that the most current examination version is administered. Referring to the local AME Licensing & Training intranet page, under "List of Valid AME Exams", can confirm verification of this information. The version number indicates the latest version of a series. Example: : PP-001 02 would supersede : PP-001 01.
  3. A series number distinguishes between different examinations on the same subject and if more than one series is valid, the examinations are interchangeable. Example: : PP-001 01 and : PP-002 01 may both be valid examinations; applicants failing exam 001 may be presented with exam 002 on re-examination.

3. Examination Review/Feedback Requests

3.1 Occasionally, applicants may request to have their examination results reviewed by a TC representative to determine the area(s) that may require additional study. To ensure that a method of consistent and quality feedback is provided, the following process should be applied:

  1. keep the information general;
  2. only provide feedback for areas that require improvement;
  3. do not make reference to specific areas of study, e.g. STD 573, page 4;
  4. reference should be made to the applicable standard, e.g. STD 566, and;
  5. applicants should be provided with copies of the applicable Study & Reference Guide.

4. Examination Question - Challenge

  1. Should an applicant challenge a question while writing, the individual should be instructed to provide written comment on the particular question so that their concerns can be addressed by a TC representative upon completion of the examination. The question should be identified and a review conducted after invigilation to determine if the concerns noted have validity.
  2. In cases where no subject matter expert is available to review the comments/concerns noted, the issue shall be brought to the attention of AARPG (AME Licensing & Training) Ottawa. This would normally occur if there are doubts regarding the validity of a question or if a question requires amending.

5. Examination Rewrites

  1. Where an applicant is attempting a second or subsequent writing of a failed examination, the exam invigilator must ensure that a different examination series is used, if available. Also, the applicable rewrite fee is to be paid prior to the examination invigilation.
  2. Applicants who are required to reapply for approval to write the technical or regulatory requirements examinations may not have the exam attempt number or their previous rewrite timeframes reset. The applicable exam attempt number (i.e. 2nd attempt) and rewrite timeframes (i.e. 30 days or 6 months) stand regardless of whether the applicant has written the old or new exams or are in transition from old to new system. For example:
    • An applicant fails a 2nd attempt of (old) FWA exam, and their approval to write expires - they are required to reapply to attempt any outstanding exams. As the old FWA examination is to be removed from circulation, approval to write the new technical exams is issued. The applicant must (still) wait the mandatory 6 month rewrite time frame prior to writing the new AF exam and this now becomes the 3rd exam attempt.
  3. In situations where the applicant has been unsuccessful in their attempt of an examination on numerous occasions (e.g. in excess of 3 attempts), TC may request that the applicant provide evidence of further study or instruction on the subject matter, prior to approval to rewrite the examination (reference CAR 400.04(5)). Evidence to support the additional study or instruction may take the form of a letter of verification from the employer or proof of having attended a course of study on the applicable subject matter.
  4. In circumstances where a deviation from the rewrite policy/procedure may appear warranted, TCC's are to contact the Superintendent of AME Licensing & Training (AARPG) to seek authorization.
  5. If the last examination attempt or rewrite was completed more than 2 years previous and the applicant submits a new application, the new examination attempt(s) will be considered as first attempts.

6. Examination Answer Sheets

TCC's are to forward examination answer sheets to their regional office for retention. The regional office will retain all examination answer sheets for a two-year period. For security reasons these documents should be retained in a secure cabinet and not on the applicant's 5802 file.

7. Examination Invigilation - Remote Areas

7.1 Where undue hardship to the individual is apparent or public interest is better served, the region may request the local detachment of the RCMP, located nearest the applicant's residence, to conduct the examination at their convenience. The following procedure is to be applied under these circumstances:

  1. The RCMP shall be made aware of the protected nature of these documents and of the need to ensure that no unauthorized persons have access to the exam. The RCMP shall provide written acknowledgment & acceptance of these requirements, and include the identification of their designated invigilator before the exam is forwarded. Once completed, the region may forward the examination to the RCMP and authorize them to invigilate the examination.
  2. The exam shall be returned to the responsible person at the TCC by priority mail, double enveloped, marked "Protected - To Be Opened by Addressee Only". TCC's shall ensure that the staff responsible for the security and control of exams is aware of the procedures. Costs associated with remote exam invigilation (e.g. courier costs, etc) are normally covered by the region.
  3. In rare circumstances, and only if justifiable reasons exits, the Superintendent, AME Licensing & Training will determine if alternative procedures may be applied.
  4. Examinations cannot to be sent outside of Canada for invigilation under any circumstances due to the increased potential for examination compromise.

8. Transport Appeal Tribunal of Canada Act (the Act)

  1. Effective June 30, 2003 changes to the Aeronautics Act, as mandated by the Act, require that TC inform an applicant of the right to a review of the Minister's decision to refuse to issue or amend a Canadian aviation document (CAD).
  2. In respect to the submission of the 26-0638 AME Licence Application Supplement Technical Examinations application, successful completion of the technical examinations is not considered an application pursuant to the act, but rather is a prerequisite to making an application. Therefore failure of the required examinations and/or expiry of the application does not require a Notice of Refusal to Issue or Amend a Canadian Aviation Document to be issued.
  3. In respect to the submission of the 24-0083 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer Licence applications, the licence application is not considered to be "complete" until all requirements set out in the regulatory standard have been successfully fulfilled. Therefore failure of the required examination, non-submission of required experience/maintenance tasks, or expiry of the application does not require that a Notice of Refusal to Issue or Amend a Canadian Aviation Document be issued.