Draft - Draft - Draft

 FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions for the SAHPA Computer based Test

 Is it multiple choice?
Yes. At least one answer, sometimes more, or even all answers can be correct for a question.

Can I tick all answers to pass a question?
Wrong answers score negative. If you tick all answers you will get a negative score for this question.

  What is an Important Question?
    An important question is a must pass question.
   If you fail this one, do not get it right 100 percent,  you fail the complete test.
   Important questions would be for example  ...   right of way related, rules of the air related, basic safety related.

 Where do I find the recommended reading material to pass the test?
 All the Important questions will be  public, and part of the web based sample test.
  But the answers might look different in the public versus the real test.

  For the BASIC Paragliding test one should study
    - the SAHPA student training manual
    - the old BASIC test paper  located at  .......
   - the sample BASIC web based test at ....
  - the SAHPA Operations and Procedure Manual located at  ....

 for the SPORT Paragliding test study the following resources
   - the old SAHPA Club/Sport licence test located at  ...
  - the alternative SAHPA Sport licence test
  - the Skygod certification web site, which is probably far beyond the scope for the SPORT rating
  - the sample web based SPORT rating test located at  ...
  - the SKYGOD test, which is an advanced test and beyond the scope for a SPORT rating
  - read the book Understanding the Sky from Dennis Pagen
  - read the book Cross Country Flying from Dennis Pagen
  - go through the CAA regulation Part  24,62, 94,96, 106,185 ...  from www.caa.co.za
 - the SAHPA Operations and Procedure Manual located at  ....
 

  Why not web based completely?
     A test will take about 1-2 hours to take to answer 90-120 questions.
     Not sure if we can have a reliable internet connection on  a private telephone line for 2 hours.
     And not everyone got internet access.
    And then there is the requirement for authentication. One has to be sure the correct person did the test.
    Which can not be assured unless one has a 3rd party confirming the identity.

 What do I have as proof and feedback that I passed or failed the test?
   Emails can get lost. Harddisk can crash. Data can get lost...
  At the end of the test you will receive a printout with the results, signed by the person who supervised your test as proof that you passed.
  And in case you failed the printout will give you some feedback where you failed.

 Do I get my licence printed immediately?
  No. The SAHPA office will get the results via email, and once all the requirements are met SAHPA will issue a licence.

 What happens with my test results?
   Your test results file will be kept and archived at the SAHPA office.
   And will be used for statistics.
   Like which questions are mostly answered wrong. Indicating that the training syllabus might not cover that area enough.

 What will be the percentage to pass the test?
   That has not been defined, Probably you will have to achieve 80 percent or more, plus the must pass Important questions

 Who defines the questions and answers?
   Everyone is welcome to submit questions along with possible answers and wrong answers to the SAHPA  National Licensing and Safety Officer.
   A working group under the NLSO will define the final collection of questions and answers.
   Which can be ammended, changed when required.

 Is the web based test and the final test having the same questions?
  The questions and answers of the web based, public test will  not be identical to the computer based final test.
  But very similar.
  For example, the web based test might ask ... " The sun in South Africa rises in the "  - East - West - South - North
  while the real test will ask ...  " Where does the sun set in South Africa " - East - West - South - North

 Where can I take the test ?
  Idea is to apply for the Test through SAHPA and a date and venue will then be arranged for you take the test.
  This could be before a club meeting, during a competition, or at someone's private premises in the evening.

 When will the test be introduced?
  From mid 2003 onwards

 I have prepared for the old  Sport licence test, what can I do?
   You got until  end of May 2003 to hand in the alternative SPORTS test.
   Be aware that the old Sport licence test which has been used in recent years and can be downloaded on the web has been withdrawn and has been replaced by an alternative test which can be obtained from SAHPA.

Once I answered a question the computer, can I change my response?
 As you answer a question by selecting one or more of the checkboxes, and before you click on the Next button, you can mark the question for review. The question will then have a prefix called REDO in the list of questions.
 Afterwards you can click on the question that has a REDO label and you can change your response.

What does TODO, REDO and SEEN indicate in the list of questions ?
 Initially, when you start off with the test, you will see in the list of questions that all questions are labelled TODO.
 As a question gets displayed to you, it changes to SEEN.
You can opt to mark a question that you already answered with a review flag called REDO.

Can I modify a SEEN question?
 Yes. Once you started the test you can select any question from the list. It does not matter if they are marked TODO, SEEN or REDO.

What does REDO mean ?
In case you are not sure about your answer, you can tick it with a review flag, which will mark it in the list of questions with a REDO in front of the question. Once you are finished with all questions you can scroll through the list of questions and look for those that are marked REDO. Then click on one of them and re-assess your answers or modify and change them.

What happens when the count down timer gets to 0?
  The moment you click the Start button a count down timer shows you how much time you got left. Once the count down timer has reached 0, the test scores your responses and will give you a result.

Is there a time limit for each question?
No. You can take longer for some questions. And others you might find easy and answer fast. There is only a time limit for the total test.

 Can I restart the test, by reinstalling the code package?
  Trying to be clever? The code along with the test data has some built in checks and encrypted keys which ensure for a real test that one can only take it once. A demo test gets shipped with a key that one can run it over and over again.

 Can I read the test data beforehand by opening some files?
   The data is encrypted. You can try and use your time to crack it. Or use the time to prepare yourself and learn the required subjects. And become a better pilot at the same time.

Are the results also encrypted?
 Yes. The results get encrypted to avoid tampering with them before they get sent back to SAHPA.

What system prereqs are required for the Taking the Test component?
Any MS Windows 95 upward platform should be capable to provide a platform to take the test. The code for taking the test is written on purpose to make use of very few and simple interface routines to keep the code small.
On XP the exe alone seems not to work and one has to use the install package first.

Why not everything in Java?
The web based part is written in Java.
To design a standalone Java piece of code to run the test on its own would require a 8MB JRE file first. What makes it bigger than the exe VB approach.

 Who is in charge of the Test?
 The National Safety and Licensing Officer of SAHPA