1. General

1.1. All basic examinations shall be carried out using the multi-choice question format and essay questions as specified below. The incorrect alternatives shall seem equally plausible to anyone ignorant of the subject. All of the alternatives shall be clearly related to the question and of similar vocabulary, grammatical construction and length. In numerical questions, the incorrect answers shall correspond to procedural errors such as corrections applied in the wrong sense or incorrect unit conversions: they shall not be mere random numbers.

1.2. Each multi-choice question shall have three alternative answers of which only one shall be the correct answer and the candidate shall be allowed a time per module which is based upon a nominal average of 75 seconds per question.

1.3. Each essay question requires the preparation of a written answer and the candidate shall be allowed 20 minutes to answer each such question.

1.4. Suitable essay questions shall be drafted and evaluated using the knowledge syllabus in Appendix I Module 7.

1.5. Each question will have a model answer drafted for it, which will also include any known alternative answers that may be relevant for other subdivisions.

1.6. The model answer will also be broken down into a list of the important points known as Key Points.

1.7. The pass mark for each module and sub-module multi-choice part of the examination is 75 %.

1.8. The pass mark for each essay question is 75 % in that the candidates answer shall contain 75 % of the required key points addressed by the question and no significant error related to any required key point.

1.9. If either the multi-choice part only or the essay part only is failed, then it is only necessary to retake the multi-choice or essay part, as appropriate.

1.10. Penalty marking systems shall not be used to determine whether a candidate has passed.

1.11. An examination in a module may not be retaken earlier than 90 days following the date of a failed examination in that module, except in the case of a maintenance training organisation approved in accordance with Annex IV (Part-147) which delivers a course of retraining tailored to the failed subjects in the particular module; the failed module may be retaken after 30 days.

1.12. Basic knowledge examinations with a maximum allowed time of more than 90 or more than 180 minutes may be split in two or three partial exams respectively.

Each partial exam shall:

(a) be complementary to the other partial exam or exams taken by the candidate, ensuring that the combination of partial exams meets the examination requirements for the subject module;

(b) be of similar allowed time;

(c) be passed with 75 % or more of the questions answered correctly;

(d) contain a number of questions that is multiple of four;

(e) be listed on the same certificate of recognition issued after the last partial exam has been successfully passed. That certificate of recognition shall list the dates and the results of the partial exams – without averaging the results;

(f) be taken within the same organisation, following the normal examination provisions for retaking failed exams.

1.13. The maximum number of attempts for each examination is three in a 12-month period.

The applicant shall provide in a written statement to the approved maintenance training organisation or the competent authority to which they apply for an examination, the number, and dates of attempts during the 12 months preceding the examination, and the organisation or the competent authority where those attempts took place. The approved maintenance training organisation or the competent authority is responsible for checking the number of attempts within the applicable time frames.

1.14 While it is accepted that the subject matter of the questions may be the same, the questions used as part of the MBT learning programme shall not be used in examinations.