Hi Rob, I see what you are saying, but I think that like so many issues discussed online it is far more complex in real life! With the example you give is there not a commercial / career reason for wanting to progress and therefore an incentive to take the test even if not ready for it? I would also be very surprised were IAM groups putting forward candidates before they considered them to be ready - when I took mine in the 90s I had to undergo a complete mock test with an out of area examiner before I was allowed to apply for the test - that surely has to be a key reason behind high success rates? Perhaps of more interest would be numbers of people starting / doing the training v. passes?
Alasdair
Hi Alasdair
With the DVSA ADI qualification system you wouldn't want to take the Pt 2 test before ready because you only have 3 attempts before having to wait 2 years before starting the whole qualification process again. Also Pt1 and Pt 2 tests cost £110 a time so you wouldn't want to have the stress and expense of taking the Pt1 more than once and Pt2 up to three times! On top of that training for Pt2 is expensive.
Im not saying IAM observers are not good at preparing candidates for test, however having done IAM & ADI Pt2, I still don't think the IAM test with its 90% pass rate is a difficult test to pass, and I think ADI Pt2 is much harder to pass with its 45% pass rate.
I have no idea of the 'drop out' rate for IAM. With a 90% pass rate, I would imagine that the majority who pay their skill for life pass the IAM test at the first attempt and a minority on the 2nd. I would also imagine the main drop out rate for the IAM is not renewing membership after passing the test.
With the ADI process the pass rates are 50% for Pt1, 45% for Pt2 and 28% for Pt3 so the overall pass rate for those starting out the process and even allowing for 2 or 3 attempts at Pt2 and PT3 is low, maybe not much more than 10%, so around 90% 'drop out'.
Of course the low ADI pass rate is a little known fact and most of those who start ADI training process aren't told that
Rob