Meteorology
Core concepts
Meteorology questions test interpretation of weather affecting flight: pressure systems, fronts, icing, turbulence, thunderstorms, and visibility. Know the standard atmosphere and how pressure, temperature, and humidity affect altimetry. Understand METAR and TAF decoding, ceiling and visibility definitions, and the difference between QNH and QFE. Know icing types (rime, clear, mixed) and the conditions that produce them. Understand wind shear, microbursts, and the hazards of convective weather. Also know how to read significant weather charts and the meaning of SIGMET and AIRMET.
Traps in questions
A frequent trap is confusing QNH (altimeter reads elevation on the ground) with QFE (reads zero on the ground). Another is assuming a high ceiling always means good visibility - they are independent. Questions on icing often hinge on the temperature range where supercooled water exists (roughly 0 to -20 °C).
Worked example / rule of thumb
To convert: pressure altitude = indicated altitude when QNH is 1013.25 hPa. If QNH is lower than standard, the true altitude is lower than indicated - 'from high to low, look out below.' Rule of thumb: fly the aircraft, then the weather.