ATPL General Navigation (061) exam-day guide
ATPL General Navigation (061) · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission letter and booking confirmation
Print or download the confirmation showing your candidate number, exam centre, session time, and the specific papers booked. Some centres ask to see it at reception before seating you; confirm with your provider whether a printed copy is required or an electronic copy is accepted.
Valid photo ID matching your booking
Use the same identity document used at booking (passport or national ID). Name spelling and document number must match the booking exactly. If your ID is expiring around the exam date or your name differs from the booking, resolve it with the provider well before the session.
Approved calculator (non-programmable, non-communicating)
General Navigation needs routine arithmetic: time/arc conversions, triangle and track calculations, fuel/distance and speed problems. Bring a calculator you have already used in practice. Programmable, graphing, or any device with wireless capability is normally excluded, and phone calculators are not permitted. Confirm the exact calculator policy with your provider.
Plotting tools: protractor or plotter and a straight edge
A rotating plotter or protractor plus a ruler is the standard kit for chart-based navigation questions. Check the centre's rules on what may be taken to the desk; some centres supply chart extracts and some do not. Confirm with the provider whether you may bring your own plotting instruments into the room.
Pens and pencils plus eraser and sharpener
Bring at least two pens and two pencils. Working on grid, chart, and conversion questions is easier in pencil so you can correct. Confirm whether the centre provides stationery or expects you to bring your own.
Know the allowed reference material
Some providers permit a supplied formula sheet or navigation computer extract; others permit nothing. Do not assume. Confirm with the provider exactly what reference material is issued on screen or on paper, and do not bring notes unless explicitly allowed.
Watch with no smart functions
A plain analogue or digital watch helps you pace sections when the screen timer is not in view. Smartwatches and any device with connectivity are almost always prohibited. Confirm with the provider.
Plan the route and arrival time
Reconnoitre the centre or check the route and travel time. Aim to arrive well before the reporting time, allowing for traffic, parking, and security checks. Confirm the reporting time and late-arrival policy with the provider, since candidates arriving after the start may be refused entry.
Confirm break and refreshment arrangements
Sittings can be long, and breaks between papers vary by centre. Confirm with the provider whether breaks are scheduled, whether you may leave the room, and whether water or food is allowed at the desk.
Rest, hydration, and eyesight correction
Sleep normally the night before and eat a proper meal. If you wear glasses or contact lenses for reading charts and screens, bring them and a spare pair. Fatigue and eye strain cost marks on long chart-reading questions.
Review your weak topics, not new material
In the last days, revise your own error log: conversions, track and groundspeed, wind triangle, great circle versus rhumb line, and chart scale. Do not start unfamiliar topics at the last minute.
Confirm the exam-day contact and cancellation rules
Note the provider's contact number and the procedure if you are ill or delayed. Confirm with the provider the rules on rescheduling, no-shows, and medical evidence before the day, not after.
Plan the day
Finish content revision and switch to exam technique. Work through timed mixed sets of General Navigation questions under the same time per question you expect on the day. Mark every error with the cause: misread question, unit slip, wrong formula, or calculation error. Revise the underlying fact for each error rather than just re-reading the answer.
Drill the calculations that appear most often: arc-to-time and time-to-arc conversions, departure and change of longitude, track and distance from a chart, groundspeed and wind triangle, and fuel or endurance from flow rate. Practise them on your own calculator until the keystrokes are automatic.
Check your logistics: confirm the centre address, reporting time, session length, and what you may bring. Confirm with the provider anything ambiguous about ID, calculators, plotting tools, and reference material. Print or download the admission letter.
Do a light revision pass only: your error log, key formulas, and definitions such as great circle, rhumb line, magnetic variation and deviation, isogonal, and the meaning of chart scale. Stop early. Do not attempt full mock papers the evening before.
Pack the bag: ID, admission letter, calculator with fresh batteries, spare batteries if permitted, plotting tools, pens, pencils, eraser, sharpener, plain watch, water if allowed. Lay out clothes and check the travel plan and departure time.
Set a realistic bedtime and avoid heavy screens late. Confirm your alarm and a backup alarm. If you feel unwell, check the provider's policy on illness and rescheduling immediately rather than on the morning.
Eat a normal meal and hydrate moderately. Avoid excessive caffeine if you are sensitive to it. Re-check the bag against the checklist and leave with a buffer for delays.
Do not cram new material in the waiting area. If you revise at all, read only your one-page summary of formulas and unit conversions. Keep calm and arrive at the centre early enough to complete ID checks without rushing.
Read the instructions and note the time available and the number of questions. Work at a steady pace and keep an eye on the clock. Answer the straightforward questions first, flag long calculation questions, and return to them. Never leave a blank if there is no penalty for guessing; confirm the scoring rule with the provider.
For calculation questions, write down the given values and the unit before computing, and sanity-check the answer against the chart or the geometry. Watch for degrees and minutes, nautical miles versus kilometres, and magnetic versus true directions. If a question is ambiguous, re-read it once, then choose the best answer and move on.
In the final minutes, check that every question has an answer, confirm flagged questions are resolved or guessed, and verify you have not shifted answers by one row. Use any remaining time to re-check unit conversions on calculation answers.
Rules to check
Bring the identity document used at booking and present it when asked. If your ID does not match the booking, you may be refused entry; confirm the provider's identification requirements in advance.
Follow the centre's rules on prohibited items. Phones, smartwatches, and any communicating or programmable device are normally not allowed in the exam room; confirm with the provider where to leave them and whether lockers are available.
Do not bring unauthorised notes, formula sheets, or written material unless the provider explicitly permits them. If in doubt, ask before the session rather than risk a misconduct finding.
Breaks are governed by the centre. Confirm with the provider whether breaks are scheduled, whether you may leave the room, and whether the clock stops during a break. Do not leave your seat without instructions from the invigilator.
Scoring and pass marks are set by the provider and can change. Confirm with the provider the current pass mark, whether wrong answers are penalised, and how results are reported. Do not rely on a pass mark remembered from an older syllabus.
If you believe a question is defective, note the question number and report it to the invigilator or the provider afterwards. Do not argue with invigilators during the session, and do not attempt to communicate with other candidates.
If you are ill or delayed, contact the provider as soon as possible and follow their procedure. Do not enter the room late without permission, and do not sit the exam while unfit if the provider's rules allow rescheduling.
Keep your working and answer selections to yourself. Any communication with other candidates, or use of unauthorised material, is misconduct and can lead to invalidation of the paper; confirm the provider's misconduct policy so you know the consequences.