EASA Module 8 exam-day guide
EASA Module 8 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Valid photo ID with signature
Bring the original document (passport or national ID card) in the name used on your booking. A photocopy or a photo on your phone is normally not accepted. If your ID is expired or your name differs from the booking, contact the examination centre before the test day - confirm with the provider what alternative evidence they accept.
Examination appointment confirmation
Print or save offline the booking confirmation showing date, time, centre address and your candidate number. Mobile signal at test centres is often poor, so a paper copy is safer.
Centre location and arrival route checked
Confirm the exact building and room, not just the site address, and check parking, public transport and typical traffic. Aim to be at reception well before the reporting time so late arrival does not cost you the slot.
Two black or blue ballpoint pens and a pencil
Even for a computer-based test, bring your own writing materials for rough work and any signature or log sheet. Confirm with the provider whether rough paper is supplied or you must bring it.
Non-programmable calculator (if permitted)
Module 8 Human Factors is largely qualitative, so a calculator is rarely needed. If you bring one, it must be non-programmable with no case or instruction card. Confirm with the provider whether any calculator is allowed at all.
No smart devices on your person
Phones, smartwatches, fitness bands, earbuds and any device that can store or transmit data must be switched off and stored as the invigilator directs. Do not keep a phone in a pocket, even switched off.
Glasses, hearing aid or other personal aids
Bring whatever you normally use for reading a screen for 25+ minutes, plus any medical item you may need. Declare medical devices to the invigilator on arrival rather than mid-test.
Light layers and water
Test rooms are often cold or stuffy and you cannot leave to fetch a jacket. A removable layer and a small drink (if permitted) reduce avoidable disruption; confirm with the provider whether drinks are allowed at the desk.
One-page Human Factors recall sheet
Write, by hand, the frameworks you must reproduce cold: SHEL model and its interfaces, Dirty Dozen, Murphy's law, error types (slip, lapse, mistake, violation), the error chain and James Reason's Swiss cheese model, and the components of the MEDA-style investigation logic. Handwriting it is the revision; leave it at home.
Named human-factors accidents for examples
Be able to state, in two sentences each, what happened and which human-factors lesson it illustrates, e.g. Tenerife, Kegworth, Challenger, Hudson River landing. Choose ones you can describe accurately; a wrong date or detail weakens an answer.
Definitions learned verbatim
Revise precise wording for: human error, violation, safety culture, situational awareness, fatigue, stress, circadian rhythm, and the difference between an error and a violation. Marked answers often hinge on the exact distinction.
Sleep and no last-minute cramming
Protect sleep for the two nights before. A tired candidate makes exactly the slips and lapses the syllabus describes; reviewing a summary on the morning is fine, learning new material is not.
Plan the day
Finish content coverage and switch to retrieval practice: closed-book questions, then mark and re-learn only the misses. Draw the SHEL model and the Dirty Dozen from memory twice a day until both are automatic.
Re-read your own notes on error models and human performance limitations (vision, hearing, information processing, memory, attention, motivation, stress, fatigue, circadian effects). List any topic you still cannot explain aloud and book time for it.
Do one full timed paper under exam conditions, no notes, no phone. Review it the following morning rather than immediately, so you test recall rather than recognition.
Re-confirm time, room and route; pack ID, confirmation and pens in one bag by the door. Stop heavy revision in the early evening; a light pass over your one-page sheet is enough.
Avoid alcohol and a late night. Set two alarms and arrange transport with a buffer, allowing at least the doubling of the expected journey time.
Eat normally, arrive early, and do not join last-minute group discussions about questions - they raise anxiety and frequently contain wrong answers. Glance at your summary sheet only while waiting.
Present ID, follow the invigilator's briefing, place devices in the designated storage, and check the workstation or paper for your correct name and candidate number before starting.
Read each stem fully and note the qualifier - 'most likely', 'primary', 'not' - before looking at the options. Answer the ones you know, flag the rest, and return to them; never leave a blank if there is no penalty for guessing.
For scenario or calculation items, write the given values and the logic in one line before selecting. If two options look right, one is usually a subtly different definition - pick the one that matches the syllabus wording.
Check that every item has an answer and that flagged items were revisited. Change an answer only when you can identify a concrete reason; second-guessing on a hunch usually costs marks.
Note which topics you were unsure of while it is fresh. If you must resit, that list is your revision plan; confirm the resit rules and any waiting period with the provider.
Rules to check
Bring original photo ID in the name on the booking; without acceptable ID you may be refused entry and lose the fee. If your documents are unusual, confirm with the provider in advance.
Declare all electronic devices and place them where the invigilator directs. Possession of a phone or smartwatch at the desk, even switched off, is normally treated as malpractice.
Do not communicate with other candidates from the moment you enter the test room until you have left it. Talking during the test, or about question content immediately afterwards, may be treated as misconduct.
Raise your hand and wait for the invigilator if you need to leave the room. Confirm with the provider how toilet breaks are handled and whether the clock stops; do not assume you get the time back.
The pass standard is set by the regulator, not the centre - for EASA Part 66 multiple-choice modules it is commonly 75%, with a set number of questions and a time limit. Confirm the exact pass mark, question count and time for Module 8 with your training organisation before the day.
Answer every question if the format does not penalise wrong answers; an unanswered item scores zero, whereas a reasoned guess may score. Confirm with the provider whether negative marking applies.
Follow the invigilator's instructions on rough paper, calculators and breaks. Anything brought to the desk that was not declared may be removed and reported.
If you believe there is a fault - a misprinted question, a broken workstation, or disturbance from others - report it to the invigilator immediately and ask for it to be recorded. Complaints raised after leaving the room are much harder to substantiate.