GCAA CPL Theory Exam (GCAA) study plan

Map every Air Law topic to its source regulation category (licensing, rules of the air, ATC clearances, aerodromes, incident reporting) and write a one-line summary of what each category governs

Reproduce from memory the VFR meteorological minima table and the cruising-level/semi-circular rule, then self-correct against your notes

Define the four forces in steady level flight and sketch how each varies with angle of attack from zero lift to the stall

Solve 20 Air Law recall questions and log every miss with the reason it was missed (knowledge gap, misread, or guess)

Explain the clearance readback requirement, position reporting points, and the difference between controlled and uncontrolled aerodrome procedures in your own words

Derive the relationship between load factor, stall speed, and bank angle, and calculate stall speed at 45 and 60 degrees of bank

Describe how a wing produces lift using circulation, boundary layer, and downwash, and identify where each explanation breaks down

Complete 30 mixed Air Law and Principles of Flight questions under a 30-minute timer

Convert between true, magnetic, and compass headings using variation and deviation, and work 15 full drift and wind-triangle problems by hand

Read a navigation chart and extract airspace, magnetic variation, and obstacle data without consulting a legend key

Explain the formation of cumulonimbus, its hazards to light aircraft, and the conditions under which you would not depart

Interpret METAR and TAF reports, including trend groups and probability groups, and decode 10 real reports

Compute a dead-reckoning position from heading, groundspeed, and elapsed time, and verify it against a fix

Identify the pressure systems, fronts, and associated weather on a synoptic chart and state the expected wind shift at a station as a front passes

Explain icing types, their formation conditions, and the decision points that follow from each

Complete 40 Navigation and Meteorology questions and tag each by sub-topic to expose your weakest area

Trace the fuel, electrical, hydraulic, and pitot-static systems from source to consumer and state the failure mode and warning for each

Describe the piston engine cycle, the purpose of mixture and carburettor heat, and the signs of detonation versus pre-ignition

Compute take-off and landing distance, climb gradient, and density-altitude corrections from tabular performance data

Build a weight and balance calculation including CG envelope verification for a loaded aircraft

Plan fuel, alternate, and reserve requirements for a cross-country and justify each reserve figure against the applicable rule

Explain hypoxia, hyperventilation, spatial disorientation, and the illusions that occur in the traffic pattern, with the recovery action for each

Describe the effects of fatigue, stress, and workload on decision-making and identify three personal mitigation strategies

Calculate a full flight plan end to end: route, wind, fuel, weight, and performance, with no reference to a worked example

State the actions and priorities for engine failure after take-off, forced landing, and ditching, and recite the relevant checklists from memory

Write out standard phraseology for departure, position reports, and arrival at a controlled aerodrome, including readback of clearances

Explain lost-communication procedures for VFR and IFR and the circumstances that change them

Describe emergency transponder codes, urgency versus distress calls, and the content of a distress message

Take two full-length timed mock exams under exam conditions and record a score per domain for each

Re-study only the domains scoring below 75% and re-test each with a 20-question set

Recite all memorised tables (VFR minima, cruising levels, emergency checklists, phraseology) without notes

Review every logged error from weeks 1 to 7 and confirm each is now understood