CASA pilot exams: plain English guides now permitted.
CASA now allows candidates to bring the relevant CASA Plain English Guides (PEGs) into the exam room when listed as permitted materials. This changes how you can prepare and how you should mark up your references.
What changed
- Candidates sitting any CASA pilot exam can bring CASA’s Plain English Guides (PEGs) into the exam room when they’re listed as permitted materials
- The guide must be an official CASA PEG and must be on the “permitted materials” list for that specific exam
Why this matters
Written exams have always tested two things at once: knowledge and the ability to recall wording and structure under time pressure. Allowing PEGs shifts some of that load from memory to reference, which makes preparation more like real-world operations — you bring the right material, and you know how to use it.
But it also changes the failure mode: you can still fail if you rely on searching instead of understanding, or if you bring the wrong edition / the wrong guide for the exam.
What to do if you’re sitting a CASA exam
- Check the permitted materials list for your specific exam, not just “pilot exams” in general
- Use the PEG as a map, not a crutch: tab it, learn where key topics live, and practice finding answers quickly
- Treat the PEG like an open-book tool with time pressure: do timed question sets where you’re allowed to consult it
The underlying signal
Regulators are acknowledging that “plain English” guidance is now part of the operational safety stack, not an optional extra. The goal isn’t perfect recall — it’s consistent compliance under real constraints.
