PADI OW Final Exam Questions that are either wrong or just bad

[Blackcrusader]

For the first question regarding OOA...... things must have changed for the preferred signal. I always have taught it as a full palm down horizontal motion with all fingers extended that simulates "slashing" your own neck with the tips of your fingers........ You know...... the motion that get's you an unsportsmanlike conduct flag in the NFL and NCAA FB. !!!

Yup

 

[Sevenrider860]

The question with the OOA situation was not a fill in the blanks format. It appears that only one of the emergency ascent answers was the “correct” one. Again. It seeing the need for an accelerated ascent of plenty of air is available to the buddy team.

As fAr as the visibility question goes, in the experience of this diver, the bottom structure has a much greater effect on current than visibility.

PADI does not have a large rotating question mix for the eLearning Open Water Final Exam. With the exception of two or three questions that were changed to match the online format, they are the same as the non-eLearning Final Exam. When your Girlfriend meets with her instructor, they can certainly review some of those questionable questions together.

There are some questions that fall into the "best answer" based on the course content presented versus "only answer" category and I am sure the instructor will be happy to discuss.

In the end, your girlfriend passed which is great news. Remember there will be another quiz/assessment given by the instructor over the final exam content (20 questions I believe)...this will not be a group project.

I hope the confined water and open water training go well and you enjoy diving together!

 

[Lorenzoid]

Go ahead. Just because an image is copyrighted does not mean you can't ever use it. The largest exception is the Fair Use doctrine and this is about as clearcut a case of Fair Use as you could possibly find.

Note, I am not a lawyer. But I was a university librarian.

I agree it should be a classic example of the Fair Use exception to copyright infringement: copying a single instructional image out of a larger work for the purpose of critiquing the instruction.

Anyway, an exam question that relies on a single drawing supposed to convey a slashing action sounds like a recipe for ambiguity to me. As I said above, I would just accept that flaws like this in dive training exams are not unheard of, shrug the whole thing off, and enjoy diving at my new cert level. But to those who enjoy picking things apart for likely no benefit, carry on!

 

[Sevenrider860]

I agree it should be a classic example of the Fair Use exception to copyright infringement: copying a single instructional image out of a larger work for the purpose of critiquing the instruction.

Anyway, an exam question that relies on a single drawing supposed convey a slashing action sounds like a recipe for ambiguity to me. As I said above, I would just accept that flaws like this in dive training exams are not unheard of, shrug the whole thing off, and enjoy diving at my new cert level. But to those who enjoy picking things apart for likely no benefit, carry on!

I am traveling at the moment. The screenshot was on my home computer, but I will see if I can pull it up on my phone later this evening.

I guess we will differ on opinion with regards to ambiguity. If I provide you course content that has pictures of signals that I will test you on, and I give you three pictures. Closed Fist meaning “A”, the extended middle finger meaning “B”, and an open hand with all 5 fingers held up meaning “C”. Where does the ambiguity come in when I present one of those same pictures on an exam and you decide one of the images means “F”? There are always students that will argue that it could be “F”. Those students will still miss the test question.

The image is in the course content under Signals and it is labeled “Out of Air”. There is no “Level Off” signal presented, and there is no other picture with a similar hand action presented in the material. The OOA signal is also shown in the video material

The great thing is that once in the confined water training, this signal will be reviewed and practiced. So hopefully no ambiguity or confusion will remain.

I tell everybody that the final exam score is not printed on the certification card…so don’t sweat the small stuff.

 

[jonhall]

Where does the ambiguity come in when I present one of those same pictures on an exam and you decide one of the images means “F”? There are always students that will argue that it could be “F”. Those students will still miss the test question.

I agree. As I tried to explain to my buddy, mentioned in my previous post, copy from the manual. It was the same way when I did training to be a water safety instructor with the Red Cross (late 70's) - copy word for word from the book - all of the questions are from the book - just like PADI.

*Having said that, the best exam I ever took was a geology exam where only a few answers came from the books that were required for the tv program/class. Pre-internet, with a week to complete the test, I was using National Geograpics, encyclopedias, and any reference books I could get my hands on. I learned more digging for answers than the required books could ever give me.

 

[Sevenrider860]

Attached is the picture in question…

This is a picture of an “Out of Air” hand signal used under water. If tested on this hand signal, it does not mean “Level Off”, “Stop Speaking”, or “Remove the head and just take the tail”. You will not be shown another picture that has the hands doing a similar motion. So choose your answer wisely!

Now we can all pick it apart and complain that it should be a picture of a diver horizontal in the water and in trim…

 

[gamon]

Thanks for posting that. I acknowledge my complaint regarding that particular question is unfounded.

How about the other two- the bottom composition affecting visibility more than current, and an OOA scenario where a diver is breathing off his buddies octo requiring an emergency ascent rather than a normal one.

 

[John Bantin]

When I took the PADI IE in 1992 as a BSAC Advanced Instructor, there were several questions with the wrong correct answer but despite my protests, the Course Directors just insisted I signed to say I understood why I got the answers wrong! Looks like not much changes!!!

 

[BoltSnap]

bottom composition affecting visibility more than current

Not sure of what the exact question was but bottom composition usually affects visibility much more than current.

 

[gamon]

Not sure of what the exact question was but bottom composition usually affects visibility much more than current.

Sure if it’s disturbed. But a competent diver won’t stir up the bottom. Or perhaps the substrate can somewhat affect the ambient light and indirectly improve or degrade the visibility as suggested by a previous poster. If the bottom consists of large rocks or a wreck that diverts or blocks the current- that would be a much greater effect as I see it.