Take the course? Or challenge test?

I just finished my PAL course this weekend. I enjoyed the hands-on practice with a variety of different actions and the instructor provided lots of anecdotes and cautionary advice from his experience as a conservation officer. Everything that was on the practical and written test was stuff he covered in class.

The instructor suggested I challenge the Restricted since it will save me from doing the course later and applying for license separately costs more. I studied the Restricted manual during the breaks and watched a Youtube video on how to handle and PROVE the various handgun actions (search for CRFSC on Youtube). For the practical test I had to PROVE and handle revolvers and semi as well as identifying various handgun cartridges without every having touched a handgun before. I passed everything. =D
 
All the course instructors do is read you the manual and possibly give it a little colour with personal anecdotes. If you are able to read this forum without assistance, then you can read the manuals and watch the action PROVE-ing videos on YouTube. This is all you need to do. I got 100%/100% and 100%/100% on the CFSC and CFRSC tests and the only thing I did in addition to the above was do a few hundred questions on gunexams.com, which I think cost me $20 or so. I had never shot anything but a bolt action rifle before taking the tests.

We are talking about government tests here, that are designed to be passed by semiliterate people with elementary school educations. The drivers' license exams have a higher fail rate than the C(R)FSC tests.
 
I just passed my restricted and non-restricted exams today. I have book knowledge of firearms without having had much hands-on experience with firearms. I spent a single day shooting various rifles with some cousins 15 years ago.

I couldn't get into a course before November ("We don't run courses in September, we're hunting!") and after talking with the examiner, he suggested I challenge the exams. I was skeptical. He gave me the name of his buddy who supplies the firearms for the courses he runs and we arranged an appointment for in-person instruction. I paid $25 per course for nearly four hours of personal instruction. I was WELL-PREPARED for the exam.

Read the course manuals. Check out the course-prep websites (sign up for question of the day, its fun and free!). Get some hands-on time so that you know how to PROVE various firearms safe (e.g. break action shotgun, semi-auto shotgun, bolt action rifle, single action revolver, double action revolver, etc.). What was nice about the private instruction was that the guns I practiced with on Monday were the guns I used in the practical on Tuesday. I knew where the controls were and how they operated.

I vastly overestimated the difficulty of the written test, and I am glad I listed to the instructor and challenged the test. In the end, it was a professional transaction all around.

Now its just a matter of waiting for the paperwork to get moving...
 
snipersyn said:
I've been told the same thing. However, I'd look more into this. From what I know, it's not that one cannot challenge the exams anymore but rather it's the chances of finding an instructor that is willing to accept challenge cases, (or has been strongly suggested by the powers that be to discourage challenge cases).
Click to expand...

The only change in Ontario's testing policies in recent years is that those under 17 1/2 years of age aren't allowed to be tested for the CRFSC as of December 14, 2010.

I caution people with limited-nil handling experience that they might want to do the course, but if they want to gamble with their $40, that's their decision.
 
Take the course. I've been around weapons all my life (military, friends, family) without a PAL and the course was a nice refresher and worth the two days of knowledge. Hopefully you get a good instructor that has the life experience.
 
I challenged the tests back when I lived in Alberta due to there not being any courses when I had time off from work. Had to go to two different people for each test also.The handgun one was actually easyier even thou I had never used anything but a revolver before. The fellow took me through the test first due to him using toy guns that never worked right in the first place.
I took the Quebec firearms course to be able to hunt and was amazed that all they actully covered was a muzzle loader for guns. Was the biggest waste of time I ever seen but at least I can hunt now.
 
the written test part is easy enough if you study the book, but I dont know if you would be able to challenge the practical without at least someone showing you what is expected of you.
 
i went to target sports 3 times and decided i wanted my licence. got a copy of the books, read it once and went over some things a few times. watched the you tube videos on how to prove each action.

went to challenge the tests and passed without much issue. i got 97% on both written tests and the restricted practical test. 87% on the practical for non restricted as i forgot to prove them when i put them back down on the table and forgot a safety. they told me and i corrected it on the restricted test, but again forgot the safety.

i opted to save the money, and so far it was well worth it.
 
I had no handgun or long gun experience before the course and would have been totally lost in the practical.

As others have said, the written one is completely easy and only if you are ESL or a failure at grade school could you not pass the written.

I should mention that the course I took was completely hilarious. The instructor was ex RCMP and had a story for almost every section. He had a way of putting things that was less a lecture and more of a 'would you do this if you had any common sense? No! This is why.' You got to throw questions at him any time like: 'they did this in the movies. Can you do that?' etc. During breaks you could spend all the time you wanted with all of the guns with their different actions. These were the ones on the exam so there was no chance to get messed up.

One thing to say to your parents about taking the RPAL is that you may not intend to get a handgun but it is extremely useful to know how to make one safe. The one woman in the course had another good reason to take it: she needed the license to inherit heirlooms from her grandfather. So there are many reasons to get the license.
 
Simply holding a restricted license is advantageous when applying for jobs with police, border services, security, etc.

It also can go on your resume as a "I know you can't ask me for a criminal background check but here's evidence that I'm not a criminal" bullet point. Be careful with that, because depending on the employer, they may not like the idea of an armed employee :)
 
nickia said:
No offence but you will fail the practical test 100% without taking the class.

A real gun is a lot different than a BB gun. You need to know where the safety is, how to cycle different firearm types: rim fire, center fire, bolt action, pump action, lever action, semi-auto, single action revolver, double action revolver, double action semi-auto pistol. Not only that, you also need to determine different ammunition type of each firearms. They gave me a box of bullets and asked me to pick up a .45ACP, .30, and 12 gauge slug(sorry I don't even remember what it really was).


You will also need to know how to "ACT PROVE", how to remove magazines, know where the buttons are, where the safety line is, what to do when the Range offer gives different command, and etc.

You need to perform each safety procedure correctly. I've never held a real gun in my life and would fail if I hadn't taken the course. I almost got perfect score on both non-restricted and restricted test and won a free hat. Sadly, I forgot to step back from the firing line before I started to unload the 1911.
Click to expand...
Speak for yourself. I successfully challenged both non-restricted and restricted exams and received 96 and 92 on their respective practicals. I read the CFSC manual, skimmed the CRFSC manual (they were almost identical), watched the CFSC videos on youtube and spent a total of 20 minutes handling a few of my friend's father's long guns the night before my RPAL test. I have had no previous firearms experience. The instructor who oversaw my challenge was very strict during the whole process. He even refused my request to handle the firearms before I began the practicals.

I spent a total of 3-4 hours studying, and saved well over $100. I am a university student with a limited disposable income, so to me it was well worth challenging the exam.
 
While a pass is a pass, a 92% means you did several things wrong. Those could be major things (muzzle sweep outside of 'safe direction', no trigger lock on storage, etc.) or a few minor things such as incorrect stance, crossing a fence incorrectly, etc. Hopefully the instructor told you what you did wrong.

The instructor could let you see the firearms before the test. He wasn't being strict, he was being a douche. Particularly as someone new to firearms, it is RESPONSIBLE to ask about that basics of a firearm you've never encountered before.

P
 
pubb said:
While a pass is a pass, a 92% means you did several things wrong. Those could be major things (muzzle sweep outside of 'safe direction', no trigger lock on storage, etc.) or a few minor things such as incorrect stance, crossing a fence incorrectly, etc. Hopefully the instructor told you what you did wrong.

The instructor could let you see the firearms before the test. He wasn't being strict, he was being a douche. Particularly as someone new to firearms, it is RESPONSIBLE to ask about that basics of a firearm you've never encountered before.

P
Click to expand...
For the restricted practical, I lost most (if not all) of my marks with the ammunition questions. Aside from being able to tell the difference between centrefire and rimfire cartridges and identifying the correct cartridge for a particular firearm, I had a bit of trouble with distinguishing between specific types of centrefire cartridges (IE JSP vs FMJ). However, if I had spent more time reviewing those portions of the CFSC manual before the test, I probably would achieved somewhere around 98%.

The instructor turned out to be a decent guy. At first, he was apparently disappointed in my decision to directly challenge the CRFSC exam, even going as far as suggesting that I will probably fail the practicals anyway. Fortunately I proved him wrong :D
 
Lyth said:
Hey guys,

I'm wondering.

What do you guys suggest? Should I take the course, OR read the book (and watch videos) and challenge the test?

Whats worked well for you guys, and what do you think would be better?
Click to expand...

My advice is if you have not handled firearms, then take the course. If you have handled fire arms, then read the handbook and challenge the test.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom