Worth it to challenge exams?

Battlerifleelitist said:
I'm from BC, Kelowna specifically.
I've never taken CORE, or had a PAL previously.

Challenging PAL -> good thing OK
Second question: Buy RPAL text and challenge that as well? or should I take it slow?
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My son had never taken the CORE or PAL courses. He had shot with me, with Cadet Biathlon and in Army reserve. He challenged both with no pre-reading and passed both.

However, I would recommend buying both books, read them thru 2 or 3 times and challenge. While most of the exam content is common sense to an experience shooter there are some questions where the required answer is just plain stupid and nobody will ever do what the books say. There is also some terminology that may not be familiar to you.

If money is tight do you know anyone that you could borrow the books from?
 
Hey man
I just challenged both the Pal and R-Pal. Very similar written tests. My biggest reason for getting the restricted was to save money on processing fees.

To challenge the non was $50.00, and another $50.00 for the restricted.
Then if you pass you send the government money.
If you get them both together at once it's $80.00
Just Pal is $60.00 and another $60.00 if you want restricted in the future.

Im pretty sure it takes longer to process the RPal. I have been waiting almost 5 weeks.

Good luck
 
J_K_S said:
Hey man
I just challenged both the Pal and R-Pal. Very similar written tests. My biggest reason for getting the restricted was to save money on processing fees.

To challenge the non was $50.00, and another $50.00 for the restricted.
Then if you pass you send the government money.
If you get them both together at once it's $80.00
Just Pal is $60.00 and another $60.00 if you want restricted in the future.

Im pretty sure it takes longer to process the RPal. I have been waiting almost 5 weeks.

Good luck
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May be a slight error. I called the CFC in January and they said there's no additional fee to be paid for 'adding restricted privileges to your license'. Perhaps the OP should call and confirm one way or the other. But 3 months ago it was just re-submit the application.
 
yes it is worth it, I did and I have my PAL. You must however buy the course book and read it through a couple of times as there are questions in the exam that deal with such things as social issues, safe storage, transport etc. If you do not read the book you will not know the correct answers.
 
I have been thing about challenging the RPAL. Is the book that covers the RPAL the same as the regular PAL?
 
There were a few people that came in on the exam day to challenge the PAL/RPAL and I overheard 3 of them talking with the examiner on why they failed and his recommendations on what they should do next.

While I've had years of experience handling firearms and consider myself to be pretty safe, I certainly did not have experience with some of the firearms they had for the practical AND the way they want to see you handle the firearm may be different to what you're used to. I'd recommend taking the course unless you happen to know someone who took the course and can coach you on safe handling. Regardless, ACTS and PROVE and when in doubt, ACTS and PROVE each time!

I'm told the cost for the CFSC course is going up almost $100 more??
 
ACTS and PROVE - the most important thing, specially on the actual firearms handling portion of the exam. The FO told me as long as I dont point the muzzle at him the I cant fail :) I challenged it and passed it. Now the long wait for that self-addressed-stamped-envelope that contains all the goodies.
 
Trinimon said:
I'm told the cost for the CFSC course is going up almost $100 more??
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In Ontario the maximum cost of each course has gone up $10 and there is another $10 per course slated for next year. Challenges are still $40 but the books have gone up to $15.75 (which is the instructors' cost for the books).
 
the written test is easy to challenge. If I tried taking the practical without handling some of the firearms, I would not pass
 
I found SAYING what I was doing was helpful to me and to the instructor as there was NO doubt as to where I was looking or what I was doing.

"Pointed in a safe direction, remove the magazine, observe the chamber, verify the feeding path, examine the bore". For the pump shotgun, verifying the feeding path can be accomplished by seeing the follower when you look into the ejection port so there's no misunderstandings...

P
 
pubb said:
I found SAYING what I was doing was helpful to me and to the instructor as there was NO doubt as to where I was looking or what I was doing.

"Pointed in a safe direction, remove the magazine, observe the chamber, verify the feeding path, examine the bore". For the pump shotgun, verifying the feeding path can be accomplished by seeing the follower when you look into the ejection port so there's no misunderstandings...

P
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Ha! I did the exact same thing on my practical exams. I spoke outloud and walked the instructor through everything I was doing. It really helped me out.
 
I tell my students that I pay no attention to what they say during the test but if they want to narrate that's fine. I've seen too many people saying the right thing while doing the wrong thing...
 
I honestly believe I could have challenged and passed. there is no replacement for the experience the instructors add to the course and I'm glad I took it.
 
I have many who challenge and pass without issues. Even those that dont fully understand acts and prove, even those who want to argue about the E in prove have passed.

How ever, many of those people end up coming back to take the course at some point, especially those that challenge restricted while currently holding a PAL, very common for for me to see someone for a CRFSC and then see them again a few months later at a course.
 
You can get 94% on the practical test if you never bother to open a gun's action to see if it is loaded (i.e. completely forget to do ACTS & PROVE) when you first pick it up. People can be fairly clueless and pass as long as they don't routinely point the guns outside of the designated safe directions.
 
lyman54 said:
You're not in Quebec, but for those who are. If you get your PAL by challenging the test, they will not give you a hunting permit even if you take and pass the hunting course. You have to take the firearms course.
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You must be f**king kidding!
Then again, maybe not. After all this is Quebec your talking about.
The hunters course, what a load of crap. Ask around enough and you can get the hunting cert under the table. You just pay the piper. Screw the actual course and exam.

When I was writing the course for bow hunting I went to the front to ask the instructor a question. He had a stack of blank exam forms and was quite busy filling them out, no names on the forms mind you. I know someone who got his cert this way.

But what about the RPAL course, can you challenge that in quebec?
 
I took the PAL course and passed the written with a 98% and got 100% on my practical. Only question I messed up on was one that involved something completely obvious but I screwed it up because I wasn't paying attention while reading, lol. I decided to challenge the RPAL and got 98% on the written and 100% on the practical. I had a total brain fart on that test too. I knew the answer, but I checked off the wrong answer by mistake, lol.

I've been raised in a family with a strong firearms/hunting background so everything that was covered on the exams wasn't alien to me. However, taking the course gave me a few bits of information I never knew about. Bottom line, if you don't feel comfortable that you'll be able to get above 80%, take the courses. Safety is key. Just my .2 cents.
 
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