Padi Final Exam A

[Lucretia]

Takingthe PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) and the subsequent Instructor Examination (IE) was a significant and transformative step in my diving career. From my earliest dives, I had a deep connection with the water, which made me realize that I wanted to become a PADI Dive Instructor and inspire others to forge their own bond with the underwater world. Over time, my passion for diving grew stronger, and I even started organizing trial dives in Finland in collaboration with local dive schools.

In early 2022, I realized my dream of establishing my own diving school with a dream team. And then came the IDC. I was prepared and eagerly awaited its commencement. Luckily, I had an exceptional Course Director with whom I had insightful discussions about diving and the PADI system during our journey to dive sites. My understanding of the PADI world expanded, and my motivation soared. I knew I was in the right place.

However, the fact that my native language is Russian, discussions were conducted in Finnish while I prepared for the exam in English, made me hesitate to enroll. I thought there might be difficulties with understanding complex theory questions. Nonetheless, the IDC instructor assured me that the PADI examiner would create a comfortable environment, ensuring we felt at ease to demonstrate our existing knowledge and skills.

I understood the importance of this moment and eagerly anticipated the realization of my dream. I engaged in intensive preparation, thoroughly studying the theory. When we were informed about the arrival of the examiner two weeks before the IE in Helsinki, Finland, my life entered a phase of heightened intensity. Sleep was brief, and the exam occupied my thoughts to ensure nothing was forgotten.

In addition, I discovered a fantastic recommendation: I started running 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) every day. Running brought balance, cleared my mind, and restored tranquility. It became a personal recharge for me.

After running, I revisited the materials with renewed vigor, repeatedly watching instructional videos showcasing IDC skills demonstrations and IE questions. I needed to learn the terminology in all the languages, and with each repetition, it became much more clear and more familiar.

When the day of the IE finally arrived, it marked the most anxious, stressful, and yet, the most anticipated day of my diving life. It turned out that there were only three of us and all were women. We quickly formed a bond. This camaraderie played a crucial role as the team spirit and support became our anchor during the two-day examination. We were greeted by a friendly PADI examiner who immediately put us at ease and set a positive tone during the orientation.

The theory section of the IE consisted of five topics, each with 12 questions, and 50 questions on standards. The passing score was 75%. If one of the topics fell below 75% (beside Standards), it was possible to retake that section. The questions were not difficult for those who were genuinely prepared.

None of us were overconfident; we were all just well-prepared. Consequently, all three of us passed the theory without the need for doing anything again. We then made theory presentations to the class, covering our assigned topics (I was assigned PADI AWARE) with the PADI standards. I am grateful to my Course Director for providing practical insights into the teaching structure in PADI, which allowed me to seamlessly integrate the available methods while weaving in my own diving experiences. Once again, all three of us passed. I rejoiced not only for myself but also for my fellow candidates.

As the final part of the evaluation, we were tasked with completing a rescue scenario at the surface. We provided assistance while maintaining calm and composure. It was a challenging exercise, but we were well-prepared. All three of us successfully completed the rescue scenario.

In theory, an expert diver should be writing this post. Logically, he or she could tell you what to expect, give you insider tips and prepare you for the challenge ahead. That said, I have one distinct advantage over the experts: I know exactly how hard it is for nervous first-timers.

You will find the practical side of diving much easier if you read through the theory first. Your dive centre will supply you with a book comprising five different chapters. If you can confidently answer the tests within the chapters and the knowledge reviews at the end of each, you will likely pass the exam without difficulty.

Depending on your learning style, it is possible to blitz through chapters 1-3 on one night and 4-5 on the second. Naturally, if you have more time to play with, then feel free to split up the studying even further. You can also choose the eLearning option. This may be provided by your dive centre as standard, or you can choose to self-learn before beginning the practical course.

You must complete four open water dives in order to pass the course. Dive 1 will orientate you, get you comfortable with the scuba gear and test a few of the above skills. Dives 2 and 3 will rigorously test the above skills while Dive 4 is usually a more relaxed affair allowing you to use and enjoy your newly developed skills.

It's also going to be the first time you meet your examiners who are all lovely by the way! There is absolutely no reason to be scared of them! They want to see you succeed as much as the rest of your team. They're all really friendly and super approachable. In fact, the minute the IE gets underway, me and the rest of your IDC team need to let go of your hand. We're here for moral support, but our job is done. Time for you to shine! If you've got any questions to ask about the task in hand, other than your teammates, your examiner is your first and only port of call!

The examiner will kick things off with an Orientation. They're kinda going to tell you everything in this blog post... what happens in the PADI Instructor Exam (but with a sprinkling of logistics for that particular weekend). They'll allocate the groups you're working in and sort out a load of paperwork. You'll also get your assignment sheet that lists out all the skills and teaching presentations you need to prepare. See? No surprises.

If you don't hit the marks on two or more topics, unfortunately, that's going to be a resit for the written exam section. BUT, it's only THIS section. Keep your chin up, relax and go smash the hell out of all the others, the exam isn't over for you yet - remember, what happens at the PADI Instructor exam, stays at the PADI Instructor Exam!

You'll be getting your head back in your PADI Instructor Manual and Guide To Teaching again for this exam because the good news is that this one is open book! I say open book, but it could also be open phone, open tablet, even open laptop (on aeroplane mode though...) You can totally take advantage of the search feature if you're going digital. It makes things a lot quicker than thumbing through your paper version!

As this one is open book and the answers are in front of you, there's no makeup allowed. If you don't hit the passing mark, you'll be asked to come back to another IE to repeat the written exam section. But again, this is not the end of your exam this time around! Regroup your thoughts and smash the other parts of the IE out the park! Again... what happens at the PADI Instructor exam, stays at the PADI Instructor Exam!!

By now, you'll have spotted that you've got two topics set out on your assignment sheet. Concentrate on the first one for now - that other one is in case you need to do a makeup. No point thinking about it now, cross that bridge when you come to it!

Get your lesson planning sheet out, find your resources and jot down your notes. When all your teammates are finished in the written exam and you're ready, you can go and deliver your teaching presentation to the examiner. Sit in on the other presentations if you can, it's so much easier to deliver these when you're in front of your smiling teammates who are ready to interact with you!

To pass this section, you need to score a 3.5 or higher. You'll have been hitting way higher marks than these in your IDC. Remember, I'm a pretty tough marker. I do it on purpose to help you up your game so when you get to your IE it's an absolute doddle!

Don't panic! If you make a mess of your first try, you've got that makeup topic. Listen to your feedback and go fix it on your next presentation. You've got this! If there's time, you'll do your makeup as soon as it's ready, if not then you can save it for the next morning.

If the makeup doesn't go your way, you'll have to come back to another IE to try again. BUT, carry on with the rest of the weekend and put this blip behind you! What happens at the PADI Instructor exam, stays at the PADI Instructor Exam!

Did I tell you the examiners are omnipresent?! They'll line you all up and you and your teammates will go through your demos at the same time. Yes, the examiners are that good they can watch you all at once! They're using the same evaluation criteria that's been used since your DM training, so nothing new there.

If you get a score of 1 or 2 on two or more skills (wow that's a mouthful) OR you're unsuccessful on the makeup, you'll be asked to come back to another IE and repeat the confined water section. what happens at the PADI Instructor exam, stays at the PADI Instructor Exam!

Get scribbling on your slates over your lunch break and run it through in your head. Gather your resources and anything special you might need to make sure the student meets the performance requirements.

If the makeup doesn't go the way you want it to, that's a trip back to the next IE to complete this section. What happens at the PADI Instructor exam, stays at the PADI Instructor Exam! BUT, you've still got tomorrow to look forward to!

As you've got two skills to try and get the best average score you can, there are no makeups allowed on this section. If it doesn't go to plan, you'll be asked to repeat it at a future IE. Not to worry though, it's not the end of the world what happens at the PADI Instructor exam, stays at the PADI Instructor Exam!

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