A pilot school's success rate can be useful when choosing a training organisation, but students should understand what the number actually measures. A high pass rate alone does not always explain the complete training experience. Students should look at pass rates together with completion time, flight availability, instructor support, aircraft availability, training records, and student outcomes.
Some useful points to check include:
Ask what the success rate means: Find out whether the school is referring to written exam passes, flight tests, CPL completion, or another measure.
Check the number of students: A percentage based on a very small group may not give a complete picture.
Ask about completion rates: Find out how many students who started training actually completed the planned programme.
Check training duration: Ask how long students normally take to complete their training and what causes delays.
Review exam performance: Ask whether students receive structured preparation for DGCA examinations and how previous batches performed.
Check flight availability: Regular access to aircraft can affect training progress and continuity.
Ask about instructors: Find out whether students receive regular instruction, feedback, and progress reviews.
Check aircraft availability: Ask how maintenance issues or aircraft shortages are handled.
Look at student outcomes: Ask former students about licensing completion, additional training, and their next career steps.
Compare several batches: Recent results from one batch may not represent the school's long-term training pattern.
Verify official information: DGCA has a formal FTO ranking framework and publishes FTO ranking information, which can provide another reference point when evaluating a school.
Avoid relying only on advertisements: Ask the school to explain how its success figures were calculated and what period they cover.
Students should also remember that training quality involves more than examination results. A good evaluation should consider the complete training process, including ground classes, flying practice, instructor availability, aircraft access, safety procedures, progress monitoring, and administrative support.
Before admission, it is useful to speak with current students and recent graduates, request clear information about training performance, and compare it with the school's official approval and current DGCA information. This gives students a more balanced basis for evaluating training quality rather than choosing a school only because it advertises a high success rate.