"One guy in my class failed the exam by 2 questions, was told to get his belongings from the class room and hotel and go home."

Every company I have worked for and every FAA certificate I applied for, the written was the least difficult part. Heck, in most indoc classes, they practically tell you "this is a question, and this is the answer" for the written tests. If one cannot pass the written, his chance of passing the sims is almost zero.