Met a guy over summer who interviewed with AE. He said the talking went fine but when it came to his check sim he blew it (2 hours of sleep is what it came down to)...AE apparently told him that instead of waiting the 6 months to reinterview, all he needed was a jet transition course and he could come right back.
So he did that. Knocked out a Citation SIC in one week with a company I worked with and went to redo the check sim. All of this was in one month.
I feel they serve a purpose for the airlines, but more as a boomerang instead of a flowthrough.