In the UK the British Model Flying Association BMFA has three tests A,B and C.

You can read the standards required here [link=http://www.bmfa.org/achievement/index.html]CLICKY[/link]

In many clubs the A test is mandatory for independent flying ie without an experienced pilot standing by.

The B test is mandatory for flying at shows and some competitons.

The C test is very controversial as it requires the flying of a range of advanced pattern style manouvres such as

(h.9) Knife edge 45 degree climb with one positive snap roll from knife edge to knife
edge in either direction.

This should be flown from standard height and line and the initial pull up from level flight to
45 degrees should be performed approximately 80 metres before the model crosses in front
of the pilot and the quarter roll to knife edge (either way) should be performed immediately
after the pull up.
The positive snap roll should be performed as the model crosses in front of the pilot and the
45 degree knife edge climb should then continue and be approximately the same length as
the climb before the snap. The model then quarter rolls to upright and then pushes back to
level flight on the standard line but obviously at a higher level than the start..
Throughout the climbing manoeuvre, the heading of the model should not deviate
substantially although minor deviations are acceptable. The snap roll may affect the line of
the upper climb but this should be immediately corrected by the pilot.

I ws doing a lot of 3D flying, turbine flying, pylon racing and RC combat with a 1/4 scale bipe for relaxation at the time this was bought in and realised that I really needed a pattern style model for the C test. I could easliy do all the manouvres with my hack 3D Sledge but was told unoficially that using a 3D model was frowned upon.

Flying the pattern style model a Bravo 303 certainly gave me a chance to be a smoother pilot and I got to the point where I could run the schedule but at the time was moving abroad so never took the test.

However at club level I am not sure it made me a more expert pilot IE one that would be approached to maiden something out of the ordinary or take over the TX from someone in trouble.