STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR PLT ON AN IFR TRAINING FLT IN A C172 GET A SERIES OF LECTURES FROM ARTCC RADAR CTLR WHEN THEY FAIL TO FOLLOW THE ALLEGED INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED FOR AN APCH AND A MAP PROC; AND THEN PERFORMED A HDG TRACK DEV NEAR THE AW NDB AT AWO; WA.

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RADIO COMS WERE ESTABLISHED BY THE STUDENT THROUGH THE OPENING OF AN IFR FLT PLAN AND A REQUEST FOR THE CURRENT ALTIMETER SETTING AT AWO. AT THE TIME; A NOTAM WAS AVAILABLE REGARDING THE OUTAGE OF AWOS; AND WE WERE UNABLE TO RECEIVE THE RPT FROM AWO. CTLR RUDELY TOLD US TO PICK UP THE AWOS BEFORE WE INFORMED HIM OF OUR INABILITY TO PICK UP THE RPT. FROM THEN ON; COMS WENT DOWNHILL; WHERE BOTH THE INSTRUCTOR AND MYSELF THOUGHT THE CTLR WAS HAVING A BAD DAY. WE REQUESTED THE FULL PROC NDB RWY 34R APCH FOLLOWED BY A PUBLISHED MISSED AND HOLD. THE INSTRUCTIONS WE RECEIVED WERE UNCLR. MY INTERP WAS THAT WE WERE GIVEN THE PUBLISHED MISSED APCH PROC WITH AN ALT RESTR OF 4000 FT STAPLED ONTO IT. MY INSTRUCTOR'S INTERP; I LATER FOUND OUT; WAS TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT THROUGH THE ENTIRE APCH. REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE INSTRUCTION WAS; THE ALT 4000 FT RESULTED IN CREATING CONFUSION LATER DURING THE MISSED APCH PROC. NEITHER ONE OF US QUESTIONED THE CTLR'S CLRNC; AND INSTEAD TOOK IT FOR OUR OWN INTERP. WE SHOULD HAVE ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION; BUT NEITHER ONE OF US DID. AS WE GOT CLRED FOR THE APCH; THE CTLR TOLD US TO DSND AND MAINTAIN 3000 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON THE APCH. AFTER THE APCH; DURING THE MISSED APCH PROC; I CALLED ZSE INFORMING THE CTLR WE WERE MISSED; 1600 FT CLBING 4000 FT. ATC ACKNOWLEDGED RADAR CONTACT AND MADE NO CORRECTION TO MY CLBING 4000 FT STATEMENT. IT WAS AT THIS POINT THAT CONFUSION STRUCK; AND MY INSTRUCTOR AND I REALIZED WE WERE NOT ON THE SAME PAGE REGARDING THE ALT ASSIGNMENT. HE BELIEVED IT WAS THE ALTS AS PUBLISHED; WHILE I BELIEVED IT WAS 4000 FT. AT 2000 FT; THE PUBLISHED MISSED APCH ALT; I CALLED ATC A SECOND TIME CONFIRMING OUR CLB TO 4000 FT. HE CAME ON THE RADIO VERY SHARPLY SAYING 'NEGATIVE;' FOLLOWING UP WITH WHAT LITERALLY WAS AN UNNECESSARY LECTURE ON THE PUBLISHED APCH PROC; WHICH ONLY CREATED MORE CONFUSION. SOMEWHERE IN THIS LECTURE; HE MUST HAVE GIVEN US A NEW HDG ASSIGNMENT WITH THE CANCELLATION OF OUR PUBLISHED MISSED APCH PROC ALTHOUGH NEITHER MY INSTRUCTOR NOR MYSELF HEARD IT. WE CONTINUED TO FLY DIRECT AW NDB FOR THE HOLD; AND AT AW BEGAN AN ENTRY TO THE HOLD. DURING THE TURN; AS WE RPTED ENTERING THE HOLD; THE CTLR AGAIN RUDELY TOLD US THAT WE WERE NOT CLRED FOR THE HOLD AND INSTEAD; HAD BEEN GIVEN A HDG INSTRUCTION. THIS TURN INTO THE HOLD WAS A DEV FROM OUR ASSIGNED CLRNC; WHICH FROM THE SOUND OF THE CTLR'S SECOND LECTURE COULD HAVE RESULTED; HAD WE NOT CORRECTED THIS DEV IMMEDIATELY; IN A HAZARDOUS SIT WITH RESPECT TO SPACING. HE IMMEDIATELY TOLD US TO EXPEDITE A CLB TO 3000 FT AND HDG CHANGE TO 130 DEGS FOR TFC. I LEARNED 2 LESSONS FROM THIS EXPERIENCE. FIRST; IF YOU'RE NOT SURE ABOUT A CLRNC; ASK FOR CONFIRMATION SOONER AS OPPOSED TO LATER. THIS WAY; YOU CAN STAY FOCUSED; AS OPPOSED TO THINKING IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND 'WHAT WERE THE INSTRUCTIONS AGAIN?' THE SECOND LESSON LEARNED WAS THAT COMS SHOULD BE LIMITED TO NECESSARY DIALOGUE USING STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY. DURING THE UNNECESSARY LECTURE FROM THE CTLR ON THE MISSED APCH PROC; EITHER WE JUST FLAT OUT MISSED OUR NEW HDG ASSIGNMENT OR HE FORGOT TO ASSIGN ONE.