Didn't they say this was his second time piloting a machine? It doesn't quite make sense since that would mean his entrance exam would be his first time, but he mentioned that the first time was a shock to him, and he couldn't understand the suit the first time he touched it.
And his entrance victory was lucky. The examiner crashed into a wall, rather than being defeated like in Cecilia's case. However, he entrance wasn't a lucky one. You don't need to defeat an examiner to pass.