By Leslie Caubble, CFI/IGI
When you’re in the middle of flight training, the days and weeks seem to drag along as you’re practicing maneuvers, learning emergency procedures, and fine-tuning your landings. The checkride feels like an event in the distant future. The next thing you know, the instructor says it’s time to schedule your checkride and asks, “You’ve been studying for the oral exam, right?”
Don’t let your checkride preparation sneak up on you! Advanced planning, studying, and organization will help you walk into your oral exam confident and ready to pass with flying colors. Here are some practical steps you can take to ace your private pilot oral exam.
- Preparing for the oral exam begins with your ground school.
Some student pilots make the mistake of procrastinating and cramming checkride study into the final days. A good study foundation can begin during your ground school. Keep resources that you’ll use for checkride study by your side while you work through the ground school.
As different regulations, sections from the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK), or Airplane Flying Handbook are referenced, take a moment to look them up and highlight or tab them. Refer to these later when studying for the oral exam, and they will be easier to find if they’re already tabbed!
- Use the 75% rule.
If you’ve never heard of this, it’s because it’s a guideline I made up to give to my students. When you are on track with consistent lessons, talk to your instructor about a projected timeline and goal for scheduling your checkride. If your instructor thinks you’ll be ready for your checkride with 70 hours (which is about the national average), then subtract 25%, giving you about 53 hours. Make that your goal for completing your ground school and passing the knowledge exam. That leaves you the remaining 25% of flight training time to solely focus on preparing for the oral exam during your at-home study time.
Having the knowledge exam behind you at this point is a huge weight off a student pilot’s shoulders, and your study can focus solely on the oral exam.
- Utilize the ACS as your study foundation.
The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) is the guide to the checkride. It contains every knowledge and risk management element that could be asked on the oral exam. As you work through ground school, refer to the ACS to make sure you’ve covered and understand each element.
Example: you’ve finished learning about human factors in your ground school. Hop over to the ACS and see what could be asked on the checkride about human factors. Under Area of Operation I. Preflight Preparation, Task H. Human Factors it shows under the Knowledge elements you can be tested on topics such as hypoxia, motion sickness, optical illusions, and regulations regarding alcohol and drugs. If you find something listed in the ACS that wasn’t covered in the ground school, take some time to look it up or ask your CFI.
When it’s time to study for the oral exam, do a final check through the ACS line by line. If you’re able to talk about each element for 2-3 minutes, you should be well prepared to discuss it on the oral exam.
- Form a study group.
Studying in a group setting can be an efficient way to learn and review material for the checkride. Ask your flight school if there are other students who are in the same stage of training as you are. Meet at the school, the hangar, or even for coffee and quiz each other on possible checkride questions.
If you’re not sure what to cover, a great place to start is ASA’s Private Pilot Oral Exam Guide. This guide covers many different possible questions and scenarios you may be asked on the oral exam. After each question, it gives a “passing” answer and references for further study.
- Schedule a mock oral checkride.
I believe a mock oral checkride is one of the best, but most under-utilized, tools in checkride preparation. Checkrides are stressful even for advanced pilots, but the private pilot checkride is especially stressful because there’s the fear of the unknown. A mock oral checkride allows a student to sit in front of a neutral CFI (not your primary CFI) and answer checkride questions in a setting that mimics the actual exam. Practicing formulating and verbalizing your answers on the spot, face to face with a stranger, prepares you for the oral exam so well!
A mock oral checkride can demystify the checkride process before the real deal, verify you’re on the right track in your studies, and identify weak areas you need to spend more time on.
- Consume content on the go.
Online content is another awesome way to maximize your study efforts to ace the oral exam. You may be driving your commute, doing household chores, or going for a walk when it’s not feasible to crack open the books. There are many YouTube videos and podcasts that discuss checkrides and recorded mock oral exams.
One of my favorite podcasts is the VSL Aviation Podcast. DPE Seth Lake discusses each ACS line by line and what he looks for in an applicant’s answer during a checkride. His perspective is invaluable.
- Remember these basic checkride prep tips.
Doing these will help you arrive refreshed and ready to ace your oral exam!
- Have updated copies of FAA reference materials with you and know how to use them.
- Take a deep breath before answering each question.
- Answer each question completely, but briefly. The examiner will ask follow-up questions if more information is needed.
- Highlight and make notes in your ACS deficient areas from your knowledge test.
- Eat healthy, stay hydrated and get plenty of rest the days leading up to your checkride.
- Don’t cram for the oral exam the final 24-48 hours. Use this time to fine-tune your cross-country assignment and organize your materials for the big day.
- Arrive organized.
Going the extra mile to have everything organized might seem like a lot of work, but it can alleviate some of the stress of a checkride. When you need to look up a reference, it’s reassuring to know exactly where to look rather than appearing scattered. Confirm all your aeronautical knowledge and experience requirements have been fully met and that all the proper endorsements have been made. Make a checkride binder to keep copies of your credentials, aircraft information, weather, and cross-country planning printed and in one place.
Arrive early, have the aircraft fueled and preflight done, use the restroom, and have all your resources and documents set out before the examiner arrives. Lack of preparation and rushing around only produces extra anxiety going into the oral exam. Less anxiety results in a better performance.
Finally, you are more apt to ace your oral exam if you go into it with the right mindset. Anyone can study and memorize material, and that part is very important. However, your performance will stand out if you are confident and tell yourself you’re already a private pilot. Visualize yourself answering every question thoughtfully and passing the checkride.
You’ve studied hard and invested so much time and money to reach your checkride day. Utilize some of these steps to add polish to your performance and walk in with the expectation to do an outstanding job!
By Leslie Caubble, CFI/IGI
Northstar Aviation References brings you the Pre-Tabbed ASA FAR/AIM, DIY tabs for your FAR/AIM and other pilot resources so that you can more easily study the regulations that form the foundation of your flying career or hobby. Have any questions? Check out our FAQs page or contact us. Check out other blog posts here.