Sport Pilot Talk

OK, I'm just about ready to take the FAA written test. I've got an endorsement from my ground school CFI and took a few online practice tests and I'm making 90's. My experience has been take 10pts off and that will most likely be my score (drone test I took and passed and CFI says that is normal). My question is how good are these online practice tests and how indicative of the actual test are they? I'm specifically referring to King School's,www.light-sport-aircraft.org, and the FAA example test? My CFI says I'm ready, I'd like to ace it!

I found that Gleim was very good. I only remember a few questions on the test that were not familiar.

PJ

I used exams4pilots.org

You're ready. Just relax, get some good sleep, lay off the booze the night prior. While taking the test, you have plenty of time, so read each question and all responses carefully. Double-check computations, figures and sectionals references. Good luck!

I bought a program from Dauntless that worked well, great explanations and visuals. When I took my test there were 5 or 10 extra questions as the FAA was getting a feeler for what people learned. I think correct answers counted, wrong ones didn't.


Dan

I used the Sporty's practice app and it was fine. The actual exam wasn't the same questions, but it was the same type of questions. If you understand the stuff well enough to score 90+ on the practice tests (and I mean understand it; not just having memorized the practice questions) you should do fine.

Don't rush - you'll have 5x as much time as you need. Read each question carefully, and if you have trouble with a question skip it and come back to it. You may see something in a subsequent question that jogs your memory.

You can take in an electronic E6B (or a manual one, for that matter), but I didn't use mine. There's an on-line E6B that's part of the test software and it was perfectly satisfactory.

Good luck!

All good advice given. I've used both Gleim and Exams4Pilots and found that I was about 10 points off when I passed my exam. The questions on the exam will be slightly different, but you get an excellent flavor for the exam from any of these practice exams. You WILL run into some questions you've never seen before (maybe 1 - 3 questions... purely a guess). These are test questions that the FAA has thrown in. But if you're scoring 90's, you should have no problems passing.

Good luck!

If you're scoring 90's you are ready. You should easily pass in the 80's. 70's if you are unlucky. 90's if you are lucky. I think the FAA likes a trick question or two In retaliation for those that "study the questions" for the test. it also seems that the FAA is striving to make questions that are a little different from those that are publishished previously.

I did Gliem for test prep for three different FAA tests. My actual scores were always consistent with the pre-tests.

Recheck everything, especially figures and calculations.
Good luck!!

In the past several years the FAA has changed the way they are asking questions on the test. They want to make sure you know the material, and not just the answers to questions written in a book. They have switched to scenario based questions, which can be somewhat confusing the way they are written. They change the wording in questions and answers, along with the order of answers. The key is know the material and take your time reading the questions and answers.

A little history. Before the change there were cases of people going in to take the private pilot exam, and completing the exam in a couple minutes and scoring 100%, just by memorizing the questions and answers. When they changed the first test, which happened to be the CFI test, failure rate went up dramatically the first week.

You will do fine using any of those resources. When I sat down and took a practice test literally cold after a 30+ year hiatus flying and watching only a couple hours of online videos, I got an 85. And most of what I missed was those questions about interpreting VOR displays ... I only got one other question wrong. Find a study approach and practice exams that work for you - assuming you're diligent, it should not pose a huge hurdle. I hear that the IFR written is MUCH more challenging than the PPL or SPL written exams.

Good luck and keep us posted!

So, took the written earlier today. Let me say that Sporty's and the practice exams were pretty much right on the money/subject matter. I actually was expecting much harder navigation problems and performance calculations, almost no weather questions which I really studied for. Scored a 93, the three I missed were dumb and I knew the answers, just misread the question or the answer, I kicked my own butt when I read the questions I missed. Now for 3 hours of checkride prep and a check ride!!!

foresterpoole wrote:So, took the written earlier today. Let me say that Sporty's and the practice exams were pretty much right on the money/subject matter. I actually was expecting much harder navigation problems and performance calculations, almost no weather questions which I really studied for. Scored a 93, the three I missed were dumb and I knew the answers, just misread the question or the answer, I kicked my own butt when I read the questions I missed. Now for 3 hours of checkride prep and a check ride!!!

I thought you were doing sport pilot?

I am.....

Been using Sporty's training material as well. Scheduled to take my written test on Friday. Been averaging 90+ on the Practice (sport Pilot) pretests.

foresterpoole wrote:I am.....

You can do 3 hours prep for the checkride, but you are only required to do 2.