Do you have a recent FAA written test experience?

Hippike

Hippike

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Hippike
Hello,

I am a student pilot getting ready for my written test and have a few questions/concerns.

Has any of you taken the FAA written test recently? Can you shed some light on it?
No, I don’t mean share the questions with us (although that would be nice – and somewhat illegal) but I have a few questions:

Was it PSI or CATS?

Did you like the layout of the test, was it easy to navigate through the questions?

Were you allowed to use an electronic E6B?

I fear that the regular E6B is not as precise as an electronic and was wondering if there were any questions where you had to use the regular E6B and were the answer too close to each other to figure out accurately? Like 14.2 vs. 13.9, which on a regular E6B may not be so obvious.

When the questions involve sectional charts, were the chart image clear and easy to read? Is there a zoom in option? Does the zoom work properly or the image gets blurry the more you zoom in on it? (I had taken practice tests online where the Dallas sectional image quality was just appalling :(

If you have to calculate true course, did you use a plotter placed on the monitor screen or is there a built in one, where you just click on two points and the software draws a line for you and displays the TC?

When I do my XC planning I use my regular E6B and I double check my answers with my iPhone app but it is my understanding that electronic devices like tablets and smartphones are not allowed inside the testing room, is that right? (apart from electronic E6B).

Anything else you care to share?

Thanks in advance!
 
I would like to hear some input on this as well. I am at 37 hours and haven't taken the written yet ( :eek: I know, I know....) Have 4 more weeks before I can resume flying so I plan to knock it out before then.
 
I took the written at CATS a couple of months ago and received a 93%. You use a test booklet (Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement for Sport Pilot, Recreational Pilot, and Private Pilot) for the figures of the test and not the monitor. You can use an electronic E6B. I thought about buying one but decided not to and got along fine using the manual one. The test was difficult but if you have been doing well on practice tests you should do fine. Regarding being able to read the charts I was not able to easily read the sectionals in the test supplement. I have reading glasses and had an extra pair so I used both pairs at the same time to magnify the figures in the book.
 
93% ? Sweet. Congrats!

Yeah, I was thinking of packing a magnifying glass...
 
Don't worry about precision of your E6B choice. No question will have answers that close to each other.

Do be sure to remember the scale of the sectional images in the supplement is not correct, so you'll have to adjust for that on measuring. Your CFI can explain it better.

You CAN purchase the supplement to practice with while you do your prep. I did that and gave it away when I was done.

The test interface is complete crap. Doesn't matter which testing host you choose. I think it's crappy because back in the day if you were throwing money at flying, you didn't have any left for a computer thingy.

Don't sweat the test. It's really not that bad. Just remember two things: RTFQ and RTFA.
RTFQ (Read the Full, or ****ing, question)
RTFA (Read the Full, or ****ing, answer)

There is always 1 question and 4 answers. Two of the answers are always demonstrably wrong. The BETTER answer of the other 2 is what you're looking for.
 
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thousands of people have passed the test with a manual e6b and with the crapy images. Some of the answers are not even accurate IE: The only answer even close to the right answer is not accurate, but it's the closest answer, it's the right one.

Ravioli's last sentence is the most important one to understand before taking the test. Sometimes none of the answers are quite right, and sometimes more than one answer is right, but one is MORE right.
 
Just took it yesterday (88% or 53/60). Took the CATS version or whatever it is called.

YOU can bring a mechanical and/or electronic E6B. For anything electronic you have to demonstrate there are no stored numbers. I have a sportys electronic one. As I recall, all previous values reset at power up.

You are given a booklet which is used for several different exams. Mine still had pencil marks from the last person but the last thing I was gonna do is trust that so erased them first. The questions themselves are on the computer. If you have taken the King course, the questions and figures are verbatim! Not sure if Gleim, Jeppesen and Sportys are the same. I think I caught one question that had a slightly different answer between the two.

YOU need to be pretty accurate, but not .001% like accurate.

In the King course they remind you to stick with your first answer and I didn't on three and got them wrong. But that also means I didn't know them we'll enough.

I took me about 80 minutes to go through it once. Then another 40 minutes to carefully review it.

When you're done, you can sit with a proctor and review the questions (but not answers) of what you got wrong. You will know your results immediately. You will be given an official paper copy of your results and that paper is embossed. On it are codes for each question missed. Your instructor is then required to review these areas and sign it off.

My only comment was they didn't give a lot of desk space. However the proctor was super helpful.

Oh yeah, I was so nervous that I would bump the "Finished" button. As you can guess there is at least one confirmation so no worries there.

Good luck!
 
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Ravioli said:
There is always 1 question and 4 answers. Two of the answers are always demonstrably wrong. The BETTER answer of the other 2 is what you're looking for.
Click to expand...
Actually, there are only 3 choices for each question. And at least one is always stupid wrong.
 
Yes I just took the Instrument Written and got a 93%. Honestly I have always found the written tests to be pretty easy. I used an electronic E6B
 
I took the instrument written in Feb this year.

I did quite well (98), but I'm certain this was luck. The questions are random. If you get questions you know, you do well, if you don't, you may not.

Some of the questions simply have no correct answer. Yes, I'm sure the FAA might disagree, but I knew the material pretty well going in, and the one I got wrong used a term in a way that isn't supported by the FAA's own material. It's a bad question.
 
I recently took the Private and thought it was fairly easy. The trick is to take practice tests over and over until you are getting over 90% consistently. You get a test book with all the images in it as well. I think any multiple choice test is easy though if you know the information.
 
It's easy.. no sweat. You will be fine.
 
The knowledge tests have gotten much better over the past several years. outdated avionics are gone (no more ADF questions!) and unnecessarily confusing questions have been fixed or removed.

Both test providers provide an electronic e6b in the test software, so you don't even need to bring your own. All test centers have to meet certain minimum specs, so it's pretty much the same wherever you take the test.
 
I work at a lasergrade (PSI) test center and statistics show you're good. It looks like ass, but that doesn't matter. Electronic E6B for the test, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to run some less accurate numbers in your head IRL. Yes, there is zoom on the maps. You should also get a printed copy (that you can't write on) when taking the test. With PSI there is an on screen everything. You can't have anything but the study material, smart phone app E6B are not allowed. There is a CCTV camera watching you.

As mentioned, take some practice tests. Don't memorize answers, understand the questions.
 
Took mine today at 2pm
The first 9 or 10 questions were not in anything I'd studied.
After that, it was fairly familiar.
I used MzeroA.com for the most part and a smattering of other small questions on the internet. I can't compare it to Sporty's or King's as I haven't used them. But overall, I felt prepared.

I used a manual E6B which was quite sufficient if you know how to use it. They provided me with everything else, calculator, pencils, paper, etc. They gave me a book with all the reference material, none of it was on the screen. So a magnifying glass is in order if that is your case. I got by without, but had to squint once or twice.

Took about 15-20 minutes and got a 95.
Educated guesses at about 5 and got 3 of those wrong.

One of the questions I missed was:
What can you expect with a cumulonimbus mammas cloud (I instantly thought of jokes from mscard, eman, skydog, zeldman, 6PC, etc. when I read this)
A. Heavy rain
B. Moderate turbulence
C. Heavy turbulence
I know nimbus means rain, but not heavy per se, plus I have seen that type of clouds overhead, and experienced no rain...which also made me think they weren't stormy...so I just guessed and said mod. turb.
Wrong.

Another I missed was something to the effect of where can you find information in regards to the FAA certification specifications of the airplane engine, airframe, and propeller.
A. POH
B. FAA 'something' -that sounded exactly like it was the certification process for airworthiness for the manufacturer.
C. something else
I chose the FAA one, since it sounded so technical and it mentioned certification specifications for the airplane.
Wrong.
I guess it was POH, but can't verify it. That would make sense though since it's readily available to pilots (and mechanics/inspectors).

The other one I missed was about how to know when your ELT was transmitting.
A. Contact the tower
B. Monitor 121.5
C. Something else
Had never heard this anywhere, but knew you were allowed to test 5 minutes after the hour, so for some reason associated it with the tower. Should have thought more in depth and associated it with emergency frequency. But, didn't know, and just guessed...it is what it is.

My recommendation if you want to get 100% is to spread your studying across a few different sources, and really learn the material as you will need to do some figuring.
If you just want to pass, I'd say you're good with any of the reputable names. Again, you will need to learn that material though.

Good luck! Waiting to hear from you, Wannfly and the other guys/gals.
 
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Took it about 60 days ago, missed one question. I used both Sportys and King, and the one I missed was one question (I think the only one) I hadn't seen. And I strongly second the idea of giving the 'best' answer. My answer wasn't wrong, but the correct answer was "righter".

Take practice tests over and over, and the real test is easy. You'll very likely score better than you did in practice.

Good luck!
 
All the above looks good...a few things to note - LaserGrade and CATS testing are now owned by the same company, and use the same registration system now. So there's less and less difference between the two. Electronic Flight Computers are allowed, bring a magnifying glass, get a copy and familiarize yourself with the Computer Testing Supplement - a lot of questions can be answered by knowing where to look in that supplement. Always draw out diagrams to visualize questions. Ask the testing enter if they provide transparent overlays...if not bring your own so you can "draw" in the supplement.

Don't waste your time with the "Free" online practice exams, you pay for what you get. We offer an in-person program to prepare you for the exam - but ASA also has an excellent program if you're looking to self-study. King Schools also has good online prep.
 
I've used PSI as late as last year for both aviation and FCC exams. I have found them pretty easy to deal with and the test station is more than adequate.
 
ACG said:
Don't put credence into comments about "Free" online practice tests being a waste of time. They are the same exact type of questions you will receive on the actual test. A couple that quickly come to mind are Sporty's and Kings but there are others. Here are links to Sporty's and Kings:

http://www.sportys.com/pilotshop/learn-to-fly/faa-private-pilot-test-prep.html
https://www.kingschools.com/free-faa-exam/private-pilot
Click to expand...

I'll concede to those two...there are a plethora of bad ones though...
 
Ok, so here’s my update.

I took mine last Saturday. 98% :cool:

The two weeks prior to the test, every day I would do a practice test, either King School, Exam4pilots, or Gleim (I purchased the Gleim ground school and at the end there are like 5 practice tests). When I consistently reached scores in the mid to high 90s, I was confident that I will do well on the real test.

It took me 40 minutes to answer all the questions and another 10 minutes to review the answers. All the questions were familiar. Interestingly, there was zero question where I had to use the E6B, so that was a relief.

I was uncertain on two questions, both were about clouds and weather (my least favorite topic), however, the only question I missed was a total basic one, about V speeds. Easy, Vx is the correct answer. Nevertheless, during my review, for some stupid reason I changed my mind and selected Vy. I was wrong. (the proctor was kind enough to show me what I missed, but I believe they don’t usually do that.)

Argh, I can’t believe I screwed that one up. It would have been 100%.
(actually, on second thought, maybe it's for the better so the DPE won't think that I am a total smart-ass :D
 
Good job!!! I suspect your DPE will still think you are a smart-ass :) Whether or not he makes you prove it is another story!

One nice thing is that your instructor will only have to sign off on one knowledge area vs the 7 that I missed and yours sounds pretty easy.

I have yet to have my checkride but I am curious as to other's experiences....does the DPE grill down even more when scores get this high? I figured they will dig in more if scores are low.
 
Sinistar said:
.does the DPE grill down even more when scores get this high?
Click to expand...

That is what most of the new pilots I've talked to at the local drome have said, the more you miss the more they ask. Also dependent on the DPE of how much more. Heard some are tougher than others, but none have been horror stories. One did get failed on his first round though, but he had went out of town due to lack of options, and was told he had to use paper charts/plotter etc., in a diversion. Wasn't allowed to use any back up, iPad, phone, nothing electronic...and wasn't prepared for that.
I'm begging for a check ride right now..have been for weeks. Small towns have their pros and cons lol.
 
Salty said:
thousands of people have passed the test with a manual e6b and with the crapy images. Some of the answers are not even accurate IE: The only answer even close to the right answer is not accurate, but it's the closest answer, it's the right one.

Ravioli's last sentence is the most important one to understand before taking the test. Sometimes none of the answers are quite right, and sometimes more than one answer is right, but one is MORE right.
Click to expand...
In reality, the best answer is the one that's LESS wrong.
 
taking mine tomorrow (IR, Airplane). I took a practice last night, and a half-butted attempt at it got me a 74%. I know, sitting in a testing room is worth 7-10 more. I also know that 4 of the 60 I got wrong are one easy thing that I remembered backwards, so I think i'll end up mid 80's.

I took a 4 day ground school, have done some reading, and am 2/3 of the way thorugh the king course, but at this point, I want to just get a pass on the written, get it behind me and then start REAL studying for actual IFR operation (meaning, I'll read the PIC book, finish the king course, read the FAA manuals and start in the SIM with an instructor)

I'm planning to do the 20 SIM hours and then 20-30 in the airplane, all dual (no plans for a safety pilot)
 
I got 95% and just took my check ride today. I think my score was perfect because it shortened the oral but also gave me 3 learning codes that I knew would be covered on the oral. 100% would probably lead a DPE to dig into all areas to make sure you can correlate information vs rote memorization. Great score and good luck!
 
Sinistar said:
I have yet to have my checkride but I am curious as to other's experiences....does the DPE grill down even more when scores get this high? I figured they will dig in more if scores are low.
Click to expand...

95% led to a ~50 minute oral for me, but I only had to look up one thing (need a transponder overflying class C) and gave concise complete responses to every other question. YMMV.

Watch the Andy Munnis (DPE) video on YouTube. As he says, the DPE can’t ask you about everything. They ask a question and if you show a deeper understanding, they assume you know about the topic and move on. If you give an incomplete or incorrect answer, they dig.

 
i took another practice written from prepware and got 85% this time (again, without doing much diligence on the questions). I think i can get close to a 90 from here (hoping!). test scheduled for tomorrow AM
 
MIFlyer said:
i took another practice written from prepware and got 85% this time (again, without doing much diligence on the questions). I think i can get close to a 90 from here (hoping!). test scheduled for tomorrow AM
Click to expand...

Welllllllllll ???? Let's hear it. good or bad...
 
Pnwannabe2 said:
95% led to a ~50 minute oral for me, but I only had to look up one thing (need a transponder overflying class C) and gave concise complete responses to every other question. YMMV.

Watch the Andy Munnis (DPE) video on YouTube. As he says, the DPE can’t ask you about everything. They ask a question and if you show a deeper understanding, they assume you know about the topic and move on. If you give an incomplete or incorrect answer, they dig.

Click to expand...

I've watched Andy's video a few times. There are others too that I liked.
Even some others of guys actual rides....some of which weren't too keen. But they did pass (so says their video narration)

Here's one I liked a lot. Probably been posted already but...
 
Skyrys62 said:
Welllllllllll ???? Let's hear it. good or bad...
Click to expand...
blah! failed (by one question). this was after scoring in the mid 80's on the prepware tests, so I thought I was pretty ready

back to the books. I was hoping to just get this behind me, but i'll study for a couple more weeks and try again.
 
Good information here. Appreciate the thread. Im prepping for my written also. I'm using the King Test Prep course. I also did an 8 week ground school course thru my club.
 
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MIFlyer said:
taking mine tomorrow (IR, Airplane). I took a practice last night, and a half-butted attempt at it got me a 74%. I know, sitting in a testing room is worth 7-10 more. I also know that 4 of the 60 I got wrong are one easy thing that I remembered backwards, so I think i'll end up mid 80's.

I took a 4 day ground school, have done some reading, and am 2/3 of the way thorugh the king course, but at this point, I want to just get a pass on the written, get it behind me and then start REAL studying for actual IFR operation (meaning, I'll read the PIC book, finish the king course, read the FAA manuals and start in the SIM with an instructor
Click to expand...

As you discovered, most folks do better on the practice tests than they do in the testing center. If you were only getting in the 80s you had more studying to do. The FAA knowledge tests have evolved and mesh with the oral portion of the practical. Most of the information you're studying will be useful at some point in instrument flying so take it seriously and the rest of your training will flow better.
 
Ed Sokol said:
Good information here. Appreciate the thread. Im prepping for my written also. I'm using the King Test Prep course.
Click to expand...
U will most question very familiar to what u are seeing in king

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
Is it true that, The lower your passing score, The more you are going to get grilled on the oral of the check ride?
 
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