Help with oral exam

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Georgeyk17

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Georgeyk17
I’m getting ready for my check ride in early March and I don’t feel real confident going into thr Oral. Any suggestions on videos or aids I can use.
 
Oral Exam preparation
  1. Take the ACS and make a colored highlight in the corner of each page that deals with the oral examination questions
  2. for the first pass, On each page/task, go line by line trying to identify where in the FAR’s or the various FAA handbooks you can find the answer. Make a note of that (such as FAR §61.113 for the question about private pilot privileges and limitations)
  3. After that first pass, do another one, this time creating an outline of simple “Spark Notes” or Cliff Notes” that provide the additional details to answer the question posed by that line.
  4. End result #1, you have now created your own study guide similar to this photo.
  5. HIYCoVr.jpg

  6. End result #2, you now are much better equipped to be able to find the answer should you suffer brain vapor lock and cannot dig the answer out of long term memory.
  7. End result #3... hopefully this process will make you much better prepared for the exam as a whole because you put some good work into your preparation.
 
Georgeyk17 said:
I’m getting ready for my check ride in early March and I don’t feel real confident going into thr Oral. Any suggestions on videos or aids I can use.
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Vacaville, huh? I remember it well... onions on downwind and Pietro's Pizza—the best I've ever eaten. Review my tutorials @AvClicks.com. They should help your confidence.
 
In addition to the suggestions above, I think this video was a pretty good overview, as well.

 
Using the ACS as a sort of "study organizer" (per AggieMike88) is an excellent idea. If the same level of thoroughness in that example is maintained throughout the ACS the applicant will be very well prepared.
 
AggieMike88 said:
for the first pass, On each page/task, go line by line trying to identify where in the FAR’s or the various FAA handbooks you can find the answer. Make a note of that (such as FAR §61.113 for the question about private pilot privileges and limitations)
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I realize the example page you showed probably wouldn’t require it, but I’d just add the AFM/POH/Supplelments/Pilot Guides for the specific aircraft and avionics to the reference list. I find that many pilots actually don’t think to look in those documents, which provide much more direct answers than the generalities found in other the FAA handbooks and references.
 
Assuming this is for IR practical based on where it is posted.

If so, this helped me ace the oral - https://www.amazon.com/Instrument-P...prefix=instrument+rating+oral+,aps,128&sr=8-1

That and studying my posterior off for a month prior to the exam. I also did the following - Read the ACS and knew what I might be tested on. Mock oral with my CFII. Read and tabbed relevant sections of the FAR/AIM. Re-read the Instrument Flying Handbook and Instrument Procedures Handbook (a real page-turner). Watched pretty much every IR mock checkride video out there. Some are posted above (although a few of those are for private). Here is the Andy Munnis IR checkride video -

This one from Fly8MA is a little corny, but it helped me out, too -

I pretty much read that little red ASA book cover to cover over and over again interspersed with the stuff I mentioned above. By the time I got to checkride, the exam was like falling off a barstool. I think the secret was just being over-prepared. The flying practice and intense studying probably took years off my life, but it made the practical pretty easy.
 
Part of your practical test prep should be a mock oral by your CFI.

FWIW I bought the Kings Oral course for my PPL. Based on that experience, I do not recommend any King Oral Prep product.
 
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY feels confident in orals. best advice is, they don't expect you to know everything. Nobody can know everything. Know where to find what you need. Hopefully efficiently. And know that you don't know everything.
 
Missing the point gentlemen.
OP / George is looking for tips on how to prep for IR oral.
Pointing out how much of a stud muffin pilot you are who wasn’t nervous for the oral doesn’t move the ball forward here.

missing-point.jpg
 
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Oldmanb777 said:
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY feels confident in orals.
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Speak for yourself. I had normal butterflies about being tested but was confident in my level of knowledge and ability to communicate it. The butterflies went away as soon as we started and I, and as far as I could tell, my examiner, had fun at all 4 of my orals, starting with my private.

but I agree with the rest of your post.
best advice is, they don't expect you to know everything. Nobody can know everything. Know where to find what you need. Hopefully efficiently. And know that you don't know everything.
Click to expand...
 
Request for help all teed up like this and nobody took a swing at it here on POA?
 
Georgeyk17 said:
I’m getting ready for my check ride in early March and I don’t feel real confident going into thr Oral. Any suggestions on videos or aids I can use.
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I would absolutely look at a few of the videos of oral exams and make sure your instructor or flight school gives you a mock oral. Use the videos as a very general guide. The mock oral should be targeted to what your instructor or flight school knows about the DPE you are likely to use.

one other big piece of advice. Relax and don't over-prepare. The examiner expects you to be nervous and not know everything under the sun. And I have see over-preparation combine with normal nervousness to create brain lock.
 
Practice giving the shortest answer possible. The more you elaborate on an answer the more opportunity to get tripped up.
 
FORANE said:
Request for help all teed up like this and nobody took a swing at it here on POA?
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Ummmmm.... you don’t consider my first post in this thread helpful?
 
WDD said:
Missing the point gentlemen.
OP / George is looking for tips on how to prep for IR oral.
Pointing out how much of a stud muffin pilot you are who wasn’t nervous for the oral doesn’t move the ball forward here.

missing-point.jpg
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He’s asking about an Instrument oral. Turns About A Point aren’t part of it.
 
I can't say I was ever NOT confident on an oral. My book work has always been solid as a rock. It was the physical acts of flying that I was concerned with.
 
Georgeyk17 said:
I’m getting ready for my check ride in early March and I don’t feel real confident going into thr Oral. Any suggestions on videos or aids I can use.
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Brush and floss regularly.

Wait. Wrong oral exam. You’re asking about the ground portion of the practical test.

One thing I’ll add to what others said is to know the source of where to find information. For example, if the examiner asks a question about the requirements for fulfilling a flight review, and you’re not 100% certain if the answer, it’s going to tell the examiner a lot about your understanding of the regs if you go looking for the answer in part 91 or in the AIM (rather than part 61, specifically 61.56). Knowing where to find information, particularly information that is not flight critical, is key.
 
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I did feel confident on both private and IR orals. Very confident. Because of the prep I did that I described in post 10.

Study and prepare like crazy. And you will feel as confident as you possibly can.
 
Check out pilotscafe.com. IFR quick review guide airplanes.
My students find it invaluable. DPE recommended it!
 
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