How did you prep for your oral exam?

CTLSi said:
That's not the same as arranging for, and aligning with what questions will be asked, and what maneuvers will be flown on a checkride.

DPEs are there to assess the skill and knowledge of each applicant, not rubber stamps what a given CFI hands them to look at...

They are agents for the FAA, not glad-handers for the CFIs.
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You've read things into his statement that simply aren't there. That said, after you've used a DPE for awhile, then debriefed a number of students post-checkride, you get a pretty good handle on what the next student is likely to face. The DPEs I've used aren't into "gotchas"...they're very forthcoming on what they're looking for and how they'll conduct the exam, even highlighting some of their "hot buttons" so you're not surprised.
 
Just be sure to explain how A cross wind will kick a wing up, lowering the opposite wing. When you nose over after the stall, note if a cross wind exists and press the rudder a little into it as you go over the hump.
 
Ron Levy said:
So, for an IR test, the examiner may look at your flight plan, and ask you why the Alternate block is blank -- and have you justify that answer based on the regs and the weather. Or, if there is an airport there, ask you why you needed to put it there, and how you know it qualifies as a legal alternate today, which requires reference to weather, regs, NOTAMs, and the Terminal Procedures book. This is very different from the old days where an examiner would simply ask you "What's the required weather at your destination to not file an alternate? Can you use this approach as an alternate? What are the standard alternate minimums? Are the alternate minimums at this airport nonstandard?" and makes you think and analyze, not just parrot.
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This was pretty much the way mine went down earlier this year. And this is one situation where you can't BS your way out. The best preparation is through your instructor playing the role of the examiner.
 
Seems to be the case at our school. We've had the same DPE for years, and all the CFIs have flown with her and know how she thinks. And they build some of this into the lessons: "She'll definitely ask you about this," or "She's usually less concerned about X than she is about Y," or "She really likes to bring you out to this spot here and mess with you, so let me show you how to handle that."

It all seems pretty above-board.
 
Well, if you are like me and make a lot of presentation for work then you might want to consider doing what I did... I didn't wait for the examiner to ask me any questions.. I created and delievered a kick ass presentation on everything I thought he would ask me. Creating that really helped me learn the material. After making the presentation, he asked a few questions and that was it. Passed. Now, it took me three full nights (got some sleep too) to create the presentation and if I had to do it over again, I would have prepared this a week before my check ride, not the nights before as I was a little sleep deprived for my check ride and that did not help me at all.
 
I used a Jeppessen Practical Test Study Guide. I had taken a ground school course but it was almost two years since, so I followed that to refresh my memory and guide me to the correct information information in the FARs and AIM. Go over the PTS and that will tell you what they have to test you on. Also as mentioned, some questions were scenario based. If you understand airspace rules then you should be able to give a reasonable answer to a question based on such.
 
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