PPL knowledge test

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muleywannabe

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I am studying now for my knowledge test. The weather has been bad for the month of December so I figure I might as well knock this out. Can you give me suggestions on how to do well on the test?

I am using the sportys testing info and I have the pilots book of aeronautical knowledge downloaded on my phone.

I am a horrible test taker, I tend to do well retaining knowledge but completely fail at taking tests. I know that if I just barely pass with a 70%, I will get railed from the DPE when I do my verbal because they will take that into consideration. So I really want to do well.

Any suggestions or any ideas that helped you along the way would be wonderful. Thank you
 
muleywannabe said:
I am studying now for my knowledge test. The weather has been bad for the month of December so I figure I might as well knock this out. Can you give me suggestions on how to do well on the test?

I am using the sportys testing info and I have the pilots book of aeronautical knowledge downloaded on my phone.

I am a horrible test taker, I tend to do well retaining knowledge but completely fail at taking tests. I know that if I just barely pass with a 70%, I will get railed from the DPE when I do my verbal because they will take that into consideration. So I really want to do well.

Any suggestions or any ideas that helped you along the way would be wonderful. Thank you
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I wouldn't worry about the DPE treating anyone differently that got a 70 vs. a 99.
 
Well, you might get asked about it as the DPE does get your test report.

But, it's not hard to talk to a student pilot and figure out if he knows his ****.

The main thing is, take care of the body and mind, make sure you really do know the stuff, and don't sweat it. No cramming.
 
my practice test scores are going up slowly. when I started i was getting 30% on my tests. now I am up to 54%.
 
Watching the king videos first will help!

Well get on dauntless.

Keep taking the sample tests, be sure to update the database, make sure you select the option to show the correct answer immediately if you get it wrong.

Once you consistently average over 80% you're good to go

And after quite a few students, DPEs don't care too much, the oral and flight are one thing, the written is just something to get done, mock practicals will square things up for the check ride.
 
Are you good at memorizing? Memorize the answers then actually learn how to do them later
 
muleywannabe said:
I am a horrible test taker, I tend to do well retaining knowledge but completely fail at taking tests.
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For actually taking the test I followed this method and did better than I expected:

You can skip as well as mark questions for review. First thing is go through and answer all the softball questions that are easy for you skipping anything that you are not 100% sure about or any calculation questions. This will build up your confidence.

Next go back and answer the harder questions, flagging any that you are not 100% sure about.

Last, go answer all the calculation questions and take your time.

Then go back and review all of your marked questions and you will be amazed how much your memory will get jogged.

Your first instinct will usually be correct, but it is easy to misread or misunderstand a question so be sure to go back over the questions.

It will be much easier then you expect!
 
I used the Sporty's app on my phone primarily, along with the asa test prep book. The questions are pretty much the same I believe. Your practice scores are kind of low right now. Don't even think about taking the written until you can score consistently 90% or better in the Sporty's practice tests. Chances are your written score will be a little bit lower (test anxiety or maybe an unfamiliar question or two).
 
I used the latest ASA written exam prep book - highly recommend it.
 
Get the Gleim Private Pilot Written Guide - it's fantastic. Perfect for those of us that don't do well on tests usually.
 
I had two questions on my PPL written that I never saw on the Sporty's iPad app. I would not take the real test until you can get 90% or better every time on the study app.
 
DesertNomad said:
I had two questions on my PPL written that I never saw on the Sporty's iPad app. I would not take the real test until you can get 90% or better every time on the study app.
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Yes, the exam questions are not published, so there may be some you won't see in any test-prep.

There may also be validation questions, which are not scored. (The FAA is just trying them out.)
 
I'll second the King material as being pretty good for the ppl test prep. Make sure to give yourself plenty of uninterrupted study time. It will take a while if you are distracted.
 
A Gliem book and Sporty's Study Buddy (pay the $9.99 so you get the explanations...) should be all you need to pound through the exam questions. Many of them will be verbatim on the exam.

On a whim, I bought Dauntless Ride Ready for the Oral exam and really liked it. I also got their PPL exam as well and thought it was very well done. Honestly, if you wanted to spend money that's worth it - with ALL the explanations, diagrams, etc... that walk you step by step through the W&B questions and such.

I only missed 2 questions on my written and it didn't slow my DPE down. He was very thorough and I even had an opportunity to teach him a couple things. :)

I wouldn't be so worried about the written as much as the oral. I don't think he will be able to see the exact questions that you missed but he will know the general subject area and so if you have problems in a few areas I'd expect to get drilled on those to make sure you really know the material and aren't just a 'bad test taker'.

In all honesty, this exam is unbelievably easy. Most questions (maybe all of them?) only have 3 answers, IIRC. So, you can almost always eliminate one of them and that gives you at least a 50/50 on the anything where you don't have a clue. The material isn't that difficult either. I didn't even study ADF...got 2 questions and missed one of them.

Good luck!
 
Great info everyone! thank you so much. I am hitting the study guides nightly for 30 minutes. I want to get this done and move on to enjoying the flying part. With the weather so unpredictable during the winter and cloudy days, it gives me time to study up. I want to have my PPL by spring if I can get rolling.
 
Witmo said:
I wouldn't worry about the DPE treating anyone differently that got a 70 vs. a 99.
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I'm going to have to disagree with you on this.
I got a 78 on my private pilot written exam. My check oral was 2.8 hours.
I got an 89 on my instrument written exam and my check ora was about 1.5 hours.
I got a 95 on my commercial pilot written exam, my check oral was 1.5 hours (about 20 minutes of which was spent going over paperwork because I trained under part 142.)
My Commercial Multi-engine add on check oral was about 1.0, again with about 25 minutes spent on paperwork.

There are a ton of factors that could have gone into why my private check oral was so long and why my subsequent check orals were much shorter, but from what I've heard of other pilot's check oral experiences, and from what I've gathered from conversations with examiners, the written exam score does play into the direction that an oral exam will go.

Now, having said that, Do Not Panic. I would not recommend reading gleim books, or other publications of test questions.
If you know your stuff, and just don't test well, then I would go straight for Sheppard Air. Use their software, follow their method, and you will succeed. If you don't know your stuff, or you feel a little weak on some concepts, then before you go buy the Sheppard air software, read your handbooks and ask questions to your instructor or other pilots until you understand all the concepts you can be tested on. Sheppard Air is a means to an end for pilots who understand concepts, but should not be used as a means to an end for pilots who don't want to put the effort in to learn the necessary concepts.

Whatever method you use, good luck and let us know how you do! :)
 
GrahamC said:
I'm going to have to disagree with you on this.
I got a 78 on my private pilot written exam. My check oral was 2.8 hours.
I got an 89 on my instrument written exam and my check ora was about 1.5 hours.
I got a 95 on my commercial pilot written exam, my check oral was 1.5 hours (about 20 minutes of which was spent going over paperwork because I trained under part 142.)
My Commercial Multi-engine add on check oral was about 1.0, again with about 25 minutes spent on paperwork.
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It's all up to the examiner's discretion. The test score doesn't really matter. You could have aced your written but if you didn't study for the oral you're going to have a grueling session. There is no rule saying the examiner needs to make an oral longer or shorter depending on what score you got on the knowledge test
 
jordane93 said:
It's all up to the examiner's discretion. The test score doesn't really matter. You could have aced your written but if you didn't study for the oral you're going to have a grueling session. There is no rule saying the examiner needs to make an oral longer or shorter depending on what score you got on the knowledge test
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Correct, there is no rule stating that the written test results determine the length or difficulty of an oral exam. That being said, it's been my experience and the experience of others I've talked to, that test results can tend to sway the direction or depth that an examiner will go to during the oral exam. I don't think that there are any definite answers on this, but put yourself in the examiner's shoes- which private pilot applicant might you ask a few extra questions to in order to be sure that he or she really knows his or her stuff- The one who walks into the oral and hands you a Written score of 72, or the one who walks in with a written score of 92?
 
GrahamC said:
I'm going to have to disagree with you on this.
I got a 78 on my private pilot written exam. My check oral was 2.8 hours.
I got an 89 on my instrument written exam and my check ora was about 1.5 hours.
I got a 95 on my commercial pilot written exam, my check oral was 1.5 hours (about 20 minutes of which was spent going over paperwork because I trained under part 142.)
My Commercial Multi-engine add on check oral was about 1.0, again with about 25 minutes spent on paperwork.
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The oral tends to follow how much information that needs to be covered. The initial private is a huge amount of information. Add-on ratings cover the new material.

OP: I passed all my written tests with the following software sans 1.

www.mypilottests.com

Download this [urlhttp://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_questions/media/sport_rec_private_akts.pdf]CLICK ME[/url] and you will be on your way to passing. The testing software goes section by section and also lets you take practice tests at the bottom. It is what I direct all my students to use.
 
There will always be a few oddball ones so remember not to sweat about them. I got one about right of way for a seaplane vs. a boat, or something like that. Guessed it right thankfully.
 
Don't sweat the test score, but DO review the missed questions and consider having a crib sheet explaining your wrong answers and the reasons for the DPE to review.

Personally, my oral exam was minimal on the exam day because the DPE (a club CFII) had overheard one of my late-stage self debriefs & was impressed by how thorough and self-aware I was. The mock checkride 2 weeks before covered just about everything else.
 
GrahamC said:
If you know your stuff, and just don't test well, then I would go straight for Sheppard Air.
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Sheppard doesn't do PPL, only Instrument and higher.

To study for my PPL written, I used Dauntless GroundSchool on my phone, including the audio add-on. I found that helpful to listen to while driving. I also watched the King School videos, which were good to give me something visual to remember. I did use the free Sporty's Study Buddy which was good (and the right price!), but I found it to be lacking in question diversity. Because of this, it seemed easier than the real thing. Still, I got a 90 on my written, which is pretty much what I was averaging during practice.
 
Witmo said:
I wouldn't worry about the DPE treating anyone differently that got a 70 vs. a 99.
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Anecdote from another forum:

An instructor had a student ace the test.

1) Made it odd to endorse that he had reviewed the areas deficient on the written test.

2) The DPE remarked there wasn't much to talk about, and there was barely an oral at all.

I do happen to test well, and I think going into an oral with a high score does make a difference.
 
muleywannabe said:
I know that if I just barely pass with a 70%, I will get railed from the DPE when I do my verbal because they will take that into consideration.
Click to expand...

While it isn't good to score low on the exam, the DPE is going to be quite thorough regardless of what score you get. I remember mine decided to go into a serious discussion about the questions I missed (I was prepared to discuss them) even though I scored in the 90s.
 
Witmo said:
I wouldn't worry about the DPE treating anyone differently that got a 70 vs. a 99.
Click to expand...

BS.

I got a 97 on the written and the DPE softballed the oral. I knew my stuff and he could tell after 10 minutes with me.

My advice?

Study a LOT. Take concepts you don't quite understand and go over them ad nauseam until they are so easy you can talk about them in your sleep.

Know the concepts behind the questions. Don't just "memorize" the answers. That might fly on the written, but once the DPE starts grilling you, if he sees a hole, he'll dig.

The questions most certainly ARE published. Every question on the written, I had already seen in one of the numerous study guides. That was 'around' October of 2013 though, so things may or may not have changed since then.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
BS.

I got a 97 on the written and the DPE softballed the oral. I knew my stuff and he could tell after 10 minutes with me.

My advice?

Study a LOT. Take concepts you don't quite understand and go over them ad nauseam until they are so easy you can talk about them in your sleep.

Know the concepts behind the questions. Don't just "memorize" the answers. That might fly on the written, but once the DPE starts grilling you, if he sees a hole, he'll dig.

The questions most certainly ARE published. Every question on the written, I had already seen in one of the numerous study guides. That was 'around' October of 2013 though, so things may or may not have changed since then.
Click to expand...

He softballed the oral most probably because you knew your stuff. I still say the numerical score means next to nothing. I can pretty much tell in a very short time whether someone knows his stuff without any reference to what he/she scored on the knowledge test. I don't doubt there's some examiners who might be impressed by an aced written. The ones I know of personally, rely on their own observation/questions to determine when to pass someone on an oral and don't care a bit about how they answered a multiple guess test.
 
Point taken.

I still think it's better to show up with a great score, where the DPE thinks the applicant may not know his stuff, versus showing up with "just enough to pass" and the DPE knows you don't know the material.
 
Witmo said:
He softballed the oral most probably because you knew your stuff.
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This just reminded me that my DPE said pretty much same thing at my check ride. She looked at my 90 and said "Pretty good score. Some people think that a higher written score means an easier oral, but I find that the ones that have a better written score just know their stuff and can just answer the questions better." :)
 
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