Prepping my Instrument Written. Is 83% enough?

labbadabba

labbadabba

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labbadabba
So, I feel like I know the material but it seems whenever I do a practice test I always miss a few. Some are gotcha questions, others are me doing something stupid like not fully reading the question, others are just some I get wrong. I learn and move on...mostly.

I'm averaging in the low 80's pretty consistently, I've scored in the 90's once or twice and once in a while I'll get something in the 70's. My CFII is willing to sign me off but I want to make sure I pass the first time and get it right. I passed my PPL written with a 97% and I think I may be holding myself to that standard. Is an 83% average enough of margin to go ahead and take the test?
 
the IRA written is one of the hardest writtens out there in my opinion. The commercial written was a joke compared to the instrument.. again in my own opinion.
I would recommend you score consistently in the high 90s before you that the test. Many questions will be new questions also.. keep that in mind. Any score above 80% on the actual test is really good in my opinion.
When I took the IRA written about 15 questions were questions I never saw before.

good luck and report back after you pass please so we can cheer you on lol.
 
I would say get into the 90's and then go take it.
 
Anything over 70% is wasted effort :) That being said, I never got below 90% any of the times I took it.
 
I took my IFR written after the changes a couple months ago. Beforehand I went to and Aviation Seminar for IFR test and studied Shepherd Air thoroughly along with a handful of other sources. I was averaging upper 80's on my practice tests and walked into the testing center very confident. Half of my test or more was either completely new questions or gotcha questions. Several of the questions were similar but had subtle changes to try and trick someone that had memorized a familiar answer with a familiar question.

My advice... Know your **** well and then go take it!
 
is there an 'exams4pilots.com' equivalent for IFR?
 
OP, I didn't get a 90 on the practice tests.... I was averaging 83, with the occasional high-70s. Ugh.

Said screw it, went in, took it, got a 90.

You'll do fine.
 
Hey, if you are satisfied with just passing then you are set. But based upon your 83% ask yourself this. Is there anything in the other 17% that could potentially save my life? Those that pass with just 70% need to ask that same question but with 30% as the number. Think about that. Would you want someone you love to fly with someone who doesn't know 30% of the information relating to flying? I'm not saying that I have scored 100% on all of my FAA writtens (none actually :() but it is what I strive for. However regardless of what you eventually score, don't stop learning. Read aviation books and magazines. Watch aviation videos. Go up with a CFI periodically. Get checked out in different airplanes. Get endorsements. Go to FAASTeam events. Make your aviation education an ongoing never ending process.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Hey, if you are satisfied with just passing then you are set. But based upon your 83% ask yourself this. Is there anything in the other 17% that could potentially save my life? Those that pass with just 70% need to ask that same question but with 30% as the number. Think about that. Would you want someone you love to fly with someone who doesn't know 30% of the information relating to flying? I'm not saying that I have scored 100% on all of my FAA writtens (none actually :() but it is what I strive for. However regardless of what you eventually score, don't stop learning. Read aviation books and magazines. Watch aviation videos. Go up with a CFI periodically. Get checked out in different airplanes. Get endorsements. Go to FAASTeam events. Make your aviation education an ongoing never ending process.
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Oh give me a break. I'm going to guess there's thousands upon thousands of pilots out there who could fly rings around me IMC, who got lower scores on their written tests who also know more about it than I do. FAA says the standard is 70, with a requirement for a CFI to go over the missed stuff. Admonishing someone about their written test skills or score is fairly droll. Admonishing them to never stop learning, is okay.

Take the test. Pass. Figure out the holes in knowledge with your instructor. Fill them in. Move on.
 
Welp, scored an 88%.

I'd say 75% of the questions I had never seen before or were slightly altered from what I had seen so there were some definite gotcha moments. I missed two questions on pilot currency when using a ATD and I don't think I recall seeing ANYTHING in my practice tests in that vein. I missed one HSI question, not sure how but I did. The other was a very odd question about a SIGMET valid time based upon departure and arrivals. Didn't get any flight plan questions which made me happy since those always seem to be a bit of a crapshoot.

I really thought I'd do better (was scoring mid 90's on my practice tests by the time I took the exam), but I'll take an 88. Thanks for the advice, now for the real test...
 
labbadabba said:
Welp, scored an 88%.

I'd say 75% of the questions I had never seen before or were slightly altered from what I had seen so there were some definite gotcha moments. I missed two questions on pilot currency when using a ATD and I don't think I recall seeing ANYTHING in my practice tests in that vein. I missed one HSI question, not sure how but I did. The other was a very odd question about a SIGMET valid time based upon departure and arrivals. Didn't get any flight plan questions which made me happy since those always seem to be a bit of a crapshoot.

I really thought I'd do better (was scoring mid 90's on my practice tests by the time I took the exam), but I'll take an 88. Thanks for the advice, now for the real test...
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Where you using updated study material? There have been many changes recently including the introduction of the new airman certification standards (ACS) for the instrument rating. Did you review the new ACS?
 
Brad Z said:
Where you using updated study material? There have been many changes recently including the introduction of the new airman certification standards (ACS) for the instrument rating. Did you review the new ACS?
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I used ASA PrepWare app which is supposed to use the most recent questions... I reviewed the ACS yes, but my impression is that the ACS impacts the practical test not so much the written. Do I have that incorrect? The point is moot for me but may be important to others.
 
labbadabba said:
I used ASA PrepWare app which is supposed to use the most recent questions... I reviewed the ACS yes, but my impression is that the ACS impacts the practical test not so much the written. Do I have that incorrect? The point is moot for me but may be important to others.
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Just a note for others reading your post...the information in printed books gets old quickly, so you have to dig a little to find changes. By going to www.asa2fly.com, clicking on the Resources tab, going to Updates, Knowledge Tests, one can learn about new questions and also about areas no longer tested on.

Bob Gardner
 
bobmrg said:
Just a note for others reading your post...the information in printed books gets old quickly, so you have to dig a little to find changes. By going to www.asa2fly.com, clicking on the Resources tab, going to Updates, Knowledge Tests, one can learn about new questions and also about areas no longer tested on.

Bob Gardner
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Well, I'll say one thing for ASA; even if I was using out-dated questions, clearly it helped me learn a lot and reinforce my knowledge. That said, on the ASA website it says they use 'sample questions' so does that me they don't have the full bank of FAA test questions?
 
labbadabba said:
Well, I'll say one thing for ASA; even if I was using out-dated questions, clearly it helped me learn a lot and reinforce my knowledge. That said, on the ASA website it says they use 'sample questions' so does that me they don't have the full bank of FAA test questions?
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Nobody has the real questions anymore. The FAA stopped publishing them.
 
bobmrg said:
Just a note for others reading your post...the information in printed books gets old quickly, so you have to dig a little to find changes. By going to www.asa2fly.com, clicking on the Resources tab, going to Updates, Knowledge Tests, one can learn about new questions and also about areas no longer tested on.

Bob Gardner
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Bob,
the OP says he was using the ASA app, not the printed materials.
 
Doing practice tests gets old quick. Better to study the material where you know you are weak, to make sure you understand the concepts. I was getting high 90s on my practice tests right up until the day before my written, and I got an 87%. Then, two months later, I barely squeaked by on my oral. Too much time with rote memorization, and not enough time truly understanding the material. (Which I am now going back and doing.)

The true value of the knowledge test is that it identifies where you are weak, which gives you a chance to try and strengthen those areas before your oral. (Which I wish I had done.) So, don't look at it as "I gotta score as high as possible." Just pass it and move on.
 
Well done OP! Now for even more learning and fun.... the oral and practical! I feel like getting the written done eased some anxiety and allowed me to focus on the more practical parts.
 
Badger said:
Bob,
the OP says he was using the ASA app, not the printed materials.
Click to expand...

My comment still applies. When ASA gets new questions (don't ask me where) they upload them to the web page first, then the app. Not a big time difference, but it is what it is.

Bob, who does not work at ASA.
 
labbadabba said:
S ... I passed my PPL written with a 97% and I think I may be holding myself to that standard. Is an 83% average enough of margin to go ahead and take the test?
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If your goal in life is to just get by, then 83% is fine. As someone else (who apparently accepts that standard) said, 70% is fine. But your 97% on the PPL indicates that you you want to excel. Why not shoot for 100%?

Admittedly, achieving 100% takes some luck and some good guessing, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be the goal. FWIW my scores: PPL 1 wrong, IR 100% and, getting lazy, CPL 2 wrong.
 
I would say that as long as you understand the material and realize why you got the questions wrong, practicing over and over just to improve your grade by a few percent is not the greatest use of your time. If you are like me, sometimes you get answers wrong because you read the questions or answers too fast. Sometimes there are questions irrelevant to the operations you will be conducting in the near future. Even if you get those answers right, you'll probably have forgotten them and need to relearn, when you get to the point of using whatever it is. And sometimes the answers on a multiple choice test are really stupid. I just got finished answering a question about when you should notify ATC that your IFR flight will be delayed. Two of the choices were "more than one hour" and "one hour or more". The correct choice was the second, but in a practical sense it doesn't make a bit of difference. Granted, this was not an FAA test; it was a test constructed by a commercial vendor and sold as recurrent training to operators. But it's an example of how getting something wrong on a written test won't make a bit of difference in the real world.
 
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