Studying for the Written Exam

[scarpozzi]

I'm going to start studying for the written test. I've got the FAR/AIM book and found these example questions: https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_questions/media/par_questions.pdf

There are a bunch of youtube videos that cover ground school, like the ones given at MIT. (search for it if you don't know what I'm talking about)

Should I invest in the Sporty's PPL Online course or save the money and just study using the books and other ground school resources that are free on Youtube? I thought it might be nice to have some more concise videos, but not sure if I'd do better just having a bullet list of the topics I need to learn and check them off myself.

 

[TRC1969]

I used King Ground school and it is very good at preparing you for the test. It has practice test and I think the full FAA question bank. Videos are kinda corny but do give you simple ways to remember things. There are several similar programs out there that are set up basically the same way. They are all effective at teaching you how to pass the test.

 

[Bruno Ferreira]

Brand new here and this is my first post. I used Sporty's and it was pretty nice. I also bought a book on amazon Jeppesen Private Pilot FAA Airman Knowledge Test Guide. It has a ton of questions with the answer bank and explanation of why. Has anyone taking the FAA written exam (PAR)? Any tips? Do you remember what kind of questions they focused heavily on and if a lot of the questions required you to use your EB6 etc? A bank of 600 questions is brutal but I don't like memorizing things, I like to actually read it and understand what is being answered. I know a lot of people go that route. Thanks! Glad to be here.

 

[scarpozzi]

Brand new here and this is my first post. I used Sporty's and it was pretty nice. I also bought a book on amazon Jeppesen Private Pilot FAA Airman Knowledge Test Guide. It has a ton of questions with the answer bank and explanation of why. Has anyone taking the FAA written exam (PAR)? Any tips? Do you remember what kind of questions they focused heavily on and if a lot of the questions required you to use your EB6 etc? A bank of 600 questions is brutal but I don't like memorizing things, I like to actually read it and understand what is being answered. I know a lot of people go that route. Thanks! Glad to be here.

I've read that both King's and Sporty's is good. I hate to part with the $200+ for either just because that could be spent on a lesson in the air. I've heard from someone else to invest in the Jeppesen book. I may order that today and get rolling before I decide whether or not to jump on the online courses. Agreed on the questions...I've done a lot of IT exams from way back in the day and they're all very similar in form and function. If you know the subject well, you don't get hung up on the same questions being asked in a slightly different manner. Memorizing specific questions from examples isn't the way to go, but it can definitely help you have an understanding of what the test will be like.

I'm going to start putting in a few solid hours a week so I can hopefully be ready to take it in April/May.

 

[TCABM]

What sporty’s and King buys you is structure and an endorsement. None if the courses alone will prepare you to be fully learn and retain the relevant information.

You can follow the Sporty’s TCO for each lesson and see the additional faa reference material aligned to the lesson. That alignment is high-level, for instance, it mat reference entire chapters from FAA handbooks and the FAR/AIM when only a couple of sentences from each chapter are applicable to the lesson.

ETA: Not to be snarky, but $200 is budget dust when it comes to earning a PPL. Eyes wide open and all that.

 

[scarpozzi]

ETA: Not to be snarky, but $200 is budget dust when it comes to earning a PPL. Eyes wide open and all that.

I know....I'd just rather be in the air with that money! I'm only starting flight training again now because my other financial goals are aligned for it. (finally)

 

[jsstevens]

It depends on how you learn best. All the information you need to know is in the FAR/AIM and the FAA books (Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and Airplane Flying Handbook) which are availabe in print and as free .pdf downloads from the FAA (https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/ & https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook/).

It's not a concise way to pass the test, but it is all there.

Can you read and digest all that information and then answer practice test questions scoring above 90% on practice tests consistently? That's up to you.

Other sources (books, video and online) are more organized and probably more focused. Some are strictly focused on passing the test (though few admit that). Others are focused on teaching you the information you need to know to be a safe pilot. Do you learn better in a classroom (or psuedo-classroom environment? Try one of the intensive weekend schools. That's what I did for my IR and CP writtens. It's pricier ($400 for my commercial if I remember correctly).

Be aware that no one officially has the actual test questions. FAA stopped publishing the question bank several years ago. Practice tests are pretty good in being representative of the questions but not enough to memorize answers. (Not even Sheppard, which will be pushed for Instrument and beyond. They don't have a private pilot product.)

Also, you will need a CFI to endorse you to take the test. If you self study and you are taking lessons your CFI should be willing to sign you off. Mine didi for Private PIlot after I took two Gleim practice tests in his presence and passed above 80 (I think). The online, video and classroom all include the endorsement as part of the service.

Anyway, you know (or should know) you and how you learn best. Let that knowledge inform your answer.

John

 

[AggieMike88]

There is an easy way to build your own oral exam study guide and not spend money on the book from ASA.

 

[kath]

I've read that both King's and Sporty's is good. I hate to part with the $200+ for either just because that could be spent on a lesson in the air.

Look at it this way: if you don't buy the content from someone like King's or Sporty's, then your CFI is going to have to sit down with you at some point and either a) teach you all the ground school stuff, or b) make sure you have learned all the stuff on your own from reading the PHAK/AFM or whatever. That will take many hours of your CFI's time (on the ground -- maybe quizzing you in a coffeehouse or something -- the air is not the right place to do it).

Will your CFI do that for free? Or does he/she charge for time spent doing ground training? This is what you're "trading against" when you spend the money... When you think of it that way, it's money well spent.

 

[Bob Noel]

fwiw (I'm not an instuctor) - it depends on how you study and learn. Can you read a book to learn material? Some people can, other people not so much. Do you need visuals (e.g., a video)? Do you have to learn by doing? by repetition?

 

[rhkennerly]

Depends on what kind of learner you are. I used the Sporty’s ppl to “catch up” before the BFR, since I hadn’t flown in years (even the theory of how a plane flies had changed again). I liked it well enough.

A middle ground would be to dl Sporty’s study buddy for ppl & see if you can get yourself into the 90’s doing test after test after test. You’ll learn to recognize the correct answer through constant repetition, but you won’t come away with “understanding.” But, you don’t get points on the written for understanding. The place to demonstrate understanding is during your oral before the practical. There is a regulation test booklet FAA ct-8080-2h you'll want to buy the Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement. Measuring angles & distances on a chart displayed on your iPad study buddy is a pain. Also, the written test booklet is the same one you'll be given during the written. But It is not to scale. You have to measure off the distance on the chart in inches and then convert the inches to NM on the scale at the top of the booklet. Also working the weight & balance & performance flow charts is easier on a paper chart.

FlyM8A has good mock orals. Out of dozens of airspace vids, Fly8MA stuck with me.

I prefer the traditional prayer wheel but even if you use an electronic E6B, you'll want plenty of practice problems. https://e6b.org/ Is free. It has basic & advanced toggles for a bunch of problems on both the slide rule side & wind side. Each answer shows the solution.

 

[snglecoil]

@scarpozzi, have you started with a flight school yet? If not, do you have one in mind? If so, check with them. Some flight schools have a ground school like Kings or Sporty’s that they recommend or require because they follow the associated syllabus.

 

[scarpozzi]

@scarpozzi, have you started with a flight school yet? If not, do you have one in mind? If so, check with them. Some flight schools have a ground school like Kings or Sporty’s that they recommend or require because they follow the associated syllabus.

I started long ago...ran out of money after 15 or so hours...logbook was likely stolen...so I'm starting over. I've logged maybe 3 hours so far and had the discussion with my CFI. He just held up a few books and said I could do whatever I want pertaining to the online stuff. I was studying a few hours last night on an oral exam guide I have (many many many pages). I'm going to get a few more books and hit those hard. It's really tough for me to recognize what's being asked inside the question and learn the textbook definitions of everything the way they're expected to be returned. I'll get there...just another language to speak. It's not that difficult...just cumbersome.

 

[Grum.Man]

I used King for Private and Instrument and Sheppard Air for Commercial. Depends on what type of learner you are. I've never been great at retaining while reading. My mind starts to stray and I will forget most of what I read a few paragraphs back haha. As long as I can watch it or listen to it, I can retain it.

 

[scarpozzi]

I used King for Private and Instrument and Sheppard Air for Commercial. Depends on what type of learner you are. I've never been great at retaining while reading. My mind starts to stray and I will forget most of what I read a few paragraphs back haha. As long as I can watch it or listen to it, I can retain it.

I'm a few months away from being far enough along in training, so I'm going for longevity before I resort to exam cram tactics. I've heard good things about both Sporty's and King. Sporty's seems to have the edge because they just developed an app, have a Roku app, and a lifetime license.

 

[Dry Creek]

I took my test last December.

My recipe for success was as follows:

I ordered print copies of the FAA's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the Airplane Flying Handbook. As far as textbooks go, they are relatively inexpensive. I tried reading through them on my tablet, but just couldn't stand not being able to dogear pages I knew I'd return to. Another very handy reference I found was ASA's PM2, The Pilot's Manual, Ground School. I found an excellent example of it used at ThriftBooks. I got the hardback copy for around $20. It looked brand new. They also have relatively recent issues of the FAA manuals too there, so you could check them out if you don't mind being an issue or two behind the current.

For test preparation, I purchased the ASA 2021 Test Prep, Private Pilot softcover book. It was less than $20 on Amazon. It is the typical test bank style study guide, with the explanations of why the correct answers are right, and the wrong answers are, well, wrong. They also have five online tests you can take. If you score better than 80% on any two of the five included online tests, they will endorse you for the test. That test booklet is pretty comprehensive as it covers ASEL, Sport, LTA, Gyro, PPC, - pretty much the whole gamut, and the tests are tailored for what you are working on. I considered it to be an excellent resource and a bargain.

I also have the 2022 FAR/AIM I preordered in late November. Good information there.

I am adept at self-study. Been doing it for years in my line of work. This may not work for you if you come from a non-technical background or are more of an audible/visual learner type.

I took two practice tests. On the first one I made a 90% and knew I needed to spend more time studying. About a week later I took another one and made a more acceptable (to me) 95%. I took the real test at McGregor (2TX5) PSI facility in the FBO. I made a 97% (missed two), and was happy with that - even though one of the questions I changed from right to wrong three times! Trust your instinct. The cost was $175 for the test.

Some other references I have, and have been using lately:
ASA's Microsoft Flight Simulator X as a Training Aid, by Bruce Williams (I also have MSFS-X, Saitek/Logitech yoke/rudder/throttle quadrant)
The Student Pilot's Flight Manual: From First Flight to Private Certificate (The Flight Manuals Series)
Jeppeson/Sanderson Private Pilot Manual (1981)
FAA Glider Flying Handbook

I started out doing all of my wind triangle and other problems with the ASA metal E6B. During my initial study sessions, I used a standard four-function calculator and the E6B for fuel gallons to weight conversion for the W&B problems. I had purchased an ASA CX-3 Flight Computer. I pretty much ignored it until the week before my test and I unboxed it and started "playing" with it. Oh my gosh, I was impressed. It does make finding one leg of the wind triangle very easy when given the other two. W&B problems, while never difficult for me, were processed much quicker - especially changing CG questions such as when a passenger departs or for fuel burn.

If you are interested in the physical aspect of taking the test, I can provide details of what my experience was.

Good luck with your endeavor!

 

[snglecoil]

I'm a few months away from being far enough along in training, so I'm going for longevity before I resort to exam cram tactics. I've heard good things about both Sporty's and King. Sporty's seems to have the edge because they just developed an app, have a Roku app, and a lifetime license.

I used to always recommend Sporty’s to my clients for all the reasons you stated. Kings presentation is cumbersome and dated…just like the jokes from John and Martha. However, my school just switched over to Kings for our ground and syllabus. I have to admit that, in my opinion and despite the dated presentation, Kings material is far superior where it counts.

 

[WDD]

There is nothing "economic" about this hobby LOL. Per the already good points made:
1) If you learn best by reading a book, try Gleim (IF they still teach the paper wheel E6B, skip that part and just buy a electronic Sportys E6B)
2) If you learn visually, get Sporty's or Kings.

You need to know the material. Buy one of the courses.

 

[scarpozzi]

I started going through the Jeppesen exam test prep yesterday. I knocked out the first few chapters and will be doing more this week.

Sporty's was offering $50 off their private pilot course in November. The current promo is $100 off private pilot and the IFR combo. I went ahead and jumped on it.

I have a bunch of test questions and answers and another few guides. I think with everything, I should have enough material now from enough sources. I already feel confident in what I've studied. Thanks for all the answers. I'm going to still use this thread as a reference.