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What
the heck is this software for, anyway?
If
you want to be a pilot (or get an additional license/certificate/rating
after you already have a basic private pilot's certificate) then you
need to take a written (knowledge) test sometime before you take a
flight test. This is similar to how you need to take a DMV driving
written test before you go for your driving license test.
However,
there's one big difference - a typical driving written test contains
items that are really only marginally useful when you have your permit
and are actually learning how to drive. For example, the knowledge
that you need to park at least 15 feet from a fire hydrant in some
municipality won't give you that much insight into how to properly
parallel park! Because flying an airplane is arguably more challenging
than driving a car, there's more stuff to learn and the written test
has more questions. Furthermore, many of the questions are of the
sort that if you understand or at least have seen them before you
go for flying lessons, your time spent in the airplane will be more
productive and, hence, your total time to train will be less.
For
example, several questions in the Private Pilot Airplane test deal
with aerodynamics. If you learn about the aerodynamic forces that
make an airplane turn before you show up with an instructor, applying
the theory to reality will be much easier than if you're trying to
learn it all "on the spot." Similarly, if you prepare for
the written test and learn a bit about aerial navigation, when you
go to learn this with a flight instructor, you will have seen much
of it already and will be in a position to absorb it faster. In the
estimation of several flight instructors, students who get their written
tests out of the way as early as possible - perhaps even before they
show up at the airport on day one, average about 5 hours less to complete
a given certificate or rating - a net savings of $600 or more.
Learn
more about becoming a pilot.
Our
FAA written test prep software
is a complete tool for preparing for an FAA written test. It contains
actual FAA questions, figures, and explanations written by experienced
flight instructors, examiners, and professional pilots. You download
it, you use it to learn the material, and then you go take the test.
No fuss, no muss. We work continuously to update the software to the
latest FAA regulations and changes.
Many
people who use our software are student pilots who have already started
their training. Others are more ambitious and use our software before
they even start training in order to ultimately be better prepared
and save money (a small number probably gets our software a few days
before their license-granting flight test in a semi-panic because
they've put off actually doing the written test for too long--we can't
agree that this is the best way of doing this, but, well, the software
can certainly be used for that as well!)
If
you're a new potential pilot, you may have heard something about organized
"ground schools" where you sit and an instructor teaches
you material, classroom-style. This might be at an airport or at a
local community college, for example. Let's get one myth (often not
denied by the outfits offering such courses) out of the way quickly:
certain, very limited exceptions notwithstanding, there is no FAA
requirement to attend such a course. In fact, the vast bulk of pilots
never take such courses! The FAA requires passing the written test
and then later a flight test. While a ground school classroom course
may be helpful for some, for many it is inconvenient and does not
go at their pace as a book or our software does.
That
said, there's nothing wrong with attending such a ground school class.
You can interact with other students and learn together, if that's
your thing. Plus, you can ask questions. In fact, I (your author)
regularly teach such classes. I just want to make it clear that there
is no requirement for this.
If
you want to impress your instructor and save money, get your written
test out of the way as early as possible. While clearly we have some
vested interest in saying this as, after all, we sell preparation
software for the tests, by all means feel free to verify this by talking
to others in the know. Many people prepare for their written tests
while saving money to actually doing the flight training--this is
an excellent strategy on several levels.
To
actually take the test, this is what you need to do. First, of course,
you need to learn the material. A few nights with our software should
get you into good shape. The actual tests are multiple-choice (3 choices
per question) and you need to get a 70% or higher to pass. We recommend
that users be able to score at least 90% consistently using the practice
test modes provided by our software before they go take the real thing.
Heck, you're going to need to know the stuff anyway. Once you know
the test, to actually take it (and this relates to most FAA tests,
including the private pilot airplane and helicopter written tests
that most people start out with) you need to have an instructor's
"endorsement" - a piece of paper with some magic words and
a signature that you take to a testing center as a "ticket"
to show that you are indeed ready to take the test.
Where
will you get this endorsement from? There are two possibilities:
-
One
- inside our software there is a "signoff mode" that you
can use to get an endorsement mailed to you from one of our flight
instructors. This mode verifies that you actually know the material
as evidenced by having taken and scoring highly on several practice
tests. We mail it to you, you go to a testing center (there's a
list of them in the software) where you show it and take the test.
To date, nobody who has gotten an endorsement from us has ever failed
a written test!
-
Two,
go to your local flight school and have a chat with an instructor.
Perhaps bring some printed score reports with you from the software
to evidence that you know the stuff. You're not expected to be a
complete expert at the material at this stage, but if you can show
that you've studied, many instructors will be happy to give you
an endorsement there on the spot (heck, as an instructor, I'm thrilled
when a new student comes to me like this - well-motivated and prepared
students are a pleasure to teach!) He/she may well give you a signoff
there on the spot.
Now, I
want to be clear about something - just because you can pass the written
test doesn't make you an expert at the stuff. That's ok! Don't worry
about it -- you're not expected to be an expert. What the written test
is useful for is that it ensures that you have first-pass familiarity
with the subject. Then, when you actually go into the flight training
bits, it will really start to come together. Some of the stuff that
seemed pretty esoteric when you were studying for the written test starts
coming together into coherent wholes. Learning to fly is a process!
A score
report from an FAA written test has a validity of 24 months.
Return to
the FAA
Written Test Prep page. (you probably want to select Private/Recreational
Pilot from the next screen)
Ok,
you've pretty much read what there is to know if you've gone this
far. However, if you want some more info in slightly more detail,
read on! But, by all means, do download the software and try it out--remember,
you can download it for free, and if you decide to buy it our software
costs less than competitors' offerings and is better stuff, anyway!
Good luck in all your flying goals!
Who needs to take FAA written tests?
Certain,
very limited exceptions notwithstanding, every person who wishes to
get an FAA private or recreational pilot certificate must take and
pass a multiple choice knowledge (formerly called "written")
test. While the specifics varies slightly based on different situations,
for the vast majority of people, the test is 60 multiple choice questions
administered on a computer at a local flight school or testing center.
There is, again generally, a 2.5 hour time limit and the minimum passing
grade is 70%.
After
you take the test, you get a printed score report from the test center.
If you passed, this becomes a ticket of sorts. When it comes time
for you to take your "checkride," that is, the combination
flight-and-oral test with an examiner pilot, you must bring this report
to the checkride. The score report has a validity of 24 months after
the test was taken.
Is it a useful test?
There
are two schools of thought on knowledge tests.
One
school of thought says that the knowledge tests are a pedantic exercise
in FAA bureaucracy. Get your 70% or better, the theory goes, and forget
about it.
The
other school of thought says that the tests serve to introduce students
to the requisite theory, and thus are a building-block to further
effective learning and that the tests are a indeed useful pre-qualification
for the checkride. When you show your score report to your checkride
examiner, for example, he might be more satisfied with your state
of understanding of the theory if you scored a 98% rather than a 72%,
and anecdotally the "oral" portion of your checkride might
end up being that much easier (examiners have a fair deal of judgmental
leeway on what they ask on the oral portion).
Independent
of my work on the GroundSchool software, I happen to think that the
knowledge test is quite useful--I personally find that students who
start their written / knowledge test studying early generally require
less time to master concepts in the air because, simply, they're not
effectively doing bookwork in the air. With training costing roughly
$110 an hour all told, this can be quite a savings. Additionally, students
feel more confident and satisfied when they have a better understanding
of what's going on before they do it. It makes everybody's life easier.
In fact,
I require my students to be able to pass their knowledge test before
I let them solo. This has proven to be good motivation, to say the least,
and the results have been win-win. More typically, many students take
the knowledge test somewhere between their first solo and the checkride.
You occasionally hear stories of students taking the knowledge test
the morning of their checkride--I shudder.
Yes, it's
possible to also be versed in the theory by reading books and articles
beforehand, but I find that students invariably do a lopsided treatment
of the material this way. Very few people, for example, voluntarily
read up on and really learn the necessary minutiae of weather charts
and graphs without prodding. The knowledge tests, therefore, serve as
a sort of leveller or sieve to make sure that you're studying in all
the right areas, rather than just reading the interesting but non-critical
sidebars on, say, how the space shuttle's tires work or how da Vinci
invented the helicopter.
Opinions
on this legitimately vary, however. While the knowledge tests are quite
comprehensive, they're occasionally accused of containing content of
questionable usefulness (reference the "minutiae of weather charts"
statement above). I think that this criticism is mostly (but not entirely)
"hangar talk." I deal with these questions every day and for
the most part find them to be well thought out. Nevertheless, even if
you disagree, the fact of the matter is that you're going to need to
take the test one way or another. You might as well do it now.
A strategy for minimizing training time and cost ...
At the
risk of being accused of "hard selling" our software, let
me give you some advice I wish somebody would have given me when I first
started flying--be able to pass the knowledge test as early as possible
(and this applies for every certificate or rating you may get down the
future) and you will save time and money during your training. For potential
private pilots, I suggest going on a single introductory flight to whet
the appetite and then doing the nearly impossible task of not going
back to the airport for a couple of weeks while you study for the written
test. For most people, the lure of blue skies is too much--I've only
ever encountered a small handful of people who have actually been able
to stay away until they really got their heads around the theory (and,
after all, actually flying provides context in which to learn some of
the material) and so I want to make it clear that what I'm suggesting
is not a rule--but just a guideline that gives you an idea as to how
I suggest thinking about the knowledge test.
Note also
that I said "be able to pass" the knowledge test. For most
people, you need to have an instructor's signoff to be admitted to the
knowledge test. When you're first starting off, you may not know of
an instructor who will give you the signoff. Don't worry--prove to any
instructor that you can pass the knowledge tests (perhaps by bringing
him/her some score reports from our software?) and you'll get that signoff
without too much difficulty.
How to study for the tests ...
Now--about
the actual study. Fortunately, the question pool for the tests is limited
and known. Using our software, you study the actual questions, and,
in fact, if you so choose, you could partially memorize the answers.
I trust I'm not provoking a scandal when I say this--this is true of
whatever method of test preparation you choose. The software is designed
to be fast and efficient--learn the questions, and, if you want clarification,
read the explanations provided by the experienced professional pilot
/ instructor authors. Many people use our software in conjunction with
a general textbook--they use our software for the written test specifically
and the textbook for more general study and at digging deeper into areas
of interest. Again, the "knowledge test as a basis for further
study" idea holds well here. I sometimes feel that even if my students
didn't fully master, say, VOR navigation while studying for their knowledge
test, at least they encountered it early on and thus have a general
sense of the concepts when it comes for me to one-on-one teach cross
country flight planning during our flying.
This (our
software + somebody else's book) seems to be the best low-cost, high-efficiency
combination. Alternatives include DVDs and videos, that, while certainly
printed on very glossy paper in advertisements, are often slow to watch
and deal with. Before us, there were test prep books--these continue
to be good, and slightly less expensive than our software, but
they're less time-efficient. For example, our software identifies which
questions you are having trouble with and emphasizes those using its
built in neural-network algorithms. Our software takes you right to
the charts and graphs you need. Our software lets you take an infinite
number of simulated tests, and so on. The other alternatives that we've
seen, such as software put out by the book publishers or web sites where
you can learn online tend to be not very good, expensive, and/or slow.
If you really like to learn from books, buy a test prep book. Otherwise,
our software is probably the best choice for you--hey, you can demo
it for free, so at least do that.
What about classroom-based "ground schools"?
One thing
needs to be said about "ground schools", that is meetings
at the local flying club or community college where the instructor lectures
for a few hours for a few weeks and you part with some amount of money
($100-$250, typically) for the privilege. It stands to note that such
courses are purely optional--there is no FAA requirement for taking
such courses and the vast majority of pilots get their certificates
without ever attending them. When such courses are well structured,
these can be a good supplement to our software in that you can discuss
things (be they in the knowledge test or not) with the instructor and
fellow students to gain insights. From a well run class that runs, say,
for 8 weeks for 2 hours a week, you shouldn't actually be ready
to take the knowledge test because this would imply that you spent too
much time on cramming questions and not enough on discussions. Ironically,
from a poorly-run course, you might well be ready to take the test because
poorly-run classes are often little more than question memorization
sessions. Classes are good for the human element--leave the test prep
to your own time with our software.
I hope
I have answered your concerns about the knowledge test. If you have
additional concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us by submitting
a ticket via our
helpdesk system.
Blue Skies,
AC
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