11 December 2010

FAA Written Test: Check

Thursday morning, 9 December, I took the FAA Private Pilot Airplane knowledge test.  I walked out of the testing center $150 lighter and about an hour and a half later with a perfect score.  That was some kind of fluke:  there were three or four questions that I didn't know and just guessed.    

I was warned that the examiner will treat a 100% just like a 70% minimum passing grade, and I will endure extra grilling during the oral portion of the practical test because the examiner will suspect that I memorized the test bank answers. I'll be ready for that--no worries--but I didn't memorize the questions.  I used the King Schools course and took their practice tests over the few days preceding the exam--I can still hear John King saying "ANDS" and "COSUN" in the background.  I also took two practice tests from my school's Jeppesen test book to show my CFI that I was ready for his sign-off to take the test.

The test is administered by computer and is nominally 60 questions long.  My test had 61 questions, one of which didn't count as it was an FAA trial question.  The test software was straightforward and included an on-screen calculator, E6B, and unit conversion utilities.  I brought my plotter, a calculator that I bought at Target the night before for $1.00, and an analog E6B to the test with me.

No comments:

Post a Comment