[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-388578-105":59,"doc-detail-388578-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":124,"head_meta":126,"extra_data":128,"updated_unix":130},105,"en","road-to-your-checkride-pilot-exam-preparation-and-what-to-expect","Road To Your Checkride - Pilot Exam Preparation and What to Expect","","Road To Your Checkride explains how pilot “checkrides” work before and during the test at Summit Flight. It covers who administers the exam, the role of the FAA-appointed Designated Pilot Examiner, fees, and how knowledge and practical test standards (ACS/PTS) are used. It details what the FAA expects during oral and flight segments, common reasons applicants may fail, and the scheduling process for knowledge tests, mock exams, and final checkrides.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/road-to-your-checkride-pilot-exam-preparation-and-what-to-expect/388578/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/road-to-your-checkride-pilot-exam-preparation-and-what-to-expect/388578.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Oliver","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-08","2026-09-25",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",12,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"Who administers a FAA checkride, and can they charge fees?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"A Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), appointed by the FAA as a private citizen, administers the exam. These individuals can charge a reasonable fee for their services.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"What knowledge level does the FAA look for during the oral portion?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"The FAA looks for application-level knowledge. You must use understanding to apply it to the flight task and make a go/no-go decision.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"How does scheduling and preparation work at Summit Flight before the checkride?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"Students are paired with a senior instructor for mock oral and mock flight tests after completing the syllabus. Mocks must be passed at least two weeks before the checkride when scheduling depends on booked examiner availability.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},388578,1790528053,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":19,"category_name":20,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":145,"read_time":146,"preview_page_count":4},8796095461610,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","Road To Your Checkride  \nWe receive a lot of questions about pilot exams. This document is our attempt to clarify what will happen here at Summit before your checkride, how it is scheduled, what to expect, and the more frequent reasons why an applicant may not be successful.  \nThe “Checkride” and your Examiner  \nThe FAA calls your exam for a certificate or additional rating a “Practical Test”. Most pilots use the term “checkride”. The person administering your exam will be a private citizen appointed by the FAA as a Designated Pilot Examiner (aka DPE) . These individuals can charge a reasonable fee for their services. “Reasonable” around the Midwest usually means between $700-$1200, depending on the test and examiner. Initial Flight Instructor Practical Tests are the most expensive due to the long nature of those exams. Additional fees may apply if a recheck is needed or a student voluntarily discontinues an exam.  \nA DPE is trained to test you according to the applicable testing document provided by the FAA for the rating or certificate sought. This document is called the Airmen Certification Standards (ACS) or the Practical Test Standards (PTS) , depending on the test given. The good news is that everything on the test is in the public domain in these freely available documents. Most of the source material is also available in FAA documents such as the FAR/AIM, Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, and the Airplane Flying Handbook. Your CFI will review the ACS/PTS document with you before your test to be sure you are familiar with it.  \nFor the oral, the FAA is looking for an application level of knowledge. This means you take what you know and understand and make use of that insight to apply it to the task or situation at hand. If you can read a weather report (Rote), that ’s a start. If you can understand what it means , good! But the expectation that the FAA has is that you will be able to apply your knowledge to your flight and go/no-go decision.  \nDuring the flight, the failure line is “consistently exceeds the standards”, the creation of a safety issue or lack of action to eliminate a safety issue. It’s not uncommon for a DPEto give an applicant a “three chances” approach. For example, if you bust an altitude once and bust an airspeed once but everything else went great, you will pass.  \nPerfection is not the expectation. While there are some tasks that have very black and white completion standards, DPEs want you to pass and if they are seeing consistent adherence to the standards, then you will do great. A DPE does not grade technique, they grade outcomes as they relate to a test standard.  \nKnowledge Test  \nWe typically ask our students to take their knowledge before solo or before the midpoint in the training for Practical Tests beyond private pilot. We do this to make sure the learning is well distributed throughout your course and to give us time to address any weaknesses that show up in your written test. An examiner is required to include in their test plan any topics you miss on your written. This is one of the reasons we want students to do well on the knowledge test. Getting a barely passing score makes your oral exam more complicated than it needs to be and opens you up to first impressions that may be less favorable if you “barely passed” your written.  \nWhen can I take the checkride?  \nTo be qualified to take your test, your CFI will review the requirements in part 61 of the FAA regulations for the certificate or rating you are applying for. There are requirements that must be completed (for example completing X amount of solo time, night flight time, cross country experiences, etc. ) as well as standards that you need to meet in your knowledge, skills, and risk management. Your CFI cannot legally sign you off until you meet all requirements.  \nAt Summit Flight, once your syllabus is completed successfully, you will be paired with senior instructor to compete a mock oral exam and a mock flight test.","cbCaisahhoNlPYOy","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaisahhoNlPYOy","pdf",435558,14,"English","# The “Checkride” and your Examiner\n## Knowledge Test\n## When can I take the checkride?\n## Preparing for the oral and flight","[{\"question\":\"Who administers a FAA checkride, and can they charge fees?\",\"answer\":\"A Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), appointed by the FAA as a private citizen, administers the exam. These individuals can charge a reasonable fee for their services.\"},{\"question\":\"What knowledge level does the FAA look for during the oral portion?\",\"answer\":\"The FAA looks for application-level knowledge. You must use understanding to apply it to the flight task and make a go/no-go decision.\"},{\"question\":\"How does scheduling and preparation work at Summit Flight before the checkride?\",\"answer\":\"Students are paired with a senior instructor for mock oral and mock flight tests after completing the syllabus. Mocks must be passed at least two weeks before the checkride when scheduling depends on booked examiner availability.\"}]","Road To Your Checkride - Pilot Exam Preparation and What to Expect | PDF",1790306904,35]