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CFI Checkride Prep: How and Where to Start

The CFI Checkride is arguably the most difficult Checkride for many students to prepare for and pass on the first attempt. The amount of knowledge and preparation required vastly surpasses that demanded of other exams. Because of this, it can be hard to know where to start when "eating this elephant." Below are tips and tricks we have used with our students over the years that have increased organization, confidence, knowledge, and pass rates.



Know Your Stuff

Seems like a "no brainer" but there may be more to it than you realize. We suggest knowing at least 90% of the subject matter off the top of your head. Do you need to have everything in aviation memorized? No. Nobody does. But you also shouldn't be looking everything up all of the time (doesn't distill much confidence in your knowledge).


What to Know

When asked a question on your Checkride it is (usually) best to know and present the answer off the top of your head. This shows you understand and remember the material. However, for those questions you don't readily have an answer for, ensure you know where to find the correct answer in FAA approved material (Google doesn't count).


FAA Approved Sources

The most common FAA sources you will reference during your exam will most likely be: The FAR/AIM, Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, Airplane Flying Handbook, POH/AFM, and some Advisory Circulars (ACs). We would suggest having physical copies of these publications present during your Checkride.


CFI Study Course

You may ask yourself "how do I know what subject matter I need to memorize, understand, and be able to teach?" Well, you're in luck! That is the exact reason we have created our CFI Study Course. Packed with videos, podcasts, quizzes, practice FAA exams, workbooks and more. You can check it out for free at this link >


The Fundamentals of Instruction (FOIs)

We get a lot of questions regarding the Fundamentals of Instruction portion of the exam, and rightfully so! It's an important part of the Checkride and it is something new that has not been covered in previous practical exams.


How Does it Go?

While we do have lesson plans for the FOIs in our CFI Lesson Plans course, it is more likely that your time spent on these topics in the Checkride will be scenario based, not teaching based. In other words, it is not common for an examiner to say "present me with your lesson plan on Task A: Effects of Human Behavior and Communication." Instead, examiners will present scenarios to probe your understanding and application of FOI topics.


Mastering the FOIs

We have an entire section of our CFI Study Course dedicated to the FOIs. This includes videos, podcasts, quizzes, flashcards, and FAA practice exams on all of the topics. You can check it out for free at this link >


You can also see the lesson plans in the CFI Lesson Plans Course at this link > (again, it is more likely that this portion of the Checkride will be scenario based but we have the lesson plans regardless).


The Lesson Plans

This is the big one! The one that takes hours and hours of preparation time. But, that is the point of this Checkride. To show that you not only have the knowledge and understanding of aviation topics but that you can also teach them effectively. You will be asked to present multiple lesson plans throughout the ground portion of the exam and you may or may not be given a "heads up" on which ones you'll be teaching beforehand.


Creating Your Own

You are welcome to create your own lesson plans from scratch. This can take a significant amount of time (we spend hundreds of hours every year creating, updating, and maintaining the wifiCFI lesson plans) but it also comes with some benefits. The main benefit being that you know everything that is in your lesson plans since you created them! However, we think we have a more effective solution...


An Effective Solution

There is nothing that states that you must create your own lesson plans from scratch. In fact, the majority of students these days use commercially licensed lesson plans during the Checkride! So, what we would suggest, is getting the wifiCFI lesson plans at this link > and then download and customize them. Make small tweaks here and there to customize them to your specific airplane, airport, airspace, etc.


Practice Teach for Success

Once you have made your edits, practice teaching each and every lesson plan at least one time (preferably multiple times) to family members, friends, or your instructor. If you follow the steps: download, customize, and practice teach then you will end up saving yourself hours upon hours of lesson creation time and you will have customized lessons that you have mastered teaching. An effective solution for success.


Endorsements

The dreaded and convoluted endorsements. As a flight instructor you will have the privilege of issuing endorsements to your aviation students. But "with great power..." you will need to understand how they work, which ones to give, and your limitations on doing so.


How Does it Go?

This portion of the Checkride will be similar to the FOI portion we covered above. You will not be presenting a "lesson plan on endorsements" but rather navigating scenarios presented by your examiner. For example: "what endorsements will a student pilot need in order to perform a solo cross country flight?"


Endorsements Made Easy

There are lessons in the CFI Study Course that provide guidance and assistance on issuing endorsements to students of all levels of training. In addition to those lessons, we have a completely free source that you can utilize here > Simply click the link for the desired operation and a new page will open showing all of the required endorsements for that operation, notes on giving those endorsements, and the ground and flight training records required.


This is one of the most popular pages on our website and for good reason. It takes the complexities of endorsements and boils it all down to a simplistic, organized, printable sheet. Check it out, it's completely free!


Current Advisory Circular

We would also suggest printing the most current Advisory Circular (AC) regarding endorsements and bring that physical copy with you to your exam. This can be a major helper on the Checkride and displays preparation and organization to your examiner.


Things To Bring

You don't want to start this Checkride off on the wrong foot! You need every advantage you can get. Make sure you bring all necessary materials with you. Check out our basic Checkride Ready Checklist here >


In addition to the items listed at the link above, we would suggest (as mentioned previously) bringing the following (digital or physical copies):

  • Current FAR/AIM

  • Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK)

  • Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH)

  • Current AC for Endorsements

  • Checkride Ready Lesson Plans


There may be other publications and/or documents that you wish to have on hand but we suggest these as a bare minimum.


The Ground Portion

The ground/oral portion of this exam will likely be the longest and most difficult you have experienced. It can be mentally and physically draining. However, we do have a few tips that can make it more effective and enjoyable.


Be On Time

First, be on time. Better yet, be early. Have your documents/paperwork organized and presentable for your examiner. This sets the tone of professionalism and organization.


Be Confident

In addition to being professional and organized, be confident! This can oftentimes be overlooked because a student may not feel particularly confident. Whether you feel it or not, ACT it.


You are the Certified Flight Instructor, the aviation professional, the knowledgeable teacher. Answer questions and teach topics with confidence throughout the entire exam. Acting indecisive, insecure, or timid will give the impression that you do not understand or know how to present the material (even if you do)!


The Flight Portion

During the flight portion of the Checkride you will be expected to teach the maneuvers while simultaneously performing them to ACS Standards. Our biggest suggestion here is to talk, talk, talk. Do not stop talking! You are not the quiet student anymore. You are the teaching professional.


Keep It Simple

Do not overcomplicate the teaching done during this portion. You should not focus on teaching in-depth aerodynamics (that kind of material would be covered during a ground lesson not a flight lesson). Keep it simple by simply stating what you are doing.


Example

Take a Steep Turn for example: "Ok, we are going to perform a couple of clearing turns to look for traffic. Now, I am going to select my outside visual reference point. Next, I am smoothly going to roll to 50 degrees of bank and while I am doing so I am going to add some power and back trim to help maintain altitude..."


Talk and Fix

Remember to talk, talk, talk. If one of your hands is doing something, your mouth should be explaining it. Don't go quiet on the flight portion. And, if you make a mistake, simply explain what you need to do to correct it while simultaneously doing so.


Conclusion

The CFI Checkride is a difficult one and there is no way around it. However, we hope these tips will help you show up more prepared and increase your chance of success! If you have other tips you think we should add, don't hesitate to reach out to us at: contact@wifiCFI.com or through the live chat on our website.



Study Full Aviation Courses:

wifiCFI's full suite of aviation courses has everything you need to go from brand new to flight instructor and airline pilot! Check out any of the courses below for free:


Study Courses:


Checkride Lesson Plans:


Teaching Courses:



 
 
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