Pre-Solo Test of Air Regulations (PSTAR) study plan

Map the structure of the Canadian Aviation Regulations: identify which Parts and subparts apply to a student pilot flying under a recreational or private licence, and write a one-page index of the Parts you must know for PSTAR.

State the pilot-in-command responsibility rule and the rule on compliance with instructions, then explain in your own words the difference between a CAR requirement and an advisory or standard.

Extract and memorize the CAR provisions on reckless or negligent operation, flying while impaired, and the prohibition on flying an aircraft that is not airworthy.

List the CAR documentation a pilot must carry or have available on board and describe when each must be produced on request.

Build a 25-question self-quiz on CAR general rules, answer it closed-book, and log every miss with the regulation it came from.

Summarize the CARs that govern aircraft registration and the certificate of registration, including what makes a registration invalid and how changes of owner are handled.

Explain the certificate of airworthiness and the difference between the airworthiness of the aircraft and the validity of its documents, using the annual airworthiness inspection and maintenance release concepts.

Identify the required aircraft documents and markings, and describe the journey log, technical log, and weight-and-balance information an aircraft must carry.

Distinguish the roles of the minister, the maintenance organization, and the pilot when an aircraft defect is found, and state what a pilot must do before flight if a defect is recorded.

Answer 30 mixed CAR and airworthiness questions timed at 30 minutes, then review each error against the regulation.

Outline the student pilot permit and private pilot licence requirements: age, medical category, knowledge and flight experience prerequisites, and the privileges and limits of each.

Explain the medical fitness rules: the validity periods for each medical category, the obligation to self-assess before flight, and the duty to report a change in medical status.

Describe the conditions that make a pilot unfit to fly, including fatigue, illness, medication, alcohol, and cannabis, and state the regulatory limits that apply.

Apply human-factors concepts such as hypoxia, spatial disorientation, and decision-making traps to three short scenario questions you write yourself.

Write a personal fitness-to-fly checklist you can run through before every flight.

Classify Canadian airspace from Class A through Class G, stating for each the ATC service provided, the VFR weather minima, and the equipment and clearance requirements.

Identify control zones, control area extensions, and the dimensions of a control zone around an aerodrome, and explain what a control zone means for a VFR pilot.

Explain the transponder and altitude-encoding requirements by airspace class, and state the rules for operating near Class C and Class D airspace.

Interpret the special use airspace types, including restricted and advisory areas, and state the pilot's obligation for each.

Answer 40 airspace questions and redraw a blank airspace chart from memory, labelling each class and its VFR minima.

State the radio licence and radio operator certificate requirements and the correct phonetic alphabet, numerals, and standard phraseology for a VFR flight.

Draft and rehearse the calls for ground, tower, departure, en route position reporting, and arrival, including the readback items that must be repeated.

Explain the meaning of a clearance, a clearance limit, and the difference between an instruction and an advisory, and state what to do when a clearance cannot be complied with.

Describe lost-communication procedures for VFR in controlled airspace and the transponder and light-signal fallback.

Simulate five ATC exchanges aloud and record them, then self-grade against a phraseology checklist.

State the VFR weather minima for each airspace class and altitude band, including the visibility and distance-from-cloud figures, and apply them to five sample scenarios.

List the right-of-way rules in order of precedence and explain each with a simple diagram of your own drawing.

State the minimum altitude rules over built-up areas, over non-built-up areas, and when landing or taking off, and give the exception for special operations.

Identify the correct cruising altitudes and flight levels for VFR by magnetic track, and explain the hemispheric rule and its altitude bands.

Answer 40 VFR rules and right-of-way questions under a 40-minute timer.

Describe the standard aerodrome traffic circuit, including the legs, the entry and departure procedures, and the rules for joining a circuit at an uncontrolled aerodrome.

State the ground operating rules for taxiing, runway incursion avoidance, and the use of mandatory instruction signs and markings.

Explain the accident and occurrence reporting obligations: what must be reported, to whom, within what time, and how the CADORS and TSB processes differ.

Outline the pilot's actions after an accident or serious incident, including preservation of evidence and the immediate reporting sequence.

Walk through two emergency scenarios, engine failure after takeoff and a forced landing, and write the decision sequence for each.

Take two full-length PSTAR practice exams of 100 questions each under timed conditions and score both.

Review every missed question, classify each error by domain, and write the correct rule or figure beside it.

Re-drill your three weakest domains using the index, chart, and cards you built in earlier weeks.

Recite from memory the airspace classes, VFR minima, right-of-way order, minimum altitudes, and cruising altitudes without notes.

Confirm your written exam booking and assemble the documents you must bring.