CFI (FAA) exam-day guide
CFI · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo identification
Bring an unexpired government-issued photo ID. Which specific forms are acceptable for a practical test is set by the administering authority, so confirm the accepted list with your examiner or provider before test day rather than assuming a driver license alone is sufficient.
Pilot certificates, ratings, and logbook
Originals, not photocopies. Your logbook must show the flight time and the endorsements required for instructor eligibility, including the ground-training endorsements for the fundamentals-of-instructing and flight-instructor knowledge areas. Verify the exact endorsement wording against the current regulation before you go.
Airman knowledge test report(s)
Bring the printed report for each required knowledge test. The period for which a passing score remains valid, and whether an expired score can be replaced by additional training, is governed by regulation - confirm the current rule and your specific dates with your examiner.
Medical certificate or acceptable alternative
Bring whatever medical documentation your operating privileges require. Which certificate class or alternative qualification applies to your situation should be confirmed with your examiner or the administering authority.
Application filed and FTN available
Complete the electronic application (IACRA for FAA applicants) in advance, obtain your FAA Tracking Number, and have the number and a copy of the application accessible. Confirm the submission deadline with your examiner - many expect it filed before arrival.
Current standards document
Bring the current Airman Certification Standards (or the standards document your provider uses) for the instructor certificate and rating you are testing for. Confirm you have the correct and current edition - standards are revised periodically.
Lesson plans and instructional materials
Bring your own lesson plans, whiteboard markers or tablet, and any models or props you plan to teach with. Ask your examiner in advance whether a whiteboard or projector is available at the testing location.
Chart and navigation materials
Current charts for the local area, a chart supplement, plotter, and flight computer. Confirm with your examiner or school whether the aircraft's documents and charts are provided or whether you must supply them.
Aircraft documents and maintenance records
If you are supplying the aircraft, have airworthiness, registration, operating limitations, and weight-and-balance data ready. If the school supplies it, ask who is responsible for presenting the records and confirm the aircraft is scheduled and available.
Regulations reference
A current regulations and AIM compilation. Reference material is normally permitted during the ground portion of an instructor practical test, but confirm your examiner's expectations on open-book use in advance.
Examiner fee and payment method
Confirm the fee, whether it is payable in cash or by another method, and the cancellation or rescheduling policy directly with your examiner. Fee practices vary widely and are not standardized.
Weather, aircraft, and schedule contingency
Have a backup date and a plan for a discontinuance due to weather or aircraft unavailability. Confirm in writing how a discontinuance is handled and what must be re-accomplished on the rescheduled date.
Plan the day
Reconfirm date, time, location, aircraft, and examiner fee in writing. Re-read the standards document task by task and list the areas where you cannot yet teach without notes. Rehearse those out loud. Verify every required endorsement and document is present and legible, and file or update the application.
Do a full dress rehearsal of the ground portion: teach one fundamentals-of-instructing topic and one technical subject to a friend, timed, using only your own lesson plans. Fix any lesson plan that is missing objectives, content, or completion standards.
Pack the bag against the checklist and lay out originals of every document. Charge devices and download offline copies of any charts or references you use. Get a weather outlook for the area. Stop studying new material; review only your short list of weak areas. Sleep a full night - the ground portion is long and verbal.
Eat a real meal. Arrive at least 30 minutes early to organize materials and preflight. Recheck weather and notices. Have your ID and application out and ready before you walk in.
Expect a long oral with scenario-based questioning. Answer as an instructor would: state the objective, teach it, then check understanding. When you do not know something, say so, then look it up and teach the correct answer - do not guess at a regulation or a number.
Ask for a short break if you need one. Use it to eat, hydrate, and reset. If the examiner offers a discontinuance because of weather or time, that is not a failure - confirm what remains to be completed and get it in writing.
Narrate your instruction and your decision-making continuously. Brief each maneuver before you fly it, including the setup, the standard, and the common errors you are guarding against. Fly to the standards you are teaching, not to your personal maximum.
Before you leave, confirm what paperwork was issued or transmitted, and get a clear statement of any task that was not completed if the test was discontinued. Settle the examiner fee per the agreed method.
Rules to check
Bring the actual originals of your certificates, logbook, and medical documentation. Photocopies and phone photos are generally not accepted; confirm any exception with your examiner before test day.
Confirm the accepted forms of identification with the examiner in advance. Do not rely on an assumption about which documents satisfy the requirement.
Reference materials are typically allowed during the ground portion of an instructor practical test, but not during a written knowledge test. Confirm your examiner's ground-rules at the opening briefing so there is no disagreement later.
You may ask for breaks during a long practical test. Ask early, before fatigue degrades your teaching, rather than pushing through.
The practical test is judged task by task against the published standards. A task that does not meet the standard is recorded as unsatisfactory, and the overall result depends on how the standards document treats that outcome - ask the examiner to explain the result to you explicitly rather than inferring it.
A discontinuance is not the same as a failure. If the test is stopped for weather, aircraft, or time, ask what must be completed on the next date and confirm it in writing.
Do not discuss specific test content with other candidates. Beyond being poor practice, some administering bodies treat disclosure of live test material as a conduct violation - confirm your provider's policy.
Arrive early and organized. Being rushed or missing a document at the start of a long, verbal evaluation costs you more than the few minutes you saved.