CFII exam-day guide
CFII · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo identification
Driver's license or passport. The examiner will verify your identity and that the name on your ID matches the name on your IACRA application and pilot certificate. Bring it even if you have flown with this examiner before.
Submitted IACRA application (FAA Form 8710-1)
Application started and submitted in IACRA with your FTN, electronically signed by you and by the instructor who is recommending you. Bring a printed, signed copy plus the FTN written down. Verify with the examiner how they want to handle the electronic signature and any paper backup.
Airman knowledge test report
The knowledge test report for the flight instructor / instrument instructor rating. If you already hold a flight instructor certificate and are adding the instrument-instructor privilege, confirm with your recommending instructor and the examiner whether a separate test report is required to be presented.
Pilot certificates and medical certificate
Current flight instructor certificate (if you hold one), pilot certificate, and a current FAA medical certificate appropriate to the privileges you will exercise. Keep them in a place you can reach without digging.
Logbook(s) with all required endorsements and experience
Bring every logbook that contains your instrument time. Expect the examiner to review: the endorsements for the practical test (aeronautical knowledge, flight proficiency, and the training-in-preparation-of-test within the preceding 2 calendar months), the instrument experience totals, and the dual instrument time received from an instrument instructor. Tab the pages so you can find them fast.
Aircraft airworthiness and maintenance records
Registration, airworthiness certificate, operating limitations (POH/AFM), and weight and balance, plus maintenance entries showing annual inspection, 100-hour inspection if required, AD compliance, ELT inspection/battery, and - for an IFR-equipped airplane - current pitot-static/altimeter and transponder checks and a logged VOR check. Have the logbook pages flagged, since you will likely be asked to teach how to verify these.
Current charts, publications, and references
IFR low-altitude en route charts, terminal procedures, Chart Supplement, current FAR/AIM, the applicable ACS/PTS, and your own instrument training syllabus or lesson plans. Confirm with your instructor/examiner exactly which ACS or PTS documents apply to your rating combination so you bring the right ones.
View-limiting device and instrument training aids
Foggles or a hood in good condition, plus any instrument covers or suction cups you plan to use to simulate failed instruments. Test the equipment on the ground so nothing fails you in the air.
Headset, batteries, and cockpit supplies
Headset with spare batteries (and a spare cable/adapter if you use one), flashlight, plotter, electronic or manual flight computer, kneeboard, pens and pencils, and a watch or timer. If you use an electronic flight bag, bring a charged backup and paper backups for the airports you plan to use.
Your written flight plan and lesson plan
A completed cross-country plan and approach briefing for the flight portion, plus a written lesson outline for the ground instruction you will deliver. You will be teaching, not just flying, so have your objective, completion standards, and common student errors ready for each task.
Examiner fee and appointment confirmation
Bring payment in the form the examiner requested and confirm the meeting time, airport, and start location ahead of time. Fee amounts, payment method, and cancellation terms vary by examiner - confirm with the provider.
Personal comfort items
Water, a snack, sunglasses, and a layer you can remove. Practical tests run long, and fatigue shows up in your teaching more than in your flying.
Plan the day
Lock down logistics: reconfirm the appointment, aircraft reservation, and examiner fee terms. Verify every inspection and document on the airplane is current (annual, 100-hour, ADs, ELT, altimeter/transponder checks, VOR check) and that the airplane will be fueled and available for the full block. Confirm your IACRA application is submitted and that all endorsements are signed in your logbook. Do a full weather and NOTAM outlook so you know whether a reschedule is likely.
Study by teaching out loud. Work through the ACS/PTS areas of operation as if the examiner were your student: instrument system preflight, attitude instrument flying, partial-panel, unusual attitudes, navigation systems, holding, approach charts and approach procedures, weather, and regulations. Rehearse how you would explain common student errors and how you would correct them.
Final weather, TFR, and NOTAM check for the planned route and alternate. Lay out every document, logbook, chart, and training aid in one bag and physically check each item off. Charge all electronics and pack spare batteries. Confirm with the examiner one last time. Then stop studying, eat a real meal, and get a full night's sleep.
Eat breakfast and arrive early enough to be settled, not rushed. Recheck weather and NOTAMs. Preflight the aircraft thoroughly and personally verify the documents on board. Confirm the airplane is fueled as planned. Bring your bag, water, and ID into the briefing room rather than leaving them in the car.
Answer as the instructor, not as the student: state the objective, teach the concept, give the completion standards, and cite the reference (regulation, AIM, POH) you would show a learner. If you do not know something, say so and look it up in front of the examiner - that is what a good instructor does. Use the ACS/PTS to keep yourself organized.
Brief your 'student' before each task - what you want, how it will be judged, and what you will do if it goes wrong. Verbalize your instruction and your instrument cross-check. Fly with smooth, disciplined scan and use the checklists. Maintain your own situational awareness and safety Pilot-in-Command authority at all times; if safety requires it, take the controls and speak up.
If you pass, review and sign the required documents, confirm the examiner has completed the IACRA processing, and get copies of everything. If you do not pass or the test is discontinued, read the notice of disapproval or discontinuance carefully, ask the examiner to explain each unsatisfactory item, and talk to your instructor before scheduling the retest.
Rules to check
Bring government-issued photo ID and be ready to have your identity and application information verified. The name on your ID, IACRA application, and pilot certificate must match.
You will normally act as Pilot in Command during the practical test. Confirm with your instructor and the examiner in advance that your medical, flight review or equivalent currency, and recent flight experience are all in order, because a lapse discovered on test day can end the test before it starts.
Stay in instructor mode for the entire test. The examiner is evaluating your ability to teach, so explain your reasoning, cite references, and demonstrate how you would correct a student's error rather than just flying the maneuver yourself.
You may ask for a break. Practical tests are long, and a short break between the oral and flight portions is common. Ask the examiner how they prefer to handle it - specifics vary by examiner, so confirm with the provider.
Do not bring additional passengers, and ask before recording audio or video. Many examiners have their own policy on recording devices and observers - confirm with the provider in advance.
The practical test is graded task by task against the applicable standards. A deviation outside standards on a required task normally results in a notice of disapproval that states the reasons; you should expect a specific, written explanation rather than a general impression.
The examiner may discontinue rather than fail you for reasons such as weather, aircraft airworthiness, or maintenance. What credit you keep and the window for completing the test depend on the circumstances - confirm the specifics with the examiner and the FAA before you leave.
If you believe a grading decision was wrong, stay professional, ask the examiner to walk through the standard they applied, and then request the applicable FAA review or reconsideration process. Get the details and timelines from the FAA rather than relying on secondhand information.