FAA ADX exam-day guide
FAA ADX · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Bring a current, unexpired driver's license or U.S. passport. The name must match the name on your application and knowledge test report exactly. If your name has changed, bring the supporting document (marriage certificate, court order).
ADX knowledge test report
Bring the printed, embossed Airman Knowledge Test Report showing a passing score. Confirm with your examiner that your report is still within its valid period; FAA knowledge test results generally expire 24 calendar months after the test date.
Completed application (IACRA or paper)
Most examiners now process the Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application through IACRA. Confirm with the provider whether they want you to start and affirm the application online before arrival or complete a paper form on site - do not assume.
Evidence of eligibility / experience
Bring the documentation that satisfies the experience or training requirement: a graduation certificate from an FAA-approved Aircraft Dispatcher course, or your record of aeronautical experience signed as required. Bring originals plus a photocopy set.
Current charts and flight planning publications
Ask the examiner in advance which charts and publications you must supply and which they provide. If you supply your own, check every expiration date - an expired chart is a needless point of failure.
Flight computer, plotter, and navigation tools
Bring your E6-B (or electronic equivalent), a plotter, dividers, and a straightedge. Verify in advance whether the examiner permits an electronic flight computer or an app-based tool; some examiners require a manual E6-B to demonstrate manual computation.
Calculator
A basic or scientific calculator is normally acceptable for weight-and-balance and fuel computations. Confirm with the examiner whether programmable or phone-based calculators are prohibited before you rely on one.
Current regulations reference (FAR/AIM)
Bring a current FAR/AIM or the relevant 14 CFR parts. The examiner will expect you to locate and interpret regulatory requirements rather than recite them from memory.
Operator/aircraft reference data
If your practical exercise is built around a specific operator or aircraft, bring the performance data, MEL, operations specifications, and flight planning forms you would use on the job, as directed by your examiner.
Low-tech supplies
Pens, pencils, eraser, highlighters, sticky tabs for the FAR/AIM, and scratch paper. Tabbing the regulations you use most is legal preparation and saves minutes on the practical exercise.
Examiner fee and payment method
Designated examiners typically charge a fee, and payment method varies (cash, check, card). Confirm the amount and accepted payment method before the day of the test.
Watch and personal comfort items
A watch you can use for timing legs and fuel burns, water, and a snack. The practical test can run several hours; hunger and dehydration degrade flight planning arithmetic faster than you expect.
Plan the day
Call or email the examiner to reconfirm date, time, address, expected duration, fee and payment method, and exactly which charts, publications, and equipment you must bring versus what they supply. Get the answer in writing if possible.
Verify every document: ID name matches, knowledge test report is on hand, eligibility paperwork is signed and complete, and no chart or publication you plan to use is expired.
Run one complete practice flight plan end to end under time pressure: weather analysis, route and altitude selection, fuel computation, weight and balance, alternate selection, and dispatch release. Grade yourself against the airman certification standards task list.
List your three weakest task areas and review only those. Verify which standards document your examiner tests against - the current Aircraft Dispatcher Airman Certification Standards or the Practical Test Standards - and confirm that with the provider, since the applicable document has changed over time.
Pack the bag: documents in one folder, tools in a second, references tabbed in a third. Lay out clothing and travel arrangements. Confirm the alarm and your route to the test site.
Light review only - skim regulation tab locations and your own notes. No new material, no all-nighter. Protect your sleep; arithmetic errors under time pressure come from fatigue.
Eat a real meal, arrive 20 to 30 minutes early, and silence and stow your phone. Have your ID and document folder in hand before you walk in, not after you sit down.
Listen carefully to the examiner's briefing on how the test will be conducted, how breaks work, and what happens if a task is unsatisfactory. Ask questions about procedure at this point, not mid-task.
Work the practical exercise in a disciplined order: weather and NOTAMs, then routing and altitude, then fuel and weight and balance, then alternates and release. Keep your computations on paper so you can show your reasoning if challenged.
Answer out loud with your reasoning and cite the source you would use. When you do not know a figure, say where you would look it up and look it up - demonstrating a correct reference method beats a confident guess.
Ask the examiner to walk you through the result before you leave. If you receive a disapproval, make sure you understand which tasks were unsatisfactory and what endorsement or training record you need before a retest.
Rules to check
Bring valid, unexpired government photo identification. The name on the ID must match the name on your application; a mismatch can stop the test before it starts.
Arrive on time. Many examiners will cancel or reschedule a test for significant lateness and may retain the fee - confirm the examiner's cancellation and lateness policy in advance.
Phones must be silenced and stowed for the duration. Confirm in advance what electronic devices are permitted for computation; when in doubt, bring and use the manual alternative.
Ask for breaks rather than guessing. There is generally no fixed break schedule in a practical test; tell the examiner when you need a few minutes, and confirm the ground rules during the opening briefing.
The practical test is graded against the published task standards: each task is satisfactory or unsatisfactory, and unsatisfactory performance on a required task normally ends in a Notice of Disapproval. You are not being scored on style or speed, but on meeting the standard for every required task.
If the test is discontinued for weather, aircraft, or maintenance reasons, or by the examiner, confirm with the examiner how the remaining tasks will be completed and within what timeframe; do not assume the original appointment carries forward automatically.
A disapproval is not the end of the process. You will normally need additional training and a signed endorsement before retesting, and the areas of operation you must repeat will be listed on the disapproval - confirm the exact retest requirements with your examiner or course provider.
Do not bring unauthorized study aids, notes, or assistance into the testing area. Practical tests are open-book by design - the references you are allowed to use should be out on the table, and everything else should be away.