Regulations and Publications
Build a map, not a list
The Regulations domain is not about memorizing 14 CFR line by line; it is about knowing which document answers which question. Part 61 governs pilot certification and privileges, Part 91 governs operating rules, Part 43 governs maintenance, Part 39 issues Airworthiness Directives, and NTSB Part 830 defines accidents and incidents. Non-regulatory material matters too: the AIM is advisory guidance, advisory circulars describe acceptable means of compliance, and the POH/AFM is the approved source for operating limitations.
Documents and inspections
Know the aircraft document set and the recurring inspections: annual inspection within the preceding 12 calendar months, a 100-hour inspection when the aircraft is flown for hire or for flight instruction for hire, transponder tests every 24 calendar months, pitot-static/altimeter/encoder checks every 24 calendar months, and ELT inspection every 12 calendar months.
Traps
Absolute words like always and never are usually wrong; 14 CFR 91.3 gives the PIC authority to deviate from a rule in an emergency. Distinguish currency (recent experience, such as three takeoffs and landings in 90 days) from proficiency. A 100-hour inspection never substitutes for an annual. Know that BasicMed and a medical certificate are different pathways, and that operating limitations are approved data, not suggestions.
Rule of thumb
Calendar-month arithmetic: annual = 12, ELT inspection = 12, transponder and pitot-static = 24. An annual signed in March 2023 is valid through March 31, 2024, not March 15, 2024.