The checkride is the final step to your private pilot certificate: a practical test with a designated pilot examiner (DPE) made up of an oral portion and a flight portion. It sounds intimidating, but it is simply a structured demonstration that you meet the Airman Certification Standards. This guide walks through the paperwork, the oral, every area of the flight test, the most common reasons people fail, and what to bring.
This is part of our ACS and checkride guide. Prepare the first half with the oral exam guide.
What the checkride is
The checkride, formally the practical test, is conducted by a DPE or other authorized examiner against the standards in the ACS. You pass by demonstrating the required knowledge, risk management, and flying skills within the ACS tolerances. It is the same standard nationwide, which is what makes a private certificate mean the same thing everywhere.
Before the checkride: paperwork and prerequisites
Examiners are strict about prerequisites, and a missing item can postpone the test. Have all of this ready:
- A completed IACRA application with your instructor’s recommendation
- The required logbook endorsements for the practical test
- Your logbook showing you meet the 14 CFR 61.109 experience requirements
- Your passing knowledge (written) test report
- A government photo ID and your student pilot certificate and medical
- The aircraft’s documents and current inspections (airworthiness, registration, and maintenance records)
- The examiner’s fee, typically $600 to $1,000
The oral portion
The test begins on the ground with the oral, a one to two hour discussion covering certificates and documents, airworthiness, weather, your assigned cross country, systems, performance, airspace, aeromedical factors, and emergencies. See the dedicated oral exam guide for sample questions and how to prepare.
The flight portion
Once the oral is complete, you fly. The examiner will sample tasks from across the ACS areas of operation, including:
- Preflight inspection and procedures
- Takeoffs and landings: normal, crosswind, short-field, and soft-field, plus a go-around
- Steep turns
- Slow flight and stalls: power-on and power-off, with proper recovery
- Ground reference maneuvers: turns around a point, S-turns, and rectangular course
- Navigation: pilotage, dead reckoning, a diversion, and lost procedures
- Electronic navigation using the aircraft’s equipment
- Basic instrument maneuvers, including recovery from unusual attitudes by reference to instruments
- Emergency operations, such as a simulated engine failure and system malfunctions
The standards you are held to
The ACS prints specific tolerances. For many maneuvers you are expected to hold altitude within about 100 feet, heading within about 10 degrees, and airspeed within stated limits, while managing risk and flying smoothly. Knowing the exact tolerances for each task ahead of time removes guesswork.
Common reasons applicants fail
- Steep turns and landings that drift outside tolerances
- Taxi and runway incursion errors, including poor radio work and not following the taxi diagram
- Not using checklists or skipping clearing turns
- Weak aeronautical decision making, such as continuing into a situation a safe pilot would avoid
- Regulation and airspace gaps that surface during the oral
A checkride is not pass-fail on a single mistake. If you recognize an error and correct it safely, that is exactly what a good pilot does. Examiners are watching how you manage the flight, not expecting perfection.
If you do not pass
If you do not meet the standard on a task, the examiner issues a Notice of Disapproval listing only the areas to repeat. You retrain those items, get a new endorsement, and return for a retest of just those areas, often with the same examiner. Many excellent pilots have a disapproval in their history; it is a setback, not the end.
What to bring
- Photo ID, student pilot certificate, and medical
- Logbook with endorsements, and your knowledge test report
- The completed IACRA application and examiner fee
- Aircraft documents and current charts
- A reliable headset, kneeboard, and a current checklist for your airplane
Checkride-day gear
What you'll need
What you want in the airplane and on your kneeboard on test day, all from PilotMall.com.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a checkride?
Plan on most of a day. The oral runs one to two hours and the flight roughly one to two hours, plus debrief and paperwork.
How much does the examiner cost?
Typically $600 to $1,000 for the DPE fee, paid separately from your aircraft and instructor costs.
Can you retake it if you fail?
Yes. You repeat only the tasks you did not pass, after retraining and a new endorsement.
What should I bring?
Your IDs and certificates, logbook with endorsements, knowledge test report, IACRA application, examiner fee, aircraft documents, current charts, headset, and checklist.
Back to the ACS guide or revisit the Private Pilot License guide.