Originally Posted by
Timbo
I always used them for practice for the oral, but that was back when we actually took a real, live one on one oral, where the IP would point at every switch and light and ask you, "What's that one do? What's that light mean?" etc. We would buddy up and play stump the dummy, pointing at the switches and lights on the posters, for practice.
My last oral was in 2006, with a real human being asking me questions off a poster on the wall, with the FAA watching me closely (word had gotten out!).
I hear all the 'orals' now are actually 100 question, multiply choice tests taken on a computer, is that right?
I also heard they 'suck', because there are a lot of trick and/or poorly worded questions...
They aren't bad, since you only have to get an 80%. In the days of yore when you didn't know something, the stress level went up as the examiner pried even harder into your ineptitude. Now the computer just gives you more questions to try to get you up to 80% in that area...however, if you max the questions and still don't have 80%, you flunk. I actually prefer the new method, as it's a clean pass/fail, no whining.