Except in the airlines when a pilot makes a mistake and allows himself to be "blindsided" he could also take the passengers with him.

Lowtime pilots need to understand that there is much more expected of them above what they learn flying a 172 around the local airport. A good Captain will be a mentor and help the new guys, although that doesn't include basic flight instruction. I say this because of the (few) guys I've talked to who believed a good attitude and willingness to learn was a substitute for a mastery of technical knowledge and skill.

The truth is that you need both.

Airline ground schools aren't set up to teach the basics of how airliner systems work - only how systems are integrated in the jet you'll fly. Some pilots attend a university that teach "how large airplanes work". For those who don't follow the college path, they still need to know.

So the question is: "How can a low time pilot best prepare?"

After looking at the course, $3900 for the "privilege" of sitting in front a a computer clicking through 40 hours of CBT lessons is something I'd pass on. Pilot mills are set up for profit, not the highest quality training. The only meat in this course is 20 hours of ground school, and 20 hours of FMS training and they milk 4 weeks out of this? In an airline ground school that might be 4-6 training days.

I'd use the course outline as a study guide, and shop a few aviation book stores for applicable titles to get you up to speed.