Final Knowledge Test

I Passed!

Well, I did much better than I feared I would. I got a 90 on the official knowledge test. I didn't get a lot of time to really explain how this whole process worked and what all it took to get here, but I'm going to write a blog post summing up all of the information I needed to know, what I used to study, etc. in another blog post.

In this one, I'm just going to explain what the test was like, and why my next steps are going to be.

Before Arriving

Before you can take the test, you have to have an endorsement from your instructor stating he believes you can pass the test and that you've been trained and are ready for it. I got that endorsement after I got the 97 on his test this past week directly in my logbook.

Arrival

I had to take the logbook and a testing fee of $150 ($140 if you're a member of AOPA which is a pilot association - which I will be joining eventually). After that, they take the security pretty seriously. You are given a book with graphs, charts, and general figures to make it easier to see in real life. You're given a plastic overlay to make marks on the charts in the book. I thought that part was pretty genius. The people at the testing center (Baker's School of Aeronautics in Lebanon, TN) were extremely friendly. They made all of the rules extremely clear prior to signing in. I paid the $150 testing fee with a card, and I went to a room with several computers. They explained that I couldn't leave the room without being accompanied by someone. I couldn't talk to anyone (though I was the only one there), etc. 

Taking the Test

You are given 2 1/2 hours to take the 60-question test. I completed it in about 30 minutes, roughly. It wasn't the worst test I had ever taken. A majority of the questions I had already seen through all of the practice sites I had gone to. I constantly drilled information into my head, so that helped quite a bit. There were a few questions that threw me for a loop, and one question had a typo in the answer, but I figured it out.

I was nervous the entire time, praying I wouldn't make a horrible mistake and fail the thing. It would have been very embarrassing to get this far to fail. It all went well, however. 

After the Test

I actually ran into a friend of mine after the exam that I went through the school with. He was literally signing in to take his test right after me (coincidence). They let me talk to him before he signed in to kind of give him some advice and warnings, etc. The people were very cool. The moment I got done, one of the ladies came by to "officially" click the finish button to make sure everything was answered. I knew the score instantly, and she even let me review the questions I got wrong (I missed six). 

I was given a paper with a crimped seal in it that I have to take back to the instructor for him to go over the questions I missed with me, and to keep a copy of that with my file at the airport, as well as some other ID documents.

Wrapping Up

So, that's it. My knowledge portion is done. like I mentioned, I'm going to write a blog post to summarize how each week went, what we learned, what the tests covered, what to focus on, tips, etc. It's going to be coming in a week or so, so be on the lookout, :)