The instrument rating checkride adds an instrument rating to your pilot certificate, authorizing you to fly in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and under IFR. Like the private pilot checkride, it has an oral exam covering the Instrument Rating ACS and a flight portion where you fly approaches, holds, and departure/arrival procedures under simulated or actual instrument conditions.
The IFR oral exam tends to be more regulation- and weather-heavy than the private pilot oral exam, since instrument flying depends on precise compliance with charts, minimums, and IFR-specific rules. Examiners commonly test:
Most instrument applicants find the IFR oral exam more demanding than the private pilot oral exam because it requires precise, regulation-based answers rather than general knowledge. The oral exam typically runs 2 to 3 hours, and examiners often use scenario-based questions — "you're on this approach and this happens, what do you do?" — to test real-time decision-making rather than memorized facts.
Work through every ACS task area for the Instrument Rating, not just the ones covered in ground school. Practice briefing approach charts out loud, review IFR regulations until you can cite them without looking them up, and rehearse full mock oral exams. CheckrideReady's AI examiner covers every Instrument Rating ACS task and follows up on your answers the way a real DPE would, so you can drill weak areas as many times as you need before checkride day.
IFR checkride questions cover instrument approach planning, IFR regulations and currency, weather interpretation, aircraft systems, and emergency/lost communications procedures, following the Instrument Rating ACS task areas.
Study each Instrument Rating ACS task area, practice briefing real approach charts out loud, review IFR-specific regulations until you can explain them without notes, and complete a full mock oral exam before your checkride.
It's often similar in length or slightly longer — typically 2 to 3 hours — because IFR flying involves more regulation-specific and procedure-specific knowledge that examiners want to verify in detail.
Most applicants find approach planning and partial-panel/emergency scenarios the most challenging, since they require applying regulations and systems knowledge to a specific, changing scenario rather than reciting a memorized fact.
Yes. CheckrideReady's AI-powered examiner drills every Instrument Rating ACS task, including approach planning and IFR regulations, with follow-up questions the way a real DPE would ask them.
CheckrideReady's AI-powered DPE-style examiner drills you on every ACS task for this rating — available 24/7, free to start.
START FREE TRIAL →