50 Common IFR Oral Exam Questions

These fifty questions represent the kinds of topics that appear on instrument rating oral exams — grouped by ACS Area to help you identify which areas need more study. They are not a script of what your DPE will ask, and you should not treat them as an exhaustive list. DPEs draw from the entire ACS, and the specific questions vary by DPE, aircraft, and scenario.

Use these questions as a self-assessment. If you cannot answer one fluently in two to three sentences, that topic deserves more attention before your checkride. Where sample answers are provided, focus on the reasoning, not the exact phrasing — your DPE is evaluating your understanding, not checking for specific wording.

1. 1What sources do you use for a standard IFR weather briefing, and what are you looking for in each? (Look for: standard briefing from FSS or an approved source, METAR for current conditions, TAF for destination/alternate forecast, AIRMETs/SIGMETs for hazards, PIREPs for actual in-flight reports, winds aloft for cruise planning)
2. 2Decode this METAR for me — what does each element mean operationally for our flight?
3. 3What is an AIRMET Sierra, and how does it differ from an AIRMET Tango?
4. 4What are the IFR currency requirements, and what happens when you fall out of currency?
5. 5You want to fly this aircraft IFR. The static port is placarded inoperative. What do you do? (Look for: can't legally operate under IFR without a working altimeter; the MEL or deferral process applies if the aircraft has one)
6. 6What equipment is required by regulation to fly under IFR in controlled airspace?
7. 7What is the difference between an alternate airport that requires an instrument approach and one that does not?
8. 8When is an alternate airport required for an IFR flight plan under Part 91?
9. 9What are the weather requirements for an alternate under the standard alternate minimums?
10. 10What is the significance of the 'A' symbol on an approach plate's minimums section?

1. 1Read back this IFR clearance to me. (DPE reads a clearance — you read it back verbatim, in order: destination, route, altitude, frequency, squawk code)
2. 2What is an Obstacle Departure Procedure, and when are you required to fly one?
3. 3How do you interpret climb gradient requirements on a departure procedure?
4. 4What does 'climb via SID' mean in a clearance, and how does it differ from a plain 'cleared to' altitude?
5. 5What is the takeoff alternate concept, and when would it apply under Part 91?

1. 1You lose radio contact at cruise altitude. Walk me through exactly what you do. (Look for: squawk 7600; fly the route from the last ATC clearance, filed flight plan, or expected clearance; altitude: highest of MEA, assigned, or expected; approach: at the ETA from the flight plan or ATA at the fix, whichever is later)
2. 2How do you determine the correct entry for a holding pattern given your arrival heading?
3. 3You're cleared to hold as published at a VOR. Describe the hold to me — timing, wind correction, the works.
4. 4What are the standard holding pattern speeds for turboprops and jets versus piston aircraft?
5. 5ATC gives you a re-route mid-flight. What do you do before accepting it?

1. 1Your attitude indicator fails in IMC. How do you know it has failed, and what do you do?
2. 2What instruments constitute your primary and supporting instruments for a straight-and-level cruise at constant altitude?
3. 3Walk me through an unusual attitude recovery on partial panel.
4. 4What is the lag error in the magnetic compass, and when does it matter?
5. 5The vacuum system fails. Which instruments does that affect in a typical light aircraft?

1. 1What is RAIM, and what do you do if you get a RAIM alert during an approach?
2. 2What is the difference between LNAV, LNAV/VNAV, and LPV approach minimums?
3. 3How do you verify a VOR is within its accuracy limits before an IFR flight?
4. 4What is a DME arc approach, and how do you fly it?
5. 5Your GPS database is expired. Can you legally use it for an IFR approach?
6. 6What is WAAS and how does it affect the minimums available on GPS approaches?
7. 7How do you identify a VOR on a new frequency — what are you listening for?

1. 1Walk me through this ILS approach plate. What are the DA, the missed approach procedure, and the required visibility?
2. 2What is the difference between a Decision Altitude and a Minimum Descent Altitude?
3. 3You break out of the clouds at the DA on an ILS. The runway is not in sight. What do you do?
4. 4What visual references must you have in sight before descending below the MDA on a non-precision approach?
5. 5When does a circling approach apply, and what are the restrictions on a circling approach at night?
6. 6What are the standard instrument approach categories for aircraft? What category is this aircraft?
7. 7What does 'ALS inoperative' mean in the minimums section, and how does it change your minimums?
8. 8You are cleared for the approach. The tower closes before you land. What happens to your IFR clearance?
9. 9What is a contact approach, and who can initiate one?
10. 10What is a visual approach, and how does it differ from an instrument approach?

1. 1Pitot tube blocks in icing conditions. How does that affect your instruments?
2. 2Both the airspeed indicator and the altimeter show unusual readings. What could cause that, and what are your priorities?
3. 3You pick up unexpected ice. You are not certified for known icing. What are your options and your obligations?
4. 4An engine-related emergency develops during an approach. At what point do you execute the missed approach versus continuing?
5. 5You are in IMC and experience an electrical failure. What systems are you losing, and what is your plan?

1. 1You land and clear the runway but the tower is not answering. Your IFR flight plan is still open. What do you do?
2. 2When must you cancel an IFR flight plan, and how?