2.7 (5) Oral Test Preparation
<Not Enough Time!>
Trying to make a notebook for the coming oral portion of checkride, I found my notebook so far too messy to be useful. I am the one who really enjoys creating a tidy and well-summarized (and colorful) notebook. So I want to do it for this oral portion. But the problem is that there’s not enough time left.
Considering that only 2 weeks are left, and I still need some time for review of the flight portion, I turned down the “tidy” notebook shifting to a untidy one with keywords or short-writing up valuing importance to memorizing and well output. This was regretful, which has, to the contrary, motivated me to create several translation notebooks (Japanese=English) such as the Oral Exam Guide and Jeppesen’s textbook as well as PHAK.
<Guidebooks>
I prepared for the oral portion of the checkride with “Private Pilot ORAL EXAM GUIDE” by ASA. Many student pilots used it and I personally think it a good guidebook.
In addition to the Oral Exam Guide, I used the Pilot Information Manual (PIM) to understand the aircraft to be flown. The PIM is similar to the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) or Aircraft Flying Manual (AFM) except for lack of specific weight and balance data and equipment data actually installed. So this is like a manual for student pilots to study.
If you have peers who have taken checkride by the same examiner, they may share information with you. My flight school provided us for detailed and helpful support for the oral portion as well. I was lucky to have an excellent student pilot who had taken the checkride by the same examiner, and he shared important tips with me. I also thanked one of my instructors who bridged us.
<Importance of Oral Portion>
I heard that the oral portion would take about three hours or five hours depending on the situation or examiner. There was a case where because the oral portion took so long, the flight portion was rescheduled. Wow!
The oral portion is important. You may be surprised, but there is a provision prescribing the eligibility of the private pilot:
Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language.
eCFR :: 14 CFR Part 61 Subpart E -- Private Pilots (FAR Part 61 Subpart E)
That means the examiner should evaluate your command of English during the test, and if he/she has a concern about your English, it may adversely affect your flight portion.
The ORAL EXAM GUIDE covers a wide range of topics, which was dauting, and all of them was written in English of course. I was frustrated there were not so much time left.
But it is obvious that I should not focus on what I cannot change and should move on just doing what I can do. So, busy days started with oral portion’s preparation and flight portion’s review. Nobody knows whether or not I can manage to do it but there is only thing that I can do, which is moving on. To be strange, I was so excited with joy, felt so happy studying what I like, and I may be born to do this. Maybe a weirdo...
In addition, I prepared for ice break conversation. As you may experience at English exams conducted in Japan, ice break should be included in evaluation and the first impression is so powerful. So, I took a certain amount of time in this, ranging from “Where do you live?” to “Why do you want to get a PPL?” and so on.
<My Studying English in the Past Helped>
Have you heard about the Stage 2 of EIKEN Grade 1 (an interview-format speaking test)? Although it has changed a little, when I took this, after ice break conversation, an examinee should choose one topic from 5 choices on Topic Card and prepare a short speech for 1 minute, then deliver speech of 2 minutes, followed by questions and answers for 4 minutes.
Here, it is important to construct speech in an English language manner not a traditional Japanese narratives manner, Kishotenketsu.
I studied this English language manner speech at a language school in Japan called “Thesaurus House.” This helped me a lot when taking the oral portion.
ホーム - 英検1級対策専門校 テソーラスハウス (eiken-thhouse.com)
<Airport for Checkride>
And don’t forget about the airport where I am going to take checkride, which hasn’t been formally decided yet. We were expected to take it at Pepper Airport (fictitious name) and prepared for that. However, one week before the scheduled day of the checkride, it was cancelled due to the examiner’s reason.
We booked in a hurry another examiner on the same day. Of course, the airport of the checkride changed. A new airport again? No way, are you serious? Only one week left... (continued)