Training Tip: Retest roulette

Those long months of downtime may tempt student pilots who squeaked by on knowledge tests before the coronavirus pandemic hit to retake the test, reasoning that it’s better to go into the practical test with an impressive knowledge-test score than otherwise.

If doing so could make a big difference, it may be worth considering, given that turning in a clean knowledge test report is obviously preferable to burdening your designated pilot examiner with a lengthy list of subjects on which you were “shown to be deficient” before undergoing remedial instruction.

But you know what they say about not letting the perfect become the enemy of the good: Trying to boost a fair score for pride’s sake is likely a poor expenditure of your flight training resources—and if you were to fail, falling back on your previous result is not allowed.

As for a retake strategy, did your overall attitude about the knowledge test drag down your first score? Sometimes the knowledge test is held out as a mere chore to dispose of early in training, not a phase of learning deserving respect.

The FAA demurs (and it’s their test): “The knowledge test is more meaningful to the applicant and more likely to result in a satisfactory grade if it is taken after beginning the flight portion of the training. Therefore, the FAA recommends the knowledge test be taken after the student pilot has completed a solo cross-country flight.” notes the discussion in the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (page 1-22).

Going about your retest the same way as last time could backfire, so don’t just gamble on improving. A better strategy (when retests are possible) might be as simple as taking a day off from work for the retest, instead of rushing over to a test center after a stress-packed workday, or retesting on a weekend.

If I could offer only one tip for doing well on an aviation knowledge test it would be: Read the question. Then select the one and only answer that is both complete and correct.