Are You Ready for Your Checkride? A Pre-Checkride Checklist
The experience, paperwork, endorsements, and aircraft documents that have to line up before the practical test.
Last updated June 3, 2026 · by Sami Kosaraju, an FAA-certificated private pilot
You are ready for the practical test when four things line up: your §61.109 experience is complete, your knowledge test is passed and still current (good for 24 calendar months), your endorsements are in place, and both you and the airplane have the right paperwork. Hitting 40 hours and being ready are two different things.
1. Experience and proficiency
- Every §61.109 item is satisfied, including the night cross-country, the long solo cross-country, and the towered-airport solo landings.
- You can fly the maneuvers to the tolerances in the Airman Certification Standards (ACS).
- Your 3 hours of test prep within the 2 calendar months before the test are logged.
2. Knowledge test
Passed, and dated within the last 24 calendar months. Bring the printed report, because the examiner goes over any missed subject areas during the oral.
3. Endorsements
Under §61.39, you need your instructor’s endorsement that you are prepared for the practical test, plus the knowledge-test endorsement and a current logbook record. The full set is in the endorsements list.
4. The documents, yours and the airplane’s
| You (the applicant) | The aircraft |
|---|---|
| Government photo ID | Airworthiness certificate |
| Medical + student pilot certificate | Registration |
| Completed FAA application (IACRA) | Radio station license (if international) |
| Knowledge test report | Operating limitations / POH |
| Logbook with endorsements | Weight & balance |
| Examiner fee | Current inspections: annual, 100-hr (if applicable), transponder, ELT |
How Waypoint helps
Waypoint has a checkride-day view that re-checks every dated item against your planned test date, covering your documents, the §61.109 experience, your endorsements, and the aircraft airworthiness records, and it flags anything that will not be current on the day.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to bring to my private pilot checkride?
A government photo ID, your medical and student pilot certificate, a completed FAA application (usually through IACRA), your knowledge test report, your logbook with all required endorsements, and the aircraft with its airworthiness records. The examiner checks eligibility before the test starts.
How long is the knowledge test valid before the checkride?
The FAA knowledge (written) test result is good for 24 calendar months. You have to pass the practical test inside that window or retake the written.
What aircraft documents does the examiner check?
The required onboard documents, often remembered as ARROW (Airworthiness certificate, Registration, Radio station license if international, Operating limitations/POH, Weight & balance), plus current inspections (annual, 100-hour if applicable, transponder, ELT) and airworthiness directive compliance.
Am I ready if I have just hit 40 hours?
Not necessarily. Being ready means the full §61.109 experience is done, the knowledge test is passed and still current, every required endorsement is in place, and you can fly to the Airman Certification Standards. The hour count alone does not get you there.
Stop guessing what’s left before your checkride
Waypoint auto-computes every §61.109 requirement from the flights you log — free through your Private Pilot certificate.