• 188 questions

FOI Written Test – Fundamentals of Instructing Practice Questions

Pick one of three answers to see the handbook page or rule behind it.

What does single-pilot resource management training help the pilot maintain?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to C pick, Enter checks.

Print covers the next 25 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 25 questions, no time limit.

More options

Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Bank checked October 4, 2026.

Spotted a mistake? Report a wrong answer. Every question has this link under its explanation.

Next step Another FAA bank: Part 107 drone test

All 188 questions

Risk management and SRM (Chapter 1) 12

  • How does the handbook define risk? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-2
  • How does the handbook define situational awareness? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-13
  • In the 5P check, what else may "the plan" be called? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-17
  • In the handbook's risk management chapter, what is a hazard? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-4
  • On the handbook's risk matrix, which four words rate the likelihood of an event? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-9
  • What does a risk assessment matrix define about a possible accident? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-4
  • What does single-pilot resource management training help the pilot maintain? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-15
  • What is automation management, in the handbook's words on single-pilot resource management? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-19
  • What is stress, in the words of the instructor handbook's risk management chapter? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-23
  • When applying the risk management steps, why does the handbook say to take them in sequence? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-4
  • Which decision-making model does the handbook call the 3P model? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-11
  • Which four groups of risk does the acronym PAVE name? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 1-4
Show all 188 questions (176 more)

Human behavior and needs (Chapter 2) 22

  • A flight instructor believes a learner may have a serious psychological abnormality. What responsibility does the handbook name? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-16
  • A learner daydreams about how things should be instead of acting on how things are. Which mechanism is at work? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-11
  • A learner disguises a weak quality by emphasizing a stronger one. What does the handbook call this? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-10
  • A learner pilot who fails a flight exam blames the examiner. Placing one's own shortcomings on someone else is which mechanism? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-10
  • A learner wants an early solo before the basic elements of flight are learned. Which obstacle to learning is this? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-12
  • A person fakes a belief opposite to the true belief because the true belief causes anxiety. Name the mechanism. Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-11
  • A person places uncomfortable thoughts into inaccessible areas of the unconscious mind. Which defense mechanism is this? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-9
  • An unconscious shift of emotion from its original object to a less threatening substitute is called what? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-11
  • How much benefit do worried or emotionally upset learners get from instruction? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-13
  • In which two ways do humans get esteem? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-7
  • Once physiological needs are met, which need becomes active next? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-6
  • What can make learners apathetic, in the handbook's list of obstacles to learning? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-14
  • What do a learner's normal reactions to anxiety indicate to the flight instructor? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-12
  • What should an instructor tell learners about learning plateaus? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-5
  • When does chronic fatigue occur? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-14
  • When people are physically comfortable and do not feel threatened, which needs do they seek to satisfy? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-7
  • Which defense mechanism is a refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-9
  • Which defense mechanism is a subconscious technique for justifying actions that would otherwise be unacceptable? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-10
  • Which human needs does the handbook describe as biological: air, food, water and maintenance of the body? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-6
  • Which kind of fatigue does the handbook call a normal occurrence of everyday living? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-13
  • Which psychological factor does the handbook call probably the most significant one affecting flight instruction? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-12
  • Which two defense mechanisms does the handbook call primary? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 2-9

The learning process (Chapter 3) 44

  • A dramatic experience tied to a real situation teaches more than a routine one. Which law states this? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-13
  • A learner associates what was learned with earlier or later learning. Which level has been reached? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, PDF page 210
  • A learner becomes absorbed in one task to the exclusion of other tasks. What is this called? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-30
  • A learner can repeat back something learned but cannot apply it. Which level of learning is that? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, PDF page 214
  • A pattern of letters, ideas, images or associations used to help remember information is called what? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-39
  • A person plans to do one thing but inadvertently does something else. Which kind of error is this? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-33
  • A person plans to do the wrong thing and succeeds in doing it. Which kind of error is this? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-33
  • At which level of learning does a learner grasp the nature or meaning of something? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, PDF page 215
  • Constructivism holds that learners do what? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-5
  • Continuously moving attention back and forth between two or more tasks is called what? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-30
  • For roughly how long does short-term memory store information before it fades or is consolidated? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-36
  • How do repression and suppression differ as forms of forgetting? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-38
  • How does fear affect a learner's perception? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-8
  • How does the handbook describe long-term memory? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-36
  • In aviation, what are higher order thinking skills commonly called? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-6
  • Information processing theory uses what as a model for human learning? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-5
  • Learning skill A hinders the learning of skill B. What kind of transfer is that? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-40
  • Practicing the same drill until the movement becomes automatic is which type of practice? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-27
  • Some research cited in the handbook says the maximum effect of repetition comes after how many repetitions? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-39
  • The tip-of-the-tongue feeling, knowing an answer but being unable to bring it up, is an example of what? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-38
  • Under the law of readiness, what must be satisfied before a person is ready to learn? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-11
  • "Use it or lose it" sums up which law of learning? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-13
  • What are the six levels of Bloom's taxonomy of the cognitive domain, from simplest to most complex? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-5
  • What are the three stages of skill acquisition? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-24
  • What does insight involve? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-9
  • What does the handbook call the basis of all learning? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, PDF page 213
  • What is a distraction, as the handbook defines it? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-30
  • What is learned first often creates a strong, almost unshakable impression. Which law is that? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-13
  • What is overlearning? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-28
  • What marks deliberate practice? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-26
  • Which domain of learning addresses a learner's emotions toward the educational experience? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-16
  • Which domain of learning is skill based and includes physical movement and coordination? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-17
  • Which factor affecting perception is described as a powerful determinant in learning, in terms such as "confident" or "insecure"? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-8
  • Which four characteristics of learning does the handbook list? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-19
  • Which law says that behaviors leading to satisfying outcomes are likely to be repeated? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-12
  • Which learning theory explains behavior entirely in terms of observable and measurable responses to stimuli? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-3
  • Which learning theory focuses on what is going on inside the mind? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-4
  • Which part of the memory system receives initial stimuli from the environment? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-36
  • Which statement matches one of the handbook's definitions of learning? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-2
  • Which theory of forgetting says information fades when it is not used for an extended time? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-38
  • Which theory says people forget because another experience has overshadowed the memory? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-38
  • Which three laws of learning did Thorndike set down? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-11
  • Which three laws were added to Thorndike's original laws of learning? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-11
  • Which type of practice mixes up the skills to be acquired throughout the session? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 3-27

Effective communication (Chapter 4) 12

  • At its basic level, all communication is achieved through what? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-2
  • Closed-ended questions tend to evaluate understanding only at which level of learning? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-10
  • External factors that block communication may include which three kinds of elements? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-6
  • In the communication process, who is the source? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-2
  • What are abstractions, in the handbook's chapter on communication? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-5
  • What happens in confusion between the symbol and the symbolized object? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-5
  • What is role playing? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-7
  • When has effective communication taken place? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-3
  • Which barrier is probably the greatest single barrier to effective communication? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-4
  • Which four barriers to effective communication does the handbook name? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-4
  • Which kind of questions should an instructor ask, and which should be avoided? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-10
  • Which words does the handbook use for the receiver of a message? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 4-3

The teaching process (Chapter 5) 30

  • A demonstration deviates from the explanation that came before it. What should the instructor do? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-22
  • A lesson introduction is made up of which three elements? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-9
  • A performance-based objective is made up of which three parts? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-6
  • An overhead question is directed to whom? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, PDF page 213
  • Computer-assisted learning couples a personal computer with what to make a training device? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-19
  • The demonstration-performance method rests on which principle? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-21
  • The drill and practice method is based on which of Thorndike's laws? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-22
  • How does cooperative or group learning organize learners? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-21
  • How does the discussion method begin? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-13
  • How many essential phases does the demonstration-performance method have? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-22
  • In a guided discussion, what is a lead-off question used for? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-14
  • In a performance-based objective, what do the conditions explain? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-6
  • In the collaborative problem-solving method, what does the instructor provide? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-18
  • In the evaluation phase of demonstration-performance, how do learners work? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-22
  • In which variety of lecture does the speaker present a concise array of facts with no elaboration expected? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-11
  • In which variety of lecture does the speaker rely heavily on visual aids? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-11
  • Problem-based learning has helped shift the focus of learning in which direction? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-16
  • What danger does the handbook see in commercial test preparation material? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-28
  • What do decision-based objectives specifically develop? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-7
  • What does scenario-based training use to address training objectives? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-17
  • What does the handbook mean by criteria when it describes a training objective? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-6
  • What is the purpose of the attention element of an introduction? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-9
  • What is the role of instructional aids? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-23
  • What should not be introduced in a lesson's conclusion? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-10
  • What should the overview in a lesson introduction tell the group? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-9
  • When are lectures best used? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-10
  • Which four steps make up the teaching process? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-1
  • Which part of a lesson does the handbook call the main part? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-10
  • Which teaching method presents a story that makes the learner deal with situations met in real life? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-18
  • Why do aviation instructors favor the teaching lecture? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-11

Assessment and testing (Chapter 6) 30

  • After the replay, what does reconstruction encourage the learner to identify? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-5
  • An effective assessment is flexible. What does the instructor fit to the occasion? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-2
  • How does a small group critique work? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-10
  • How does the handbook describe irrelevant questions? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-12
  • How many advantages does the handbook give a written critique? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-10
  • How many correct answers does an objective question have? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-11
  • How many primary characteristics does the handbook give an effective test? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-4
  • In a collaborative assessment, what happens in the replay step? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-5
  • In a learner-led critique, who leads the assessment? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-10
  • "In an emergency, should you squawk 7700 or pick a landing spot?" is the handbook's example of which question type? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-11
  • Under which condition does the handbook call an assessment pointless? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-3
  • "What do you do before beginning an engine overhaul?" is the handbook's example of which type of question to avoid? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-11
  • What does authentic assessment require of the learner? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-1
  • What does the handbook say about the length of a comprehensive assessment? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-3
  • What does usability refer to in a test? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-5
  • What feeling do trick questions cause learners to develop? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-11
  • What has no place in an assessment, in the handbook's description of a thoughtful one? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-3
  • What is the final step of a collaborative assessment, the redirect step, meant to do? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-5
  • What makes an honest assessment acceptable to a learner? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-2
  • Which assessments are not graded, wrap up the lesson and set the stage for the next one? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-1
  • Which assessments measure learner knowledge or skills before a course of instruction? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-1
  • Which characteristic does the handbook call the most important consideration in test evaluation? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-4
  • Which characteristic is the degree to which a test distinguishes between learners? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-5
  • Which characteristic is the degree to which a test measures the overall objectives? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-5
  • Which kind of assessment often involves written testing such as multiple choice and matching? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-1
  • Which organizational pattern is acceptable for an assessment? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-3
  • Which test characteristic describes singleness of scoring? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-5
  • Which test characteristic is the degree to which results are consistent with repeated measurements? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-4
  • Who controls and supervises a self-critique? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-10
  • Why should an instructor's comments be specific? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 6-3

Planning instructional activity (Chapter 7) 8

  • At certificated schools, the syllabus is a key part of what? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 7-3
  • How might a lesson plan build in flexibility? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 7-8
  • How should an instructor treat the lesson plan during an instructional period? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 7-9
  • What does the content characteristic of a well-planned lesson require? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 7-8
  • What is a lesson plan? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 5-4
  • What results from presenting too much material in one lesson, and from presenting too little? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 7-8
  • Which characteristic of a well-planned lesson says each lesson should be a unified segment of instruction? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 7-8
  • Which characteristic says a lesson should be planned for the conditions under which training is conducted? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 7-8

Instructor professionalism (Chapter 8) 7

  • Besides the Pilot Proficiency Awards Program, which goal does the handbook name as a way for a flight instructor to improve proficiency? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 8-10
  • How should an instructor accept learners? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 8-8
  • What does the handbook say about sincerity in an aviation instructor? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 8-8
  • What does the use of profanity and obscene language lead to? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 8-9
  • What does today's aviation customer expect of an instructor's personal appearance? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 8-9
  • When evaluating demonstrations of ability, what should the instructor do for the learner? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 8-10
  • Which demeanor does the professional image require? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 8-9

Techniques of flight instruction (Chapter 9) 10

  • During a positive exchange of flight controls, what should never be in doubt? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-9
  • In integrated flight instruction, when should the use of instrument references begin? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-10
  • In the step "learner tells, instructor does", what role does the learner play? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-8
  • In the telling-and-doing technique, which step is the only one where the learner plays a passive role? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-7
  • What does the sterile flight deck rule of 14 CFR 121.542 require of airline flight crewmembers? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-9
  • What is integrated flight instruction? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-10
  • What share of stall/spin accidents does the handbook say occurred during takeoff and landing? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-9
  • Which circumstance do NTSB statistics tie to most stall/spin accidents? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-9
  • Which ground operations does the handbook list as critical phases of flight under the sterile flight deck rule? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-9
  • Which step of the telling-and-doing technique is the application step? Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, page 9-8

Who takes the test (14 CFR part 61) 13

  • A basic ground instructor may give ground training for which pilot certificates under 14 CFR 61.215(a)? 14 CFR § 61.215(a)
  • A person already holds a ground instructor certificate issued under part 61. Does 61.185 require the fundamentals of instructing training for a flight instructor certificate? 14 CFR § 61.185(b)(1)
  • A state teacher's certificate excuses a flight instructor applicant from the fundamentals of instructing training if it authorizes teaching at what level? 14 CFR § 61.185(b)(2)
  • How long must a flight instructor retain the records required by 14 CFR 61.189? 14 CFR § 61.189(c)
  • In any 24-consecutive-hour period, how many hours of flight training may a flight instructor conduct under 14 CFR 61.195(a)? 14 CFR § 61.195(a)
  • What is the minimum age for a ground instructor certificate under 14 CFR 61.213? 14 CFR § 61.213(a)(1)
  • What must a flight instructor applicant receive from an authorized instructor on the fundamentals of instructing, under 14 CFR 61.183(d)? 14 CFR § 61.183(d)
  • Which job excuses a flight instructor applicant from the training that section 61.185 requires? 14 CFR § 61.185(b)(3)
  • Which knowledge areas may an advanced ground instructor not teach under 14 CFR 61.215(b)? 14 CFR § 61.215(b)
  • Which knowledge test does 14 CFR 61.213(a)(3) require of a ground instructor applicant, unless an exception applies? 14 CFR § 61.213(a)(3)
  • Which of these is one of the six fundamentals of instructing areas listed in 14 CFR 61.185(a)(1)? 14 CFR § 61.185(a)(1)
  • Which section holds the aeronautical knowledge areas tested for an instrument ground instructor rating? 14 CFR § 61.213(a)(4)
  • Whose logbook does an instructor have to sign after giving training? 14 CFR § 61.189(a)

How this list was compiled: Written from the Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B (Federal Aviation Administration, a US government work, read as the PDF on faa.gov on 2026-10-04) and from 14 CFR 61.183, 61.185, 61.189, 61.195, 61.213 and 61.215, read at https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-61 in the eCFR text dated 2026-09-29. Every question names the handbook page or the section its answer comes from and links to it. Licence: Own work. Questions, answer choices and explanations were written for this site from the handbook and the rule text, which are US government works. Nothing is copied from an FAA knowledge test, an FAA sample question or any prep company's bank.

How it works

This unofficial FOI written test practice asks 188 questions on the fundamentals of instructing, written from the FAA's Aviation Instructor's Handbook and 14 CFR part 61. The FAA does not publish its question bank, so none are its questions.

Read the full guide

Ten topics, nine of them handbook chapters

Each explanation names the page of the Aviation Instructor's Handbook (FAA-H-8083-9B) or the section of 14 CFR part 61 behind the answer and links to it. The topics follow the handbook's chapters, from risk management to techniques of flight instruction; the learning process is the largest at 44 questions.

Who need not take the test

Under 14 CFR 61.183(e) and 61.213(b), the test is not required of a person who holds a flight or ground instructor certificate, holds a teacher's certificate for the 7th grade or higher, or is employed as a teacher at an accredited college or university.

  • The topic named Who takes the test asks 13 questions from part 61 itself, not from the handbook.
  • Misses sit under Missed in More options until answered right.

Questions and answers

Who has to take the FOI written test?

An applicant for a flight instructor certificate (14 CFR 61.183) or a ground instructor certificate (61.213), unless the person already holds either instructor certificate, a teacher's certificate for the 7th grade or higher, or a teaching job at an accredited college or university.

Are these the questions on the real FOI exam?

No. The FAA does not publish its knowledge test question bank. Every question here was written for this site from the Aviation Instructor's Handbook and part 61; none comes from an FAA sample test or a prep company's bank.

What does the fundamentals of instructing test cover?

14 CFR 61.185(a)(1) lists six areas: the learning process, elements of effective teaching, student evaluation and testing, course development, lesson planning and classroom training techniques. This bank follows the handbook's chapters, which also take in risk management and techniques of flight instruction.

How many questions are on the FOI written exam, and what score passes?

This page does not give them. The FAA sets the number of questions, the time allowed and the passing score in its own testing documents and can change them, so read them on faa.gov before the test.

Which edition of the handbook was used?

The Aviation Instructor's Handbook, FAA-H-8083-9B, read on faa.gov on October 4, 2026, and the eCFR text of part 61 dated September 29, 2026. Each explanation gives the page or section, so an answer can be checked against the current text.

More tests

Show 6 more

Browse Radio and Aviation