Today I’m going to look into what I’ve called Step #3, The PSTAR Exam. But first, a quick review:
Step #1 – The Medical Exam – You should find out if you’re healthy enough to be able to get your Category 3 Medical which is required by Transport Canada in order to become a Private Pilot in Canada. Read more about it here.
Step #2 – The Radio Exam – My advice based on my experience was to start studying for this sooner rather than later. Understanding the radio communication procedures while you take your flight lessons will help you become a pilot quicker with less confusion. Read more about it here.
What is the PSTAR exam?
As with many things in life, there are many ways to get things done. What I’m offering is step-by-step details that I wish someone had told me when I was first learning to fly and get my pilot licence, and resources where I could make the process more convenient and efficient.
The PSTAR Exam (Pre-Solo Testing of Air Regulations) is required by Transport Canada. It is a written exam that you can take for free at any Flying Club or Aviation Academy across Canada where you’re taking your Flight Lessons. Transport Canada requires that you take this prior to the your first solo so that you understand the rules and regulations that will help ensure your safety as you fly.
Details of the PSTAR Exam
As you advance in your Flight Lessons, there will come a point where it’s just the landings that you’ll need to work on… over and over again!
Many pilots and Flight Instructors call this “doing circuits” or a “touch and go” or “circuit training” because you’re flying around and around the circuit of the airport over and over again as you practice your landings.
Let’s be honest here, this is pretty boring for most Flight Instructors. They don’t want to sit in the circuit with you for, maybe up to 50 times or more as you start to figure out the procedures to land the aircraft perfectly every time.
So when your Flight Instructor feels like you’re ready to be on your own, he or she will recommend you start to fly solo so you can do the circuit training by yourself.
You are required to pass the PSTAR exam before this happens.
The PSTAR exam is made up of 50 questions which are taken from a pool of questions written by Transport Canada. There are exactly 192 questions (UPDATE: 189 questions after TC’s latest update!) to study from in total, of which your exam will have 50 of these questions. You are required to score a 90% or greater in order to pass your PSTAR exam.
The purpose of the PSTAR exam is to make sure you understand the Air Regulations enough in order to know what you’re permitted to do and what you’re not permitted to do once you begin to fly solo, but you should recognize that what these rules and regulations do, and in fact, what Transport Canada is really aimed at providing, is safety. That’s right, these rules, if you take the time to follow them diligently, will help to keep you safe.
How to Prepare for the PSTAR Exam
There are options, you can get all the questions from Transport Canada yourself and read them over online. The answers aren’t provided by Transport Canada so you’ll need to find a resource that has identified all the correct answers.
To make this easier, I’ve made an iPhone/iPad App that I wish I had when I was studying the PSTAR. My PSTAR App is authorized by Transport Canada (Yes, I contacted them before I released the App!) and currently you can download it for free from the AppStore for iPhones/iPads. I’ve also got an Android version for phones/tablets here. You can also check out our desktop/laptop version of the PSTAR course for free from our website. (This desktop/laptop version can also be access through the PSTAR App and includes additional videos made specifically for pilots in Canada.)
Once you go through the questions over and over, you’ll begin to learn and understand the Air Regulations.
Every question in our PSTAR App and online course comes with “Study Tips” that help you learn the info quicker. It also shows the AIM/CARs (Aeronautical Information Manual / Canadian Aviation Regulations) references where applicable to do so.
You can use our PSTAR App to prep and study for your PSTAR Exam with 3 options:
- Review the flashcards. All the questions come with feedback to help you learn faster.
- Study by Topic. Select 1 of the 14 different topics and quiz yourself on just the questions in that topic.
- Quiz yourself on ALL 189 Questions! If you can score 90%+ on ALL the questions then you know you’re ready to write your actual PSTAR exam and you likely won’t embarrass yourself at all.
Ask your Flight Instructor or someone where you’re taking your flight lessons to give you the PSTAR exam when you feel like you’re ready… and remember to get this done before you get to the point of going solo for the first time as you practice your circuit training!
One more thing…
If you download my PSTAR App and find it useful, would you take the time to write a review on the App Store? Reviews really help me get the word out about what I’m trying to do to help pilots in Canada learn how to fly. Thanks!
Check out Step #4 – Ground School and Flight Lessons – Become a Pilot in Canada
