Comparison

Instrument Pilot Test Prep vs Private Pilot Oral Prep

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Instrument Pilot Test Prep

Prepare for your FAA Instrument Rating knowledge test with study questions, flashcards, and practice tests. Access all figures offline and track your progress by topic. Designed for iPhone and iPad.

Highlights
  • Study questions by topic
  • Flashcard review
  • Randomized practice tests
  • Offline figure access
  • Progress tracking
  • Resume study sessions
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Sporty's Study Buddy prepares you for the FAA Instrument Rating knowledge test (the "written") with three ways to study: Study Questions, Flashcards and Practice Tests. Questions are organized by knowledge area, with explanations of the right and wrong answers developed by Sporty's team of Master CFIs, based on their experience preparing students for the Instrument Rating. • STUDY QUESTIONS BY TOPIC • Choose whole knowledge areas or individual topics to build your own study session. As soon as you answer, you'll see the correct answer, why it's right, and where to read more. Change your answer anytime, bookmark questions as you go, and jump to any question from the question list. Every study session is shuffled. • REVIEW WITH FLASHCARDS • Flashcards show just the question, so you answer from memory before revealing the correct answer and its explanation. Mark each card Know It or Still Learning, then start a new session from the cards you're still learning. On iPhone Duo, study a card with the phone open and close it to check the answer. • TAKE PRACTICE TESTS • Each Practice Test draws 60 questions at random from the full question bank, gives you 2 hours, and is graded at the FAA's 70% passing score. Afterward, see your score by topic, review every question or only the ones you missed, and turn your misses into a new study session. • PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF • Sessions save as you go. The History tab lets you resume any session in progress and review past results, including your scores by topic. • EVERY FIGURE, OFFLINE • The Figures tab includes the complete FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement for Instrument Rating, with every figure and legend listed by name and page. Swipe through the pages or open any one full screen. Questions show their figures right alongside, and you can study without a connection. Designed for iPhone, iPhone Duo and iPad, with Dark Mode and support for larger text sizes. The FAA does not publish its knowledge test questions, so the questions on your test won't necessarily appear in this app. Study Buddy is meant to complement your training, not to replace flight and ground instruction.

About

Private Pilot Oral Prep

Prepare for your private pilot oral exam with over 450 common questions and answers across 12 aviation topics. Study in a flashcard style with optional graphical images and track your progress to build confidence for your FAA practical test.

Highlights
  • Over 450 oral exam questions
  • 12 study topics
  • Flashcard style learning
  • Graphical images included
  • Progress tracking
  • Topic selection
Features
Read full description

Preparing for the oral exam portion of a Private Pilot practical test can be daunting. Private Pilot Oral Prep includes over 450 common oral exam questions with suggested answers. The student pilot can select one of 12 topics for each study session. Questions are presented in flashcard style. Graphical images are provided when needed. When the student views the suggested answer, they can indicate if they answered satisfactorily or if they would like to review the question again. Learning all of the questions allows the student pilot to be prepared and confident for the FAA Private Pilot Practical Test for Airplane. The topics included are aircraft engines & systems, aircraft performance, airport operations, airspace, avionics & navigation, emergencies, federal aviation regulations, flight instruments, human factors, principles of flight, VFR charts and weather. The app is free with 3 of the 12 topics unlocked. The remaining topics can be purchased with a single In-App purchase.

Screenshots

Instrument Pilot Test Prep4 screens
Private Pilot Oral Prep4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Private Pilot Oral Prep at Free against Instrument Pilot Test Prep's $14.99. Private Pilot Oral Prep also leads on iOS requirement (12.4 vs 17.0). Instrument Pilot Test Prep's advantage is rating (3.1 vs 2.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Private Pilot Oral Prep is free to download; Instrument Pilot Test Prep costs $14.99 up front. Private Pilot Oral Prep sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Instrument Pilot Test Prep asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Instrument Pilot Test Prep holds the better App Store score, 3.1 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Instrument Pilot Test Prep has 16 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Instrument Pilot Test Prep's written reviews are positive against 33% of Private Pilot Oral Prep's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Instrument Pilot Test Prep ships an update every 5 months, Private Pilot Oral Prep every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Instrument Pilot Test Prep versus Private Pilot Oral Prep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInstrument Pilot Test PrepPrivate Pilot Oral Prep
Price$14.99Free — better
Rating3.1 (16 ratings) — better2.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews39.3% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings16 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 10 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#182 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size92 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSporty's Pilot ShopFirst Solo Software, LLC

Customer experience

Instrument Pilot Test Prep

All ratings16 ratings
Positive43.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive39.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative46.4%

Private Pilot Oral Prep

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

In-app purchases

None

Instrument Pilot Test Prep

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Private Pilot Oral Prep

One-time1
  • All Topics$29.99

Questions

Is Instrument Pilot Test Prep free?
Instrument Pilot Test Prep costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Private Pilot Oral Prep free?
Private Pilot Oral Prep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Instrument Pilot Test Prep or Private Pilot Oral Prep?
Instrument Pilot Test Prep is rated higher. Instrument Pilot Test Prep averages 3.1 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Private Pilot Oral Prep averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Instrument Pilot Test Prep or Private Pilot Oral Prep have ads?
Neither Instrument Pilot Test Prep nor Private Pilot Oral Prep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Instrument Pilot Test Prep or Private Pilot Oral Prep?
Instrument Pilot Test Prep ships an update every 5 months, and Private Pilot Oral Prep every 10 months. Most recently, Instrument Pilot Test Prep was updated on November 6, 2026 and Private Pilot Oral Prep on November 1, 2026.

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