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.
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.
- Study questions by topic
- Flashcard review
- Randomized practice tests
- Offline figure access
- Progress tracking
- Resume study sessions
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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.
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.
- Over 450 oral exam questions
- 12 study topics
- Flashcard style learning
- Graphical images included
- Progress tracking
- Topic selection
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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.
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Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Instrument Pilot Test Prep | Private Pilot Oral Prep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.1 (16 ratings) — better | 2.3 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 39.3% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 16 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #182 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 92 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sporty's Pilot Shop | First Solo Software, LLC |
Customer experience
Instrument Pilot Test Prep
Private Pilot Oral Prep
In-app purchases
Instrument Pilot Test Prep
No in-app purchases
Private Pilot Oral Prep
- All Topics$29.99
Questions
Is Instrument Pilot Test Prep free?
Is Private Pilot Oral Prep free?
Which has better reviews, Instrument Pilot Test Prep or Private Pilot Oral Prep?
Do Instrument Pilot Test Prep or Private Pilot Oral Prep have ads?
Which is updated more often, Instrument Pilot Test Prep or Private Pilot Oral Prep?
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