Definition
An FAA-administered assessment used to determine whether an applicant meets the standards required to earn a pilot or instructor certificate or rating. The knowledge test measures understanding of aeronautical subject matter through written (computer-based) questions, while the practical test evaluates the applicant's ability to perform required tasks in the aircraft and during oral questioning, conducted by an FAA-designated examiner.
Plain English
The official FAA exams a student must pass to earn a certificate or rating. The knowledge test is the written exam taken on a computer; the practical test is the in-person exam where an examiner asks questions and watches the student fly.
Context Anchor
Seen in instructor training, test preparation, endorsements, and discussions about qualifying for a pilot certificate or rating.
Derivation
Knowledge comes from the idea of knowing or understanding. Practical comes from practice, meaning action or doing. That helps separate the two FAA test types: one checks what the pilot knows, and the other checks what the pilot can do.
Why Pilots Care
Both must be successfully completed to obtain or upgrade an FAA pilot certificate; they form the final gate before certification.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as just any school quiz or practice exercise. In FAA use, a knowledge test and a practical test are formal certification steps with specific standards.
Example Sentence 1
Before scheduling the practical test, the instructor verified the student had passed the knowledge test and met all the experience requirements.
Example Sentence 2
Instructors prepare applicants for both the knowledge or practical test by reviewing regulations and practicing maneuvers.