Definition
The two-part evaluation format used in FAA airman certification, consisting of a spoken question-and-answer session (the oral portion) followed by a hands-on demonstration of required skills (the practical portion). In current FAA usage, this combined evaluation is conducted as the practical test, administered against the relevant Airman Certification Standards (ACS) or Practical Test Standards (PTS) by a designated pilot examiner or FAA inspector.
Plain English
A test with two parts: first the examiner asks you questions and you answer out loud, then you actually fly or perform the tasks to show you can do them.
Context Anchor
Seen in training and testing discussions, especially when preparing a student for an FAA certificate or rating.
Derivation
“Oral” comes from the Latin oralis, meaning “of the mouth” — spoken rather than written. “Practical” comes from the Greek praktikos, meaning “fit for doing” — actually performing the task rather than just describing it. Together they capture the two ways an examiner confirms a pilot knows the material: by talking about it and by doing it.
Why Pilots Care
Passing both parts is mandatory to obtain or upgrade a pilot certificate.
Intuition Check
Do not read “oral” as casual talking or “practical” as practice. In this context, both are formal test parts used to judge whether the applicant meets the required standard.
Example Sentence 1
Before signing the student off, the instructor ran a mock checkride covering both the oral and practical portions.
Example Sentence 2
She passed the O&Ps on the first attempt and received her private pilot certificate the same day.