Definition
A signed and dated statement, made in a student or applicant's logbook by an authorized flight or ground instructor, certifying that the person has received and logged the required training and is prepared to take a specific FAA practical test (checkride) for a certificate or rating.
Plain English
A written note from your instructor in your logbook saying you have been properly trained and are ready to take the FAA flight test for a certificate or rating.
Context Anchor
Seen in flight instructor logbook entries, training records, and paperwork before a student is allowed to take a practical test.
Derivation
"Endorsement" comes from the Latin "in-" (on) and "dorsum" (back) -- literally "to write on the back of." Originally it meant signing the back of a document to validate it. In aviation, the instructor's signature in the logbook validates that the pilot is qualified to proceed.
Why Pilots Care
An examiner cannot legally administer the practical test without this endorsement in the logbook.
Intuition Check
Do not read practical test endorsement as a casual recommendation or a practice-test result. It is a required written instructor certification for the official FAA practical test.
Example Sentence 1
Before the checkride, the CFI reviewed the applicant's logbook to confirm the practical test endorsement was signed, dated, and used the exact wording from FAR 61.39.
Example Sentence 2
The student presented the logbook containing the practical test endorsement to the examiner at the start of the checkride.