Instrument Rating oral
Holding procedures — instrument rating oral exam questions
Holding shows up as a clearance, not a definition. You get a fix, a radial or airway, a direction, and an expect-further-clearance time — and you brief the entry, the turns, the leg length or timing, and the wind correction out loud.
The examiner checks that you can pick the entry (direct, teardrop, parallel) and defend it, and that you understand standard vs. non-standard turns and how altitude changes your timing.
The pressure question is the soft part: your EFC time passes and you have heard nothing. What do you do, and when. That is where people freeze.
Questions you’ll get
- 1Hold as published at this fix. Give me the entry, the turns, and how you would time the legs.
- 2You are cleared to hold on the 090 radial, right turns, EFC 15 past the hour. Brief it.
- 3How do you pick between a teardrop, parallel, and direct entry? Show me on this fix.
- 4It is windy. How does that change your outbound timing and your correction on the inbound leg?
- 5Your EFC time passes and you have heard nothing from ATC. What do you do, and when?
- 6What is the maximum holding speed at your altitude, and why does it matter?
- 7You are handed a hold you have never seen with 30 seconds before the fix. Walk me through setting it up.
- 8Lost comms in the hold. Take me through 91.185 — route, altitude, and when you leave the fix.
Walk in ready
Practice briefing a hold from a clearance out loud until the entry choice is automatic. Have the lost-comms sequence (AVEF for route, MEA/MOCA/expected/assigned for altitude, leave at EFC or clearance-limit time) ready to recite without notes.
More IFR oral topics
PilotPrep is a study aid. It is not the FAA, it doesn’t replace your CFI or an endorsement, and practicing here doesn’t guarantee passing the practical. These are representative questions, not a script the examiner follows — always defer to your instructor and the current ACS and FARs.