What Is a Checkride Prep
A Checkride Prep is a pre-checkride checklist that helps you and your student track everything that needs to be in order before a checkride. It is useful when a checkride has not yet been scheduled with a particular DPE, when the DPE is not yet registered on the platform, or any time the instructor or student wants to get organized ahead of time. The checklist covers documents, endorsements, identification, and other requirements specific to the checkride type.
How Checkride Preps Are Created
You no longer create Checkride Preps manually — the platform creates them automatically whenever the student gains an authorized checkride context. A prep is generated when:
- The student authorizes you (or another instructor) for a new checkride category.
- The student joins a DPE's waitlist for a checkride type they don't already have a confirmed checkride for.
One prep is created per checkride type within the relevant category. The student can also add a prep manually for any type they don't already have a prep or confirmed checkride for. Once the student is offered and accepts a checkride for that type, the prep is promoted into the checkride and any uploaded documents move along with it.
How the Checklist Is Generated
Each prep's checklist is generated automatically based on the checkride type. Items are organized by category and cover the requirements for that certificate or rating — documents the student needs to bring, endorsements that must be in place, identification, medical certificate validity, knowledge test results, and other regulatory prerequisites.
Completing the Checklist
The student is responsible for working through the checklist and marking items as complete. Some items are checked off automatically — for example, when you create an endorsement for the student that matches a checklist item, that item is marked complete without the student needing to do anything. Other items, such as bringing a valid photo ID or a printed copy of their knowledge test results, must be marked complete by the student manually once they have the item ready.
As the instructor, you can monitor a student's progress from their detail view in the Students tab. The student's preps appear there alongside their endorsements and any confirmed checkrides. The checklist is read-only for instructors — you can see which items are complete and which are outstanding, but the student manages the checklist directly.
Endorsement Quick Links
Checklist items that require an endorsement include a link to create that endorsement directly. Clicking the link opens the endorsement form with the correct endorsement type pre-selected, so you do not need to look up which endorsement is required. Once created, the checklist item is automatically marked complete. See Creating and Managing Endorsements for details on the endorsement workflow.
Reviewing and Signing Prep Documents
Documents the student has uploaded to a prep — including their FAA Form 8710-1 — are visible on the student's detail view under each prep card. You can review uploads inline and sign the 8710-1 from here without waiting for a checkride to be scheduled. See Signing a Student's 8710-1 for the signing workflow.