I just passed my Instrument Rating Airplane knowledge test with a 100% score in a total time of 29 minutes. I am 52 and spent a good few months prepping and studying gone through two books, Gleims test prep, then Sheppard Air’s app. Yes you have to allocate some 25-30 hours to this and REALLY follow the methodology to review the 1100+ questions they have in the program. You will lean A LOT in the process (not rote) and this is the best weapon against those tricky questions that don’t test your knowledge and designed to just catch you out. They also flag many questions where the FAA answer is wrong, so you know which to pick. Zero, I mean Zero surprises in any of the 60 question I got. I recognized 6 that were on my “extra” review list. Also, one of the biggest differentiators is the unlimited support. I studied mostly late at night PT, and there was always someone to speak with (THANK YOU Dorothy) who was qualified to help me solve the problems I could not understand (again not a rote learning program). These guys are the BEST! And far cheaper than any of the other competitors.

I used Sheppard for the IRA and FII exams. I scored a 100% on both of those exams. I bought Sheppard again for CAX commercial airplane and scored another 100%! All I did was follow their study strategy and try to understand each question I was reading. Furthermore, this app is well designed. It has a few bugs and I hate how it resets every time you leave the app but it saves your place so you just resume studying. I prefer to have it on my iPad so it’s always with me, even when I’m waiting for an airplane prior to a lesson. This version is much better than the older version that’s also available on the App Store. I used that one for instrument, and it worked but this one is better optimized. Overall, highly recommend Sheppard. It’s gotten me three 100s so far out of the two courses I’ve bought and I’ll definitely be buying it again when it’s time for the FIA and FOI writtens.

Sheppard Air is considered to be the gold standard for FAA knowledge test preparation by most pilots and instructors, and their newly redesigned Flight Test X20 app brings some welcome new features and improvements.The tried-and-tested Sheppard Air “study strategy” remains unchanged in this new app. What has changed, however, is the user experience while studying questions. The X20 app uses a new split-screen design, allowing you to simultaneously view the question/answer and the explanation or the relevant figure. I have found that this greatly improves studying efficiently, as you no longer have to click back and forth between the question, the figure, and the explanation to understand how to answer the question. Also new to this app is the ability to study with the iPad in landscape orientation. This is ideal for larger iPads, as it maximizes the available screen real estate.Having studied for knowledge tests using both the older Flight Test 5 and this new Flight Test X20 app, as well as other test prep books and software, I can confidently say that Sheppard Air’s X20 offers the best efficiency and value. It is without a doubt the best way to ace your next knowledge test.

Sheppard Air is an excellent resource for studying for your written exams, however, the app is a complete failure in simple programming. I’ve had to change my iPad’s sleep settings to never let me iPad go to sleep, just so that the app wouldn’t crash. If you accidentally touch a corner that switches app, the app will crash. If you overlay a note taking app or try to split screen, the app will crash. If you accidentally swipe up to take you back to the home screen, sometimes the app will crash. Resuming your studying is no big deal but in a practice test you have no choice but to start over. I have restarted more practice tests than I have completed due to the app crashing, about 70%. This has happened on all 3 separate exams preps I have bought from Sheppard Air.It has also been a while since the app itself has been updated and it is in desperate need of an update. Sheppard Air itself is great, but this app nosedives into awfulness worse than the MCAS incidents on the 737 MAX. The app is a waste of your precious time.