What makes a great gouge submission — and how to get yours approved quickly.
List the specific questions your DPE asked during the oral. The more specific, the more useful — "explain the weather minimums for Class B" is far more helpful than "weather questions."
Which maneuvers did the examiner ask for? Were there any surprises? Did they emphasize specific standards or ask for multiple attempts at anything?
How did the DPE communicate? Were they strict or relaxed? What did they seem to care most about? This context is gold for the next pilot.
How long was the oral? How long was the flight? Where did you depart from? These details help pilots plan their own checkride day.
Did the DPE scrutinize your logbook or endorsements? Did they ask about your cross-country planning? Any areas of the practical test standards they focused on?
What do you wish you'd known going in? What would you study more? What surprised you? Your hindsight is the next pilot's advantage.
All submissions must meet these minimum standards before they go live on the platform.
Every gouge is automatically scored by our AI for detail and usefulness. Higher-scoring gouges appear more prominently in search results and are more likely to be purchased. The more specific and detailed your submission, the better it will score — and the more it helps fellow pilots.
Submissions that don't meet our standards will be declined. Common reasons include:
"He asked about weather and we did some maneuvers" doesn't help anyone prepare. Specific questions and maneuver descriptions are required.
The DPE name must match a real, active examiner. Made-up or clearly incorrect names will be rejected.
Submissions that are disrespectful toward the examiner, contain personal attacks, or include content unrelated to the checkride will be removed.
Submitting the same gouge multiple times or copying content from another submission is not allowed.
Gouge must be from an actual FAA practical exam. Practice tests, stage checks, or simulated checkrides don't qualify.
Share your checkride experience and help the next pilot walk in prepared.