Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Instrument Tests: IRA, IGI, CFII

Asked by: 8503 views Instrument Rating

I am planning to become a Ground Instructor (AGI), and then a IGI and CFII. At this time I am only a Private Pilot. I plan to take the test for my Instrument Rating (IRA) by Nov. 1st. I have been studying the question bank of questions for the IGI. 

My question(s):

1. Can I take all three of the instrument tests (IRA, IGI, CFII) the same day? My understanding is that they are all from the same bank of questions.

2. Can I take the IGI before I have taken the AGI, and the CFII before I have taken the CFI?

My thinking is that I will be taking all of the tests at some time, and why not take them when the questions and study process are fresh. I know there is a time period (2 years?) that the tests are good for, but I plan to accomplish the ratings/certificates within that time period.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

2 Answers



  1. Russ Roslewski on Sep 25, 2014

    You’re right, they are all basically the same test – I’ve taken them all (the CFII twice due to the 2-year limit) and couldn’t tell you any real differences.

    1. Yes, there should be no problem with this. However, I would call your testing center and make sure there are no scheduling conflicts. You’re allowed to take 2.5 hours on each test, so the test center may want to make sure you have that much time (before they close, for example), even if you expect to get done each test in an hour or whatever.

    2. Yes, there is no requirement for taking them in a certain order, and what you’re proposing is not unusual.

    Good luck! Sounds like you’re doing it the smart way.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Lucas on Sep 28, 2014

    By the way here is the the link to the document in question order 8080.6F:

    http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Order/8080.6F.pdf

    Testing centers usually do not have the waiver handy…

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.