Guides, tips, and strategies for passing the Transport Canada instrument rating written exam — written by a Canadian flight instructor.
The format, question style, the 13 categories, what trips most candidates up, and what exam day actually feels like.
Read guide →What's worth using, what to avoid, and why most of what you find online is built for the wrong exam.
Read guide →A step-by-step strategy for preparing for the Transport Canada instrument rating written exam — covering what to study, how long it takes, and how to avoid the most common mistakes.
Read guide →What each category covers, which ones show up most on the exam, and where candidates typically lose marks.
Read guide →Transport Canada doesn't publish pass rates. Here's what flight instructors actually see — and why candidates fail.
Read article →50 questions, 70% to pass. Here's exactly how Transport Canada marks the exam and what your result means.
Read article →Honest timelines from a flight instructor — what affects your study hours and how to know when you're actually ready.
Read guide →Transport Canada's free official study guide — what's in it, how to use it properly, and what it won't teach you on its own.
Read guide →Exam fees, prep costs, and whether ground school is worth it — everything you need to know before booking.
Read article →One of the most failed INRAT topics. Here's how to determine the correct entry every time — without guessing.
Read guide →The Canadian procedure for 7600 — routing priority, altitude selection, and what exam questions actually test.
Read guide →GFA interpretation is one of the most commonly failed meteorology topics. Here's how to read them correctly.
Read guide →Flight hours, medical, written exam, flight test — the complete Transport Canada checklist before you can fly IFR.
Read article →What your practice scores need to look like, why one good session isn't enough, and the checklist before you book.
Read article →The most tested precision approach on the INRAT — components, categories, decision height, and where candidates lose marks.
Read guide →Approach ban rules, decision heights, alternate weather thresholds — the specific Canadian numbers the INRAT tests.
Read guide →Air Law is the biggest INRAT category. A clear breakdown of Classes A through G and what the exam actually tests.
Read guide →When you need an alternate, what weather qualifies one, and the four numbers every INRAT candidate needs to know cold.
Read guide →Canada's most common non-precision approach — MDA, FAF, MAP, missed approach, and circling rules explained.
Read guide →Required fields, fuel calculations, alternate requirements, and what to do when you need to amend or close in flight.
Read guide →Canada's GPS approaches come in three types — LPV, LNAV/VNAV, and LNAV. Here's how they differ, what equipment you need, and the INRAT exam traps.
Read guide →Destination + alternate + 45 minutes — but where exactly does the reserve go? Here's the fuel calculation the INRAT tests, with a worked example.
Read guide →Six approaches, holding, intercepting and tracking — all within the preceding six months. Here's exactly what counts and what the exam tests.
Read guide →Rime, clear, and mixed ice — how each forms, which is most dangerous, how Canadian SIGMETs work, and what CARS 602.11 says about known icing conditions.
Read guide →CAVOK, BECMG, TEMPO, NOSIG — Canadian ICAO-format METARs and TAFs decoded, with a real example and the alternate-determination questions the exam uses.
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