Want to nail your next checkride? Avoid making these common mistakes.

1) Rushing an answer.

Don't spit out the first thing that comes to mind. Take an extra second to think about the answer so you don't have to backtrack.

2) Floating on landing.

Why do you float? We have the answer.

3) Failing to stay ahead of the airplane.

If you start to fall behind on a stage check, pull the power back, perform temporary holding, and take a few minutes to get yourself back ahead of the airplane. Struggling to manage the airplane while attempting to perform required tasks is a problem.

4) Rushing in the air.

If an examiner gives you an emergency in the air, treat it like you would in real life. Talk through your analysis of the emergency, calmly run the emergency checklist, and always remember to aviate, navigate, communicate.

5) Failing to verify checklists.

Do your flows how you've been trained to perform them, but always remember to verify each checklist. Failing to use a checklist properly is a great way to end a checkride before it's even really started.

6) Answer the question, and only the question.

Sometimes dragging out a simple answer only leads to confusion, and might prompt the examiner to dig into new topics that you're not confident with. If you can give a simple, clear, accurate answer, that's all you need to do.

If you don't know an answer to a question, say so, then tell the examiner where you can find the answer and ask if they'd like for you to look it up. Don't use this as a crutch, but it's ok to use references occasionally.

7) Bad patterns equal bad landings.

If you have a bad pattern entry and poor speed control, you'll likely have a bad landing. Never be afraid to go-around and give it a second try.

8) You can't "know it all."

Don't walk into a checkride thinking you know it all. Treat every checkride as a learning experience, and take notes on the areas you can improve.

What's the best checkride advice you have? Tell us in the comments below.