Start with the making sure the student has the gimme's down pat
- Knows the ACS
- Knows the privileges of the license being sought
- Knows the limitations section in the POH
- Knows how to prove the airplane is airworthy
- Knows how each airplane system works and can answer questions on system malfunctions
- Knows how to provide a weather briefing
- Knows how to calculate performance from POH data (eg takeoff and landing distance, cruise performance etc)
As a pilot examiner it is distressing when I see candidates that were obviously not well prepared to answer even basic questions