Huskie, I agree....
With little typical notice for our check rides, I pretty much enjoyed them because I got to do the stuff I couldn't do without the IP saying to, or to explain what he wanted me to do. made a better day-to-day pilot out of me generally.
What would really grinched me was flying again in the co-pilot seat (left for us in Hueys) after umpteen hundreds of hours in the right as AC -- whole different feel to the situation -- with the Old Man as AC.