STALLS IN PPL SKILL TEST

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Regardless of what the SSR technique really is... Look at stalls and stalling in the context of the larger picture of flying, PPL-style.

Unless you are going to fly aerobatics, the only time you should ever come close to the stall (and possibly hear the stall warner), during a normal post-PPL flight, is in the flare, when you are just centimeters from the runway. At any other time, hearing the stall warner or otherwise getting the signals of an impending stall (sloppy controls, high nose attitude, diminishing speed, buffetting, whatnot) is BAD.

What your examiner will want to see most of all is that you are able to recognize the signs of an impending stall, and are able to PROMPTLY recover from that dangerous condition. The examiner may push you a little bit and tell you to ignore the first signs so that you can demonstrate the recovery from an actual stalled condition, but at the end of the day the recognition is key.

So if you end your PPL training, and start your PPL exam, with a healthy respect for the stall, are focused at recognizing the signs of an impending stall, and are able to promptly recover from a near-stalled situation by unloading the wings, you honestly have nothing to worry about.

Sure, you can nitpick about how long you should wait between reducing the AoA and applying full power, but that discussion is only valid in a limited context. How do you think gliders recover from the stall? They don't have any power to add, and only have AoA to play with. And what your instructor might have demonstrated to you (and what may have frightened you) is a full power stall. Again: How do you add more power if you are already at full power?

So, at the first signs of the stall, unload the wings. And if the examiner wants to push you and wants you to ignore the first signs of the stall, then at least verbally name the signs of the stall as soon as you notice (and ignore) them. When the moment to recover is there (and the examiner will tell you what sign to use as your cue), promptly unload the wings, then smoothly apply power (and corresponding rudder) to limit the loss of altitude.