I was examined by one of my instructors, a well known industry stalwart, it sure wasn't a gravy train to a PPL ticket by any stretch of the imagination, in fact I was so sure he was going to bust my b@lls that I resigned myself to just enjoying the experience regardless of the outcome.
And yes, he had me drive that sh!tty r22 at its limits throughout most of the test
. I don't want to give the plot away but it really was a great way to bring out one's adaptability at flying on the "limit". I was technically still under supervision but always a gnats d!ck away from failing.
I'm not someone who likes to live in denial and to this day I really appreciate the extensive level of training I'd reached just to get the basic level of PPL.
Compare that to my plank test where I was examined by the then CAA by an official "Examiner of Airmen". He asked me to do a short-field landing and stick it on the runway heading numbers. I turned around and asked him "at the top or at the bottom". The look on his face and the fact that he didn't answer my question gave the game away of how low a standard of student comes through the testing gates. I planted it right in the middle.