I`m a year past my PPL now and had 25 hours flying after getting the licence, I found myself with an 8 week gap during the summer (due to holidays, bad weather etc).

There was no way after that 8 week gap that I`d have gone up without an instructor, I just wanted to be sure that there were no bad habits that had crept in.

My solution turned out to be to start IMC training. In reality, there were no issues at all with my flying after the gap, everything fitted into place fine.

What I have found though that with 5 hours IMC training so far that my skill and confidence have come on leaps and bounds, its really given me a whole new view on it all.

During my IMCr training there were a couple of points where I was "current" according to club rules, because I'd been flying quite recently ... but actually this was all in crap weather, eg way beyond my crosswind limit or at night, and the instructor had done all the landings!

Normally being club current (at my club) guarantees compliance with the 90 day rule for taking passengers, but on these occasions I was club current but waaay outside the 90 day rule.

Also consider that there are different types of check rides. Ive known some schools/clubs do the absolute minimum, no EFATO or mention of emergency procedures or airmanship, they just want to establish you wont break the nosewheel.

In aviation some of the best and most valuable lessons are learnt away from the aircraft so dont forget to revist the text books occasionaly too.