Editorial policy
DPERank publishes first-hand accounts of FAA checkrides with named examiners. Because these pages are about real people, we hold submissions to standards — here is what we publish, what we remove, and how the AI-generated parts work.
What we publish
Reviews and gouges must be first-hand: written by the applicant who took the checkride (or discontinued it). They should describe the experience — oral topics and depth, the flight profile, pacing, fees, logistics, and the examiner's style. Honest negative experiences are welcome; a failed checkride is a valid review.
What we remove
We remove content that is not a first-hand account, personal attacks or harassment, private personal information beyond what the FAA publishes about a designee, provably false factual claims, off-topic disputes, submissions with a conflict of interest (e.g. a competing examiner or a school with a grudge), and anything that violates test security — verbatim question dumps are edited down to topics or rejected.
How moderation works
Reviews publish immediately and can be reported by anyone using the “Report” control on each review; reported reviews are re-checked by a moderator against this policy. Gouges are held in a moderation queue and only feed a study guide after approval. Examiner profile facts can be flagged from the profile itself (“flag incorrect info”).
AI-generated content
Two things on DPERank are AI-generated, and both are labeled. Study guides are synthesized from approved, human-written gouges for one examiner and rating — they aggregate what applicants reported, and cite no facts beyond those submissions. Profile enrichment (like a draft bio) is marked AI-enriched · unverified until confirmed by a moderator or the claimed examiner. AI output is never presented as verified fact.
Test security
Checkrides are graded against the public FAA Airman Certification Standards, and preparing from an examiner's tendencies is normal, ethical preparation. Our boundary: we publish themes and “what to expect,” never verbatim test items or anything presented as leaked answers.
Independence & corrections
Ratings, pass rates, and rankings are computed from submissions and cannot be bought, and examiners cannot pay to remove reviews. Examiners can request corrections or removal and, after claiming their profile, respond to reviews publicly. When we get something wrong, we fix it — see the about page for who is accountable.