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I don't recall there being abridged versions of the knowledge test for added CFI ratings when I earned my initial CFI certification such as AIF(flight instructor instrument added rating), and back then I would have had to have taken the full FII(flight instructor instrument initial CFI certification) test.

I could have simply forgotten since 2009.

When did the FAA begin offering added-rating flight instructor knowledge tests?

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    $\begingroup$ In the question above, the missed point is that the abridged tests are for category changes. So an instructor who was only an airplane CFI or who held no instructor certificate with an instrument rating in any category would need to take the full exam for the desired category to add the instrument instructor rating, but for example, a helicopter CFII who was only a fixed-wing CFI who wanted a fixed-wing CFII added to his fixed-wing CFI certificate would only need the AIF(shortened version) for fixed-wing because he already holds an instrument instructor rating in a different category. $\endgroup$
    – Ryan Mortensen
    Commented Feb 3, 2020 at 17:28

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Could you decode your abbreviations for us. I just took all of the tests and I am not familiar with those abbreviations.

Just to clarify for those who are not familiar with the knowledge tests. You need to take the Fundamentals of Instruction knowledge test (FOI) for all of the instructor certificates. You can take the Basic Ground Instructor (BGI) test, Advanced Ground Instructor (AGI), and Instrument Ground Instructor (IGI) if you want to get a Ground instructor certificate. To get your CFI certificate you need to take the Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA) test. CFII requires the AIF. There are separate tests for Sport Pilot Instructors.

If you are adding a rating to an existing certificate, you can take an abbreviated version of the test, e.g. if you already have your CFI Airplane, then you can take the add-on test for gliders and only have to answer 25 questions rather than 100, and the questions will focus on glider operations assuming you already know the rest of the stuff.

Once you have any instructor certificate, you never have to take the Fundamentals of Instruction test again.

I don’t know when the short tests started, but if you look at Order 8080.6D which was published in 2003, you can see that short tests were available then. Since you had your CFI in 2009, you had the option of taking an abbreviated test for your CFII.

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  • $\begingroup$ It's possible to get your initial cfi with FII. Not all cfis would take the FIA. Same for glider, helicopter, etc. as initial CFI. Not to be rude, but none of this answers the specific question posed. $\endgroup$
    – Ryan Mortensen
    Commented Apr 9, 2019 at 18:24
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    $\begingroup$ @RyanMortensen Your question wasn’t particularly clear, but if the question was, "When did the FAA allow short knowledge tests for an add-on rating?", then the answer is, as I said in the post, prior to 2003. $\endgroup$
    – JScarry
    Commented Apr 9, 2019 at 18:42

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