I am becoming pretty set on my plan of obtaining my PPL before enrolling at ATP for a variety of reasons. In addition to this, I would like to be able to study for and pass the ground school portion before actually beginning my flight training. I am curious how to go about doing this: do I simply buy books and study on my own time? Can I simply request an exam once I feel adequately prepared? Also, I have heard mention on here of doing this same process with the written exams required by ATP before enrolling. Is this something that is really possible, as in studying for and passing written exams all the way up to your multi-commercial before doing any practical learning past your private license material? Looking forward to any helpful information.
Yes it’s practical and very possible. In fact I (and many ATP students) completed all my FAA writtens prior to starting training. There are any number of books and online courses available to help study. ATP actually uses Sheppard Air’s program. You cannot however just take the exams without an Instructor’s endorsement. If you’re in training you can simply ask your instructor to sign you off (he should ask for some proof you’re ready. ie, passed practice tests). If you hadn’t started training yet most of the courses allow you to submit passed practice tests (with high grades) and they will provide an endorsement as well.
I also took all of my written exams before I started training with ATP. As I had not yet enrolled in ATP’s program I purchased my own study guides. I used the King Schools video series that I purchased used off of eBay. Keep in mind that the results of your written exams are only good for two years, so don’t take them too far in advance.