The cognitive screening process is long. It can take an entire day to complete with multiple personality interviews, computerized tests that strain your process

The cognitive screening process is long. It can take an entire day to complete with multiple personality interviews, computerized tests that strain your processing and reaction time, and a whole slew of other memory and attention tasks. It's a lot for anyone, and putting teenagers through it is cruel. Apparently the FAA is acutely aware of this, in light of a growing shortage of pilots in the pipeline and huge demand from the airlines. It would be more reasonable to use the recommendations of your local CFI and flight school to decide if you have the cognitive skills to fly solo, compared to a neuropsychologist sitting in an office. Hopefully this begins to change soon. What's really ironic is that once you've passed the certification and are sitting in the cockpit, you can have all the caffeine you want. But time-release ADHD medications are a no-no.