If I remember correctly, there were three or four writtens, and they were just like all FAA, most anyway, writtens. The oral and pratical are actually given simultanously and is the easiest of all of the tests. In my opinion your nuts if you don't pay for and take the prep classes, especially when you go for your IA. After you have been an A&P for a while, your eligable for your IA. That's when you can do yourself the most good.
If you plan on really sticking with this airplane thing, your crazy not to get your A&P/IA. You might could get hangar space for free etc. You may also lose a friend or two that are trying to make a living out of being an A&P. I think you also might have a huge liability issue as well that I don't know how to handle. I'm sure there is insurance, but I don't know where and how much. I also don't know if you can protect yourself by forming some kind of company etc. , but I am interested if anyone knows.
I would put the A&P thing right behind getting your instrument ticket.

The last guy I knew that used practical experience as a qualifier was told by the FSDO that they would not do anymore unless it was a certified school. Same old stuff, every FSDO making their own rules.
The IA is the really good one to have especially when it comes to old fabric airplanes that require some special skills.

I just recommended a friend for his tests... so far he's passed the general and airframe and takes the powerplant written next week. That's out of Denver.
John

Best thing about being a IA is guaranteed employment. You have a captive audience. Everybody needs a annual. Unless your fortunate enough to have a experimental.

I don't necessarily want to make a living (if you can call it that) as an A&P but I would be interested in suggestions on how to get one and books/ study material that you’ all like.

sstjames wrote:

I would put the A&P thing right behind getting your instrument ticket.

What would you recommend? Going to a school or working to gain experience?

However you can get it done, I didn't go to a school so I can't tell you if a school is better or not. The most important thing is to not let yourself get in over your head. That's easier to do than you might think, no one knows everything.

sstjames wrote:I don't necessarily want to make a living (if you can call it that) as an A&P but I would be interested in suggestions on how to get one and books/ study material that you’ all like.

ASA sells a book called FARAMT that is about the best single source of maintenance regs the I have seen. There are I'm sure better, but I don't know of any. I subscribe to Tdata IApproach for AD searches etc. You do not need to subscribe to a service until after you get your IA in my opinion. Doing so now would be a waste of money. Again an opinion.

I got my A&P in the late sixties. I went to Iowa Western Community College right out of highschool to get it. I worked the summer after I graduated from Iowa Western, working for a spraying outfit, but when the summer was over, I was looking the draft straight in the eye. I joined the Navy, served four years, then went on to college, and a different career. I retired two years ago, and went back to being an A&P part time. Nothing has changed. I'm working on the same planes, with most of the same technology, and other than avionics, it is just like I stepped back three decades. The pay sucks, and if I didn't have a pension I would be living in a trailer for what I get paid an hour. I don't know how the full timers do it. If you want to be an A&P, you will need to buy many thousands of dollars worth of your own tools before you even start working. That said, right now I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have a reason to hang out at the airport, I get a discount on plane rental, and I have access to five planes that I am checked out in. One of the planes has STOL capabilities, and I think that I am the only one that flies it. If you do get an A&P, unless you work under the umbrella of an FAA certified repair station, you are limited in what you can do. You can't even sign off your own annual without the IA.