The Instructor Examination (IE): What to Expect on Your Final Two Days
It is the moment every PADI Divemaster looking to turn instructor dreams of, and often loses sleep over.
You have spent weeks perfecting your neutral buoyancy. You have memorized the encyclopedia of dive theory. You have survived the grueling, intense, and incredibly rewarding days of your Instructor Development Course (IDC).
Now, there is only one hurdle left between you and your PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor badge: The Instructor Examination (IE).
The IE has a reputation for being terrifying. The idea of an external, official PADI Examiner arriving with a clipboard to judge your every move is enough to give even the most confident diver a spike of anxiety. But the truth is, the IE is surrounded by myths. It is not designed to trick you, embarrass you, or break you down.
For over 25 years, the team at Sierra Madre Divers has been preparing professional candidates for this exact moment. We know exactly what it takes to succeed. To help lower your heart rate and get your head in the game, here is a transparent, step-by-step guide to what actually happens during the final two days of your PADI IE.
The Big Secret: The IE is Not the Hard Part
Before we break down the schedule, you need to internalize this one fact: The IDC is the test. The IE is just a graduation ceremony.
During your IDC with us in Bohol, your Course Director will push you hard. We will throw complex problems at you, demand high scores on your mock exams, and make you repeat skills until they are flawless.
By the time the PADI Examiner arrives, you are already over-prepared. The Examiner is simply there to objectively verify that you meet the global PADI standards. They are not looking for perfection; they are looking for safety, competence, and a positive attitude.
Day 1: Academics and Confined Water
The typical IE runs over two full days, and Day 1 usually tests your foundational knowledge and your controlled environment teaching.
1. The Orientation and Written Exams The morning starts in the classroom. After a friendly orientation where the Examiner will do everything they can to crack jokes and relax the room, you will sit down for two written exams:
- Dive Theory Exams: Five separate exams covering Physics, Physiology, Equipment, Skills & Environment, and the Recreational Dive Planner (RDP).
- PADI Systems, Standards, and Procedures: An open-book exam where you prove you know how to navigate the PADI Instructor Manual.
2. The Knowledge Development Presentation You will be assigned a specific teaching topic (e.g., “Explain the effects of depth on light and color”). You will stand in front of the Examiner and your fellow candidates and deliver a short, structured 5-to-10 minute classroom presentation. If you followed the teaching structure you learned in your IDC, this is an easy win.
3. Confined Water Teaching Presentation Next, you head to the pool or the shallow, pool-like waters off Panglao.
- You will be assigned one specific skill to teach (like mask clearing or hovering).
- Your fellow candidates will act as your “students.”
- The Examiner will secretly assign one of your “students” to make a specific, common mistake during the skill.
- Your job is to brief the skill, demonstrate it flawlessly, watch your students perform it, catch the mistake, and gently correct it.
4. The Skill Circuit While in the confined water, you will also be asked to demonstrate a randomized circuit of 5 core scuba skills from the Open Water course. The Examiner is looking for slow, exaggerated, “demonstration-quality” movements.
Day 2: Open Water and Rescue
Day 2 takes you out onto the boats to prove you can handle real-world ocean environments.
1. Open Water Teaching Presentation Out on one of Bohol’s local reefs, you will conduct two open water teaching presentations. This is similar to the confined water section, but focuses on controlling your students in an open environment. Again, your “students” will make pre-assigned mistakes, and you must catch them while maintaining overall group safety, proper positioning, and environmental awareness.
2. The Rescue Evaluation (Exercise 7) This is often the most physically demanding part of the IE. You will be asked to demonstrate Rescue Exercise 7: “Unresponsive Diver at the Surface.” You must locate a simulated unconscious diver, turn them over, establish buoyancy, perform continuous rescue breaths while towing them a specific distance, and expertly remove their equipment—all while projecting a loud, commanding voice.
Demystifying the PADI Examiner
The biggest myth of the IE is that the Examiner is a ruthless judge looking for a reason to fail you.
The reality is that PADI Examiners are passionate, highly experienced dive professionals who desperately want you to pass. They are incredibly supportive. If you stumble on a presentation or forget a step, they won’t immediately fail you. You are almost always given a chance for a “makeup” attempt on another skill or presentation.
They know you are nervous. They factor that in. They just want to ensure that if they were to send their own family member to take an Open Water course with you, they would be safe and well-taught.
Trust Your Training
When you wake up on the morning of your IE in Bohol, remember that you have done the work. You have put in the hours, you have read the manuals, and you have practiced the skills until they became second nature. Trust the training you received.
If you are ready to take on the ultimate challenge and earn your place as a PADI Professional, contact Sierra Madre Divers today. Let our decades of experience guide you smoothly through your IDC and confidently into your Instructor Examination.
