flying

Statistically speaking, PPL checkrides have an ~75% pass rate in the US[1]. You likely hear more about the failures than the passes because aside from the people making celebratory posts, the people looking for advice on their failure will be more visible than those who pass and silently move on to what's next.

Are there no written exams there, just these questions? Or is it both?

It's both. There's a written (well, computer taken now) test that you take in advance of your checkride.

I heard that there is a long oral questions part where the examiner quizzes you on the theoretical parts before you even start to brief the flight, much less get in the cockpit.

The practical test is comprised of an oral test with the examiner before getting in the plane. Examiners will have their own set of questions to run through for this in addition to focusing on topics you missed on the written test (if any). The length of the oral will again depend on the examiner. In general, the examiner has a large amount of discretion to make the checkride much easier or harder on you and selecting the right examiner is quite important for your checkride. This is because DPEs (designated pilot examiners) are not FAA employees, and yes, there's a lot of controversy over how this system works.

Do you need to know what every FAR regulates?

It's not reasonable to expect someone to have memorized all of the FARs, but you should be familiar enough with them that if given the book you could look up and interpret the regulations to answer a given question. Many examiners will allow you look up a FAR as needed during the oral exam to demonstrate this skill.

I frequently see Americans referencing FARs alongside their numbers as if they had an index in their head lol

I think that's mainly from people on the internet citing the FARs to backup their comments (which is great, cited comments are always wonderful IMO) after having looked something up. I'd be surprised if any pilots other than CFIs who are constantly talking with students about certain regs have these numbers truly memorized.

1. https://generalaviationnews.com/2023/05/02/pass-rates-on-pilot-practical-tests-trend-down/

I can’t compare to EASA but it’s not too bad.

There is one written exam for each certificate (PPL, Instrument, Commercial etc). These are largely memorization exercises and I used to recommend people get them out or the way ASAP during their training so they could focus on the practical exams.

Practical exams are two parts; oral and flight.

The oral exam typically lasts about an hour. I wouldn’t say you’re quizzed but the evaluator is trying to make sure you have a real understanding (not just rote) of your plane, the NAS and above all can make good, safe, decisions. The flying portion is also about an hour and covers all the required maneuvers from ACS/PTS.