Busted IFR Checkride

Well, Jon, it's clear to me that you must have done a LOT of things right
for the ride, since the holding pattern was the only thing that nipped
you...

Adding the final touches to your holding pattern technique, should be a lot
easier, now that you can devote your time with your instructor just working
on holding patterns (i.e., since you passed all the rest, there will be no
need to practice them again for the follow-up checkride).

First of all, I don't mean to be critical of Jon, his instructor, or others
who have posted on this thread. However, I don't necessarily agree with the
recommendation to just brush up on holds and then take the checkride again.
When I was a new CFI working at a Part 141 school, I had an instrument student
who was a nice guy and serious pilot, but had a little more trouble than most
getting all the IFR stuff together. Eventually, we completed the syllabus.
On his final stage check, he messed up the NDB approach but was OK on
everything else. We reviewed the ADF, he redid the NDB part of the stage
check and passed, and I signed him off for the check ride, which he then
failed for something unrelated to ADF. At that point, I realized that when
he blew the NDB approach, it wasn't a problem with the ADF, but a general
problem with situational awareness and keeping on top of things. After quite
a bit more instruction, he eventually passed.

Based on this experience, I caution Jon to make sure that his bad holding
pattern is not a symptom of other, more general problems. Remember that the
checkride is not comprehensive, but just a spot check; the fact that many
things went well doesn't prove that everything is OK. If Jon's CFII is an
experienced instrument instructor and has a lot of instrument rating
endorsements under his belt, then he will probably know if Jon's problem on
the checkride was just a glitch. In this case, it might be OK to just review
holds, and then complete the checkride. However, if the CFII has little
experience, or if he is experienced and not completely confident in Jon's
proficiency level, then I suggest spending at least several hours reviewing
all elements of the PTS, possibly with a more experienced instructor. Sure,
at this point you mainly want to get the checkride behind you, but make sure
that you're not ignoring a warning that the holding pattern might be giving
you.

Good luck.

Barry