Well, today I took all three instrument writtens (IRA, FII, IGI) and passed them all, with a 92 on the instrument rating-airplane exam! I have only the CFI exam left, which looks simple compared to the instrument material, and especially since I have already taken the commercial written. I took the IGI as an extra, ATP does not require it. I'll also be taking the AGI along with the CFI.
I received my books a little over a month ago. I began with memorizing the Seminole supplement, then moved into instrument stuff. There is just so much new stuff to learn for the instrument exam, and last week, when I made that original post, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. I used the King CD-ROM course, but found the Jepp I/C book and Gleim software to be the most effective. The King software was useful for some of the topics I had difficulty with, such as holding pattern entries and primary/supporting instruments.
Six months should be very adequate, but get them out of the way. Also remember some exams are similar-IRA & FII from the same question pool, and CFI and CAX are very similar. The FOI is a joke and I advise getting that one out of the way first. ATP also has a Seminole audio review in MP3 format on their webpage. It was very helpful in memorizing all the v-speeds, procedures, etc.
I think the effort was worth it, as I expect the ATP program to be busy but I desire some free time. I would also like to just focus on flying. Now I am really looking forward to the program. Anybody interested in buying a slightly used King CD-ROM course ?