Abstract: A quantitative criterion named time domain Neal-Smith criterion(TDNS) for the evaluation of pilot-induced oscillations (PIO) tendencies in fixed-wing aircraft has been developed. The criterion is formulated in the time-domain to permit evaluation of flight control nonlinearities without assumption or compromise, and explicitly mirrors the frequency-domain Neal-Smith flying qualities criterion through the development of time-domain replicates to the frequency-domain criterion parameters. Category I and II PIO were predicted using TDNS, which is essentially based on the relationship of acquisition time and error signal of the pitch angle tracking in the closed-loop system, based on a certain fighter. The effects of rate limiting to prediction results were analyzed and a method of TDNS calculation was got, in which the root-mean squared pitch tracking error after the acquisition time and its second derivative metric are proposed as a direct indicator of PIO propensity. The results show the method is available, illustrative and efficient.