Written Test Prep

Scheduling and What to Bring

PSI Services runs FAA airman knowledge testing at approved testing centers. You register and schedule on PSI’s website. If you don’t have an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) yet, create a profile in IACRA before test day. The FTN prints on your test report. Bring current photo ID that shows your date of birth, signature and home address. If your ID has no address, the FAA accepts other proof, such as a utility statement or a signed lease. Bring your test authorization if your test needs one. Most pilot tests need an instructor endorsement or a pilot school graduation certificate. The remote pilot (UAG) and ground instructor tests need none. The FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix lists the rule for every test. Arrive early. Check-in includes a document check before you’re seated.

What an AKTR Actually Tells You

Your Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR) shows your score and a code for each question you missed. It never shows the questions. Which kind of code you get depends on the test. Per the FAA’s September 2026 advisory, 33 of the 91 knowledge tests print Airman Certification Standards (ACS) codes, such as CA.I.A.K1. These include the private, instrument, commercial and remote pilot tests, and the testing matrix shades them blue. The other 58, including the ground instructor tests, print learning statement codes, such as PLT044. You look those up in the FAA’s Learning Statement Reference Guide, not in an ACS. If your certificate has a practical test, keep the original AKTR and bring it to your checkride. The evaluator reviews it during the oral portion and checks the areas you missed. A low area isn’t something to hide. It’s exactly what the examiner will want to talk through. The remote pilot certificate has no checkride. You enter the test’s Exam ID in IACRA instead.

What Happens If You Fail

The retest rule depends on the certificate. Pilot and instructor tests (14 CFR 61.49): there is no waiting period. You can retest once an authorized instructor gives you more training, decides you’re ready, and endorses you. Bring the failed AKTR and that endorsement. The instructor can sign the Authorized Instructor’s Statement on the AKTR itself. Remote pilot test (14 CFR 107.71): you must wait 14 calendar days. No endorsement is needed. Bring the failed AKTR. Mechanic, parachute rigger and dispatcher tests (14 CFR 65.19): you wait 30 days, unless someone who holds the certificate and rating you want signs a statement that they gave you more instruction in each failed subject and consider you ready. Other tests, such as flight engineer and inspection authorization, have their own rules in the testing matrix. There’s no limit on retakes, but you pay the full testing fee every time. Close the gaps your codes point to before you book again.

Time Management Across the Test

Time per question depends on the test. The private, instrument and remote pilot tests give you 60 questions in 2 hours, or 2 minutes each. The commercial and advanced ground instructor tests give you 100 questions in 2.5 hours, or 90 seconds each. The allotted time also covers any unscored validation questions on your test, so plan on a little less than that. Mark anything you’re unsure about and move on rather than getting stuck, then return to marked questions at the end. Running out of time while stuck on one hard question, leaving five easy ones unanswered, is an avoidable way to lose points.

Reading the Question Before the Answers

FAA questions often use qualifying words like "always," "never," or "except" that completely change what’s being asked. Read the full question carefully before looking at answer choices, rather than skimming for keywords and guessing which choice looks familiar.

Process of Elimination on Multiple-Choice Questions

On a 3-option multiple-choice question, one answer is often obviously wrong even if you’re unsure of the exact right answer. Eliminate that one first, then weigh the remaining two carefully. This alone meaningfully improves your odds on questions you’re not fully certain about.

Using the Testing Supplement Effectively

Many questions point to a figure, chart or legend in your test’s testing supplement, a printed book the test center provides. The FAA is moving those images into the questions themselves. The private, commercial, sport, remote pilot, instrument, mechanic, parachute rigger and flight engineer tests already have questions with embedded images. The FAA’s September 2026 advisory adds the flight instructor and ATP tests from October 26, 2026. From the same date, the instrument (IRA) and remote pilot (UAG) tests include images from current sectional, approach and low altitude en route charts that are not in the supplement. The supplement stays at the test center until the FAA sets a removal date and gives notice. So study both. Learn the supplement’s layout and figure numbers, and practice on real, current charts.

Why Memorizing Question Banks Is a Real Risk

The FAA does not publish its live test bank, and periodically retires and replaces questions. Studying to memorize specific question-answer pairs, rather than understanding the underlying concept, leaves you exposed the moment a question is worded differently than you memorized it. It also genuinely leaves you underprepared for the oral portion of your checkride, where an examiner will ask the same concepts in different words.

The Self-Check That Actually Matters

Before test day, ask yourself honestly: could you explain each topic to someone else, not just recognize the right answer on a multiple-choice question? If the answer is genuinely yes across the board, you’re actually ready. If you’re relying on pattern-recognition from repeated practice tests without real understanding, that gap will show up either on test day or, worse, in the airplane.