Part 107 test guide
Part 107 test: what's on it, how to register, and how to pass
To fly a drone for work in the U.S. you need a Remote Pilot Certificate, and for most people that means passing the FAA knowledge test called Unmanned Aircraft General, Small (UAG). This page covers the whole path: who qualifies, how to register, what happens on test day, what the questions cover, and how to study for it.
Who needs it and who is eligible
You need a Remote Pilot Certificate to fly under the FAA's Small UAS Rule, 14 CFR part 107. A small unmanned aircraft is anything under 55 pounds at takeoff, counting everything on board or attached.
To be eligible for the certificate under §107.61 you must:
- be at least 16 years old;
- read, speak, write and understand English (the FAA may add operating limitations for a medical exception);
- not know, or have reason to know, of a physical or mental condition that would interfere with safe operation;
- pass the initial knowledge test, or, if you already hold a Part 61 pilot certificate with a current flight review, complete the FAA's training instead.
You can sit the test at 14, but the date of birth on your ID has to show you will reach the certificate's age requirement before your test report expires.
Already a Part 61 pilot? If you hold a certificate other than a student pilot certificate and have a current flight review, you can skip the test. Take the free FAASTeam course "Part 107 Small UAS Initial (ALC-451)", then have your identity verified by a FSDO, a designated pilot examiner, an airman certification representative or a flight instructor. Flight instructors cannot issue temporary certificates.
Step by step: from IACRA to your certificate
- Get an FAA Tracking Number (FTN). Create a profile in IACRA, the FAA's online certification system, before you register for the test. Every applicant has needed an FTN since January 13, 2020, and it is printed on your test report.
- Book the test with PSI. Register, schedule and pay at faa.psiexams.com, or call PSI at 844-704-1487. PSI sets and collects the fee, and it shows you the amount when you book. Cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours before your appointment.
- Take the test. Arrive at least 15 minutes early with valid ID (details below). You get a printed Airman Knowledge Test Report as soon as you finish.
- Apply in IACRA on FAA Form 8710-13. Choose Start New Application, then Application Type "Pilot", Certifications "Remote Pilot", Other Path Information, Start Application. Enter the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID from your report, then sign and submit. The FAA says a passed test can take up to 48 hours to show up in IACRA.
- Pass TSA vetting. The TSA checks every applicant before a temporary certificate is issued. When it's done, IACRA emails you instructions for printing your temporary certificate. It is valid for up to 120 calendar days, or until your permanent certificate arrives.
- Receive the permanent card by mail once the FAA finishes internal processing.
- Carry it when you fly. Keep your certificate and ID physically with you, and show them on request to the FAA, NTSB, TSA or law enforcement. Your aircraft also needs an effective registration and a way to meet Remote ID.
Apply through IACRA rather than on paper. Applicants without a Part 61 certificate who apply on paper don't get a temporary certificate.
Test day
Identification
Bring valid, current ID. PSI requires it to show your photo, date of birth, signature and physical residential address. Its applicant bulletin lists acceptable IDs, including options for non-U.S. citizens and applicants under 18.
What you're handed, and what you can bring
The test center supplies the testing supplement, FAA-CT-8080-2H, which holds the chart and figure pages that questions refer to. You also get a counted number of blank scratch sheets and a writing instrument. The center may also offer a basic calculator, a flight computer, transparent overlays and dry-erase markers. You may not bring your own pens or pencils.
You may bring a plotter, straightedge, protractor, navigation computer, a non-electronic magnifying glass, or a calculator related to the test if the proctor can confirm its memory is erased. The proctor has the final say. Phones, watches, wallets, notebooks, reference material, hats (religious apparel excepted), and coats or shirts with pockets stay outside the room.
The format
| Scored questions | 60, multiple choice, one correct answer each |
|---|---|
| Unscored questions | 5 validation questions, on top of the 60 |
| Time | 120 minutes, which already covers the validation questions |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Endorsement needed | None, including for a retake |
Your test report (AKTR)
The Airman Knowledge Test Report is printed when you finish. A passing report is valid for 24 calendar months for applying for the certificate. It lists the ACS codes of any questions you missed, and you can reprint it from PSI.
If you fail, wait 14 calendar days before retesting and hand the failed report to the testing center. Cheating carries a one-year ban from applying for any certificate or taking any FAA test, and any certificate you hold can be suspended or revoked.
What's on the test
The FAA defines test content in the Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-10B. It splits the knowledge into five areas and gives each a percentage range. PSI's UAG applicant bulletin, effective September 29, 2025, gives a single weight for each area, based on what PSI calls an industry-wide job task analysis completed in 2025.
| Area | ACS range (April 2021) | PSI bulletin (Sept 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| I. Regulations | 15 to 25% | 48% |
| II. Airspace and requirements | 15 to 25% | 20% |
| III. Weather | 11 to 16% | 5% |
| IV. Loading and performance | 7 to 11% | 2% |
| V. Operations | 35 to 45% | 25% |
The two documents conflict. Read them this way: the ACS is the authority on what content can appear, and the PSI bulletin describes how the test is weighted as delivered now. At 48%, regulations are worth almost half the test under PSI's numbers. Weather and loading together come to 7%, but they're still on the test, so don't skip them.
Inside those areas, the FAA lists 13 knowledge topics: regulations, airspace and flight restrictions, weather sources and effects, loading, emergency procedures, crew resource management, radio communications, performance, drugs and alcohol, decision-making, airport operations, maintenance and preflight, and operation at night. Night operations, operations over people and Remote ID were added to the test on April 6, 2021, so study material written before then may leave them out.
Our study guides go topic by topic: the rules cheat sheet, airspace and LAANC, sectional charts, METAR and TAF, and load factor and density altitude.
Update: chart images from October 26, 2026
Announced in the FAA Airman Testing Community Advisory, August 2026.
The test already includes some questions with an image built into the question. Starting October 26, 2026, the FAA will add image-based questions that are not in the testing supplement, drawn from current VFR sectional charts. The FAA's UAG sample in that notice uses the Washington Sectional. The date carries an asterisk noting it was corrected from the advisory's previous edition, so check the latest advisory before your test.
The printed supplement is still handed out, and the FAA has not set a date to remove it. The supplement dates from 2018, though, so from October 26 practise on current charts too, and learn the symbols from the current Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide (effective July 9, 2026). The details are in what changes on October 26, 2026.
Staying current every 24 months
Passing once doesn't cover you forever. To act as remote pilot in command you must have passed the initial test, or completed recurrent training, within the previous 24 calendar months. The clock runs to the end of the month: pass on September 13, 2020, and recurrent training is due by September 30, 2022.
Recurrent training is an online course, not another test. "Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent (ALC-677)" is open to any Part 107 certificate holder. "Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent (ALC-515)" is for Part 107 pilots who also hold a Part 61 certificate with a current flight review. The FAA lists both as no cost. See Part 107 recurrent training for how the dates work.
A study plan
This order follows the current weights, so the heaviest areas get the most hours.
- Get a baseline. Take the free 20-question practice test to see a score for each area before you plan your hours.
- Regulations first. Learn the operating limits with their numbers and units: 400 feet AGL, 87 knots, 3 statute miles visibility, 500 feet below and 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds. Then learn night, operations over people, Remote ID, reporting and waivers.
- Airspace and charts. Know which airspace needs ATC authorization (Class B, C, D and the surface area of Class E around an airport) and how to read floors and ceilings on a sectional. Work through supplement figures, and after October 26, 2026, current sectional excerpts too.
- Operations. Airport operations, radio procedures, crew resource management, decision-making, physiology, and maintenance and preflight.
- Weather and loading. METAR and TAF decoding, density altitude and load factor. These carry fewer points, and the codes are quick to learn with a decoder open. Try the METAR decoder.
- Full timed mocks. Take 60 questions in 120 minutes. After each one, look up the source for every question you missed. Book the test when you score clear of 70% more than once.
If you want the full question bank and chart drills, the trainer is a one-time purchase; see pricing.