The FAA’s initial Part 107 knowledge test is the Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG): 60 multiple-choice questions, two hours and a 70% passing score. Prepare across all five official subject areas, practise reading the FAA’s chart supplement, and check whether the initial test or the existing-pilot route applies to you.
Do you need the initial UAG test?
First-time remote pilot applicants normally take the UAG knowledge test. An alternative training route applies to eligible existing Part 61 pilots.
The existing-pilot route requires a Part 61 pilot certificate other than a student pilot certificate and a current flight review. It uses the FAA’s Part 107 Small UAS Initial course and application process. Follow the FAA’s route-specific instructions before paying to schedule a test.
The Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards (ACS), FAA-S-ACS-10B, supplies the knowledge-test outline. Its April 2021 effective date does not by itself make it obsolete: it remains listed on the FAA’s current ACS page.
Official sources used: FAA Remote Pilot Small UAS Airman Certification Standards 10B — FAA-S-ACS-10B, effective April 6, 2021; Airman Certification Standards | Federal Aviation Administration — ACS index listing FAA-S-ACS-10B; Become a Certificated Remote Pilot | Federal Aviation Administration — FAA remote pilot eligibility and process page; eCFR :: 14 CFR 107.61 -- Eligibility. (FAR 107.61) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-107/subpart-C/section-107.61
Check eligibility, booking and retake rules
You may take the UAG test from age 14, but you must be at least 16 to qualify for the Remote Pilot Certificate.
Certificate eligibility also includes English-language ability and being in a physical and mental condition to operate a small UAS safely. Read the FAA’s full conditions, including any applicable exception, before applying.
Create an IACRA profile to obtain your FAA Tracking Number (FTN), then schedule through PSI. Check the accepted identification requirements and current fee when booking. The test allows two hours for 60 questions and requires at least 70% to pass.
No instructor endorsement is required to take UAG. After a failed attempt, wait 14 calendar days before retesting and present the failed Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR) as instructed. The FAA matrix says no instructor endorsement is required for that retest either.
Official sources used: FAA Remote Pilot Small UAS Airman Certification Standards 10B — FAA-S-ACS-10B, effective April 6, 2021; Become a Certificated Remote Pilot | Federal Aviation Administration — FAA remote pilot eligibility and process page; FAA current testing matrix — UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS; eCFR :: 14 CFR 107.61 -- Eligibility. (FAR 107.61) — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-F/part-107/subpart-C/section-107.61
What does the test cover?
Use the five subject areas and the detailed ACS knowledge elements to check your preparation. Operations has the largest published weight range.
These are ranges, not a guaranteed question count for each subject. Compare the outline with your practice results and revisit the specific elements behind your mistakes.
| Subject area | Weight range | Preparation focus |
|---|---|---|
| Regulations | 15–25% | Part 107 rules, remote pilot responsibilities and operating limitations |
| Airspace and requirements | 15–25% | Airspace classification, charts, restrictions and operating requirements |
| Weather | 11–16% | Weather information, interpreting reports and effects on small UAS performance |
| Loading and performance | 7–11% | Loading, balance and factors affecting performance |
| Operations | 35–45% | Communication, airport operations, emergency procedures, decisions, physiology, maintenance and inspection |
Official sources used: FAA Remote Pilot Small UAS Airman Certification Standards 10B — FAA-S-ACS-10B, effective April 6, 2021
Chart practice: distinguish a dashed line from shading
On FAA sectional charts, a magenta dashed line depicts Class E surface airspace. A magenta vignette—the shaded band—depicts a Class E floor 700 feet above the ground.
The July 2026 FAA Chart Users’ Guide also explains that a blue vignette marks floors other than 700 feet where they adjoin uncontrolled Class G airspace. Colour alone is insufficient: read the symbol, floor, notes and the chart legend.
The exercise below identifies a chart depiction. It does not establish permission for a real flight. Study the applicable operating requirements and use current charts and notices for actual operations.
Worked example
An educational sectional-chart example shows a magenta shaded vignette, rather than a magenta dashed boundary. Which Class E floor does that vignette indicate? A) At the surface B) 700 feet above ground level C) Always 700 feet above mean sea level
Show answer
B) 700 feet above ground level.
The FAA Chart Users’ Guide identifies the magenta vignette with a floor 700 feet above the ground. The magenta dashed line is the surface-airspace symbol, so A confuses two different depictions. C substitutes mean sea level for above ground level; those altitude references are not interchangeable. This answer classifies the stated symbol only.
Official sources used: FAA Remote Pilot Small UAS Airman Certification Standards 10B — FAA-S-ACS-10B, effective April 6, 2021; FAA Aeronautical Chart Users Guide, July 9, 2026 — Class E Surface (SFC) Airspace is symbolized
Use the FAA’s study and sample materials together
Start with the ACS, then work through the references and the FAA’s public UAG sample questions. When a question refers to a figure, use the referenced testing supplement.
The sample-question document links FAA-CT-8080-2H, the knowledge testing supplement. Practise navigating its figures as well as answering text-only questions. Check which chart detail, report or rule supports your choice.
For topics such as inspection, weather or emergency procedures, a syllabus heading tells you what to study. Use the appropriate FAA reference and applicable manufacturer information for the actual procedure; a short preparation guide cannot supply every operating rule.
As a study habit, record the missed ACS element, why your answer failed and the reference you used to correct it. Practise under the time limit once you can explain your answers.
Official sources used: FAA Remote Pilot Small UAS Airman Certification Standards 10B — FAA-S-ACS-10B, effective April 6, 2021; FAA official UAG sample questions and live test length — https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/training_testing/testing/test_questions/uag_questions.pdf
What happens after you pass?
A passing knowledge-test result is part of the certification process. Complete the Remote Pilot Certificate application in IACRA and follow the FAA’s remaining steps.
First-time applicants use Form 8710-13 and their Knowledge Test Exam ID. The FAA describes the TSA security background check and subsequent temporary-certificate process. Keep your AKTR: the ACS states that a passing result is valid for 24 calendar months for the certificate application.
Once certificated, aeronautical knowledge recency is a separate requirement. To operate under Part 107, complete the applicable online recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months. The FAA offers ALC-677 at no cost to Part 107 certificate holders, with an alternative ALC-515 course for those who also meet the current Part 61 conditions.
Recurrent training addresses knowledge recency. You must still comply with the other applicable requirements for each operation.
Official sources used: FAA Remote Pilot Small UAS Airman Certification Standards 10B — FAA-S-ACS-10B, effective April 6, 2021; Become a Certificated Remote Pilot | Federal Aviation Administration — FAA remote pilot eligibility and process page
Your preparation checklist
Choose the right certification route, then prepare with the current official materials.
- Confirm initial-test eligibility or the existing-pilot alternative.
- Obtain your FTN and verify booking and identification details.
- Review all five areas and the detailed ACS elements.
- Practise with the official figures and complete answer explanations.
- Check chart symbols and altitude references carefully.
- Plan the application steps after passing and keep your test report.
Official sources used: FAA Remote Pilot Small UAS Airman Certification Standards 10B — FAA-S-ACS-10B, effective April 6, 2021; Become a Certificated Remote Pilot | Federal Aviation Administration — FAA remote pilot eligibility and process page; FAA current testing matrix — UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS; FAA official UAG sample questions and live test length — https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/training_testing/testing/test_questions/uag_questions.pdf
Official sources used
Key facts verified against FAA sources:
- FAA Remote Pilot Small UAS Airman Certification Standards 10B
- Airman Certification Standards | Federal Aviation Administration
- Become a Certificated Remote Pilot | Federal Aviation Administration
- Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) | Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA current testing matrix
- FAA official UAG sample questions and live test length
- FAA Aeronautical Chart Users Guide, July 9, 2026
- eCFR :: 14 CFR 107.61 -- Eligibility. (FAR 107.61)