Part 107 Test / Study guides

Failed the Part 107 test? Here is how to pass the retake

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read · Checked against 14 CFR §107.71 and the FAA's airman testing FAQ

In short: you can retest 14 calendar days after failing (14 CFR §107.71), and you pay the testing fee again. Before you rebook, look at your test report: it lists an ACS code for every topic you got wrong. Those codes are your study plan.

Failing the Part 107 test is common. About 74,000 people took it in 2025 and roughly one in six did not pass. The test is not hard because the rules are complicated. It is hard because many questions make you read a sectional chart or a coded weather report under time pressure, and those are skills, not facts you can memorize. The good news is that the FAA tells you exactly where you lost points.

Step 1: Read your test report (the AKTR)

When you finish, the testing center gives you an Airman Knowledge Test Report. It shows your name, your FAA Tracking Number, your score, and an Airman Certification Standards (ACS) code for each question you answered incorrectly. It does not show the questions themselves. If you lose it, you can print a copy from the PSI website.

Each code points to one item in the Remote Pilot ACS (FAA-S-ACS-10B). Read it from left to right:

Part of the codeExample: UA.III.A.K2
UARemote Pilot, Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
IIIArea of operation III: Weather
ATask A: Sources of weather
K2Knowledge element 2: aviation routine weather reports (METAR)

Look up every code on your report in our list of all Part 107 ACS codes. Write the topics down and count them: if most of your codes start with UA.II or UA.III, your problem is reading charts and reports, not knowing the rules.

Step 2: Book the retest for day 15 or later

Part 107 lets you take the test again 14 calendar days after you fail. If you failed on the 1st, the earliest retest date is the 15th. Book through PSI, the FAA's testing provider, the same way you booked the first attempt. The fee is charged again for every attempt. Keep your failed test report.

Two weeks is enough if you study the right things. If your report lists many codes across every area, give yourself three or four weeks instead.

Step 3: Turn each code into practice

For every code on your report:

  1. Read the source, not a summary. Find the element in the ACS, then read the matching section of the Remote Pilot Study Guide or the regulation itself.
  2. Practice that exact topic. Do 10 to 20 questions on it, and read the explanation even when you get one right. Our free topic tests cover each knowledge area; the app lets you practice by ACS element.
  3. Come back two days later. Redo the questions you missed. If you get them right after a gap, you have learned the idea, not the answer.

The four mistakes behind most failed tests

1. Memorizing answers instead of learning to read the figures

The FAA rewords its questions and changes which part of a chart they ask about. If you learned that "the answer is 1,300 MSL", a new question about a different airport will catch you. Learn the method: how a sectional shows each airspace class, and how each group of a METAR is decoded. Our guides on sectional charts, METARs and TAFs teach exactly that.

2. Mixing up MSL and AGL

Airspace altitudes on charts are above mean sea level. Your 400-foot limit and cloud heights in a METAR are above ground level. Many wrong answers are the right number in the wrong reference.

3. Using the wrong figure

"Refer to Figure 21" means Figure 21, and the question often names an area number on it. Find the numbered marker first, then read the question again.

4. Skipping the small areas

Loading and performance is only 7–11% of the test, but its questions follow one pattern. Ten minutes with the load factor guide is the cheapest way to add points.

Step 4: Know you are ready before you go back

Take full, timed practice exams: 60 questions in 2 hours, mixed across all areas. Wait until you score 85% or better on two of them in a row. That margin covers the questions you have never seen before, and there will be some.

Check yourself

Five questions on the certification rules, including the retest rule from this guide:

Question 1 of 5 · Regulations

An applicant fails the initial remote pilot knowledge test. How soon may they retake it?

  1. AImmediately, with a new endorsement
  2. BAfter 14 calendar days
  3. CAfter 30 calendar days
Show answer

B. After 14 calendar days

An applicant who fails a knowledge test may not reapply for the test for 14 calendar days.

Source: 14 CFR §107.71

Question 2 of 5 · Regulations

To keep exercising the privileges of a remote pilot certificate, what must you have completed within the previous 24 calendar months?

  1. AA flight review with an FAA inspector
  2. BAn initial knowledge test or recurrent training covering the §107.73 knowledge areas
  3. CAt least 10 hours of logged flight time
Show answer

B. An initial knowledge test or recurrent training covering the §107.73 knowledge areas

Recency requires passing the initial knowledge test or completing recurrent training within the previous 24 calendar months. Part 61 pilots with a current flight review may instead complete the §107.74 training.

Source: 14 CFR §107.65

Question 3 of 5 · Regulations

For how long is a temporary remote pilot certificate issued?

  1. AUp to 60 calendar days
  2. BUp to 90 calendar days
  3. CUp to 120 calendar days
Show answer

C. Up to 120 calendar days

A temporary certificate is issued for up to 120 calendar days, until the permanent certificate arrives or the application is denied.

Source: 14 CFR §107.64(a)

Question 4 of 5 · Regulations

You move to a new permanent mailing address. How long can you keep exercising your remote pilot privileges without notifying the FAA?

  1. A30 days
  2. B60 days
  3. CUntil your certificate is renewed
Show answer

A. 30 days

After a change of permanent mailing address, you may not exercise the certificate's privileges beyond 30 days unless you have notified the FAA by letter or through the FAA website.

Source: 14 CFR §107.77(c)

Question 5 of 5 · Regulations

What is the minimum age to be eligible for a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating?

  1. A14 years
  2. B16 years
  3. C18 years
Show answer

B. 16 years

An applicant must be at least 16 years old and able to read, speak, write and understand English.

Source: 14 CFR §107.61(a)

Practice the topics on your report. Every one of the app's 460 questions is tagged with its ACS code, so you can drill exactly what you missed, then prove it on timed mock exams.

Coming soon to iPhone and Android

Sources

Part 107 Test is an independent study aid and is not affiliated with the FAA. Testing fees and procedures are set by the FAA and PSI and can change.