830 FAA-published questions · 9 tests · free, no signup
FAA Written Test Questions with Answers
The FAA has published 830 knowledge test questions that anyone can study: its official August 2021 sample tests and its 2008 Private Pilot bank. Here they are by test, each with the correct answer, a plain-English explanation and the 14 CFR, AIM or handbook source. Every FAA knowledge test has three answer choices per question and needs 70% to pass.
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FAA test questions by exam
| Test | Code | Questions | Time | Pass | FAA questions here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Pilot | PAR | 60 | 120 min | 70% | 395 |
| Instrument Rating | IRA | 60 | 120 min | 70% | 91 |
| Commercial Pilot | CAX | 100 | 150 min | 70% | 45 |
| ATP | ATM | 125 | 210 min | 70% | 84 |
| Flight Instructor | FIA | 100 | 150 min | 70% | 131 |
| Private Pilot Helicopter | PRH | 60 | 120 min | 70% | 49 |
| Part 107 | UAG | 60 | 120 min | 70% | 40 |
| Aircraft Dispatcher | ADX | 80 | 210 min | 70% | 35 |
Format: FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix. Each exam page links the source for every figure.
Are these the questions on the real test?
No one can honestly promise that. The FAA keeps the questions on the live knowledge tests confidential and rewrote its private and instrument questions to match the Airman Certification Standards. What it does publish are sample questions, and those are what you see here: the FAA's own wording, with the FAA's own figures.
That makes them the best free material there is for one thing: learning how the FAA asks. The live test checks the same regulations, the same chart symbols and the same weather products in the same three-choice format. If you understand why each answer is right, a reworded question on test day is the same question.
How each answer was checked
The FAA publishes questions without an answer key. For every question we worked out the answer from the current text of 14 CFR, the Aeronautical Information Manual and the FAA handbooks, wrote why the other two choices are wrong, and named the source so you can check it.
Questions from the older 2008 bank whose answer no longer holds under today's rules were left out rather than patched. If you spot an error, tell us and it gets fixed on the page.
The airspace every FAA test asks about, in 3D
Airspace shows up on the Private, Instrument, Commercial and Part 107 tests alike. This is the classic "wedding cake": which class starts where, and which ones need a clearance or ATC authorization.
| Class | Vertical limits | To fly VFR in it |
|---|---|---|
| Class A | 18,000 ft MSL up to and including FL600 | IFR only: instrument rating and IFR clearance (14 CFR 91.135) |
| Class B | Surface to 10,000 ft MSL (typical), upside-down wedding cake | ATC clearance to enter; private pilot certificate or student endorsement (91.131) |
| Class C | Surface to 4,000 ft AGL in a 5 NM core; 10 NM shelf from 1,200 ft AGL (typical) | Two-way radio communication established before entering (91.130) |
| Class D | Surface to 2,500 ft AGL (typical); charted ceiling in feet MSL | Two-way radio communication established before entering (91.129) |
| Class E | From the surface, 700 ft AGL or 1,200 ft AGL up to but not including 18,000 ft MSL; and above FL600 | No ATC contact required for VFR; VFR weather minimums apply (91.155) |
| Class G | From the surface up to the floor of the overlying Class E | No ATC contact required; VFR weather minimums apply (91.155) |
FAA test questions: FAQ
Are these the real FAA knowledge test questions?
They are real FAA questions in the sense that the FAA wrote and published them: the official sample tests it posted in August 2021 and the Private Pilot question bank it released in 2008, reproduced word for word with the official figures. The questions on the live test are confidential, so nobody can honestly promise the exact questions you will see. The FAA does not publish answers; every answer here was worked out from current regulations and FAA handbooks, and each explanation cites its source.
How many FAA test questions are on this site?
830 different FAA-published questions across the Private Pilot, Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, ATP, Flight Instructor, Part 107, Private Pilot Helicopter and Aircraft Dispatcher tests. Some questions appear on more than one test. Each exam page shows up to 60 of them with answers in the page.
What score do you need to pass an FAA knowledge test?
70% on every FAA airman knowledge test (FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix). Many instructors look for 80% or more on fresh practice questions before they endorse you to test.
How many answer choices do FAA knowledge test questions have?
Three (A, B and C). Every question in the FAA's 2021 sample tests has exactly three choices, and so does every question on these pages.
Where do the charts and figures come from?
From the FAA airman knowledge testing supplements (for example FAA-CT-8080-2H for Private Pilot and Part 107). They are public domain and you get the same booklet at the testing center. The 3D airspace and chart diagrams on these pages are our own explanations, not test figures.
Written and reviewed by Renzo Madueño
Former Airbus A320 First Officer (Avianca), FAA commercial pilot · Founder, Rotate Pilot
The questions are the FAA's own words. The FAA does not publish an answer key, so each answer here was worked out against the regulations and handbooks in force today, and every explanation names its source so you can check it yourself. Questions whose answer changed with newer rules were left out. Found something wrong? Tell us and we fix it.
Last reviewed . Rotate Pilot is independent and not affiliated with the FAA, PSI or any aviation authority.