Part 107 test tips from people who passed
What people who passed the Part 107 test actually did, checked against PSI's current topic weights and the October 26, 2026 chart question change.
One person who passed with an 88 wrote in r/Part107 that they had “worried myself sick and studied to the point of exhaustion.” Then: “When I got to the test and saw the first few questions I audibly laughed at myself for beating myself up so hard about this test.”
If you’re looking for Part 107 test tips, that’s a good place to start, because the numbers back it up. In 2025, 73,914 people took the Part 107 test and 82.96% passed. The average score was 79.31%, though, which is less than 10 points above the 70% you need. So most people pass, and plenty of them pass closer to the line than they’d like. In the stories we read, the people who struggled usually got caught by question wording and by studying the wrong topics, more than by not studying at all.
For this guide we read seven detailed public posts from people who took the test between 2024 and 2026, six passes and one fail, plus the advice in their comment threads. Then we checked what they said against the FAA’s and PSI’s own documents.
What people who passed actually did
A few habits showed up again and again.
They booked the date first. The most upvoted post we read came from someone who described themselves as “a horrible test taker” and scheduled the test 10 days out “without having any prior knowledge on the test,” so they’d be forced to study. They scored 93%.
They wrote down every wrong answer. The same person wrote the right answer in their notes each time they missed a practice question, then took full practice tests in the last few days, scoring 70% to 80%. Another person retook any quiz they scored under 85% on. This matches research: a large review of studies found practice tests help people learn more than rereading material.
They studied for days or weeks, not months. The stories we read ran from five days of free resources (90%) to about four weeks (92%), with 10 days and three weeks in between.
Many found the test easier than the practice exams. One commenter scored 73% to 85% on practice tests and 90% on the real thing. Another person finished in about an hour: 45 minutes answering and 15 going back over flagged questions.
Where the points are now
This is the tip most tips pages get wrong. PSI, the company that runs the test for the FAA, changed the topic weights for tests from September 29, 2025, based on a 2025 job task analysis.
| Topic | Share of the test now (PSI) | Older FAA ACS range |
|---|---|---|
| Regulations | 48% | 15-25% |
| Operations | 25% | 35-45% |
| Airspace | 20% | 15-25% |
| Weather | 5% | 11-16% |
| Loading and performance | 2% | 7-11% |
About half the test is now rules. The one failure story we read shows what happens when you study to the old picture. That person expected lots of chart questions and got “only about two map questions, one METAR question, and maybe two or three weather questions. Everything else was rules and regulations.”
What this means for your hours: spend roughly half your study time on regulations. Know the Part 107 rules well enough to explain each one in your own words. Airspace and operations come next. Weather still deserves a few hours, because weather reports look like code until you’ve decoded a few, but at 5% it shouldn’t eat your week. Our Part 107 rules cheat sheet puts every limit and its CFR section on one page.
The wording traps
The failed test-taker said it plainly: “The biggest issue wasn’t that I didn’t know the material,” and then, “it was the way the questions were worded.” Remote ID and other basics “were asked in ways that felt completely different from how I had studied them.”
There’s a reason for that. The FAA doesn’t release live test questions, keeps revising them, and says the order and wording vary from test to test. If you’ve memorized one phrasing of a question, a reworded version can throw you, so aim to understand each rule well enough to recognize it however it’s asked. The FAA’s own test tips say to read each question carefully before looking at the answers, and remember that only one answer is “complete and correct” while the others are “incomplete or erroneous.” Wrong options are often partly true. Our guide to Part 107 practice test questions, explained walks through more of this format with sources.
Here are three examples we wrote to match the FAA’s published test standards, showing the traps. None of them is taken from the test itself.
Trap 1: the answer that’s true for someone else. A question asks whether a drone under 0.55 pounds flown to photograph a listing must be registered. An option saying small drones are exempt sounds right, because it’s true for recreational flyers. Under Part 107 it isn’t: that exception covers only recreational flying.
Trap 2: the incomplete answer. A question asks when a temporary remote pilot certificate stops being valid. “After 120 days” is partly right. The complete answer is that it lasts up to 120 calendar days and also ends when the permanent certificate arrives or if the certificate is denied or revoked.
Trap 3: the extra requirement that sounds responsible. A question asks what you need to retake the test after failing. An option adding an instructor’s sign-off sounds sensible, but none is required. You wait 14 calendar days and bring your failed test report.
One habit from the comments helps with all three: “if you don’t know the answer, note it down and move on.” That person said it lowered their stress and left plenty of time to come back. With two hours for 65 questions, you have time. Each question stands alone, too, so one answer never depends on another.
Charts, and the October 26 change
The test center hands you the printed testing supplement, FAA-CT-8080-2H, which has the chart figures many questions refer to. You can download the same supplement free from the FAA and practice on it.
From October 26, 2026, the test also adds image-based questions from current sectional charts that aren’t in the supplement. The FAA hasn’t set a date to stop handing out the printed book. If your test is on or after that date, practice reading chart excerpts you haven’t seen before. One 2026 test-taker said every figure question on their exam was already shown on the computer screen, which may be a sign of the shift, though that’s one person’s account. Our guides to reading a sectional chart and what changes on October 26 go deeper.
Weather: why it scares people and why it’s 5%
Weather questions ask you to read METAR and TAF reports, which look like code until someone explains them, so the section feels bigger than it is. At 5% of the test, it’s about three questions. Learn to decode a METAR and a TAF with our METAR and TAF guide, learn the handful of weather concepts in the rules, and move on. Loading and performance, at 2%, is similar; the load factor and density altitude guide covers what you need.
Test day at PSI
- Bring: current ID showing your photo, date of birth, signature and residential address.
- Arrive: at least 15 minutes early. A late arrival may not be let in.
- They give you: the testing supplement, scratch paper and something to write with. They may also offer a basic calculator and flight computer.
- You may bring: a plotter, straightedge, a non-electronic magnifying glass and a test-related calculator. The testing software also has a built-in calculator.
- Leave behind: your own pens, watch, wallet, food and drinks. Don’t wear a hat (religious apparel excepted), a hoodie or a shirt with pockets, since any banned item in the room can get your results thrown out.
- Expect: 60 scored questions plus 5 unscored ones the FAA is trying out, in 2 hours, with 70% to pass. An odd-looking question might be one of the unscored ones. One 2026 test-taker reported seeing 70 questions, which doesn’t match PSI’s published format, so go by the bulletin.
If you don’t pass
It happens to about one in six people. Your test report lists codes for the questions you missed, and each one points to a topic in the FAA’s Airman Certification Standards. As one commenter put it, “There are codes on the back that tell you exactly what you missed.” Look each code up, group them by area, and study the biggest groups during the 14-day wait. You don’t need an instructor’s sign-off to retest.
Even if you pass, keep the report. It’s valid for 24 calendar months when you apply for your certificate. Once you’re through, how long it takes to get your Part 107 license covers IACRA, the TSA check and when you can start working.
A two-week plan built from the passers
Assume about an hour a day. Spread it out, since spacing study sessions beats cramming for memory.
- Day 1: take a practice test cold, before studying. Book your test date for about two weeks out.
- Days 2 to 6: regulations. Read each rule, then answer practice questions on it, writing down every miss.
- Days 7 to 9: airspace and chart reading, including one current sectional excerpt you haven’t seen.
- Days 10 to 11: operations, plus a short pass on weather and loading.
- Day 12: a full timed practice test. Study whatever you missed.
- Day 13: reread your wrong-answer notes. Do the three wording traps above again, in your own words.
- Day 14: light review, check your ID, go to bed on time.
The free resources people used are real options: the FAA publishes sample questions, which it says are for study and may not match what’s on the test, and a free study guide, though the guide dates from 2016 and predates newer rules such as Remote ID.
For day 1, take the free practice test. It’s 20 questions with a score by area, so you’ll see right away whether regulations or airspace needs the most time. If you want the full bank afterward, Liftoff has 300+ practice questions and every answer cites its FAA or eCFR source, for $49 once. Here’s what’s included.