What is a Part 107 Study Guide?
A Part 107 study guide is a plan for preparing for the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft General (UAG) knowledge exam, the test you pass to earn a Remote Pilot Certificate unless you qualify for the FAA's training route for certificated pilots. The exam has five content areas: regulations, operations, airspace, weather, and loading and performance. Since September 29, 2025, regulations make up 48% of the questions, so a good study plan starts there.
Passing the FAA Part 107 exam takes more than reading the rule once. A Part 107 study guide turns a wide range of aviation topics into a plan that matches how the exam is actually weighted. Whether you have four weeks or one, the plans below put your time where the questions are.
The Part 107 certification opens the door to commercial drone work. This guide covers the exam format, study plans for different timelines, a strategy for each content area, free FAA resources, and the rules for test day. Facts about the exam come from the FAA, the Code of Federal Regulations, and PSI, the FAA's testing vendor. The study plans and tips are our own suggestions, and we label them that way.
Understanding the Part 107 exam
The Part 107 knowledge test is given at FAA-approved PSI testing centers. Its official name is Unmanned Aircraft General, Small (UAG). The format below comes from the FAA's testing matrix and PSI's applicant bulletin, and the fee from the FAA's own FAQ.
Exam format and specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Questions | 60 scored multiple-choice questions with three options each, plus 5 unscored validation questions |
| Time allowed | 120 minutes for all 65 questions |
| Passing score | 70% (42 of the 60 scored questions) |
| Test fee | About $175, according to the FAA |
| Minimum age | 14 to take the test, 16 to receive the certificate |
| Language | You must be able to read, speak, write, and understand English to receive the certificate |
| Staying current | The certificate does not expire, but you need recurrent training (or another qualifying test or course) within the previous 24 calendar months to use it |
With 65 questions in 120 minutes, you have a little under two minutes per question.
From October 26, 2026, some questions can also show images from current FAA charts that are not in the printed testing supplement. Our Part 107 practice test explains that change, with free sample questions and the FAA source for every answer.
Subject area breakdown
PSI builds every exam to a blueprint that the FAA adopted on September 29, 2025. It replaced the older percentage ranges printed in the Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-10B).
| Content area | Share of questions | About this many of 60 |
|---|---|---|
| Regulations | 48% | 29 |
| Operations | 25% | 15 |
| Airspace classification and operating requirements | 20% | 12 |
| Weather | 5% | 3 |
| Loading and performance | 2% | 1 |
Regulations alone are nearly half the exam, and regulations plus airspace make up 68%. Understanding different types of airspace and airspace requirements for drones still matters, because airspace questions often depend on reading a chart correctly.
What makes the exam challenging
The FAA's official sample questions show the mix you can expect: rule questions, weather and performance questions, and chart questions that refer to figures in the testing supplement. In our view, three things make the exam harder than a list of numbers suggests.
First, many questions ask you to apply a rule to a situation, such as whether a flight in Class C airspace needs ATC authorization, rather than recite a definition.
Second, chart questions ask you to find an airport, read its symbols, and work out the airspace and what you need to fly there. From October 26, 2026, some of those images may come from charts you have not seen before.
Third, each question has three options, and the FAA's test tips note that only one is complete and correct while the others are incomplete or wrong. Read every option before you choose.
Part 107 study guide: Creating your study plan
The plans below are our suggestions, not FAA requirements. Each one starts with regulations, the largest area at 48% of the exam, and gives weather and loading, the two smallest areas, the least time. Adjust the split to your own weak spots.
4-week comprehensive plan (recommended for beginners)
This plan suits candidates new to aviation who want time for review and practice testing.
Week 1: Regulations
- Days 1-2: Read 14 CFR Part 107 from start to finish
- Days 3-4: Study the operating limits, remote pilot in command responsibilities, registration, and accident reporting
- Days 5-6: Study waivers, operations over people, and Remote ID requirements
- Day 7: Take a regulations practice quiz and check every missed answer against the rule
Week 2: Airspace and charts
- Days 1-2: Learn the airspace classes (Class D, Class E, Class G) and which ones need authorization
- Days 3-4: Practice on a current sectional chart using the FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide
- Days 5-6: Study LAANC authorization, prohibited and restricted areas, and temporary flight restrictions
- Day 7: Chart practice with sample questions
Week 3: Operations, weather, and performance
- Days 1-3: Study emergency procedures, crew resource management, radio procedures, airport operations, decision making, physiology, and maintenance
- Days 4-5: Learn to decode METARs and TAFs and how weather affects performance
- Day 6: Review weight and balance, load factor, and density altitude
- Day 7: Take a practice quiz covering all three areas
Week 4: Practice tests and weak area review
- Days 1-2: Take a full-length practice exam and identify weak areas
- Days 3-4: Focus on your lowest-scoring topics
- Days 5-6: Take a second full practice exam and review every missed question
- Day 7: Light review and rest before exam day
2-week intensive plan
This plan works for candidates with some aviation background, or anyone who can study several hours a day.
Days 1-4: Regulations Cover all of Part 107, including operating limits, waivers, operations over people, Remote ID, and visual line of sight requirements.
Days 5-7: Airspace and charts Practice identifying airspace on a current sectional chart and working out when you need authorization.
Days 8-10: Operations Study emergency procedures, crew resource management, airport operations, decision making, and physiology.
Days 11-12: Weather, loading, and performance Decode METARs and TAFs, and review density altitude, weight and balance, and load factor.
Days 13-14: Practice tests and weak areas Take full-length practice exams, review every incorrect answer, and go back to the rule behind each one.
1-week crash course (experienced aviation background)
This plan suits candidates who already know aviation basics, such as student pilots or aviation maintenance technicians. Two groups don't need the exam at all. If you hold a Part 61 pilot certificate other than a student pilot certificate and meet the flight review requirements, you can complete the FAA's online initial training for pilot certificate holders instead. If you already hold a remote pilot certificate, you stay current with the free online recurrent training.
Days 1-2: Part 107 rules Read all of Part 107, focusing on where drone rules differ from what you already know. Regulations are 48% of the exam.
Day 3: Airspace and charts Practice with sectional charts and drone authorization requirements, which differ from manned aircraft rules.
Day 4: Operations, weather, and performance Review emergency procedures, crew resource management, airport operations, METAR decoding, and density altitude.
Days 5-6: Practice tests Take timed practice exams and close any gaps they reveal.
Day 7: Final review Review difficult topics, check your ID and appointment details, and rest.
Daily study session template
Whichever plan you follow, we suggest structuring each session like this:
- Review (10 minutes): Go over material from the previous session
- New material (30-40 minutes): Study new content and take notes
- Practice questions (15-20 minutes): Apply what you learned
- Review mistakes (10 minutes): Work out why each wrong answer was wrong
Subject-by-subject study strategies
Each section below gives the content area's share of the exam and what to study for it.
Regulations: the largest exam component (48%)
The standards split regulations into general rules, operating rules, remote pilot certification, waivers, operations over people, and Remote ID. Part 107 rules divide into numbers to memorize and concepts to apply.
Numbers to memorize:
- Maximum altitude: 400 feet AGL, or up to 400 feet above a structure's immediate uppermost limit when within 400 feet of it
- Maximum groundspeed: 87 knots (100 mph)
- Minimum flight visibility: 3 statute miles from the control station
- Cloud clearance: 500 feet below, 2,000 feet horizontally
- Aircraft weight: less than 55 pounds at takeoff, everything on board included
- Minimum age: 16 for the certificate (14 to take the test)
- Accident reporting: within 10 calendar days of serious injury, loss of consciousness, or damage to property other than the drone over $500 (repair cost, or fair market value if destroyed)
- Knowledge recency: recurrent training (or another qualifying test or course) within the previous 24 calendar months
- Change of address: after 30 days, you may not exercise certificate privileges until you notify the FAA
- Alcohol: not within 8 hours of a drink, not while under the influence, and not with an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more (grams per deciliter of blood, or per 210 liters of breath)
Concepts to understand:
- Visual line of sight and the role of a visual observer
- The four operations over people categories
- Which rules can be waived, and which cannot, such as the ban on carrying hazardous materials
- Remote pilot in command responsibilities
- Pre-flight checklist requirements
- Drone compliance obligations
Practice concepts with scenarios. For example, ask yourself: "Can I fly over a crowd at an outdoor concert?" Then work through §107.39 and the category rules, including the limits on sustained flight over open-air assemblies, to reach the answer.
Operations (25%)
The standards list radio communication procedures, airport operations, emergency procedures, aeronautical decision-making (including crew resource management), physiology, and maintenance and inspection. Study:
- Pre-flight inspection requirements
- Crew resource management for multi-person operations
- Emergency procedures and contingency planning, including a lost control link
- Hazardous attitudes and their antidotes
- Risk assessment
- Traffic patterns and radio frequencies at towered and non-towered airports
The FAA's handbooks name five hazardous attitudes: anti-authority, impulsivity, invulnerability, macho, and resignation. Learn each one with its antidote.
Airspace (20%)
Airspace questions test what each class means and whether you can identify it on a sectional chart.
Study approach for airspace:
Start with a reference chart that compares:
- Airspace class (A, B, C, D, E, G)
- Typical floor and ceiling
- Whether a drone needs ATC authorization
- Chart symbols (colors and line types)
Then practice on a current sectional chart, which the FAA publishes free:
- Locating airports by identifier
- Identifying the airspace class at a given point
- Reading the floor and ceiling of each airspace area
- Finding no-fly zones and restricted areas
Authorization altitudes near airports come from the FAA's UAS Facility Maps, which are the basis of LAANC. Class G needs no ATC authorization, so know where it ends: it extends up to the base of the overlying controlled airspace, and the FAA's study guide notes that in most areas the Class E base is 1,200 feet AGL, and in many others it is the surface or 700 feet AGL.
Weather and METAR decoding (5%)
Weather is now about three questions, so learn the essentials and move on. The standards split it into sources of weather and the effects of weather on performance.
METAR elements to learn:
- Wind direction and speed, including gusts
- Visibility in statute miles
- Cloud coverage and ceiling heights
- Present weather, such as rain, fog, or haze
- Altimeter setting
Practice with current reports from the National Weather Service's Aviation Weather Center. Decoding a few real reports a day builds the quick recognition that a timed test rewards.
Weather effects to understand:
- Density altitude and its effect on performance
- Wind and gusts
- Part 107 visibility and cloud clearance requirements
- Stable and unstable air, fog, thunderstorms, and wind shear
Loading and performance (2%)
This area carries the lowest weight, about one question, but still deserves an hour or two. Focus on:
- Factors that affect performance: temperature, elevation, humidity, and weight
- Basic weight and balance
- How a payload affects flight characteristics
- Load factor in turns
The key idea: high, hot, and humid conditions mean thinner air, which reduces the lift and thrust a wing or rotor can produce. Extra weight works against performance too: the FAA's study guide lists effects of overloading such as a reduced rate of climb, shorter range, and a higher stalling speed.
Recommended study resources
The right materials make preparation faster. Start with the free FAA documents, which every exam question is tied to.
Free FAA resources
Remote Pilot Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22): The FAA's study guide covers the core knowledge areas. It was published in 2016, so it does not cover the 2021 rules on Remote ID and operations over people. Read Part 89, Part 107, and Advisory Circular 107-2A for those.
Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-10B): Lists every knowledge element the exam can test. Its percentage table was replaced by PSI's blueprint in 2025, but the topic list still applies.
Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide: The FAA's explanation of every chart symbol, including the airspace legend.
Advisory Circular 107-2A: The FAA's guidance on Part 107 operations. It is long, but it explains how the FAA interprets the rules.
Aeronautical Information Manual, Chapter 11: The FAA's current guidance on drone operations, including airspace access and accident reporting.
Paid course options
Paid courses offer video lessons, structured content, and progress tracking. A course is optional. When comparing courses, check:
- Video quality and instructor clarity
- Practice question quantity and quality
- Mobile access for studying on the go
- Any pass guarantee and its terms
- When the content was last updated, including the September 2025 blueprint and the October 2026 chart change
Practice test resources
Practice tests show you where you are weak before exam day. Look for practice tests that:
- Use three-option multiple-choice questions, like the real exam
- Cover all five content areas
- Explain every answer and cite the FAA source
- Track performance by topic
The FAA publishes official sample questions, linked above, and PSI offers a free sample test on its FAA testing site. Our Part 107 practice test, also linked above, adds an explanation and an FAA source for every answer.
Study apps and tools
Mobile apps let you study in short sessions. Look for apps offering:
- Flashcards for memorization (METAR abbreviations, regulations)
- Quick practice quizzes
- Offline access
- Progress tracking
Memory techniques for difficult topics
Some Part 107 topics are easier with a memory aid. These techniques cover the areas where small details decide the answer.
Airspace classification memory aids
Typical ceilings (check the altitude reference): Around airports, Class D generally reaches 2,500 feet above the airport elevation, Class C usually reaches 4,000 feet above the airport elevation, and Class B generally reaches 10,000 feet MSL. Class A starts at 18,000 feet MSL.
Chart colors:
- Class B: solid blue line (think "B for Blue")
- Class C: solid magenta line
- Class D: dashed blue line
- Class E surface area: dashed magenta line
- Class E starting at 700 feet AGL: magenta shading; starting at 1,200 feet AGL: blue shading
Authorization requirements:
- Class B, C, and D, and Class E surface areas designated for an airport: prior ATC authorization, through LAANC or FAADroneZone
- Class G and all other Class E airspace: no ATC authorization needed
- Prohibited and restricted areas: permission from the using or controlling agency
METAR decoding shortcuts
Element order: METAR elements appear in a fixed order, though some may be missing from a given report. Learn the order to find information quickly:
- Station identifier (KORD, KLAX)
- Date and time (121755Z)
- Wind (32015G25KT)
- Visibility (3SM)
- Weather (RA, SN, FG)
- Cloud coverage (OVC010)
- Temperature and dew point (15/12)
- Altimeter (A2992)
Cloud coverage: Coverage is reported in eighths of the sky:
- SKC: sky clear, reported by a human observer; CLR: no clouds below 12,000 feet, reported by an automated station
- FEW: more than 0/8 to 2/8
- SCT: scattered, 3/8 to 4/8
- BKN: broken, 5/8 to 7/8
- OVC: overcast, 8/8
A ceiling is the lowest broken or overcast layer, or the vertical visibility into an obscuration.
Visibility shortcut: Numbers followed by "SM" are statute miles. A whole number (3SM) is whole miles, and a fraction (1/2SM) is part of a mile.
Regulatory numbers memory system
Group related numbers for easier recall.
The "fours and fives" group:
- 400 feet maximum altitude
- Less than 55 pounds maximum weight
- 500 feet minimum below clouds
The "threes and twos" group:
- 3 statute miles minimum visibility
- 2,000 feet horizontally from clouds
- 24 calendar months for knowledge recency
Common test traps to avoid
Some question patterns are easy to get wrong.
Altitude confusion: Questions may use both AGL (above ground level) and MSL (mean sea level). The 400-foot limit is AGL, while many chart altitudes are MSL. Know which one a question uses.
Visibility versus cloud clearance: Minimum visibility (3 statute miles) and cloud clearance (500 feet below, 2,000 feet horizontally) are separate requirements.
One set of minimums: Part 107's visibility and cloud clearance minimums apply in every class of airspace, day or night. Don't apply the manned-aircraft VFR minimums, which change with airspace and altitude.
Waiver versus prohibition: Since the rule change took effect on April 21, 2021, night flight is allowed without a waiver if the remote pilot completed the knowledge test or training after April 6, 2021 and the aircraft has anti-collision lights visible for 3 statute miles, with a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision. Some rules can't be waived at all: Part 107 has no waiver for carrying hazardous materials, and the FAA won't waive the moving-vehicle or line-of-sight rules to let you carry someone else's property for hire.
Test day preparation
Knowing the rules ahead of time removes surprises on test day. These come from PSI's applicant bulletin and the FAA's test tips.
What to bring
Your identification must show your photo, date of birth, signature, and home address, and the details can be spread across more than one document. US citizens and resident aliens can use a driver's license or permit from a US state or territory, a US government or military ID, a passport, or an alien residency card. Other non-US citizens need a passport plus a US driver's license or another government-issued ID. If your ID has no home address, PSI accepts proof such as a water, electric, or gas bill (cable bills do not count), a signed lease, or a voter registration card. An applicant under 18 without acceptable ID must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, who shows their own ID and attests to the applicant's identity.
You also need an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) from the FAA's IACRA system. PSI asks applicants to create one before taking the test, and it is printed on your test report.
The test center supplies the testing supplement book, scratch paper, and a pen. The test software has a built-in four-function calculator, and you may bring a simple calculator, plotter, or protractor if the proctor clears it.
Do not bring into the testing room:
- Phones or other electronic devices
- Study materials or notes
- Bags, watches, or your own pens
PSI asks you to secure personal items before you enter, for example by locking them in your vehicle.
Test center procedures
Arrive at least 15 minutes early. Late arrivals may not be admitted and may lose the exam fee. Staff check your identification before you begin.
The FAA's test tips say you can mark a difficult question for review and return to it after you answer the easier ones. For a question that uses a graph, you may ask for a printed copy to mark up.
Time management strategies
With 65 questions in 120 minutes, you have a little under two minutes per question. Our suggestion: answer the questions you know first, mark uncertain ones for review, and budget extra time for chart questions. Then return to the marked questions with the time you have left.
Question approach techniques
The FAA's test tips boil down to a simple routine:
- Read the whole question before looking at the options
- Work out your answer, then find the option that matches it
- Remember that only one option is complete and correct
- Mark uncertain questions for review
Our routine for chart questions:
- Note exactly what the question asks for
- Find the relevant area of the chart
- Use the legend to interpret symbols
- Check your answer against the question
Your score counts correct answers only, so a blank answer can never help. Answer every question.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I study for Part 107?
The FAA doesn't set a study time. The plans above run from one to four weeks. How long you need depends on your aviation background and how quickly you reach consistent practice scores. We suggest daily sessions with regular practice tests rather than cramming.
What is the hardest part of the Part 107 exam?
By weight, regulations matter most, at 48% of the exam. Chart questions are worth practicing early because they test a skill, not just a fact, and from October 26, 2026 some may show chart excerpts you haven't seen before.
Can I pass Part 107 without a study course?
Yes. The FAA doesn't require a course, and its free materials, together with Part 107 itself, cover the exam topics. A paid course is optional and suits people who prefer video lessons.
How do I know when I'm ready for the exam?
Our suggestion is to book the exam once you score 85% or better in every section of a full practice test. The pass mark is 70%, so that leaves a margin for questions you haven't seen before. You should also be able to decode a METAR without references and identify airspace on an unfamiliar sectional chart.
Implementation considerations
Passing the Part 107 exam is the start of your commercial drone work, not the end. A little planning around the exam saves time later.
Before you book, create your FAA Tracking Number by setting up a profile in IACRA. After you pass, you apply for the certificate in IACRA by selecting your test record or entering the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID from your test report. AC 107-2A says test results upload to IACRA immediately, while the FAA's certification page says they may take up to 48 hours to appear. Once the TSA security check is complete, the FAA emails instructions for printing a temporary certificate.
Schedule the exam for a time of day when you are usually alert, and avoid booking it right after a draining stretch of work.
After passing, set up your operating habits right away. The knowledge you built for the exam (airspace awareness, weather interpretation, and the rules) applies directly to safe commercial flights. Put your pre-flight procedures and record keeping in place before your first paid job.
Consider your career direction when choosing what to learn next. Pilots pursuing drone pilot jobs benefit from specialized knowledge, whether that's surveying and inspection work that needs precision mapping or construction and infrastructure projects that need site documentation. UAS pilot training programs teach skills beyond the certificate.
In summary
Passing the Part 107 exam takes structured preparation across all five content areas, with the most time on regulations, which make up 48% of the exam. Operations and airspace come next at 25% and 20%. The study plans here give you a framework you can adapt to the time you have.
Combine the official FAA materials, practice tests, and, if it suits you, a video course. Use the memory aids for the details that decide close questions, and follow the test day rules so nothing surprises you.
The knowledge you build for the exam serves your whole commercial drone career. Airspace, weather, and the rules become second nature with practice, and unless you qualify for the FAA's training route for certificated pilots, the path to a Remote Pilot Certificate runs through this exam.
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