Part 107 Exam Guide: The FAA Remote Pilot (UAG) Knowledge Test, Explained
The Remote Pilot certificate is the FAA’s license for operating small unmanned aircraft under 14 CFR part 107 — the regulatory home of commercial drone work and of most non-recreational flying. The Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG) knowledge test is the certificate’s examination step. This guide explains the test and the certificate from the FAA’s and PSI’s own published materials: who may test, what the test covers, how it is scored, and how certificate holders stay current.
Who is eligible
An applicant may sit for the knowledge test at 14 years of age; the FAA issues the Remote Pilot certificate at 16. The certificate is what separates part 107 operations from recreational flying: recreational flyers operate under the recreational exception, while anyone flying for work, for compensation, or in furtherance of a business flies under part 107 and holds this certificate. Testing is administered by PSI at FAA-approved testing centers, and the testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-2H) is provided at the center.
The exam at a glance
| Questions | 60 scored + 5 unscored validation |
| Time | 2 hours |
| Format | Multiple choice, three answer options per question |
| Delivery | PSI at FAA-approved testing centers |
| Passing standard | 70% (42 of 60) — the FAA’s published standard |
The UAG is the FAA’s highest-volume knowledge test, taken by everyone entering the industry — photographers, inspectors, surveyors, public-safety pilots, and operators building commercial services. It is a knowledge test only: there is no flight demonstration. What it examines is whether the applicant knows the rules, the airspace, the weather, and the operational judgment the regulations assume.
The five areas
| Area | Share of the test | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| I. Regulations | 48% | Applicability of part 107, the operating rules and operating limits, remote pilot certification, waivers, operations over people, and remote identification |
| II. Airspace & Navigation | 20% | Airspace classification, reading sectional charts, airspace operating requirements, and authorization procedures |
| III. Weather | 5% | Sources of weather information — METARs, TAFs, and official briefings — and the effects of weather on small aircraft performance |
| IV. Loading & Performance | 2% | Weight and balance, load, and their effects on aircraft performance |
| V. Operations | 25% | Radio communications procedures, airport operations, emergency procedures, aeronautical decision-making, physiology, and maintenance and inspection procedures |
Nearly half the test is regulations, which surprises candidates who expect a flying exam: the certificate is fundamentally a rules credential, and the rules are specific — 400 feet above ground level, 100 miles per hour, three statute miles of visibility, and defined distances from clouds. Airspace runs second, and it is tested through charts, so fluent sectional reading is a core skill rather than a specialty topic.
The current standard
The test follows the FAA’s Airman Certification Standards for the Remote Pilot — Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems certificate, FAA-S-ACS-10B, with topic weights applied under PSI’s current applicant bulletin. One recent change matters to preparation: beginning October 26, 2026, the test includes image-based questions drawn from the FAA’s current VFR sectional charts, in place of questions tied to the testing supplement’s figures. The supplement is still provided at the center, but chart questions now expect candidates to read unfamiliar, current charts — airspace classes, frequencies, elevations — rather than recognize a memorized figure.
Scoring
The passing standard is published and fixed: 70%, which is 42 of the 60 scored questions. The five additional validation questions are unscored and are not identified to the candidate. An applicant who does not pass may retest after 14 calendar days.
After the exam: keeping currency
Certification is maintained, not retested. Remote pilots complete the FAA’s free online recurrent training every 24 calendar months to stay current; there has been no recurrent knowledge test since the April 2021 rules took effect. Currency lapses are cured by completing the recurrent training — the certificate itself does not expire.
A study plan that fits the test
- Baseline: take a full practice exam and record your score by area, not just overall.
- Drill the gaps: work the area drills for your weakest area — sectional-chart reading and the operating limits both improve fast with repetition.
- Re-test under time: take fresh full exams inside the 120-minute limit until your area scores are consistent.
- Schedule: book your PSI sitting while the material is warm.
Start with the free 12-question sample on our Part 107 Exam Prep page, then decide if the full bank — 1,500 questions across all five areas — is right for your study plan.