How many questions are on the Part 107 test?

There are 60 scored multiple choice questions on the Part 107 test, delivered in a 120 minute proctored session, and a 70 percent score passes, which means answering at least 42 correctly. The exam, formally the Unmanned Aircraft General - Small test with the code UAG, may also include a few unscored validation questions the FAA is evaluating for future use, which appear identical to the scored ones and are the reason a session can run slightly longer than 60 items.

This article breaks down the format and timing in detail, the five knowledge areas the questions draw from and how they tend to be weighted in practice, what the score report tells you after either result, and how the initial exam differs from the recurrent training that maintains the certificate afterward. The numbers are stable and public, which makes the test one of the most preparable gates in commercial aviation.

The format: 60 questions, 120 minutes, 42 to pass

Every question is multiple choice with three answer options, drawn from a published bank aligned to the FAA's certification standards for remote pilots. The 120 minute limit works out to two minutes per scored question, and most prepared candidates finish with a comfortable margin, which makes the exam a knowledge test rather than a speed test. The count and the clock have been stable for years, so older study guides stay accurate on format even where individual questions have rotated out of the bank. Some questions reference figures from the testing supplement, the legends, charts, and tables provided at the workstation, so part of preparation is fluency with that booklet rather than memorization alone.

The unscored validation questions deserve a moment, because they change strategy slightly. Since experimental items are indistinguishable from scored ones, no single hard question is worth panic, and skipping nothing is the right approach: there is no penalty for wrong answers, so every item gets a response. The pass line at 70 percent leaves room for 18 scored misses, and candidates who internalize that arithmetic walk in calmer than the ones treating every question as decisive.

The five knowledge areas behind the questions

The FAA publishes the exam's scope through the airman certification standards and its testing materials, and the questions group into five areas: regulations, airspace classification and operating requirements, weather and its sources, loading and performance, and operations. Regulations and airspace carry the most weight in most candidates' experience, which fits the exam's purpose, since Part 107's operating rules and the national airspace system are where an untrained pilot is most dangerous. Weather questions lean on reading reports and understanding effects on aircraft performance.

The official preparation stack is free and specific: the sample questions and testing supplement published alongside the official UAG information bulletin, plus the certification standards that map every testable element. Sectional chart reading is the skill most first time candidates underestimate, because it is a visual language with its own legend, and several questions hinge on decoding it quickly. Practice tests are the honest readiness signal, and the working rule of thumb is consistent practice scores well above the 70 percent line before booking a seat.

What the score report tells you

The session ends with an immediate result shown at the workstation, so there is no waiting period between finishing and knowing, and the testing center prints the Airman Knowledge Test Report before you leave. A passing report carries the score and the identifiers the certificate application needs, and it feeds the next step: the online application through IACRA, the TSA vetting behind it, and the temporary certificate that follows. The AKTR is the bridge document between the exam and the credential, and it belongs in a file rather than a glovebox.

A failing report is more informative than it feels in the moment. Missed questions map to learning codes tied to the certification standards, so the report is a study plan naming the exact areas that fell short. The rules impose a 14 calendar day wait before retesting, at the full fee, and the productive use of that fortnight is working the coded areas rather than rereading everything. Candidates who treat the codes as the syllabus for round two convert most failures into comfortable passes.

Sixty questions, one certificate, years of records

The initial exam is the only 60 question event in a remote pilot's life unless a lapse forces a return. Afterward, currency runs on recurrent training, a free online course required within every 24 calendar months, with its own completion document and no testing center involved. The distinction matters for planning: the knowledge test is a one time gate with a fee and a proctor, while recency is a recurring calendar obligation that quietly grounds pilots who miss it. Both produce paper, and both papers matter later.

For a program, the exam's outputs are the start of a credential trail: test date, AKTR, certificate number, issue date, then a recurring rhythm of training completions. Rosters get staffed, clients get vetted pilot lists, and audits get answered from that trail, not from anyone's memory of a proud afternoon at a testing center. The sixty questions take two hours. The record they initiate should be findable for as long as the pilot flies.

Common mistakes in preparing for the Part 107 test

Studying the count instead of the content. Knowing it is 60 questions in 120 minutes is trivia, not preparation. The certification standards and sample questions define what those items test, and they are free.

Skipping sectional chart practice. Chart reading questions are where prepared candidates lose easy points, because the legend is a language of its own. Drill the testing supplement's figures until decoding them is fast.

Leaving questions blank. There is no wrong answer penalty, and validation questions hide among the scored ones, so an unanswered item is a guaranteed zero. Answer everything, flag doubts, and revisit with the leftover time.

Booking before practice scores are safe. The pass line is public, and testing on hope costs the full fee plus a 14 day wait after a failure. Consistent practice scores clear of 70 percent are the green light.

Tossing the test report. The AKTR carries the identifiers the application needs, or the learning codes a retake plan needs. Either way it is the bridge document, and it belongs in the pilot's file.

FAQ

How many questions are on the Part 107 test exactly?

Sixty scored multiple choice questions, with the possibility of a few unscored validation items mixed in that look identical. You have 120 minutes, and 70 percent, at least 42 correct scored answers, passes the exam.

What topics do the questions cover?

Five areas: regulations, airspace classification and requirements, weather, loading and performance, and operations. Regulations and airspace dominate most sessions, and several questions require reading charts and figures from the testing supplement provided at the workstation.

What happens if I fail the knowledge test?

Your report lists learning codes identifying the deficient areas, and the rules require a 14 calendar day wait before retesting at the full fee. Studying the coded areas specifically is the efficient path to a comfortable second attempt.

Is the recurrent requirement another 60 question exam?

No. Currency after initial certification comes from a free online recurrent training course required within every 24 calendar months, completed without a testing center. The proctored 60 question exam is the entry gate, not the recurring one.

Closing thought

Sixty questions, two hours, forty two to pass: the Part 107 exam is unusually transparent about what it asks, and the FAA publishes everything needed to meet it. The candidates who struggle are rarely short on ability and usually short on chart practice and honest self testing. Prepare against the published standards, respect the arithmetic of the pass line, and keep the paper the test produces, because the certificate it leads to is the first entry in a much longer record.

If you are preparing for the Part 107 knowledge test, FlybyOps was built for the operational record problem at the center of regulated drone work. A pilot registry that carries certifications from first exam onward, a document vault for test reports and training completions, an equipment registry connecting certificated crew to the aircraft they fly, and an append-only audit log are all part of how the platform keeps what each pilot studied, passed, and certified for on the record.