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How to study for the Part 107 test
Spend most of your time where the points are: regulations are 48 percent of the UAG test and operations 25 percent, while airspace and chart reading is 20 percent. A plan of about four weeks of short daily sessions, finished by timed 60-question practice, works for most self-studiers, but pace depends on your background.
Where do the test points come from?
| Area | ACS code | Share of test | Of 60 scored questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulations and operating requirements | UA.I | 48% | about 29 |
| Airspace classification and requirements | UA.II | 20% | 12 |
| Operations (airport, ADM, emergencies, maintenance) | UA.V | 25% | 15 |
| Weather | UA.III | 5% | 3 |
| Loading and performance | UA.IV | 2% | about 1 |
Sources (checked 2026-11-12): PSI UAG Information Bulletin (effective 29 Sep 2025).
The bulletin gives the percentages, which it says come from a 2025 job task analysis. The question counts are our arithmetic on 60 scored items, and the mix on any one test can differ slightly. The test also has 5 unscored validation questions you cannot spot, 120 minutes, and a 70 percent pass line (42 of 60), per the same bulletin, checked 2026-11-14.
Read the table as a time budget. Regulations and operations together are 73 percent of the points, so a weak spot in 14 CFR Part 107 costs far more than a shaky grasp of density altitude. Weather and loading are small slices, but their formulas and chart figures are worth learning because they are quick points once you know the method.
What is a good four-week plan?
| Week | Focus | Pages to use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Part 107 rules: limits, VLOS, airspace permission, certificate and registration | Operating rules, Remote ID |
| 2 | Airspace and the sectional chart: classes, altitudes, symbols, special use airspace | Airspace classes, Altitudes, Chart lessons |
| 3 | Operations: airport radio, ADM, emergencies, preflight, plus weather and loading | Airport operations, ADM, METAR |
| 4 | Timed mixed practice, then review every missed question against its source | Practice questions |
If you only have two weeks, the two-week plan compresses this. If you fly already or hold a Part 61 certificate, the first week will go faster, though note that Part 61 pilots skip this test entirely and take the free FAA course instead (see Part 107 for Part 61 pilots).
What does one 45-minute study session look like?
Short, repeated sessions beat one long weekend. A pattern that works for most topics:
- Ten minutes: read one short section of the FAA study guide or the matching rule in 14 CFR Part 107.
- Ten minutes: say it back without looking, in your own words, and write the rule number next to it (107.51 for limits, 107.29 for night, 107.47 for flight restrictions).
- Fifteen minutes: do practice questions on that topic only.
- Ten minutes: for each miss, write the rule or chart cue that decides it in an error log, and read that source once more.
Worked example
An error log entry that teaches something
Say you miss a question about cloud clearance. A weak log line says "got clouds wrong." A useful one says: "107.51(d): 500 ft below, 2,000 ft horizontally. I treated the 500 as above the cloud. Redo: a base at 1,200 ft AGL means my ceiling is 700 ft AGL, so the 400 ft AGL limit still binds." That entry names the rule, the exact mistake and a number you can check, and it takes under two minutes to write. Review the log on the evening before each session and again on the last two days before the test.
Sources (checked 2026-11-12): 14 CFR 107.51 (eCFR).
Which official materials should I read?
Start with the free FAA Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22). Its chapters follow the test topics: regulations, airspace and flight restrictions, weather sources and weather effects, loading, emergency procedures, crew resource management, radio communication, performance, physiology, aeronautical decision-making, airport operations, and maintenance and preflight. One caution: the copy on faa.gov is dated August 2016, which is before the 2021 changes for night flight and operations over people, so check those topics against the current rule text in 14 CFR Part 107 and our night guide. The Remote Pilot ACS (Airman Certification Standards) is the list the questions are written against, and the FAA publishes the testing supplement with the chart and weather figures used on the test. Our prep options comparison lists free and paid choices in general terms.
Sources (checked 2026-11-12): FAA Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22); 14 CFR Part 107 (eCFR); FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide; FAA airman testing supplements (FAA-CT-8080-2H).
Checked 2026-11-14: the study guide cover reads "August 2016"; the FAA page for becoming a pilot links the ACS as a PDF: FAA: Become a Certificated Remote Pilot.
How should I practice sectional charts?
Practice reading one symbol at a time, saying what it means and what a remote pilot must do about it: authorization, altitude, frequency or caution. The free chart lessons let you tap bracketed cues on FAA figures. Read altitudes by converting between MSL and AGL until it is automatic.
A routine for each figure you meet: find the airport symbol and its data block, decide what class of airspace surrounds it, read the shelf numbers, then check the nearest obstruction and its AGL figure before you say what altitude the flight can use. The free lessons use Norfolk, Devils Lake and Corpus Christi, which are figures 20, 26 and 69 in the testing supplement. Look at the testing supplement figures guide to see how the supplement is organized.
Worked example
A 60-second chart drill
Say a shelf label reads 40 over 12 and the ground under it is about 20 ft MSL. The 40 means the ceiling is 4,000 ft MSL and the 12 means the floor is 1,200 ft MSL. Convert to AGL by subtracting the ground: the floor is 1,180 ft AGL. A drone limited to 400 ft AGL is far below that floor, so this shelf is not the controlling airspace at that spot, though the surface area near the airport may be. Say this out loud, then check whether you would arrive at the same answer if the ground sat at 800 ft MSL: the floor would then be 400 ft AGL, which is a much closer call.
How do I use practice questions without fooling myself?
Treat practice as a diagnostic, not a score to chase. Take mixed sets of 20 to 30 questions in weeks 1 to 3 untimed, and sets that mimic the real pace in week 4, when 60 scored questions plus the unscored ones in 120 minutes leave roughly two minutes each. Count a question as learned only when you can explain why each wrong option is wrong. Keep a short list of rules you keep missing and put it on top of your log. Memorized answers break as soon as a stem changes a number or a word, so tie each answer to a rule or a chart cue. Practice scores from any source, including ours, do not predict your FAA result.
What should I do in the last week?
- Do one full timed mixed set early in the week, then fix the misses instead of taking five more tests.
- Re-read the topics behind your error log, not the whole study guide.
- Reread the PSI information on ID, arrival time and what you can bring (see test day guide), and book the slot you can keep.
- Sleep the night before. Read each stem twice, because one changed number can flip an answer.
When am I ready to book?
There is no official readiness test. A reasonable self-check is repeated timed sets that you pass comfortably, with every missed item explained by a rule you can name. You can also take the free PSI sample test linked in the bulletin to see the format. Practice scores from any source do not predict your FAA result, and a fail only costs you a 14-day wait and a new booking, so do not wait for perfection. See common mistakes for traps to look for before you go.
Which numbers should I know cold?
| Number | What it is | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| 87 knots (100 mph) | Maximum groundspeed | 14 CFR 107.51(a) |
| 400 ft AGL | Maximum altitude, unless within a 400 ft radius of a structure | 107.51(b) |
| 3 statute miles | Minimum flight visibility from the control station | 107.51(c) |
| 500 ft below, 2,000 ft horizontal | Minimum distance from clouds | 107.51(d) |
| 16 years | Minimum age for the certificate | FAA become-a-pilot page |
| 24 calendar months | Recurrent training interval | 107.65 |
| 70 percent, 120 minutes, 14 days | Pass line, time allowed, retest wait | PSI bulletin |
All of these were rechecked on 2026-11-14 against eCFR 107.51, the FAA page and the PSI bulletin. Put them on flashcards or a single sheet and read it at the start of each session. A simple review rhythm is the day after you learn something, three days later, a week later and two weeks later; on each pass, answer from memory first and look only if you are stuck.
Worked example
A review calendar for one topic
Say you learn the 107.51 limits on Monday. You quiz yourself on Tuesday, Thursday, the following Monday and the Monday after. By the fourth pass you have seen the same five numbers four times in two weeks, in about six minutes of total effort, and you can spend the rest of your study time on charts.
Related guides
- Part 107 test prep options, compared honestly
- Part 107 test day: cost, ID, what to bring and retakes
- Free Part 107 practice questions
- Free sectional chart practice
- A two-week Part 107 study plan, day by day
- All Part 107 guides
Study the charts on your phone
Sectional Cue has 1150+ original questions with explanations, 27 FAA figures you can tap to read, and timed 60-question rehearsals. About 152 questions and three chart lessons are free.
Sources
- PSI UAG Information Bulletin (effective 29 Sep 2025), checked 2026-11-14
- FAA Remote Pilot sUAS Study Guide (FAA-G-8082-22), checked 2026-11-14
- FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide, checked 2026-11-14
- FAA airman testing supplements (FAA-CT-8080-2H), checked 2026-11-14
- 14 CFR 107.51 (eCFR), checked 2026-11-14
How this page was made: written by Certloom Learning from the sources above, with the rules checked against the current regulation text. Practice items are original questions from the app's reviewed bank. Spot an error? certloomlearning@gmail.com.