Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work certification and licensesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

Canada · Drone pilot exam

A Transport Canada drone exam study guide in PDF, and ground schools

Transport Canada’s exam pages say the questions are based on TP 15263, its Knowledge Requirements for Pilots of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), and that the document isn’t a study guide. For a Transport Canada drone exam study guide in PDF, there’s RPAS 101, a general knowledge guide made with Transport Canada by the Aerial Evolution Association of Canada. Transport Canada also recommends taking a course at a drone flight school before the exam.

  • NonePractice exam on Transport Canada’s pages
  • March 2025TP 15263’s fourth edition
  • 293 schoolsSelf-declared, as of August 13, 2026
Read TP 15263

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Guides and ground schools compared

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official
Transport Canada Aeronautical Information Manual (TC AIM)Transport Canada’s manual of rules and procedures in Canadian airspace, with a Remotely Piloted Aircraft chapterTransport Canada says it’s updated twice a year, and TP 15263 lists it as recommended study material.
PDF chapters on Transport Canada’s site; printed copies from retailersPDF chapters to download on its page
See the TC AIM chapters ↗
Transport Canada’s list of drone flight schoolsSchools that have self-declared that they train to TP 15263Transport Canada says the schools set the fees for courses and flight reviews. You can filter the list by city.
Set by each schoolThe list
Find a drone flight school ↗
Guides
RPAS 101, from the Aerial Evolution Association of CanadaA general knowledge guide for Canadian drone pilots, made with Transport CanadaThe association describes it as an education booklet, like a driver’s handbook, for new and seasoned pilots.
No price on its pageDownload links in English and French
Get RPAS 101 ↗
Online ground schools
Coastal DroneOnline ground school and exam prep for the basic, advanced and Level 1 Complex certificatesThe basic bundle has a 70-lesson ground school, a 16-lesson exam prep course and an operating procedures guide. The advanced ground school is 20 hours. For the flight review, Coastal Drone points to its Advanced Pilot Bundle. The advanced bundle’s own page shows $379; its course list shows $397.95, in Canadian dollars.
Basic $99.75; Advanced $379 to $397.95Not listed
See Coastal Drone’s courses ↗
Volatus Academy: Advanced RPAS Ground School BundleAdvanced ground school with flight training and a flight reviewThe bundle page doesn’t say where the flight training and review happen.
Not listed on the bundle pageNot listed
See the Volatus bundle ↗

Prices and ratings checked November 2026.

Is there a Transport Canada drone exam study guide in PDF?

RPAS 101 is the one to download. It’s a general guide, and its page doesn’t give an edition date, so check what it says against TP 15263’s fourth edition, from March 2025.

TP 15263, the knowledge list the questions are based on, is a web page with a PDF copy linked at the bottom. Section by section, it sets out what basic and advanced pilots must know, with sample learning objectives, and it marks which topics apply to each exam. Transport Canada says it isn’t necessarily a complete list, and that training organizations may need to add to it.

Topics only on the Advanced Exam

TP 15263 marks these topics, among others, for advanced pilots only:

  • Airspace structure and classes, including flying in classes C and D
  • Rules at aerodromes and airports, and runway numbering
  • The aeronautical radio operator certificate, radio terms, common frequencies and emergencies
  • Where extended visual line-of-sight and sheltered operations are allowed, and how far the drone may go
  • Command and control link and lost-link concerns during sheltered operations
  • Weather theory: pressure systems, density altitude, fronts, thunderstorms, and aviation weather reports and forecasts
  • Navigating by track, heading, variation and drift, and how transponders work

Batteries, human factors, theory of flight and weather near the ground (cloud, fog, turbulence, local winds and icing) are marked for both exams.

Practice questions and exam answers

Transport Canada doesn’t publish a cheat sheet or a practice exam on its exam and study pages, and the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) forbid copying or removing any part of an exam, or giving or getting help during one. After your exam, the results letter points to the topics where you went wrong, so you know what to read again.

The nearest thing from Transport Canada is its self-paced study program, a questionnaire with references to the Transport Canada Aeronautical Information Manual (TC AIM) and the CARs. It’s meant for certificate holders: completing it meets the 24-month recency requirement.

Some ground schools sell practice questions inside their courses. Coastal Drone describes its exam prep courses as Transport Canada style multiple choice.

See the self-paced study program ↗

A course or self-study?

Pick by the certificate you want and how you like to learn:

  • Basic certificate, and you learn well from reading: TP 15263, RPAS 101 and the drone chapter of the TC AIM are all online.
  • Advanced certificate: you’ll go to a drone flight school for the flight review anyway, because every flight reviewer works with one, so a course from the same school can save a step.
  • Want the course and the review in one package: Volatus Academy’s advanced bundle, in the table, has both.
  • At your own pace, from home: online ground schools such as Coastal Drone’s, with prices on their own pages.

Transport Canada’s learning path

Transport Canada recommends this path:

  1. Find your category of operation, which tells you the certificate and the exam you need.
  2. Prepare for the online exam at a drone flight school, with the study publications, or both.
  3. Take the exam, then keep your skills up to date once you hold the certificate.
How the exams and flight review work →See Transport Canada’s study resources ↗

More reading for the Advanced Exam

For advanced and Level 1 Complex pilots, Transport Canada’s study page adds:

  • Human Factors for Aviation, the basic handbook (TP 12863) and the advanced handbook (TP 12864)
  • NAV CANADA’s visual flight rules (VFR) navigation and terminal area charts, and the Canada Flight Supplement
  • NAV CANADA’s VFR phraseology guide
  • The study guide for the restricted radio operator certificate with aeronautical qualification
  • Part IX of the CARs
  • TP 15530, the knowledge requirements for Level 1 Complex operations

TP 15263 marks the charts and the Canada Flight Supplement for both exams, so basic candidates need them too.

Sources: Transport Canada · Justice Laws Website · Aerial Evolution Association of Canada and 11 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

Overview