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United States · Knowledge test

The FAA ATP written exam: ATM, ATS and the helicopter test

The FAA ATP written exam for an airline transport pilot (ATP) certificate with a multiengine airplane rating is the ATP Multiengine Airplane (ATM) test: 125 questions in 3.5 hours, 70 to pass, from age 18. You can only take it with a graduation certificate from an ATP Certification Training Program (CTP). A pass lasts 60 calendar months, not the 24 of other Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) knowledge tests. Single-engine and helicopter ATP applicants take the ATS and ATH tests.

  • 125Scored questions on the ATM test
  • 60 monthsHow long an ATM pass lasts after the CTP
  • CTP certificateNeeded before you can sit the ATM test
Where to study

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

Who can take the FAA ATP written exam?

For the ATM test, Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 61.35 requires the graduation certificate for the ATP CTP in 61.156, and the FAA’s matrix says it must come from an authorized part 121, 135, 141 or 142 training provider. You must be at least 18 on test day.

The ATS, ATH and ARH tests need no endorsement or other written authorization for a first try. The Canadian conversion test for multiengine airplanes (ACM) follows the ATM’s rules: it needs the CTP graduation certificate.

TestQuestionsHoursMin age
ATP Multiengine Airplane (ATM)1253.518
ATP Single Engine Airplane (ATS)902.521
ATP Helicopter (ATH)803.021
ATP Helicopter, added rating (ARH)502.521
eCFR: 14 CFR 61.156, ATP Certification Training Program ↗

How long an ATP written result lasts

14 CFR 61.39 gives the ATM test 60 calendar months before the practical test if you completed the CTP and passed after July 31, 2014. Some pilots can take the ATP practical test with an expired result: flightcrew members of part 119 certificate holders flying under parts 121, 125 or 135 who have completed that operator’s training, and US Armed Forces flightcrew in military air transport operations, each under the conditions in 61.39(b) and (c).

eCFR: 14 CFR 61.39 ↗

What the ATM covers, and the October 2026 changes

PSI’s bulletin for the ATM gives preflight preparation 32% of the items, preflight procedures and instrument procedures 18% each, takeoffs and landings 11% and emergency operations 10%, against the ATP airplane Airman Certification Standards (ACS).

The FAA’s September 2026 advisory says that from October 26, 2026, the ATM no longer asks about the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, because airlines flying under part 121 no longer use turboprops. Questions on the Bombardier CRJ900 stay. From the same date the ATP tests show their images inside the questions.

PSI: ATM and ATS bulletin (PDF) ↗FAA: Airman Testing Community Advisory, September 2026 (PDF) ↗

Retaking a failed ATP test

Bring the failed test report and an endorsement from an instructor who gave you more training. For the ATM and ACM, that instructor must be an ATP CTP authorized ground instructor. Prep courses for the ATP tests, from Sheppard Air, Gleim and ASA, are on the study options page.

ATP test prep and prices →Find a test center →
Sources: FAA · eCFR · PSI and 2 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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