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United States · Knowledge test

FAA written exam passing score, questions and time limits

You need 70 to pass. The FAA written exam passing score is the same on every test in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) testing matrix, from sport pilot to airline transport pilot (ATP), and PSI’s bulletins write it as 70% correct. What changes is the length: 60 questions in 2 hours for the Private Pilot Airplane (PAR) test, 100 for the commercial test and 125 for the ATP Multiengine test. On a 60-question test, 70% works out to 42 right answers; that sum is ours, not the FAA’s.

  • 70Passing score on every FAA knowledge test
  • 89.56%Private Pilot Airplane pass rate, 2025
  • 5, not scoredValidation questions on the PAR test
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Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How many questions are on the FAA written exam?

It depends on the test. These are the FAA matrix figures for the main pilot tests, with the time allowed in hours:

TestQuestionsHours
Sport Pilot Airplane (SPA)402.0
Recreational Pilot Airplane (RPA)502.0
Private Pilot Airplane (PAR)602.0
Private Pilot Helicopter (PRH)602.0
Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA)602.0
Commercial Pilot Airplane (CAX)1002.5
ATP Multiengine Airplane (ATM)1253.5
Fundamentals of Instructing (FOI)501.5
Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA)1002.5
Aircraft Dispatcher (ADX)803.5

The question counts don’t include validation questions: extra, unscored questions the FAA uses to try out new items. PSI’s bulletins list 5 of them on the PAR, IRA, CAX and ATM tests, and the time allowed already covers them.

The Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards (ACS) print 2.5 hours for the PAR test. The FAA’s correction table, updated October 2024, says that’s wrong and the right figure is 2.0 hours, as in the matrix.

FAA: Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (PDF) ↗FAA: ACS Knowledge Test Table, correct allotted times (PDF) ↗The instrument written exam in detail →The ATP written exams in detail →

How hard is the FAA written exam?

The FAA publishes pass rates and average scores for every test each year. In 2025, these were the figures for the main pilot tests:

TestTakenPass rateAverage
Private Pilot Airplane44,65789.56%81.64%
Instrument Rating Airplane27,14394.38%86.15%
Commercial Pilot Airplane20,53099.17%91.25%
ATP Multiengine Airplane9,97299.82%94.79%
Fundamentals of Instructing14,84699.07%92.13%
Flight Instructor Airplane14,73695.35%88.89%
Sport Pilot Airplane42096.90%86.64%

Across all 293,516 knowledge tests in 2025, including mechanic and drone tests, the pass rate was 89.56%. The private pilot test had the lowest pass rate of the pilot tests in this table, and its average score, 81.64%, was the lowest too.

FAA: Airman Knowledge Test Statistics ↗

Where does the FAA written exam passing score come from?

Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 61.35 leaves the minimum passing grade to the FAA, so the 70 comes from the FAA’s testing matrix rather than the regulation itself.

Your score is printed on the Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR) the proctor hands you as soon as you finish, along with codes for the subjects you missed. A pass of 70 or more is good for the practical test for 24 calendar months, with a few exceptions; the guide explains them and what happens if you fail.

Validity, retests and endorsements →What the codes on your report mean →
Sources: FAA · PSI · eCFR and 2 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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