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United States · Knowledge test

FAA written exam codes: test codes and score report codes

There are two kinds of FAA written exam codes, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses the word for both. Every test has a three-letter test code, such as PAR for Private Pilot Airplane, which you pick when you book. Then your Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR) lists a code for each subject you answered wrong: an Airman Certification Standards (ACS) code on the tests that have moved to the ACS, and a learning statement code on the rest.

  • 3 lettersLength of a test code, such as PAR
  • 33 of 91Tests that print ACS codes on the report
  • Missed questions onlyWhat the report’s codes point to
Where to study

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

Test codes for the main pilot tests

The FAA’s Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix lists every code. These are the main pilot tests:

  • PAR: Private Pilot Airplane. PRH: Private Pilot Helicopter, PGL: Private Pilot Glider, and PAT: the private pilot transition test for recreational pilots
  • SPA: Sport Pilot Airplane, and RPA: Recreational Pilot Airplane
  • IRA: Instrument Rating Airplane, and IRH: Instrument Rating Helicopter
  • CAX: Commercial Pilot Airplane, and CRH: Commercial Pilot Helicopter
  • ATM: Airline Transport Pilot Multiengine Airplane, and ATS: Airline Transport Pilot Single Engine Airplane
  • FOI: Fundamentals of Instructing, FIA: Flight Instructor Airplane, FII: Flight Instructor Instrument Airplane
  • BGI and AGI: Ground Instructor Basic and Advanced, and ADX: Aircraft Dispatcher

Codes such as PCP and ICP are Canadian conversion tests, PEP and IEP are for European Union license holders, and PFB, IFB and IFP are for other foreign pilots. MCN is the military competence test.

FAA: Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (PDF) ↗The IRA test →The ATM and ATS tests →

What do the codes on an FAA written exam report mean?

The FAA says your AKTR shows your name and FAA Tracking Number (FTN), your score, and codes for the subjects of the questions you answered wrong. On an ACS test, a code such as PA.I.C.K2 reads in four parts: PA is the Private Pilot Airplane ACS, I the Area of Operation, C the Task, and K2 the second knowledge element in that Task. Look it up in the ACS for your test.

Learning statement codes look like PLT001. You match them in the FAA’s Learning Statement Reference Guide, effective August 1, 2023.

FAA: Airman Certification Standards ↗FAA: Learning Statement Reference Guide (PDF) ↗

Which tests print ACS codes

The FAA’s September 2026 advisory says 33 of its 91 knowledge tests print ACS codes, and that the testing matrix marks them by shading the test code light blue. Among the pilot tests, the matrix marks PAR, PRH, IRA, IRH, CAX, CRH, ATM, ATS, FOI, FIA and FRH, along with the Canadian, European Union and foreign conversion tests that go with them. Unshaded tests such as SPA and PGL print learning statement codes.

The FAA’s ACS Companion Guide for Pilots says a test prints ACS codes only if you took it after that test’s ACS took effect.

The private pilot ACS and other study guides →

What to do with the codes

Take the report to your instructor. Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 61.39 requires your practical test endorsement to say you’ve shown satisfactory knowledge of the subjects you missed, and the examiner evaluates those subjects again during the practical test. Keep the original report: the FAA asks you to bring it.

The FAA also publishes a Frequently Missed Knowledge Test ACS Codes report. It lists codes asked at least 100 times that test takers missed more than 70% of the time on a given test.

FAA: Airman Knowledge Test Statistics and missed ACS codes ↗

Lost your report, or the name is wrong

If you tested on or after January 13, 2020, sign in to your PSI account and print a duplicate. For a test on or before January 10, 2020, the FAA says to email AFB-721-ONLY-CTR@faa.gov with the full name on the test, your date of birth, and the test type and date. The FAA answers questions on (866) 878-2498. PSI’s FAQ also describes a mailed request with a $12 check or money order, and a test credit letter if you only need the report to retest.

If the name on your report differs from the one in the FAA’s Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA), the FAA says to bring proof of your correct details to the practical test. The examiner adds a signed statement and a copy of your ID to your file.

FAA: Replace a Knowledge Test Report ↗
Sources: FAA · eCFR · PSI and 6 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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