The A&P written test is really three separate FAA knowledge tests: General, Airframe and Powerplant. Each is multiple choice, taken on a computer at an authorized testing center, and each is scored on its own. You need 70 percent to pass. The questions are not hard to understand. The challenge is covering a very wide body of material and knowing which topics you keep missing. This guide covers the format, the study materials that matter, and a prep plan that finds your weak spots early.
TL;DR
- The FAA requires three knowledge tests for an Aviation Mechanic certificate with Airframe and Powerplant ratings, and General comes first.
- General has 60 questions. Airframe and Powerplant have 100 each. All three have a 2-hour limit and a 70 percent passing score, per the FAA companion guide.
- Study the FAA handbooks and the Airman Certification Standards (ACS), then use timed practice tests to find the topics you miss.
- Passing the written tests is only the first stage. The oral and practical exams with a Designated Mechanic Examiner come after.
Table of Contents
- What the A&P written test actually is
- Format, length and passing score
- Who can take the tests
- What each test covers
- What to study
- Use ACS codes to find and fix weak areas
- A six-week prep plan for one test
- Written test versus oral and practical
- Perspective
- Practice with timed tests and topic tracking
- For instructors and A&P programs
- Test day checklist
- FAQ
- Sources
What the A&P written test actually is
People say "the A&P written" as if it were one exam. It is three. The FAA requires three knowledge tests for a mechanic certificate with both ratings: General first, then Airframe and/or Powerplant. If you want only one rating, you take General plus that rating's test.
The written tests are one stage of certification. After them come an oral exam and a practical exam, both given in person. The written tests are the gate. You cannot move on to the next stage until you have cleared them.
A few points apply to every one of the three tests:
- Each question is multiple choice with a single correct answer.
- Each question is independent of the others, so a miss on one does not affect the next, as the FAA knowledge test guide describes.
- The tests are scored separately. Failing Powerplant does not undo a pass on General.
Format, length and passing score
The FAA companion guide to the mechanic ACS sets out the numbers:
| Test | Questions | Time limit | Passing score |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | 60 | 2 hours | 70% |
| Airframe | 100 | 2 hours | 70% |
| Powerplant | 100 | 2 hours | 70% |
The tests are given by computer at authorized PSI testing centers. You schedule and pay for each test yourself, and the fee is charged per attempt, so a retake costs you again. Check PSI's current fee when you book rather than budgeting from an old figure.
Bring identification that shows a recent photograph, your date of birth, your signature and your actual residential address. You can combine more than one ID to cover all of that. Check the testing center's own instructions before test day, because showing up with the wrong ID costs you an attempt slot.
Two hours is generous for 60 questions and comfortable for 100 if you have practiced. Time pressure is rarely what fails people. Gaps in knowledge are.
Who can take the tests
The FAA lays out the eligibility routes on its Become an Aviation Mechanic page. In short, you are either eligible through training at an approved school or through documented practical experience. Applicants who are already eligible through prior training or experience can choose a test-preparation course. If you are applying on the basis of practical experience, you need FAA authorization before you can test.
Sort that out before you pay for anything. Many students lose weeks because they study first and discover the paperwork second.
What each test covers
General
General is the foundation test, and it is the shortest. It covers material every mechanic uses regardless of rating: basic electricity, aircraft drawings, weight and balance, fluid lines and fittings, materials and processes, ground operations, cleaning and corrosion control, maintenance publications, forms and records, and mechanic privileges and limitations. Many students underestimate it because it is short. The breadth is the problem: a handful of questions per topic, so you cannot lean on one strong area.
General is a natural place to start, since the FAA sequences it first anyway. If you want a feel for the question style, the General practice tests are the quickest way to find out where you stand.
Airframe
Airframe is 100 questions on the structure and systems of the aircraft: wood, fabric and sheet metal structures, welding, assembly and rigging, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, landing gear, cabin atmosphere control, fuel, ice and rain protection, fire protection, and airframe electrical and instrument systems. Students who come from an avionics or electrical background often find structures harder than they expected, and those with a structures background find the systems questions harder.
Powerplant
Powerplant is also 100 questions. Expect reciprocating and turbine engines, ignition and starting, lubrication, induction and exhaust, fuel metering, cooling, propellers, and engine instruments and inspection. If you have little hands-on time with piston engines, you will need extra reading here. One commenter on a mechanic forum noted that school-based practical training helped precisely because he had little or no experience with magneto timing, wooden structures and piston engines. Those are all areas where written questions test real familiarity.
You can try the Airframe and Powerplant tests in the same format you will see on exam day.
What to study
Start with the official materials. The FAA points students to the Aviation Mechanic General, Airframe and Powerplant Handbooks, which provide content for many knowledge-test questions.
The second pillar is the Airman Certification Standards. The ACS defines the knowledge and skill elements for each certificate or rating, and it is incorporated by reference into 14 CFR Part 65. Think of it as the exam's table of contents. Every knowledge test question is tied to an ACS code, which matters a lot for the way you study, as we explain next.
A practical order of attack:
- Download the ACS for your rating and read the topic list once, honestly marking what you could not explain to someone else.
- Read the matching handbook chapters for those topics, not the whole handbook front to back.
- Take a practice test to see how you actually perform against the topics.
- Go back to the handbook only for what you missed.
Use ACS codes to find and fix weak areas
This is the part many students skip. After the knowledge test, your results report lists the ACS codes for questions you missed. The FAA built it that way on purpose. Its guidance says that applicants can use the codes to target remedial study, and that the coded system lets instructors identify and address exact gaps in a student's knowledge.
The lesson for your prep is simple: do not wait for the official report to tell you what you do not know. Run the same process before you sit the test. Tag every practice-test miss by topic, count the misses per topic, and spend your next study session on the top two or three. A student who scores 74 percent with two clear weak topics is in a better position than one who scores 74 percent and has no idea why.
The FAA also publishes PSI sample tests, which are useful for one specific purpose: getting familiar with the test software, so the interface is not a surprise on the day.
A six-week prep plan for one test
This is a general pacing guide, not an FAA requirement. Adjust it for your work schedule and background.
| Week | Focus | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read the ACS topic list and take a baseline practice test | List of weak topics ranked by misses |
| 2 to 3 | Handbook reading on the three weakest topics, then topic-specific practice questions | Re-test scores per topic |
| 4 | Next tier of weak topics, plus drawings, charts and calculation questions | Worked examples you can repeat from memory |
| 5 | Timed full-length practice tests under exam conditions | Two full-length scores and a refreshed miss list |
| 6 | Review only what you still miss, light review the day before | Book the test when you are scoring comfortably above 70 |
Book your real test when your practice scores sit comfortably above the pass mark, not when you first touch it. Practice questions are never identical to the real ones, so a margin matters.
Written test versus oral and practical
The written test checks recall and understanding through objective multiple-choice questions. The oral and practical exams do something different. According to the FAA companion guide, they assess how you apply knowledge, manage risk and perform skills, including through explanations and scenarios.
That means two things for your study. First, the written test is the cheapest place to build the knowledge base that the oral will lean on, so do not study just to pass. Second, a topic you memorize for the written but cannot explain out loud will show up again with a Designated Mechanic Examiner. Practice saying answers aloud while you study.
Perspective
We built AMT Guides around one idea: the most valuable thing a practice test gives you is not a score, it is a map. A single percentage tells you almost nothing. A list of the topics you keep missing tells you what to do tomorrow.
That is why our practice tests are tied to performance tracking and high-miss topic analysis. When you take General, Airframe or Powerplant tests with us, we track where your misses cluster, so your next session goes to the topics that cost you points. It mirrors the way the FAA itself links knowledge-test questions to ACS codes for targeted remedial study.
We also think students should not have to guess when a concept does not click. Our platform lets you ask instructors for help on unclear material, and it gives schools instructor dashboards and analytics, so a class's common problem areas surface before test day, not after.
Our view: pass the written tests by studying smarter, not longer. Find the gaps first, close them with targeted practice, then walk in confident.
the author
Practice with timed tests and topic tracking
If you want to rehearse the real thing, AMT Guides offers timed full-length and topic-specific practice tests for General, Airframe and Powerplant, with detailed explanations for each question and high-miss topic tracking. You can start free and upgrade when you want unlimited full-length tests.
Current individual options, as published on our site:
- Free: $0, for practice test samples.
- Pro Monthly: $7.99 per month.
- AMT Student Pass: $89.00, one-time.
See the plans on the AMT Guides home page, or read how ACS-based remediation and study plans turn your misses into a study schedule. Students can also see the student page for more on how it works.
For instructors and A&P programs
If you teach, the same logic applies to a whole cohort. Aggregated miss data shows which ACS areas your class struggles with, so you can spend lecture time where it counts. Our instructor analytics and student remediation tools are built for that.
School plans are published on our schools page:
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $279 | $2,988 |
| Program | $559 | $5,988 |
| Campus | $1,119 | $11,988 |
| Large Campus | $1,679 | $17,988 |
| Enterprise | from $2,399 | Contact us |
There is also a $499 one-time Pilot Program for schools that want to try the platform first. Extra seats are priced separately: an additional instructor is $39 per month or $420 per year, and additional student blocks start at $85 per month for 25 students. To see it with your own curriculum, request a demo.
Test day checklist
- Confirm your eligibility and any required FAA authorization before booking.
- Schedule your test with PSI and note the fee for each attempt.
- Pack ID that shows a photo, date of birth, signature and residential address.
- Arrive early. Sleep matters more than a last-night cram session.
- Read each question fully. Each one stands alone, so do not carry assumptions from the last item.
- Skip and flag questions that stall you, then return with the time left.
- After the test, keep your results report. Its ACS codes are your guide if you need to retake and for the oral exam that follows.
FAQ
How many questions are on the A&P written test?
There are three tests. General has 60 questions, and Airframe and Powerplant have 100 each. Each has a 2-hour time limit, as the FAA companion guide states.
What score do you need to pass?
The passing score is 70 percent on each test. The tests are scored separately, so a pass on one stands even if you have to retake another.
Which test should I take first?
General. The FAA sequences it first, and the Airframe and Powerplant tests follow, according to its test requirements page. It is also the shortest, which makes it a good way to learn the format.
How do I find out what I need to study after a failed attempt?
Your test report lists ACS codes for the areas you missed. Use them to direct your remedial study. Practice tests that tag misses by topic let you do the same thing before you ever sit the real exam.
Do the written test rules apply outside the US?
The FAA knowledge tests are US requirements. Many other countries let A&P holders convert their license, though the terms differ by country, so check with that country's aviation authority.
Sources
- FAA: Aircraft Mechanic Oral, Practical and Written Tests
- FAA: Companion Guide to the Aviation Mechanic General, Airframe and Powerplant ACS
- FAA: Become an Aviation Mechanic
- FAA: Aviation Maintenance Technician Knowledge Test Guide (8082-3A)
- PPRuNe forum: Paths to getting FAA A&P as EASA licensed B1.3