Module MOD-20 · 7 min

How the Knowledge Test Is Built

← Knowledge-Test Final Preparationdraft — pending CFI review

Why this matters in flight: Walking in knowing the format — how many questions, how they are scored, and how the figure booklet works — removes surprise and lets you spend your energy on the aviation content instead of the mechanics of the exam.

The private pilot airplane knowledge test is a computer-administered exam of 60 multiple-choice questions, each with three choices and one best answer, and 70 percent is passing. It must be passed before the practical test. The questions map to the knowledge areas in the Airman Certification Standards, so studying by ACS area — preflight preparation, weather, cross-country planning, airspace, aeromedical factors, performance, and the rest — guarantees you cover everything that can appear. Many questions send you to a figure printed in the official Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement handed to you at the center: a sectional excerpt, a weather product, or a performance chart. The stem names the exact figure, and you read the value from it rather than recalling it. Bring acceptable identification and the required instructor endorsement so you are not turned away.

Key terms

Knowledge test
A 60-question computer exam; 70 percent passes; required before the checkride.
Testing Supplement
The official booklet of figures referenced by test questions.
ACS area
An area of operation in the Airman Certification Standards that organizes required knowledge.

Summary

It is a 60-question exam, 70 percent to pass, mapped to ACS areas, with figures read from the supplement booklet — and you must arrive with ID and an endorsement.

Quick check ▾

One question on what you just read.

Question 1 of 1

Objective mastery: 15%

0 of 1 answered

What is the minimum passing score on the private pilot airplane knowledge test?

Choose one answer
Knowledge check (4) →Ask about this lessonAll lessons in this module

Sources

Every claim traces to a source — paraphrased knowledge elements pointing at the governing FAA publication; not yet verified against a retrieved source.

  • ACS Appendix / Airman Certification Standards — Private Pilot — Airplane Airman Certification Standards unverified
  • Airman Knowledge Testing Supplement — Private Pilot — Airplane Airman Certification Standards unverified
  • Airman Certification Standards — Private Pilot — Airplane Airman Certification Standards unverified
  • ACS / testing prerequisites — Private Pilot — Airplane Airman Certification Standards unverified

Community

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