Three separate FAA knowledge tests stand between you and your mechanic certificate — and how well you do on them decides how hard your oral exam is going to be. We won't pretend these tests are easy. We'll tell you exactly what you're up against and give you the material to walk in ready.
General (AMG) is 60 questions; Airframe (AMA) and Powerplant (AMP) are 100 each. The FAA's guidance is to take General first, then Airframe and/or Powerplant — though if you already hold an Airframe or Powerplant rating, you don't sit General again. Questions draw on the AMT handbooks and the subject areas in 14 CFR part 147, and since July 2023 the Aviation Mechanic ACS is the testing standard incorporated into part 65.
This is the single most important fact about the A&P written tests, and almost nobody markets it. The oral portion of your O&P retests the knowledge areas you were deficient in on the written. Every ACS code you miss becomes a topic your Designated Mechanic Examiner questions you on, face to face.
Scrape through at 70% and you hand your DME a list of your weak spots to work through. Score in the nineties and there's very little left to ask.
So the written isn't a hurdle you clear and forget — it's the thing that sets the difficulty of everything that comes after it. That's the real argument for over-preparing rather than aiming at 70%.
The FAA refreshes the AMG, AMA and AMP banks aggressively — deliberately, to defeat rote memorization. Any provider promising you the complete, exact question pool is overselling. We'd rather tell you that up front than have you find out at the test center.
Because you will meet an unfamiliar question, memorizing letters doesn't survive contact with the real test. Our explanations cover why the correct answer is correct and why the others fail, so you can reason your way through something you haven't seen.
That same understanding is what your DME is probing for in the oral.
We track the FAA's Airman Testing Community Advisory and update our banks several times a month. The AMT tests are under active FAA and PSI review right now, including a knowledge test assessment and embedded images being phased into mechanic exams.
Pass rates on the A&P writtens are thin across every prep product on the market, ours included, because the material genuinely is broad and demanding. Test prep sharpens knowledge you've built in the shop or at school. It doesn't substitute for it.
60 questions, 2 hours. Basic electricity, weight and balance, maintenance forms and records, physics, materials and processes, ground operations, and regulations. Normally taken before Airframe or Powerplant — but not required again if you already hold one of those ratings.
$40 — one year of access.
100 questions, 2 hours. Structures, assembly and rigging, sheet metal and composites, landing gear, hydraulics, environmental systems, instruments, fuel, and airframe electrical.
$40 — one year of access.
100 questions, 2 hours. Reciprocating and turbine engines, induction and exhaust, fuel metering, engine electrical and ignition, lubrication, propellers, and engine inspection.
$40 — one year of access.
Most applicants pursuing a full A&P certificate take all three tests. That's $120 for a year of access to every question bank you need.
Each purchase is separate, and repeat purchases on the same email address are simply added to your existing account — no second login to manage.
Either through an FAA-certificated Part 147 Aviation Maintenance Technician School, or by documenting practical experience to a FSDO on FAA Form 8610-2. Part 65 requires 18 months of practical experience for a single rating, or 30 months working both concurrently for a full A&P.
Each scored separately, each needing 70%. This is the part we help with, and the part that shapes your oral.
Your Designated Mechanic Examiner reviews your Airman Knowledge Test Reports, then builds an oral that revisits the areas you missed, followed by hands-on practical projects. Bring your AKTRs and your 8610-2s.
General (AMG) is 60 questions. Airframe (AMA) and Powerplant (AMP) are 100 each. Every test allows 2 hours and needs 70% to pass, and each is scored on its own.
Yes. Per the FAA's mechanic ACS guidance, the oral portion retests the knowledge areas you were deficient in on the written. The ACS codes on your Airman Knowledge Test Report are what your examiner works from — so a stronger written directly buys you a shorter oral.
The FAA's guidance is that General (AMG) comes first, then Airframe, Powerplant, or both in either order. One exception worth money to you: if you already hold a mechanic certificate with an Airframe or Powerplant rating, the General test isn't administered again — you go straight to the rating you're adding, so there's no need to buy AMG a second time. Your AMTS or FSDO authorization will spell out exactly which tests you're cleared for.
Honestly, probably not on its own, and we'd rather say so. These tests sample an enormous body of knowledge and the FAA actively rotates questions to punish pure memorization. This is built to sharpen and verify knowledge you're building at school or in the shop — it's the last mile, not the whole road.
Through a Part 147 AMTS, or by taking documented practical experience to a FSDO with FAA Form 8610-2. Part 65 sets 18 months of practical experience for a single rating, and 30 months working both concurrently for a full A&P. You'll also need to be 18 to hold the certificate.
Run a Part 147 school? We offer free instructor progress tracking — see the schools program →
Test structure and eligibility details on this page come from the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix, the FAA's Become a Mechanic guidance, and the Aviation Mechanic ACS companion guide. Requirements can change — confirm anything affecting your certification with the FAA or your FSDO. Last reviewed: August 2026.