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FAA Reduces Time Allotted for Knowledge Tests

The changes in testing procedures affect private and commercial applicants.

Applicants taking the 60-question Private Pilot Airplane (PAR) exam will have 120 minutes, down from 150. [Credit: Shutterstock]
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Key Takeaways:

  • The FAA is reducing the time allotted for the Private Pilot-Airplane Rating (PAR) and Commercial Pilot-Airplane Rating (CAX) knowledge exams.
  • Effective April 24, 2023, the PAR exam will be 120 minutes (down from 150), and the CAX exam will be 150 minutes (down from 180).
  • This change, based on a "scientific assessment" by the FAA and PSI Services, aims to align test questions with airman certification standards, though test topics and the $175 exam price remain unchanged.
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Applicants slated to take the FAA’s private pilot-airplane rating (PAR) or commercial pilot-airplane rating (CAX) knowledge exams will soon have less time to take the tests. 

According to the Airman Testing Community Advisory committee, the publication of the FAA’s Airman Testing Standards Branch, the decision to reduce the test time was made by the FAA and PSI Services LLC, the FAA’s sole provider for FAA knowledge exams, after they performed what has been described as “a scientific assessment of the knowledge tests.”

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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