FAA Reduces Time Allotted for Knowledge Tests

The changes in testing procedures affect private and commercial applicants.

Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 04:31 PM ET

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

Key Takeaways:

The FAA is reducing the allotted time for the Private Pilot-Airplane (PAR) and Commercial Pilot-Airplane (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 decision by the FAA and PSI Services LLC follows a "scientific assessment" to enhance test quality and ensure alignment with Airman Certification Standards (ACSs) and FAA handbooks.
Test topics, subject matter, testing supplements, and the exam price of $175 remain unchanged, though existing questions were adjusted for alignment.

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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.”