60 practice questions covering regulations, aerodynamics, airspace, performance, weather, navigation, human factors, and instruments, aligned to the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards. Full explanations on every answer.
Try free → Pay $10 → Instant access + email link sent
The Private Pilot Airplane (PAR) knowledge test is administered by the FAA through PSI testing centers. It has 60 multiple-choice questions, a 120-minute time limit, and requires a 70% passing score. All active PAR questions are aligned to the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-6), the same document that governs the checkride.
The test draws from 8 core ground-school knowledge areas:
The PAR knowledge test is separate from the checkride, it only tests ground knowledge, not actual flying skill. Practicing realistic questions across all 8 areas, especially regulation and performance-chart questions that reward straightforward recall and calculation, builds the specific knowledge base the exam checks for.
| Feature | Free Online Guides | TestReadyUSA |
|---|---|---|
| Practice questions | ✗ Often outdated or unevenly spread | ✓ 60 questions across all 8 core knowledge areas |
| Aligned to the ACS | ✗ Rarely organized by current standards | ✓ Matches the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards |
| Answer explanations | ✗ Rarely explained | ✓ Every question |
| Drill by topic | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
Study Guide
About the real test
The FAA Private Pilot Airplane (PAR) knowledge test is 60 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, passing at 70%. It draws from ground-school topics: regulations, aerodynamics, airspace, performance, weather, navigation, human factors, and instruments/communications, all aligned to the Private Pilot Airman Certification Standards.
It's regulation-heavy, know Part 61 and 91 cold
Flight review intervals, medical certificate duration, required documents (ARROW), and right-of-way rules come up constantly. These are memorization, not reasoning, questions, so they're the easiest points to lock in early.
Density altitude questions are everywhere
High elevation, high temperature, high humidity all reduce performance. Nearly every performance-chart question traces back to this one relationship.
Know your transponder and light-gun codes exactly
7500 (hijack), 7600 (lost comms), 7700 (emergency), and the light-gun signal colors are simple memorization but frequently tested and easy to mix up under pressure.
Why TestReadyUSA works for the FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Test
TestReadyUSA's FAA Private Pilot practice covers the 8 core ground-school knowledge areas tested on the real PAR exam, with a full explanation after every question.
Practice one topic at a time.