How Much Does the Part 107 Test Cost — and How Hard Is It to Pass?
Updated July 2026 · Part 107 Quiz editorial team
If you're thinking about getting your Remote Pilot Certificate, two questions almost always come up first: what is this actually going to cost me? and am I actually going to pass? Both are fair questions, and both deserve more than a one-line answer. Below is a full cost breakdown for the Part 107 process, an honest look at pass-rate data, and a free two-week study plan built entirely from FAA source material and this site's practice tests.
Total cost breakdown
The Part 107 process has a handful of required fees and one big variable: how much you choose to spend on study materials. Here's how the pieces add up.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FTN (FAA Tracking Number) | Free | Created through IACRA before you can register for the knowledge test. |
| Exam fee | About $175 | Paid to PSI, the FAA's third-party testing vendor — not the FAA itself. The fee is set by the vendor, so confirm the current amount when you book. |
| Registration | $5 per aircraft | Covers 3 years, paid at FAA DroneZone once you have an aircraft to register. |
| Recurrent training | Free | Required every 24 calendar months; completed online at faasafety.gov. |
| Study materials | $0–$300+ | Paid video courses typically run $150–$300. The FAA publishes all of its own source material free, and this site's practice tests are built on that same material at no cost. |
Add up only the required costs — the exam fee (about $175) plus $5 once you register an aircraft — and you're looking at roughly $180 before you open a single study guide. Everything past that is optional. Study using the FAA's free publications (14 CFR Part 107, the Remote Pilot – Small UAS Study Guide, and the Airman Certification Standards, all available at faa.gov) plus free practice tests like the ones on this site, and a $0 study budget is realistic. Paid courses can be convenient, but they aren't required to pass.
How hard is it, really?
The Part 107 knowledge test is 60 multiple-choice questions, given in 120 minutes on a computer at a PSI test center, with a minimum passing score of 70% — meaning you can miss up to 18 questions and still pass. Results are available the same day you test.
Historical pass rates for the initial Part 107 exam have generally run around 90%, based on FAA airman knowledge test statistics published over recent years. Treat that as a healthy sign, not a guarantee — it reflects everyone who has ever taken the test, not your individual odds, and it says nothing about how much you personally studied.
The FAA also publishes how heavily each subject area is weighted on the initial exam:
| Test area | Approximate weight |
|---|---|
| Regulations | 15–25% |
| Airspace & Requirements | 15–25% |
| Weather | 11–16% |
| Loading & Performance | 7–11% |
| Operations | 35–45% |
Which sections trip people up
Operations carries the most weight of any category by a wide margin, but most test-takers don't name it as the hardest — it's built from broad, practical material that becomes familiar quickly with repetition. The sections that consistently give people the most trouble are Airspace & Requirements and Weather, largely because both borrow from material originally written for manned-aircraft pilots — reading sectional charts, classifying airspace, and interpreting aviation weather products aren't skills most people bring in with them. Regulations, by contrast, tends to be the most memorization-friendly section: the rules are finite and well documented, so focused review usually pays off fast. Loading & Performance carries the smallest weight of the five categories, but it still deserves its own dedicated study session, since it covers a narrow set of calculations that don't show up anywhere else on the test.
A free 2-week study plan
Here's the plan we'd suggest if you're starting from zero and want to spend nothing beyond the required fees:
- Days 1–2: Read through the study guides start to finish to get familiar with the material and the vocabulary.
- Day 3: Take the Regulations practice test.
- Day 4: Take the Airspace practice test.
- Day 5: Take the Weather practice test.
- Day 6: Take the Loading & Performance practice test.
- Day 7: Take the Operations practice test.
- Day 8: Go back to whichever topic test felt weakest and retake it.
- Days 9–13: Take one full mock exam each day, reviewing every question you missed before moving on to the next one.
- Day 14: Sit the real exam.
Want something to review offline, on a plane, or in a waiting room? Download the free 50-question PDF and work through it alongside this plan.
A focused one- to two-week window — roughly 10 to 20 total hours of study — is a common and realistic preparation timeline for most people. Your own timeline will depend on how much aviation background you already have and how much time you can set aside each day.
FAQ
How much does the Part 107 exam actually cost?
The knowledge test fee is about $175, paid to PSI (the FAA's testing vendor), not the FAA directly — that fee is set by the vendor, so confirm the current amount when you book. Add $5 for drone registration at FAA DroneZone, which covers 3 years, and your required costs land around $180 total. Study materials beyond that are optional and can run anywhere from $0 to $300+.
Do I have to buy a paid course to study?
No. The FAA publishes all of its own source material for free — 14 CFR Part 107, the Remote Pilot – Small UAS Study Guide, and the Airman Certification Standards — and this site's practice tests are built directly on that material at no cost. Paid video courses exist and some people like the structure they offer, but they aren't required.
Is a 90% pass rate a guarantee I'll pass?
No. That figure is based on FAA airman knowledge test statistics published over recent years, and it describes everyone who has taken the initial Part 107 exam — not any one individual's odds. Treat it as a healthy sign that the exam is passable with reasonable preparation, not a promise about your own result.
What happens if I fail?
You can retake the exam, but you'll need to wait 14 calendar days from your last attempt before sitting it again, and you'll pay the exam fee again when you rebook. Use the waiting period to focus on whichever topic areas gave you the most trouble the first time.