The most important step in the process of becoming a commercial drone pilot is passing the FAA Part 107 knowledge exam. In order to do this, you’ll need to study and prepare. It’s not just an hour or two of cramming that will get you through it. You’ll have to commit yourself to at least a month of studying before you are able to sit the actual test. So, which is the best Part 107 Study Guide? Find out below.
There are many Part 107 study guides available on the market to help you with your preparations. The question is: which study material is right for you? We’ve taken the time to review many of the most popular Part 107 study guides and have listed some of the best below.
What Is the FAA Part 107 Knowledge Exam?
The FAA Part 107 knowledge exam is a 60-question test that every drone pilot must pass before they can fly a drone commercially. The test can be difficult, especially for those without a background in aviation rules.
Subjects that are covered in the exam include things like aviation regulations, reading weather charts, drone maintenance, radio communication protocols, aeronautical decision-making, emergency procedures and a few other topics.
The test can only be taken at an FAA approved test centre, there are many of these centres around the USA and a full list can be found here.
Applicants get 2 hours to complete the test and must obtain a score of 70% or better to pass. So, in other words, they will need to correctly answer at least 42 of the 60 questions to obtain the Part 107 certificate.
There is a fee to take this exam, the fee sometimes changes but is currently set at $175. Drone pilots will also need to renew every two years to keep their certificates valid.
How Do You Prepare For The FAA Part 107 Knowledge Exam?
The best way to prepare is to study properly, make sure that whatever study material you get is up to date with the relevant information and that it has been put together by experts.
There are a lot of free resources that you may find helpful, and I have listed many of them below. However, they don’t cover everything, and many free resources are not updated regularly.
The best Part 107 study guides are part of a whole course which includes additional material in the form of videos, quizzes, practice questions and support from the course instructors.
A lot of people find that they need to take more than one practice exam in order to get a feel for the material and what kind of questions they will be asked. If you’re in this boat, it’s important to take as many practice exams as possible and achieve the 70% pass mark.
Many of the paid courses on this list provide unlimited practice exams which will help you in achieving the required pass mark.
There are many study guides available for the FAA Part 107 knowledge exam, some of them can only be accessed by purchasing a Part 107 course.
The Best Part 107 Study Guides (Paid)
The first drone training provider that guaranteed you to pass the FAA exam, or they will refund the course fee and exam fee. More than 30,000 students have enrolled on their courses and their Part 107 course has a success rate of 99%. It’s a video based course but also includes hundreds of FAA test questions, quizzes at the end of each lesson and practice exams.
The most popular drone flight school, it has thousands of positive reviews, and it’s Part 107 course has a 99% success rate. They offer a refund for the exam fee should you fail after taking their course. The course consists of over 70 videos, cheatsheets, lesson notes, quizzes, practice exams and a 12-page cram sheet to help you remember key concepts just before you take the test.
A relatively new drone training school, they have grown rapidly over the past few years, especially after their CEO was featured on Shark Tank and won a deal worth $300,000 from Mark Cuban. They offer a wide range of drone training programs and are continually adding to their catalogue. They provide an in-person and online study program for the Part 107 test and students who take and complete their course have a very high success rate.
This drone training school offers lots of courses and their Part 107 course is very popular. It has a money back guarantee and the training is a combination of high-quality videos that have been optimised for mobile devices so you can watch on the go, a 75-page study guide, practice tests and quizzes and weekly webinars. The course has a 99% success rate and also offers a refund for the exam fee should you fail.
One of the more established drone flight schools, they have one of the largest course offerings of any drone school. Their Part 107 course consists of video tutorials, a 274-page study guide, regular webinars and access to previous FAA Part 107 exam questions. Unlike the other courses on this list, Drone U offers a monthly or yearly subscription service that will allow you to access their entire course catalogue.
There are a few well-received Part 107 courses on Udemy, most of the courses are not very long and they are inexpensive when compared to the other courses on this list.
Best Part 107 Study Guides (Free Resources)
This is a free helpful resource from the FAA, it has 88 pages and covers everything you need to know for the test. It’s not the most user-friendly and its text based and has no images or videos (which have proven to help you learn and understand better).
This is a set of 45 FAA test questions for the Part 107 exam, it’ll help you understand what kind of questions will be asked and how to answer them.
John Peltier is a professional photographer who offers a wide-range of photography courses and also has a Part 107 course. In this article, he lists 10 FAA Part 107 questions and provides answers for them.
Jonathan is an accomplished Lawyer who specialises in done law, he has a very useful blog that provides tons of free resources which includes a Part 107 study guide.
This YouTube video is quite old, but most of the information is still relevant, it’s not a complete guide but it is still helpful.
A very helpful YouTube where the host goes over 100 Part 107 questions and provides an explanation for each answer.
A more recent YouTube study guide for the Part 107 test from Altitude University.
Final Thoughts
There are many different study materials available on the market to help you with your preparations. There are apps that give quiz questions at random times, flashcards with charts and diagrams, and books full of detailed information. I have only listed a small portion of the many paid and free study guides that are now available.