Online Assessment in Aviation Training: What Regulators Expect

Regulators of aviation training do not ban online assessment, and the texts reviewed for this post do not name any approved assessment software. What they regulate is the exam environment, the organization’s written procedures and its records. As of October 2026, EASA’s Part-147 rules require exams in a controlled environment, EASA’s aircrew rules allow computer-based licence exams run by the authority, and FAA Part 147 sets a pass rate without prescribing how tests are delivered.

This post is for heads of training, quality managers and exam officers at EASA Approved Training Organisations (ATOs), Part-147 maintenance training organisations (MTOs), FAA Part 147 schools and small companies that sell aviation courses. If you are looking for a flight school or a course, it will not help you. Airline, cabin crew and ground handling rules are outside its scope.

Every rule below comes from EASA, EUR-Lex or the FAA’s eCFR, read in October 2026, and exact wording is marked (quoted). ICAO sells its Annex 1 and PANS-TRG texts, so this post did not read them. It is not legal or airworthiness advice. Rules differ by country and change, so check your competent authority before you change how any exam is delivered.

Key takeaways

• Regulators set conditions on the exam environment, written procedures and records; none of the texts read for this post approves assessment software.
• Under EASA Part-147, an exam must be performed in a controlled environment described in the organization’s exposition, and the distance-learning relief does not extend to exams.
• Under EASA Part-FCL, the competent authority runs pilot theory exams and may use computer-based form, so an ATO’s online tests are its own progress checks.
• FAA Part 147 sets a minimum passage rate and a quality control system that must cover assessment and records, and the text reviewed says nothing about online delivery.
• Where the text is silent, such as whether a remote-proctored session at home counts as controlled, only your competent authority can answer, so get that answer in writing.

Who sets the rules for online assessment in aviation training?

Four layers apply. ICAO writes the international baseline for States. EASA and the European Commission write the rules for EU organizations, and the FAA writes 14 CFR for US schools. Your national authority applies them and may add notices. Which layer governs depends on which assessment you are moving online.

ICAO’s store lists Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing) at its 14th edition, July 2022, including Amendment 179, and says Contracting States decide whether existing holders must be re-examined. The contents list of ICAO’s PANS-TRG (Doc 9868, third edition, Amendment 7) includes chapters on competency-based training and assessment for aircraft maintenance personnel. Both documents address States. The texts an EU or US auditor checks you against are the EASA and FAA rules below, and EASA says its question bank release aligns with ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices.

Which assessments in aviation training does the regulator run, and which are yours?

In most cases the authority, or a contractor for it, runs licence-level knowledge exams. Your platform usually serves your own tests. The main exception is a Part-147 maintenance training organisation, which conducts Part-66 basic knowledge exams itself. The table sorts common assessments by who runs them and what the text says.

The last row is this post’s reading of silence, not a rule.

What does Part-147 say about online exams and distance learning?

Part-147 allows distance learning but does not relax control of exams. Point 147.A.135(d) requires the exam to be performed in a controlled environment, and 147.A.100(j) says the distance-learning relief does not cover the exam or assessment. Knowledge exams may use URL access if the organization controls the exam environment.

What counts as a controlled environment?

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/989 added point 147.A.135(d), applicable from 12 June 2024. It says “The examination shall be performed in a controlled environment” (quoted) by an approved organization and described in its maintenance training organisation exposition (MTOE). The same point defines the term as an environment where four things can be established and verified: the identity of the students, the proper conduct of the exam process, the integrity of the exam and the security of the exam material (paraphrased).

Three of those four are properties of the room, the people and the procedure. Only exam material security depends heavily on software. A platform can support a controlled environment, but it cannot create one. EASA’s Part-147 review (RMT.0544, NPA 2023-10) proposed further exam changes in 2024, and this post could not confirm their status in October 2026, so check the current text.

Can a student sit a knowledge exam away from the school?

Maybe, but the text reviewed does not say. AMC1 147.A.145(c), in ED Decision 2023/019/R (31 October 2023, applicable from 12 June 2024), says knowledge exams may be conducted by accessing questions by URL “provided the knowledge examination environment is under the control of the maintenance training organisation” (quoted). It does not say whether a remote-proctored session in a student’s home meets that test.

Transport Malta’s Information and Advisory Notice 27, Issue 2 (13 July 2023), shows how one authority treats classroom exams at a venue away from the approved address. It asks for written procedures in the MTOE, supervised exams, an invigilator who took no part in the candidates’ training, identity confirmed before the exam, and daily video with audio recorded and kept by the MTO, for hardcopy or virtual exams. It does not describe home-based sittings, and other authorities may differ.

What records and vendor terms does a virtual setup need?

AMC1 147.A.115(a) covers knowledge transferred through “a virtually controlled environment” (quoted), such as distance learning or computer-based training. The organization should make computer requirements known to the user and ensure “the students’ activities are traceable, documented and recorded” (quoted). A third-party provider’s computer system requirements should be covered by a written agreement that includes delivery terms, data security and data integrity (paraphrased).

That point covers training delivery, not exams, and applying it to an online exam platform is this post’s judgment. Our guide to the assessment data an accreditation body will ask for covers the records side in more detail.

Pro tip: Write the Environment Down First. Because 147.A.135(d) says the controlled environment is “described in” the MTOE, write each online exam setup as a numbered procedure: who confirms identity, how, where it is recorded, who holds the question set and who supervises. Send it to your authority before the first live sitting.

What do EASA aircrew rules and FAA Part 147 say about computer-based testing in aviation training?

EASA’s aircrew rules explicitly allow computer-based licence theory exams, but the competent authority runs them, not your ATO. FAA Part 147 says nothing about delivery format in the sections reviewed: it sets a minimum passage rate and requires a quality control system that covers assessment. Neither names approved assessment software.

What does EASA Part-FCL say about computer-based exams?

ARA.FCL.300(b)(1) says “Examinations shall be done in written or computer-based form” (quoted) for ATPL, MPL, CPL and instrument rating exams. The authority selects questions from the European Central Question Bank and must maintain procedures that protect exam integrity (paraphrased). EASA says national competent authorities are responsible for the exams that use the bank.

AMC1 ARA.FCL.300 adds conditions for the authority’s exam room (paraphrased). Applicant identity is confirmed before the exam, seating stops candidates reading each other’s papers, and no electronic equipment other than a permitted calculator may be used. An ATO’s role comes earlier: AMC1 FCL.025(a) says the ATO should issue the recommendation for the exam after applicants finish the relevant instruction “to a satisfactory standard” (quoted). The AMC does not say which test shows that standard, so your progress-test design is your decision. The page read for ARA.FCL.300 was the August 2023 revision, and EASA has since published a November 2025 revision, so check the current text.

What does FAA Part 147 say about assessment?

Under 14 CFR Part 147, section 147.17 requires that training be designed to “continually align with the mechanic airman certification standards” (quoted). Section 147.23 requires a quality control system with “procedures for recordkeeping, assessment, issuing credit, issuing of final course grades” (quoted). Section 147.25 sets a minimum passage rate: at least 70 percent of students who take an FAA mechanic test within 60 days of graduation must pass (paraphrased).

The words “online”, “computer” and “electronic” do not appear in the sections read, 147.17 to 147.23, in the eCFR text current to October 15, 2026 (an unofficial edition). FAA airman knowledge tests are delivered under the FAA’s Airman Certificate Testing Service contract, so a school’s own platform serves course tests, grades and records. Our post on proctoring for training providers can help you decide how much supervision those course tests need.

What do regulators leave open in aviation training, and what do you decide?

Regulators fix conditions: a controlled exam environment, traceable records, written procedures and authority-run licence exams. They leave open the software, the question formats of your own tests and, in the texts read, how remote supervision is judged. The table separates what the text requires, what your authority decides and what you choose.

How can you check an online assessment setup against these rules?

Run seven checks, one per condition the texts above set or imply. Each ends in a document you can show an inspector. If you cannot produce the document, the setup is not ready. The list is this post’s own checklist, not an official one.

1. Name the layer: for each assessment, record who runs it using the first table.
2. Describe the environment: where candidates sit, who supervises and what is on the desk.
3. Document the identity step: what is checked, by whom, and where the result is logged.
4. Secure the question set: who can see it, when, and how learning questions stay out of exam pools.
5. Keep activity records: logins, start and end times, and any interruption.
6. Sign the vendor agreement: delivery terms, data security and data integrity.
7. Get the answer in writing: ask your authority whether the setup is acceptable and keep the reply.

Our exam security settings checklist covers the timer, randomization and access settings behind checks 4 and 5.

Pro tip: Rehearse One Failure Before Launch. Run a mock sitting in which a connection drops and a candidate is suspected of using another device. Write down who decides, what is recorded and who is told. A written, rehearsed rule is easier to defend than a feature list.

What should you do next?

List every assessment your organization runs, place each in the first table, and mark the ones that need a controlled environment. Pick one low-risk internal test to move online first, write its procedure, and keep the records it produces. Then write to your competent authority about any exam that sits inside a controlled environment.

If you hold a Part-147 approval, our guide to EASA Part-147 examinations and what your exam system must support goes deeper than this overview.

When you compare vendors, ask each one to show how its setup supports the checks above. SimpliAssess’s published features page lists item banking, test management, examinee management, scheduling and an API-first design, but its published pages do not describe proctoring methods, audit logging or aviation use, so put those questions to any vendor. SimpliTrain’s aviation page states that it supports delivery and tracking of EASA Part-147 basic training, type training and on-the-job training completion, and its menu lists assessments and exams, but the page does not describe how those features meet the rules above.

Frequently asked questions

Can aviation training organizations run exams online?

Yes for many internal tests, and the texts reviewed do not ban online delivery. Licence exams are different. EASA pilot theory exams are run by the competent authority, and Part-147 exams must be performed in a controlled environment described in the exposition. Check your competent authority before moving any exam that counts toward a licence or approval.

Is online assessment software approved by EASA or the FAA?

No approved-software list appeared in the EASA and FAA texts reviewed. Regulators assess the organization, its procedures and its records. Treat any “EASA compliant” or “FAA approved” claim about a tool as a vendor statement and ask for the exact source. Software can support your procedures, but it does not replace them.

Can a Part-147 student take a knowledge exam from home?

The texts reviewed do not settle it. Distance learning may happen where the organization does not control the location, but 147.A.100(j) excludes the exam. AMC1 147.A.145(c) allows URL access to questions only if the exam environment stays under the organization’s control. Whether a remote-proctored home session qualifies is a question for your competent authority.

Are computer-based exams allowed for EASA pilot theory?

Yes. ARA.FCL.300(b)(1) says exams shall be done in written or computer-based form, and the competent authority selects the questions from the European Central Question Bank. Your ATO does not deliver these exams. It recommends the applicant once training is complete, so your own online tests are preparation, not the licence exam.

Does FAA Part 147 allow computer-based testing?

The Part 147 sections read, 147.17 to 147.23, do not mention online or computer delivery. They require training aligned with the mechanic airman certification standards and a quality control system covering assessment and records. The FAA delivers airman knowledge tests through its own contract, so a school’s platform serves course tests and records.

What records should an aviation training organization keep from online assessments?

Part-147 guidance says student activity in a virtually controlled environment should be traceable, documented and recorded. FAA Part 147 requires quality control procedures for recordkeeping and assessment. Neither text reviewed sets a retention period for online exam logs, so ask your authority how long to keep them and keep the answer.