Assessments for drone (UAS) pilot training programs: beyond the drone pilot exam

A drone pilot exam is the theory test that a civil aviation authority, or an entity it designates, sets before a remote pilot gets a certificate or proof of competence. Examples are the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft General test and the online exam in the EU open category. A training program does not write or deliver that exam, but it still has to decide how it knows a learner is ready and what it can show about the skills the exam leaves out.

This guide is for program managers, chief instructors and exam officers at UAS training schools and companies that sell drone courses. It compares the exam formats published by the FAA, Spain’s aviation safety agency (AESA), Finland’s Traficom and Transport Canada. It then gives an assessment plan for the theory, scenario and flight-skill evidence that sits on your side of the line.

The rules below were read on each authority’s own pages as of November 2026. This is not legal advice. Drone rules differ by country and change, so check your competent authority before you build a program around them.

Key takeaways

• The official drone pilot exam is a knowledge test run by the authority or its designated entity. As of November 2026 the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft General test has 60 questions and a 70 percent pass mark, Transport Canada’s Advanced exam has 50 questions and 80 percent, and Spain’s A1/A3 exam has 40 questions and 75 percent.
• The practical side is handled differently in each system: the FAA sources reviewed describe no flight test, Canada’s Advanced route adds a flight review, and the EU A2 route requires a declared practical self-training.
• Your own tests are readiness and progress evidence, not the official exam. Build them from the authority’s published topic list and never from real exam items.
• A workable plan has five layers: unit knowledge checks, scenario items, a full-length mock exam, a scored flight-skills assessment and one learner record that ties them together.

What does the official drone pilot exam test, and who sets it?

The authority sets the drone pilot exam, and it tests aeronautical knowledge, not flying skill. In the United States the test covers the areas listed in 14 CFR 107.73. In the EU, national authorities or entities they designate deliver the online exams under the open-category rules. Question counts, time limits and retake rules differ by country.

The table shows what each authority publishes. The EU rows come from two national authorities, because EASA’s own page describes the route but gives no question counts or pass marks.

The FAA’s airman knowledge testing matrix (revised September 25, 2026) lists the UAG row and says it “requires a 14-day waiting period for retesting” (quoted). The same matrix lists age 14 for sitting the test, while the certificate itself needs an applicant who is at least 16 under 14 CFR 107.61. Transport Canada’s figures come from its Small Advanced exam page, which does not state whether the exam is supervised.

What do the rules fix, and what does a training program decide?

The rules fix who may fly, which knowledge must be shown and how recency is kept. The program decides how it teaches, how it checks readiness and how it assesses flying. No source reviewed says an authority approves a provider’s internal tests, so treat them as your own evidence, not as a regulated step.

What the sources fix, as of November 2026:

• United States: an applicant for the remote pilot certificate must pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test covering the areas in 14 CFR 107.73, and must have exercised that knowledge “within the previous 24 calendar months” (quoted from 14 CFR Part 107 Subpart C on eCFR), by passing the test or completing recurrent training. The Administrator designates who gives the tests and sets the passing grade.
• EU open category: EASA’s FAQ on open-category training (last updated February 21, 2024) lists online training and an online theory exam for A1/A3. For A2 it lists A1/A3 proof of completion, a declared practical self-training and an additional theory exam “at the NAA or proctored online” (quoted). It also says “an NAA may designate an entity that may conduct the online training and provide the online exam” (quoted).

Everything else is yours to design: the teaching sequence, unit checks, the readiness gate, flight assessments and records. The 13 areas in 14 CFR 107.73 include crew resource management, aeronautical decision-making, emergency procedures and maintenance and preflight inspection. These are judgment topics, so a program can assess them with scenarios as well as recall questions.

What can a multiple-choice exam not show about a drone pilot?

A multiple-choice exam shows what a candidate knows and can recognize. It does not show how they plan a site, react to a lost control link or fly near people. The FAA’s remote pilot standards document, FAA-S-ACS-10B (effective April 6, 2021, the edition linked from the FAA’s drone-pilot page), lists knowledge elements and marks the skills element as not applicable.

Authorities cover that gap in different ways, or not at all. Canada’s Advanced route requires a flight review on top of the exam. The EU A2 route requires the pilot to declare a practical self-training, and AESA’s A1/A3 and A2 exam page says it must take place at least 150 metres from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas. The FAA pages reviewed describe no flight element.

That gap is where a training program can add evidence of its own. It is also where clients, employers and insurers may ask what a learner can actually do, though none of the sources reviewed says they require a program to supply it.

How do you build an assessment plan that gets learners ready for the drone pilot exam?

Start from the authority’s published topic list, then add one assessment layer for each type of evidence: unit knowledge checks, scenario items, a full-length mock exam and a scored flight assessment. Each layer needs its own format and its own pass rule. The table sets out one plan you can adapt to your route.

Scenario items are the cheapest way to cover judgment topics. Here is an original example, written for this post and not drawn from or representative of any official exam.

Illustrative scenario item. You arrive at the planned job site. The weather and the aircraft are fine, but a group of people has gathered near the edge of your planned flight area. What is the best first action?

• A. Launch as planned and keep the aircraft away from the group.
• B. Pause, reassess the site and the plan, then change the area or timing, or postpone, before launching.
• C. Ask the group to stand still and fly as planned.
• D. Fly a short test hop first to see whether anyone reacts.

Option B is the keyed answer, and the other three each describe a plausible shortcut. Our guide to scenario-based multiple-choice questions covers how to write distractors like these.

Pro tip: Mirror The Format, Not The Content. Match the mock exam’s length, timing and topic weights to what the authority publishes, but write every item yourself. Label the test a readiness check, not a forecast, because nothing in the sources reviewed shows that any internal test predicts an official result.

How do you assess drone flight skills when the exam does not?

Use a task-based rubric scored by a trained assessor. Make each row one observable action, and score it on three levels: independent, prompted or unsafe. Take the tasks from your approved syllabus and the manufacturer and authority guidance, not from a blog post. Score the same tasks every time so results can be compared across learners and cohorts.

For a general-purpose program, group the rows under five headings: site and flight planning, preflight inspection, normal operations, abnormal and emergency situations, and post-flight record keeping. The content of each task depends on the aircraft, the operation and the rules where you train, and this post gives no operating procedures. Our live guide to observation checklists for practical training sessions covers how to build the form itself.

Two rules keep the scores meaningful. First, set a critical-fail rule: any unsafe action that puts people or property at risk ends the assessment, whatever the total. Second, calibrate your assessors by having two of them score the same recorded or live flights, then discuss every row where they disagree.

On the EU A2 route, the pilot declares the practical self-training to the authority. A program can supervise sessions and keep a record, but whether that record counts toward the declaration is a question for the authority, not for the program.

Pro tip: Record The Prompt Level. A pass with three assessor prompts and a pass with none are different evidence. Log the prompt count per task so you can see which skills need more practice before a learner flies for a paying client.

How should you set the pass mark and keep records for your own tests?

Your mock-exam pass mark is an internal readiness gate, not the authority’s pass mark. Set it with a documented method, then compare it with how your learners actually perform on the official exam over several cohorts. Keep the evidence together: which test version, which learner, which date and which assessor.

The official marks in the table range from 70 to 80 percent, so a program that prepares learners for more than one authority needs a separate gate for each route. Standard-setting methods such as Angoff are explained in our guide to setting cut scores for professional training courses. Where official results are shared voluntarily by learners, record only the outcome you need.

A complete record set for one learner usually holds:

• the version and date of each knowledge, scenario and mock test taken;
• item-level responses and scores;
• the signed flight-skills checklist with assessor names and prompt levels;
• any retake, appeal or accommodation decision;
• the certificate your program issued.

That last item needs care. A completion certificate says the learner finished your program, while the authority’s certificate or proof of competence is a separate credential. State the difference on your certificate, and see our comparison of certificate of completion vs certification for how to word it.

What should you do next?

Pick the one authority route your learners actually sit, whether that is the FAA, an EU national authority, Transport Canada or another. Read its current exam page and copy the first table in this post, filling in format, pass mark, retake rule and practical element for your route.

Then build the blueprint from that topic list, write a set of 20 scenario items, draft the flight rubric and pilot all three with one cohort. Compare the internal scores with the learners’ official results before you fix any readiness gate.

If you are choosing software for this, SimpliAssess’s features page lists item banking, test management, examinee management, schedule management and analytics and reporting, and describes an API-first design. It does not describe offline use, practical or observation assessments or certificates, so ask any vendor to demonstrate the flight rubric and the records you need.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the drone pilot exam?

It depends on the authority. As of November 2026 the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft General test has 60 questions with 2 hours allowed. Transport Canada’s Advanced exam has 50 questions in 60 minutes. Spain’s A1/A3 exam has 40 questions in 40 minutes, and Finland’s A1/A3 exam has 40 multiple-choice questions. Check your own authority’s current page.

Do you need a practical test to fly a drone commercially?

It depends on the country. The FAA pages and standards reviewed describe a knowledge test and no flight test for the US remote pilot certificate. Transport Canada requires a flight review for the Advanced certificate. The EU A2 route requires a declared practical self-training. Confirm the current rule with your competent authority before advertising a route.

Can a training provider run the official drone pilot exam?

Only if the authority allows it. EASA’s FAQ says a national authority “may designate an entity” to run the online training and exam (quoted). In the United States the FAA’s page directs applicants to an FAA-approved knowledge testing center. A provider without such a designation runs internal readiness tests, which do not issue the certificate.

Is the drone pilot exam taken online?

Sometimes. Spain’s AESA gives the A2 exam online with telemonitoring through a webcam, microphone and screen, and Transport Canada’s Advanced exam is taken online. The FAA page says its knowledge test is taken at an FAA-approved testing center with government photo ID. Delivery rules change, so check the authority’s current page before you tell learners where to sit it.

How often must a certified drone pilot renew?

It depends on the system. In the United States, 14 CFR 107.65 requires knowledge to have been shown within the previous 24 calendar months, by a test or recurrent training. Spain’s AESA and Finland’s Traficom both say the A1/A3 certificate is valid for five years. Confirm renewal rules with your authority, because they change.

Can a mock exam predict whether a learner will pass the official test?

Not on its own, and no source reviewed claims otherwise. A mock exam shows readiness against your own blueprint. To learn how well it tracks the official result, compare internal scores with official outcomes over several cohorts, and treat the gate as provisional until that comparison supports it.