Exam Accommodations in Aviation: Who Decides What and How to Document It
Exam accommodations are changes to how an exam is given, such as extra time, a reader or a different room, that let a candidate show what they know without changing what the exam measures. In aviation, the hard part is rarely the list of adjustments. It is knowing whose decision each one is.
This guide is for exam officers, heads of training and quality managers at approved training organizations, maintenance training schools and flight schools. It compares what the FAA, the UK CAA and EASA publish as of November 2026, then shows how to handle requests for exams you set yourself. It is not legal advice, rules differ by country, and medical certification is a separate matter outside this article. For the web-design side, see our guide to accessible online exams and WCAG.
Key takeaways
- For FAA knowledge tests, the adjustment is approved through the FAA’s own process, so a school’s job is to help the candidate apply, not to grant it.
- The UK CAA asks candidates to request reasonable adjustments with medical evidence at least 14 days before the exam, so intake must start early.
- EASA says it does not plan to change the Part-66 and Part-147 rules for candidates with special needs, and points to exemptions handled by the national competent authority.
- For exams you set yourself, you decide, and a written construct check plus a decision record protects both the candidate and your quality system.
Who decides aviation exam accommodations: the regulator, the authority or you?
It depends on who sets the exam. If an authority or its testing provider runs it, the authority sets the adjustments and you support the request. If you write and mark the exam, such as a module test or recurrent quiz, you decide, within your own procedures and the law that applies to you.
This table sorts the exam types a training organization meets, using the primary sources cited in the next sections.
| Exam type | Who decides the adjustment | What the source publishes | What the provider does |
|---|---|---|---|
| FAA airman knowledge test (US) | FAA, case by case | Order 8080.6H lists three options and a request route through the local field office | Helps the candidate gather medical documentation and submit the request |
| UK CAA theoretical exam | CAA Examinations Team | An application route with medical evidence, due 14 days before the exam; no adjustment list on the page we read | Tells candidates the deadline and evidence needed at enrollment |
| EASA Part-66 basic knowledge exam (EU) | National competent authority | EASA FAQ says no rule change is planned; Member States can grant exemptions | Directs the candidate to the competent authority and keeps a record |
| Your own exam (module test, course test, recurrent quiz) | You, through your written procedure | No aviation regulator list; general testing law may apply | Runs the construct check, decides, records and delivers |
What does the FAA publish for airman knowledge tests?
The FAA handles accommodations for airman knowledge tests under Order 8080.6H, issued September 22, 2017 and listed as active on the FAA’s orders page as of November 2026. Chapter 3, paragraph 13 covers applicants with learning or reading disabilities and gives three options in preferential order.
As the order reads in the copy we fetched, the options are up to one and a half times the standard time, a self-contained electronic device that pronounces typed-in words, or a person who reads specific words or terms from the questions or supplement book, with no explanation of them. Any other method needs prior permission from the FAA’s Airman Testing Standards Branch (AFS-630).
The request goes “through the local FSDO or IFO” (quoted), the Flight Standards or International Field Office. It must include medical documentation verifying the disability, with the diagnosing physician’s contact details, and the method requested. For a Part 147 school, the FAA test is not yours to adjust, but your own tests are. Our post on FAA Part 147 schools and ACS-based testing covers the rest of that division of responsibility.
What do the UK CAA and EASA publish?
The UK CAA publishes an application route but no adjustment menu on the page we read, while EASA publishes a position statement rather than a procedure. Both send candidates to an authority, so a provider cannot promise an adjustment first.
On its guidance page for theoretical examinations, the CAA says candidates with a physical, hidden or learning disability “may be eligible for reasonable adjustments” (quoted). They email the Examinations Team with documentation from a medical practitioner that is “valid, current, and clearly outline the nature of your condition along with the recommended adjustments” (quoted). Requests are due “at least 14 days prior to your examination date” (quoted). The CAA’s separate policy, CAP 2503, covers its complaints service, not examinations.
EASA addresses the question in FAQ n.19090, last updated February 1, 2021 on the page. It says anyone who passes the Part-66 basic knowledge exams and meets the experience requirements can obtain the licence, with “no additional conditions such as a medical certificate or any other proof” (quoted). It states that EASA does not plan to amend the regulations for special-needs candidates during examinations. A Member State can grant an exemption under Article 71(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, and EASA says it has issued positive recommendations, for example 25% additional time for confirmed dyslexia.
The three sources differ in kind: the FAA sets a list, the CAA sets a request route, and EASA leaves it to Member States. Candidates follow the authority that runs their exam. Providers should not copy any of them for their own tests.
Which exam accommodations can you offer on your own aviation exams?
You can offer any adjustment that leaves the measured skill unchanged. US testing rules put it this way: results should “accurately reflect the individual’s aptitude or achievement level” (quoted) rather than an impairment, unless that skill is what the exam measures. Apply that test per objective.
This table is our own construct check, based on that principle and the FAA’s reader limits, not a regulator’s list. The examples are general and illustrative.
| Adjustment | Usually fine when | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Extra time | The exam tests knowledge, not speed | Whether time pressure is part of the competence standard, as in a timed recall of an emergency drill |
| Reader for question text | Reading is not what the objective measures | Whether the exam tests understanding of English technical text; the FAA limits its reader to specific words or terms, with no explanation |
| Rest breaks | You have a written rule on the clock | Whether the clock stops, and how question content and reference material stay secure during the break |
| Screen zoom or contrast | The exam interface supports it | Test it on the real page, including any figure or chart |
| Screen reader or speech-to-text | The delivery tool works with it | Whether a text description of a chart or schematic gives away the answer |
| Alternative to webcam or lockdown rules | You can deliver in person instead | Same security outcome by another route, as in our proctoring guide |
Many aviation items depend on a figure, such as a chart or schematic. A screen reader user needs a text alternative, and careless wording can reveal the answer, so write it together with the item.
Pro tip: Tag Objectives Before Requests Arrive. Flag each objective in your item bank as reading-heavy, speed-essential or figure-dependent. When a request comes in, you can answer in minutes which adjustments are safe for which sections, instead of debating each exam from scratch.
How should you handle an exam accommodation request, step by step?
Treat every request as a short written process with a named decision-maker, a timeline and a record. The goal is consistent decisions, minimal evidence and an answer before exam day, whoever makes the final call.
Step 1: Ask at enrollment. Add a line to your enrollment form inviting candidates to raise needs, and name a contact. Lead time matters: the CAA asks for 14 days and FAA requests go through a field office first.
Step 2: Identify who decides. Use the first table. If an authority decides, help the candidate submit and keep a copy of what was sent.
Step 3: Ask only for reasonable evidence. US Department of Justice guidance says required documentation “must be reasonable and limited to the need for the requested testing accommodations” (quoted). It is written for entities covered by US law, but it is a sensible benchmark elsewhere.
Step 4: Run the construct check. Compare the request with the second table and your objective tags. If only one section is affected, adjust only that section.
Step 5: Decide, tell the candidate, and set the exam up. Configure time, breaks and format before the exam opens, and brief the invigilator on the rule, not the candidate’s condition.
Step 6: Record it and report scores normally. DOJ guidance says testing entities must not decline to report scores for accommodated test-takers and describes flagging as prohibited. Keep the accommodation in a restricted file, not on the certificate.
What belongs in an accommodation decision record?
A decision record holds what you would need to answer a later question from the candidate, your quality manager or an authority, with the minimum health detail that justifies the decision. This template is our own suggestion, not a regulator’s form.
| Field | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Request received, exam date, decision date | Shows timeliness and meets authority deadlines |
| Decision-maker | Name and role, or the authority and its reference | Shows whose decision it was |
| Exam and objectives | Exam, version and affected sections | Ties the adjustment to what is measured |
| Evidence reviewed | Type and date only, with the file stored securely elsewhere | Limits stored health data |
| Adjustment and reason | What was granted or declined, with the construct-check note | Supports consistent, explainable decisions |
| Delivery settings | Time multiplier, break rule, format, invigilator briefing, file access list | Proves delivery as decided and limits who sees health data |
Pro tip: Fix Lead Times in Writing. Publish one date, for example “raise needs at least 21 days before your booked exam”, and make it longer than the CAA’s 14 days. That leaves time to resolve a missing document before an authority deadline passes.
What does US law say about exam accommodations for providers?
In the United States, 28 CFR 36.309 applies to private entities offering exams for professional or trade purposes. Whether it covers a given aviation provider is a question for counsel, but it works as a design standard even where it does not bind you.
The eCFR text, current as of October 23, 2026, says required modifications “may include changes in the length of time permitted” (quoted). It requires auxiliary aids for people with impaired sensory, manual or speaking skills unless an aid “would fundamentally alter the measurement” (quoted) of what the exam tests, or would cause undue burden. It sets no amount of extra time. The DOJ’s testing accommodations guidance, last updated February 28, 2020 on the page, adds the documentation and flagging points used above.
What should your exam software and records support?
Your software should let you set accommodations before the exam, apply them per candidate, log them, and report results without a flag. Ask vendors to demonstrate each point on your own sample exam.
- Per-candidate time multipliers set before the exam starts.
- A defined clock rule for breaks, with the exam secured during them.
- Dated evidence that the exam interface works with the assistive tools your candidates use.
- A log of which adjustment applied to which attempt, and results with no accommodation marker.
The SimpliAssess features page lists Examinee Management and Schedule Management but does not say whether they cover per-candidate time limits, and its features, FAQ and training-company pages do not describe accessibility or accommodation settings. Ask any vendor, including this one, to demonstrate rather than describe. Any adjustment must also respect the controlled-environment elements in our Part-66 secure delivery guide.
What should you do next?
Start with one exam. Write a one-page procedure covering who receives requests, who decides, the lead time you publish and where records live. Use the first table to label each exam you run as authority-decided or provider-decided.
Then tag your most-used exam’s objectives with the three flags from the first pro tip, and agree two or three standard time multipliers with your quality manager. Re-check your authority’s page before each intake; this article reflects sources read in November 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can a training organization give extra time on an FAA knowledge test?
No. The FAA approves adjustments for airman knowledge tests through its own process, via the local field office and AFS-630, and Order 8080.6H lists up to one and a half times the standard time as the first option. A school can help the candidate apply, and can still decide adjustments for its own tests.
How much extra time do aviation exams allow?
There is no single figure. FAA Order 8080.6H lists up to one and a half times for knowledge tests, while EASA’s FAQ cites 25% additional time in exemption recommendations for dyslexia. Other authorities may differ, so ask the authority that runs your exam.
Do EASA Part-66 exams have official accommodations?
EASA says it does not plan to amend the Part-66 and Part-147 rules for candidates with special needs. A Member State can grant an exemption under Article 71(2) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139. Candidates should contact their national competent authority for the current position.
Should accommodated results be marked on certificates or score reports?
For entities covered by US testing law, DOJ guidance describes flagging as prohibited and says accommodated scores must be reported like any others. Where an authority issues the result, follow its rules. For your own certificates, keep the accommodation in a restricted record.
Is the pass mark the same with an accommodation?
Generally yes. An accommodation changes how a candidate shows knowledge, not the standard. If an adjustment would change what the exam measures, treat it as a change to the standard and decide it with your quality manager or the authority that sets it.
