How much does the Part 107 test cost?

$175, paid directly to the testing provider — the exam is administered through the Computer Assisted Testing Service (CATS) network of over 700 FAA-approved testing centers nationwide, not through the FAA itself. The fee is non-refundable and applies per attempt: fail, and a retake costs another $175 after a mandatory 14-calendar-day wait. Add the $5 aircraft registration fee and most pilots budget $180-$330 total once study materials are included.

How many questions are on the Part 107 test, and what's the passing score?

60 multiple-choice questions with a 2-hour time limit. You need 42 correct — a 70% passing score — to earn your Remote Pilot Certificate. There's no partial credit or essay component; it's a straight knowledge test administered on a computer at the testing center.

What topics does the Part 107 knowledge test cover?

Five content areas, weighted differently: Operations makes up the largest share at 35-45% of the exam, followed by Regulations and Airspace & Operating Requirements at 15-25% each, Weather at 11-16%, and Loading & Performance at 7-11%. Operations questions cover crew resource management, emergency procedures, and maintenance; airspace questions test sectional-chart reading, which trips up more first-time takers than any other section.

Do I have to retake the full test every 24 months to keep my Part 107 certificate?

No — only the initial certificate requires the paid $175 knowledge test. Renewal every 24 calendar months is done through the FAA's free online recurrent training course (ALC-677 on the FAASTeam site), which has no test to fail and takes under two hours. The $175 exam is strictly a one-time cost unless your certificate has already lapsed.

What's the minimum age to get a Part 107 remote pilot certificate?

16 years old, per FAA eligibility rules — younger than the minimum age for a traditional pilot's license. You also need to read, speak, and understand English, and be in a physical and mental condition safe for drone operation. After passing the knowledge test, the FAA runs a TSA security background check before issuing the certificate through its IACRA system, which typically takes a few weeks.

Is the Part 107 test the same as the TRUST test?

No — they're for different pilots. TRUST (The Recreational UAS Safety Test) is free, unproctored, and required for every hobby flyer regardless of drone weight; it has no minimum passing score and corrects wrong answers as you go. Part 107 is the paid, proctored $175 exam required for any commercial flight — a paid real estate shoot, a billed roof inspection, monetized drone video — with no recreational exemption. Our [FAA drone registration guide](/guides/faa-drone-registration/) breaks down both requirements side by side.

The FAA Part 107 Test in 2026: Cost, Questions, and How to Pass It the First Time

Quick Answer: The FAA Part 107 knowledge test costs $175, has 60 multiple-choice questions with a 2-hour limit, and requires 42 correct (70%) to pass — the exam every commercial drone pilot in the US must clear before flying a single paid job. It’s administered at over 700 FAA-approved testing centers nationwide through the Computer Assisted Testing Service (CATS), and the resulting Remote Pilot Certificate stays valid for 24 months before a free online recurrent course (no retest) renews it. Budget $180-$330 total once registration and study materials are factored in, and plan on roughly 15-20 hours of study for a first-time pass.

Every “best drone for real estate,” “best drone for construction,” and “best drone for inspection” recommendation on this site carries the same asterisk: none of it is legal to fly for pay without a Part 107 certificate first. This is the exam that stands between a hobbyist and a paid drone job — what it costs, what it covers, and how to actually pass it.

What the test actually costs

Item	Cost	Notes
Knowledge test (first attempt)	$175	Paid to CATS at the testing center, non-refundable
Retake (per attempt)	$175	14-day mandatory wait between attempts
Aircraft registration	$5 per drone	Every commercial aircraft, regardless of weight — no 250g exemption
24-month renewal	Free	Online ALC-677 recurrent course, no test
Study course (optional)	$0-$200	Free FAA materials exist; paid courses (Pilot Institute, others) add practice-question banks

The $175 exam fee is a flat rate charged by CATS, the company under PSI Services that runs the FAA’s testing network — it’s the same everywhere in the country, whether you sit for it at a small-town flight school or a major-airport testing center. Failing doesn’t just cost the 14-day wait; it costs another full $175, so most pilots treat study time as cheaper than a second attempt.

What’s actually on the exam

The 60 questions split across five content areas, and they are not weighted evenly:

Content area	Share of exam	What it tests
Operations	35-45%	Crew resource management, emergency procedures, maintenance, decision-making
Regulations	15-25%	Part 107 rules: registration, remote ID, waivers, operating limitations
Airspace & Operating Requirements	15-25%	Sectional charts, controlled airspace classes, NOTAMs
Weather	11-16%	METARs, TAFs, weather's effect on small-UAS performance
Loading & Performance	7-11%	Weight and balance, performance charts

Operations is the single biggest section at nearly half the exam, which surprises pilots who expect airspace rules to dominate. In practice, sectional-chart reading inside the airspace section is what trips up the most first-time takers — it’s the one skill with zero drone-flying equivalent to lean on, so it needs dedicated study time even for experienced hobbyists.

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The dual wide/tele camera setup covers both establishing shots and tight detail work most Part 107 jobs need.
45-minute rated flight time per DJI means fewer battery swaps mid-shoot on a billed job.
Still requires Part 107 certification and $5 registration before any paid flight, regardless of weight.

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How to actually book and take it

Create an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) at IACRA.faa.gov before scheduling — the testing center requires it at check-in.
Schedule at a CATS testing center. Search by zip code on the PSI/CATS site; most metro areas have same-week availability.
Bring government photo ID. No study materials, phones, or notes are allowed in the testing room; scratch paper is provided on-site.
Pass with 42/60 (70%) or better, and the center transmits your results to the FAA electronically the same day.
Complete TSA vetting. The FAA runs a security background check after a passing score; most pilots receive their permanent certificate through IACRA within a few weeks.

Renewal: the part most new pilots don’t expect

The certificate is valid for 24 calendar months from the month you passed. Renewal does not require retaking the $175 exam — since 2021 the FAA has allowed a free online recurrent training course (ALC-677, hosted on the FAASTeam site) with no pass/fail test, just a completion requirement. Let the certificate lapse past 24 months without completing recurrent training, though, and it reverts to inactive; getting current again means the paid knowledge test all over again.

Part 107 test by the numbers

$175: the CATS testing fee, charged per attempt with no refund on a failing score.
60: multiple-choice questions on the exam, with a 2-hour time limit to complete them.
70% (42/60): the passing score — there’s no partial credit for a near-miss.
700+: FAA-approved CATS testing centers nationwide administering the exam.
24 months: how long a passing certificate stays active before free recurrent training is due.
400,000+: FAA-certificated Part 107 remote pilots as of 2025, per the FAA — everyone flying commercially in that count passed this exact test.

The bottom line

Budget $175 for the exam itself, a realistic 15-20 hours of study focused on airspace charts and operations procedures (the two sections most first-timers underestimate), and a few weeks for the TSA background check before your certificate is officially issued. Pass once, and the only ongoing cost is a free two-hour course every 24 months — no repeat exam unless the certificate lapses. Registering the aircraft itself is a separate $5 step covered in our FAA drone registration guide, and once you’re certified, our drone insurance guide covers the liability coverage most commercial clients require before they’ll hire you. Shopping for the gear to fly on your first paid job? Our best drone for real estate and best professional drone roundups cover the aircraft side of going commercial.