107 EXAM SCORES—Thoughts and questions

[KI5RLL]

NOT a bragging contest. Do any of you know any 107 pilots who aced their FAA Pt. 107 exam? A 100% score? (Not me). Yes I know some here did. Near 150,000 members here, many of them 107 pilots so yes there should be several by FAA stats. If you did yourself, well done and you should be proud. Tell us!

Yes a passing score is passing. Technically it doesn’t matter I know. Passed is passed.
I ask in consideration of the 2021 and 2020 data for the exam nationwide (below). I do not have data on retakes and that weight against the numbers below. Only the past 2 years here yes to keep it brief.

https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/test_statistics/media/2021/annual/2021_Annual_Statistics.pdf

2021: sUAS General exam
53,681 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 87.63%.
Average score was 81.2%.
So 6,641 (12.37%) of people failed the exam.

2020: sUAS General exam
39,455 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 93.36%.
Average score was 83.56%.
So 2,620 (6.64%) of people failed the exam.

Will look at 2022 data next year when it releases.

Considering the standard bell curve intent for exam scores, the numbers are interesting.
If enough people are scoring 100%, would the FAA increase the difficulty of the exam?

Will it have to become more difficult anyway, with RID, people overflight, impact calculations, and drone categories coming online? Maybe BVLOS flight questions later?
Do the numbers actually fall in a bell curve or does that not matter to them (material is the material either way—learn it etc).
We see a few Youtube people discussing how they failed. Well yes there always will be some. So there should be a few aces also on a bell curve maybe.
I had no complaints on the exam myself (2020). I passed with a good score and it seemed fair for my score.

Anyone still wondering about those few really weird questions?
When is your recurrent renewal due? What if FAA goes back to a renewal exam? They may have a lot to add to it. They can easily reinstate the renewal exam.

What about our Canadian pilot friends up north? What say you, aye?

Safe flying,
KI5RLL

 

[LoudThunder]

Do any of you know any 107 pilots who aced their FAA Pt. 107 exam?

I am one of those who aced the Part 107 Exam.

I have an announcement to make...

I have an announcement to make, Drum Roll Please. I passed the Part 107 Exam and I Aced it, I scored 100%... As much pride as I take in this, I did not do it alone. I completed the Pilot Institute's Part 107 Course and it was their course of instruction that gave me the knowledge to achieve this.

mavicpilots.com

It was not easy to make taking the test easy. Does that make sense? I found the test easy, I finished it in about 45-minutes and I read every question twice, I then answered it in my head without looking at the possible answers. Then, when I saw the answer I expected, I know I was right. I also read each and every answer twice just to make sure I did not get tripped up with a quick, snappy response of MSL when the answer had to be in AGL.

Now to clarify the "not easy to make taking the test easy…" I studied and I studied hard, I took the Pilot Institute's Part !07 Course and they provided PDFs of the slides in Greg's presentations. When Greg mentioned a salient point that might not be on the slide. I paused the presentation and put a note in the PDF and I went back through those notes to pick up those "pointers…"

Side Note… Did you know that the FREE version of Adobe Acrobat has a "Tool" button that when you click it, it brings up a whole list of features, like: Highlighting, Arrows, Text, Circles, Ellipses, and a whole lot more…

As I went through Greg's presentations, I often posted questions that Greg responded to, if not the same day, the very next day, as he did with all the other student's questions.

They say, there are "No Dumb Questions" but I asked one about sectional charts and Greg had no idea and not even two F-22 Raptor pilots that live nearby could answer it (I am retired Air Force and I live 4-miles from Langley AFB…) and I can share this as it is not on the exam, but I even wrote to the FAA this question as well as other questions… And the FAA respondent took several days to respond and apologized for the delay because he had to find an "old-cap" who still remembered Paper Section Charts.

You see, Paper Sectional Charts lost their popularity when they could be loaded on smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers because it are really difficult to use one when you are flying an airplane as they are 60" (5-feet) wide and kind of block the windscreen when you are flying…

So I'll share it with you as well as everyone else in Mavic Pilot Land… When you look at a sectional chart, whether it a paper or a digital chart, in the legend, you will see an arrow pointing to the Right with the notation NORTH and on the top left of the legend is an arrow pointing to the Left with the notation South.

So, in my study for the exam, this incongruity was driving me crazy as the sectional charts are all North on the top, South on the bottom, East on the right and West on the left…

The FAA said it was a holdover from the paper Sectional Chart days. When the chart is all folded up, the Legend is on the top and when you unfold the map to the right, you are viewing the top or North side of the map, and if you unfold it to the left, you will be viewing the back side of the map or the South side of the map…

Do you see what lengths I went to score as high as possible? Besides asking questions of Greg at PI, I also wrote to the FAA, and additionally, as I progressed through the Part 107 course, I often went back and reviewed past presentations to keep them fresh in my memory.

So, to be perfectly clear, the exam was easy, but the preparation I took was not easy, it was a lot of hard work. Others will respond that they also scored high and they did so by watching a couple of YouTube Videos and I applaud them, but I would not hire them if I had a company that was hiring Drone Pilots. Why, because I would want personnel who not only have a license, but also the knowledge of the rules and regulations, and why they exist.

If more and more folks score higher on the exam, really, what could the FAA do to make the exam more difficult? Ask more questions, make more regulations; no, I think not…

Look at it this way, most states only ask 15 to 20 questions to get a driver's license and the automobile is thousands of pounds capable of traveling faster than the 100 MPH limit of a drone.

The most they can do is to keep rephrasing the questions or as I noted as in other postings, they will ask the questions "sideways…", for example, besides asking you what the CTAF Frequency is for a specific airport, they asked what frequency would you monitor if the tower was closed (this way you do not have the Circled "C" as a hint…), they ask you the Lat/long of an airport, they also tell you a Lat/Long and ask you what airport that is, they tell you about an tower that you are to inspect and ask you to find that tower and then ask you what type of tower it is and if it's so high that you need ATC permission to fly there…

They have to do something, so many folks have taken the exam that probably every question has been posted somewhere and added to some FREE Pre-Test somewhere and to keep it meaningful, they have to do something.

Frankly, I'm glad the exam I took had a lot of original questions on it, I makes my perfect score so much more meaningful!

 

[KI5RLL]

I am one of those who aced the Part 107 Exam.

I have an announcement to make...

I have an announcement to make, Drum Roll Please. I passed the Part 107 Exam and I Aced it, I scored 100%... As much pride as I take in this, I did not do it alone. I completed the Pilot Institute's Part 107 Course and it was their course of instruction that gave me the knowledge to achieve this.

mavicpilots.com

It was not easy to make taking the test easy. Does that make sense? I found the test easy, I finished it in about 45-minutes and I read every question twice, I then answered it in my head without looking at the possible answers. Then, when I saw the answer I expected, I know I was right. I also read each and every answer twice just to make sure I did not get tripped up with a quick, snappy response of MSL when the answer had to be in AGL.

Now to clarify the "not easy to make taking the test easy…" I studied and I studied hard, I took the Pilot Institute's Part !07 Course and they provided PDFs of the slides in Greg's presentations. When Greg mentioned a salient point that might not be on the slide. I paused the presentation and put a note in the PDF and I went back through those notes to pick up those "pointers…"

Side Note… Did you know that the FREE version of Adobe Acrobat has a "Tool" button that when you click it, it brings up a whole list of features, like: Highlighting, Arrows, Text, Circles, Ellipses, and a whole lot more…

As I went through Greg's presentations, I often posted questions that Greg responded to, if not the same day, the very next day, as he did with all the other student's questions.

They say, there are "No Dumb Questions" but I asked one about sectional charts and Greg had no idea and not even two F-22 Raptor pilots that live nearby could answer it (I am retired Air Force and I live 4-miles from Langley AFB…) and I can share this as it is not on the exam, but I even wrote to the FAA this question as well as other questions… And the FAA respondent took several days to respond and apologized for the delay because he had to find an "old-cap" who still remembered Paper Section Charts.

You see, Paper Sectional Charts lost their popularity when they could be loaded on smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers because it are really difficult to use one when you are flying an airplane as they are 60" (5-feet) wide and kind of block the windscreen when you are flying…

So I'll share it with you as well as everyone else in Mavic Pilot Land… When you look at a sectional chart, whether it a paper or a digital chart, in the legend, you will see an arrow pointing to the Right with the notation NORTH and on the top left of the legend is an arrow pointing to the Left with the notation South.

So, in my study for the exam, this incongruity was driving me crazy as the sectional charts are all North on the top, South on the bottom, East on the right and West on the left…

The FAA said it was a holdover from the paper Sectional Chart days. When the chart is all folded up, the Legend is on the top and when you unfold the map to the right, you are viewing the top or North side of the map, and if you unfold it to the left, you will be viewing the back side of the map or the South side of the map…

Do you see what lengths I went to score as high as possible? Besides asking questions of Greg at PI, I also wrote to the FAA, and additionally, as I progressed through the Part 107 course, I often went back and reviewed past presentations to keep them fresh in my memory.

So, to be perfectly clear, the exam was easy, but the preparation I took was not easy, it was a lot of hard work. Others will respond that they also scored high and they did so by watching a couple of YouTube Videos and I applaud them, but I would not hire them if I had a company that was hiring Drone Pilots. Why, because I would want personnel who not only have a license, but also the knowledge of the rules and regulations, and why they exist.

If more and more folks score higher on the exam, really, what could the FAA do to make the exam more difficult? Ask more questions, make more regulations; no, I think not…

Look at it this way, most states only ask 15 to 20 questions to get a driver's license and the automobile is thousands of pounds capable of traveling faster than the 100 MPH limit of a drone.

The most they can do is to keep rephrasing the questions or as I noted as in other postings, they will ask the questions "sideways…", for example, besides asking you what the CTAF Frequency is for a specific airport, they asked what frequency would you monitor if the tower was closed (this way you do not have the Circled "C" as a hint…), they ask you the Lat/long of an airport, they also tell you a Lat/Long and ask you what airport that is, they tell you about an tower that you are to inspect and ask you to find that tower and then ask you what type of tower it is and if it's so high that you need ATC permission to fly there…

They have to do something, so many folks have taken the exam that probably every question has been posted somewhere and added to some FREE Pre-Test somewhere and to keep it meaningful, they have to do something.

Frankly, I'm glad the exam I took had a lot of original questions on it, I makes my perfect score so much more meaningful!

Well done exam, congratulations!
And a very well done explanation also thank you. We know this can help other would-be pilots also. And the rest of us as well. Never stop learning!
You mention several important points and they are are all correct and helpful.
Thank you for sharing with the community.

Safe flying,
KI5RLL

 

[Vic Moss]

NOT a bragging contest. Do any of you know any 107 pilots who aced their FAA Pt. 107 exam? A 100% score? (Not me). Yes I know some here did. Near 150,000 members here, many of them 107 pilots so yes there should be several by FAA stats. If you did yourself, well done and you should be proud. Tell us!

Yes a passing score is passing. Technically it doesn’t matter I know. Passed is passed.
I ask in consideration of the 2021 and 2020 data for the exam nationwide (below). I do not have data on retakes and that weight against the numbers below. Only the past 2 years here yes to keep it brief.

https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/test_statistics/media/2021/annual/2021_Annual_Statistics.pdf

2021: sUAS General exam
53,681 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 87.63%.
Average score was 81.2%.
So 6,641 (12.37%) of people failed the exam.

2020: sUAS General exam
39,455 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 93.36%.
Average score was 83.56%.
So 2,620 (6.64%) of people failed the exam.

Will look at 2022 data next year when it releases.

Considering the standard bell curve intent for exam scores, the numbers are interesting.
If enough people are scoring 100%, would the FAA increase the difficulty of the exam?

Will it have to become more difficult anyway, with RID, people overflight, impact calculations, and drone categories coming online? Maybe BVLOS flight questions later?

BVLOS may be added later, but not until the rules are actually promulgated. With the latest AAAC Taks Group (which I'm now on) about fast tracking BLVOS rules, that may be sooner rather than later.

But the rest of those subjects (minus impact calculations) are already on the test. And impact calculations never will be. That's only something the manufacturers for Cat 2 & 3 OOP drones need to do. They'll calculate and apply to the FAA for a DOC. There is no need for 107 pilots to know this info.

Do the numbers actually fall in a bell curve or does that not matter to them (material is the material either way—learn it etc).
We see a few Youtube people discussing how they failed. Well yes there always will be some. So there should be a few aces also on a bell curve maybe.
I had no complaints on the exam myself (2020). I passed with a good score and it seemed fair for my score.

Anyone still wondering about those few really weird questions?
When is your recurrent renewal due?

The same as it's always been, 24 calendar months from the initial or recurrent. It's due the last day of the 24th month after you took one of those.

What if FAA goes back to a renewal exam? They may have a lot to add to it. They can easily reinstate the renewal exam.

Not sure what the ask is here. The FAA will never go back to the in-person renewal exam. The plan has always been to have an online recurrent training module, similar to manned aviation. And there is no need for them to even look into it. Anything they need to add they can easily do. And already have.

The initial in-person test has been modified every time a new section comes out. They've added 107.29, Part 89, and the new Subpart D OOP regs.

And so has ALC-677.

One of the beauties of online testing is the ease at which changes can be made.

What about our Canadian pilot friends up north? What say you, aye?

Safe flying,
KI5RLL

 

[theDRONEranger]

Self study on initial and recurrent. Scored upper 90’s each time. I freaked myself out each go with a depressing thought of failure. Wrong attitude for me, it imposes too much stress. Discover a a good review of readily available materials and a fresh test day mind. Could not find any mules in the immediate area to kick me in the butt for missing so simple questions!

Through self-study and shear diligence . . .
These are the only sources I used for study!
They worked for me but may not be suitable for all others!
Available via Amazon.com.

 

[crlmjohnson]

NOT a bragging contest. Do any of you know any 107 pilots who aced their FAA Pt. 107 exam? A 100% score? (Not me). Yes I know some here did. Near 150,000 members here, many of them 107 pilots so yes there should be several by FAA stats. If you did yourself, well done and you should be proud. Tell us!

Yes a passing score is passing. Technically it doesn’t matter I know. Passed is passed.
I ask in consideration of the 2021 and 2020 data for the exam nationwide (below). I do not have data on retakes and that weight against the numbers below. Only the past 2 years here yes to keep it brief.

https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/test_statistics/media/2021/annual/2021_Annual_Statistics.pdf

2021: sUAS General exam
53,681 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 87.63%.
Average score was 81.2%.
So 6,641 (12.37%) of people failed the exam.

2020: sUAS General exam
39,455 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 93.36%.
Average score was 83.56%.
So 2,620 (6.64%) of people failed the exam.

Will look at 2022 data next year when it releases.

Considering the standard bell curve intent for exam scores, the numbers are interesting.
If enough people are scoring 100%, would the FAA increase the difficulty of the exam?

Will it have to become more difficult anyway, with RID, people overflight, impact calculations, and drone categories coming online? Maybe BVLOS flight questions later?
Do the numbers actually fall in a bell curve or does that not matter to them (material is the material either way—learn it etc).
We see a few Youtube people discussing how they failed. Well yes there always will be some. So there should be a few aces also on a bell curve maybe.
I had no complaints on the exam myself (2020). I passed with a good score and it seemed fair for my score.

Anyone still wondering about those few really weird questions?
When is your recurrent renewal due? What if FAA goes back to a renewal exam? They may have a lot to add to it. They can easily reinstate the renewal exam.

What about our Canadian pilot friends up north? What say you, aye?

Safe flying,
KI5RLL

I have to update my liscense.

is the test free? for current liscence holders?

and if so, were do we retake the test?

 

[Vic Moss]

I have to update my liscense.

is the test free? for current liscence holders?

and if so, were do we retake the test?

Safer Skies Through Education - FAA - FAASTeam - FAASafety.gov

www.faasafety.gov

Take the Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent, also called ALC-677

 

[GFields]

I have to update my liscense.

is the test free? for current liscence holders?

and if so, were do we retake the test?

Yes, the recurrent is free. LOL @Vic Moss beat me to the answer. But now you have it. Good luck

 

[crlmjohnson]

Safer Skies Through Education - FAA - FAASTeam - FAASafety.gov

www.faasafety.gov

Take the Part 107 Small UAS Recurrent, also called ALC-677

Ok...I just took it earlier this....finish it.

is that all? my liscense is still good, for another 24 months?

 

[crlmjohnson]

 

[crlmjohnson]

Yes, the recurrent is free. LOL @Vic Moss beat me to the answer. But now you have it. Good luck

I had called PSI, here in Indianapolis, Fisher earlier today, and they told me that I had to come to their facility and sign up and pay for the test. The nice lady told me to call back Monday when the test site was open and schedule a test. I did try to explain to her that I was already a liscense drone operator "FAA". I do not think she really understood the rules from FAA about Drone operators.

 

[crlmjohnson]

thanks...everyone.

 

[GFields]

I had called PSI, here in Indianapolis, Fisher earlier today, and they told me that I had to come to their facility and sign up and pay for the test. The nice lady told me to call back Monday when the test site was open and schedule a test. I did try to explain to her that I was already a liscense drone operator "FAA". I do not think she really understood the rules from FAA about Drone operators.

Click on "View Certificates" and download it. That is your recurrent license

 

[Vic Moss]

Ok...I just took it earlier this....finish it.

is that all? my liscense is still good, for another 24 months?

You're good for 24 calendar months. So if you took it today, you're good until 10/31/24.

 

[crlmjohnson]

Click on "View Certificates" and download it. That is your recurrent license

Thanks

 

[Ty Pilot]

I passed the initial with a 100% score

Self-studied; at the time there were not as many training courses as now, and those that were around were expensive. With that, I took my time and dove in to the FAA material. Not having any prior pilot rating, I found weather and airspace to be the tricky subjects for me but by taking the time to fully understand each topic I finally knew I would not only pass but almost expected a 100.

I finished the test in about 40 minutes as I recall. The proctor told me before the test - what I should expect at the end, she said it would take me to a screen where I could click to see the questions I missed, and then she told me the procedure to click out and complete the exam. When I finished, none of what she said appeared so I went to get her and as she looked at the terminal where I tested, she was a little stumped until she finally closed it out. She was surprised and said 'oh- you got a 100. . . I've never seen that'.

I've taken the initial and 2 recurrent tests (and the TRUST), and in all of them I have only missed one question. I was never this good in school

My previous experience as an RC pilot taught me (kind of the hard way at times), that even though we may see what we do as a pass-time or purely for enjoyment, that doesn't mean that everything about these disciplines (RC or Drone flight) is simple and can be picked up or understood over night and sometimes it pays to slow down and take it all in.

 

[Mudbone]

NOT a bragging contest. Do any of you know any 107 pilots who aced their FAA Pt. 107 exam? A 100% score? (Not me). Yes I know some here did. Near 150,000 members here, many of them 107 pilots so yes there should be several by FAA stats. If you did yourself, well done and you should be proud. Tell us!

Yes a passing score is passing. Technically it doesn’t matter I know. Passed is passed.
I ask in consideration of the 2021 and 2020 data for the exam nationwide (below). I do not have data on retakes and that weight against the numbers below. Only the past 2 years here yes to keep it brief.

https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/test_statistics/media/2021/annual/2021_Annual_Statistics.pdf

2021: sUAS General exam
53,681 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 87.63%.
Average score was 81.2%.
So 6,641 (12.37%) of people failed the exam.

2020: sUAS General exam
39,455 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 93.36%.
Average score was 83.56%.
So 2,620 (6.64%) of people failed the exam.

Will look at 2022 data next year when it releases.

Considering the standard bell curve intent for exam scores, the numbers are interesting.
If enough people are scoring 100%, would the FAA increase the difficulty of the exam?

Will it have to become more difficult anyway, with RID, people overflight, impact calculations, and drone categories coming online? Maybe BVLOS flight questions later?
Do the numbers actually fall in a bell curve or does that not matter to them (material is the material either way—learn it etc).
We see a few Youtube people discussing how they failed. Well yes there always will be some. So there should be a few aces also on a bell curve maybe.
I had no complaints on the exam myself (2020). I passed with a good score and it seemed fair for my score.

Anyone still wondering about those few really weird questions?
When is your recurrent renewal due? What if FAA goes back to a renewal exam? They may have a lot to add to it. They can easily reinstate the renewal exam.

What about our Canadian pilot friends up north? What say you, aye?

Safe flying,
KI5RLL

Why would this matter to anyone? Take the test, pass it (and really learn the reasons why), then fly safely and legally! End of story.

 

[AnzacJack]

CASA passmark is 70% but i also deliver the Cert 3 Aviation - Remote Pilot which is much more comprehensive and our passmark for each of the exams is 100%

 

[SparePartz]

NOT a bragging contest. Do any of you know any 107 pilots who aced their FAA Pt. 107 exam? A 100% score? (Not me). Yes I know some here did. Near 150,000 members here, many of them 107 pilots so yes there should be several by FAA stats. If you did yourself, well done and you should be proud. Tell us!

Yes a passing score is passing. Technically it doesn’t matter I know. Passed is passed.
I ask in consideration of the 2021 and 2020 data for the exam nationwide (below). I do not have data on retakes and that weight against the numbers below. Only the past 2 years here yes to keep it brief.

https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation_data_statistics/test_statistics/media/2021/annual/2021_Annual_Statistics.pdf

2021: sUAS General exam
53,681 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 87.63%.
Average score was 81.2%.
So 6,641 (12.37%) of people failed the exam.

2020: sUAS General exam
39,455 people took the 107 exam.
Pass rate was 93.36%.
Average score was 83.56%.
So 2,620 (6.64%) of people failed the exam.

Will look at 2022 data next year when it releases.

Considering the standard bell curve intent for exam scores, the numbers are interesting.
If enough people are scoring 100%, would the FAA increase the difficulty of the exam?

Will it have to become more difficult anyway, with RID, people overflight, impact calculations, and drone categories coming online? Maybe BVLOS flight questions later?
Do the numbers actually fall in a bell curve or does that not matter to them (material is the material either way—learn it etc).
We see a few Youtube people discussing how they failed. Well yes there always will be some. So there should be a few aces also on a bell curve maybe.
I had no complaints on the exam myself (2020). I passed with a good score and it seemed fair for my score.

Anyone still wondering about those few really weird questions?
When is your recurrent renewal due? What if FAA goes back to a renewal exam? They may have a lot to add to it. They can easily reinstate the renewal exam.

What about our Canadian pilot friends up north? What say you, aye?

Safe flying,
KI5RLL

Bet you have FCC license also. KD5FB here. 73's

 

[LoudThunder]

Why would this matter to anyone? Take the test, pass it (and really learn the reasons why), then fly safely and legally! End of story.

It is not the end of story, someone who passes with a 70% does not know 30% of the rules and regulations to fly safely. For example, I hire you, you passed with a 70%, I send you out to shoot photos during Civil Twilight (30-minutes before Sunrise and Sunrise or Sunset to 30-minutes after) and you do not know that an anti-collision light, visible for 3SM, is required even then and you get reported to the FAA. Who's stuck with the fine?

Again, you, a 70 percenter, go out to perform an inspection of a tower that is 1,300' tall AGL (1,349' MSL), the tower is in G Airspace and it's 6SM away from a C Airspace airport. Can you fly there, did you check to see that the tower is under the outer ring of the C Airspace that starts are 1,200'? So do you require ATC approval first, last, or only upon request of the FAA?

That is why a 100 percenter is more hirable, if they break the rules, then they are just being stupid, but a 70 percenter is breaking the rules because they are ignorant... running a business, I fire stupid people, and I do not hire ignorant people.

If someone is licensed to perform a function, I expect them to know the rules and regulations, I do not expect to have to teach them the rules and regulations that they should already know...

That's the end of the story...