First off and tl;dr, I passed the test with an 88% score. Below is my experience preparing for the test, what happened at the test center and the actual test.
The whole process took me about 2 and a half months. Why so long? After about two weeks of studying, I felt I was ready to schedule the test. Unfortunately, there were no tests happening near me for about two months. I had no desire to drive a long distance and was not in any particular hurry anyway. So, I scheduled a test around two months out. After another week or so of studying, I stood down for a few weeks until about a week before the test and then went back over the material and finished the series of practice tests.
I used Remote Pilot Ground School. I also used Tony Northrup’s great YouTube video. My decision to use a paid service was mainly due to the fact that once you pay, you are a member for life, and I am hoping that in two years, any new information will be reliably incorporated into their material for the re-cert. I am not meaning to argue about paid vs free. Use whatever works for you. I used a hybrid approach that worked well for me. I am also not endorsing RPGS over other services other than to say they are what I used and I found them to be a good resource and helpful in preparing for the test. YMMV.
There is both local airport and PSI testing options available to me. I chose the PSI center instead of the airport center. The fee was $96 at PSI, as opposed to $150 at the AP. My decision was based solely on the lesser price.
Arrived 15 min before time, had to wait about 20 minutes while 4 other testers processed in ahead of me. None of those others were 107 testers.
Checked in with test proctor lady, she had me empty my pockets, wallet, keys, everything into a locker. I had possession of the key. I told her I brought a magnifying glass and flashlight to help me with the test. She wasn’t sure if those were allowed and said she would double check. She also wasn’t sure if I needed more than one form of ID (I didn’t; used my driver’s license). After checking, she could not get a straight answer on the glass and light. She said the tests are monitored real time and if they saw me doing something wrong, they would have her pull me out of the test and kick my a** (j/k about the last part
). I wound up putting away the light and keeping the glass. I was able to use it w/o any problem from the Watchers. Thank God, since the hardcopy FAA booklet they gave me would have been unreadable to me otherwise. There was enough light in the testing room so the flashlight turned out to be unnecessary.
One unusual aspect about check in was the difference in how I was treated compared to the others. I mean process rather than personally, as the lady was cheerful and very nice. She took a thumbprint and picture of the other testers, but did not do so with me. I suppose Part 107 test is special or something, or at least not as sensitive as what the other people were testing for.
The testing room had a bunch of computers separated by tabletop partitions. There was around 7-8 people taking tests. She had problems getting the test up and had to call tech support. Apparently, the 107 test requires some extra hoops that tests from other parts of the gov’t do not require. I suppose it also could be not many people take the 107 test at that location and she wasn’t familiar with the setup. Whatever, she eventually got it working.
Another process difference was that she told other testers PSI was going green and gave them tablets instead of scratch paper. But me, she gave scratch paper. When I joked about it, she offered me one of the tablets, but I really was just joking and kept the paper. I wound up not using it in any case.
One thing they supplied that I didn’t really understand was a clear plastic sheet and a non-permanent marker and an eraser (like for white boards). I don’t know what that was for, didn’t see a need for it, so I did not use it.
After she got the test going it was pretty straight forward. There is a 5 question practice test you can take (non-aviation related questions) which demonstrate the use of the interface.
Each question on the real test has three possible answers, which you choose one via a radio button. Along the bottom of the screen are several boxes you can click:
====
Prev & Next – Obvious, goes to prev or next question. If you are at question 60 and hit Next it wraps back around to 1.
Bookmark - Click this to mark questions you want to come back to later.
>> - Use this to jump to next marked question. You can still go one question at a time using the Next button.
Calculator - a button which brings up a simple calculator on screen, so no need to bring one to the test. Before the test, she offered me a paper calculator which I guess was aviation related. I declined since I had no clue how to use it.
Time - click this and a real time countdown will show the time remaining. Why this is togglable I do not know. Maybe some people don’t want the “pressure” of knowing how much time is left??
====
If you have been studying, the questions were all pretty familiar, so the test itself was not bad. A lot of my questions were on airspace and radio comm. I still have not got the CTAF, *COMs and such down very well in terms of when to use and specific purpose, but I muddled through.
After going through the test and then reviewing all the marked answers, I went through all 60 questions again just as a last check. I wound up changing 2 or 3 of my answers. All told it took me about 1:15.
A lot of questions were easy to answer even if you were not familiar with that subject because 2 of the answers were obviously nonsense. However, there were also a lot of questions that referred to various Figures in the booklet and had specific answers, so I would not count on that approach to pass the entire test. Some of the questions required you to just have a particular answer memorized.
After finishing and submitting the test, I packed up everything and headed back to the proctor. She gave me the results right away. They give a pass/fail and what score, but do not tell you which questions you got right or wrong.
Here are some random thoughts of what I remember about questions and possible answers, and some advice about some things to know for test.
====
Part 107 covers civil, public & civil small UAS (don’t remember the 3rd option)
Class C has what floor altitude in general?
Know when Class E has floor of 700 vs 1200
Max weight of UAS. 55 or less than 55 (Check wording of all questions carefully. Differences can sometimes be subtle, thus being a “trick” question)
When does load get “significant” (in terms of bank angle)? 15%, 30%, or 45%
Performance in cold air vs hot, humid air
When dew point and temp are at 10C, what to expect? Severe icing, or fog (don’t recall third answer. I screwed this question because for some reason during the test, my brain just thought 10F instead of 10C despite it being right there in front of me. Doh!)
Performance at high density alt. less, same, or more
What to expect with stable air. Poor visibility, or showery rain, (don’t recall 3rd answer)
Question about where do aircraft enter the traffic pattern of an airport.
====
That is about all I can remember. If you are taking the test, hang in there and good luck! While the test is not trivial by any means, it is pretty easily passable with a bit of effort.
The whole process took me about 2 and a half months. Why so long? After about two weeks of studying, I felt I was ready to schedule the test. Unfortunately, there were no tests happening near me for about two months. I had no desire to drive a long distance and was not in any particular hurry anyway. So, I scheduled a test around two months out. After another week or so of studying, I stood down for a few weeks until about a week before the test and then went back over the material and finished the series of practice tests.
I used Remote Pilot Ground School. I also used Tony Northrup’s great YouTube video. My decision to use a paid service was mainly due to the fact that once you pay, you are a member for life, and I am hoping that in two years, any new information will be reliably incorporated into their material for the re-cert. I am not meaning to argue about paid vs free. Use whatever works for you. I used a hybrid approach that worked well for me. I am also not endorsing RPGS over other services other than to say they are what I used and I found them to be a good resource and helpful in preparing for the test. YMMV.
There is both local airport and PSI testing options available to me. I chose the PSI center instead of the airport center. The fee was $96 at PSI, as opposed to $150 at the AP. My decision was based solely on the lesser price.
Arrived 15 min before time, had to wait about 20 minutes while 4 other testers processed in ahead of me. None of those others were 107 testers.
Checked in with test proctor lady, she had me empty my pockets, wallet, keys, everything into a locker. I had possession of the key. I told her I brought a magnifying glass and flashlight to help me with the test. She wasn’t sure if those were allowed and said she would double check. She also wasn’t sure if I needed more than one form of ID (I didn’t; used my driver’s license). After checking, she could not get a straight answer on the glass and light. She said the tests are monitored real time and if they saw me doing something wrong, they would have her pull me out of the test and kick my a** (j/k about the last part
). I wound up putting away the light and keeping the glass. I was able to use it w/o any problem from the Watchers. Thank God, since the hardcopy FAA booklet they gave me would have been unreadable to me otherwise. There was enough light in the testing room so the flashlight turned out to be unnecessary.One unusual aspect about check in was the difference in how I was treated compared to the others. I mean process rather than personally, as the lady was cheerful and very nice. She took a thumbprint and picture of the other testers, but did not do so with me. I suppose Part 107 test is special or something, or at least not as sensitive as what the other people were testing for.
The testing room had a bunch of computers separated by tabletop partitions. There was around 7-8 people taking tests. She had problems getting the test up and had to call tech support. Apparently, the 107 test requires some extra hoops that tests from other parts of the gov’t do not require. I suppose it also could be not many people take the 107 test at that location and she wasn’t familiar with the setup. Whatever, she eventually got it working.
Another process difference was that she told other testers PSI was going green and gave them tablets instead of scratch paper. But me, she gave scratch paper. When I joked about it, she offered me one of the tablets, but I really was just joking and kept the paper. I wound up not using it in any case.
One thing they supplied that I didn’t really understand was a clear plastic sheet and a non-permanent marker and an eraser (like for white boards). I don’t know what that was for, didn’t see a need for it, so I did not use it.
After she got the test going it was pretty straight forward. There is a 5 question practice test you can take (non-aviation related questions) which demonstrate the use of the interface.
Each question on the real test has three possible answers, which you choose one via a radio button. Along the bottom of the screen are several boxes you can click:
====
Prev & Next – Obvious, goes to prev or next question. If you are at question 60 and hit Next it wraps back around to 1.
Bookmark - Click this to mark questions you want to come back to later.
>> - Use this to jump to next marked question. You can still go one question at a time using the Next button.
Calculator - a button which brings up a simple calculator on screen, so no need to bring one to the test. Before the test, she offered me a paper calculator which I guess was aviation related. I declined since I had no clue how to use it.
Time - click this and a real time countdown will show the time remaining. Why this is togglable I do not know. Maybe some people don’t want the “pressure” of knowing how much time is left??
====
If you have been studying, the questions were all pretty familiar, so the test itself was not bad. A lot of my questions were on airspace and radio comm. I still have not got the CTAF, *COMs and such down very well in terms of when to use and specific purpose, but I muddled through.
After going through the test and then reviewing all the marked answers, I went through all 60 questions again just as a last check. I wound up changing 2 or 3 of my answers. All told it took me about 1:15.
A lot of questions were easy to answer even if you were not familiar with that subject because 2 of the answers were obviously nonsense. However, there were also a lot of questions that referred to various Figures in the booklet and had specific answers, so I would not count on that approach to pass the entire test. Some of the questions required you to just have a particular answer memorized.
After finishing and submitting the test, I packed up everything and headed back to the proctor. She gave me the results right away. They give a pass/fail and what score, but do not tell you which questions you got right or wrong.
Here are some random thoughts of what I remember about questions and possible answers, and some advice about some things to know for test.
====
Part 107 covers civil, public & civil small UAS (don’t remember the 3rd option)
Class C has what floor altitude in general?
Know when Class E has floor of 700 vs 1200
Max weight of UAS. 55 or less than 55 (Check wording of all questions carefully. Differences can sometimes be subtle, thus being a “trick” question)
When does load get “significant” (in terms of bank angle)? 15%, 30%, or 45%
Performance in cold air vs hot, humid air
When dew point and temp are at 10C, what to expect? Severe icing, or fog (don’t recall third answer. I screwed this question because for some reason during the test, my brain just thought 10F instead of 10C despite it being right there in front of me. Doh!)
Performance at high density alt. less, same, or more
What to expect with stable air. Poor visibility, or showery rain, (don’t recall 3rd answer)
Question about where do aircraft enter the traffic pattern of an airport.
====
That is about all I can remember. If you are taking the test, hang in there and good luck! While the test is not trivial by any means, it is pretty easily passable with a bit of effort.
