PSI FAA Exams: Eligibility Requirements & Testing Rules

So you want to take an FAA knowledge test at a PSI testing center, and you are trying to figure out if you actually qualify. Good news: the eligibility rules are public, but they are scattered across FAA orders, FAR Part 61, and PSI's own bulletin. This guide pulls everything into one place. Whether you are going for a Private Pilot, Remote Pilot (Part 107), Sport, Recreational, Instrument, Commercial, ATP, or Flight Instructor certificate, you will see what the FAA actually checks before they let you sit down and click "Start Exam."

Here is the short version. You need a valid government photo ID, you need to be old enough for the certificate you are testing for, and most flight-rated tests require an instructor endorsement or an approved home-study completion certificate. Drone pilots taking the Part 107 Initial test do not need an endorsement at all. The Recurrent test for Part 107 moved online in 2021, so you do not even visit PSI for that one anymore.

What follows is the long version, and it matters. Show up missing one piece of paper and PSI will turn you away. The fee is not refunded. Let's go through it carefully so the day of your test feels routine, not stressful. See how to schedule your FAA knowledge test to map the booking process.

Who Administers FAA Knowledge Tests Now?

Since 2018, all FAA airman knowledge tests have been delivered through PSI Services LLC. Before that, CATS and Lasergrade ran the network. PSI absorbed both contracts. Today there are roughly 700 PSI testing locations across the United States, plus a handful overseas at U.S. military bases and select international partner sites. You book at faa.psiexams.com, pay $175 for most tests, and pick a slot.

PSI handles the logistics. The FAA writes the question banks, sets the passing score (70%), and audits the centers. If a question seems wrong, you flag it through PSI, but the FAA's Airman Testing Standards Branch is the only authority that can pull or rewrite an item. PSI staff are proctors, not subject-matter experts. Do not expect them to explain a NOTAM or a TAF.

Core Eligibility: What Every Test-Taker Needs

Three things are non-negotiable for every FAA knowledge exam, regardless of which certificate you want. Miss any one of them and you cannot test.

First, government-issued photo identification that shows your full legal name, date of birth, signature, and current address. A U.S. driver's license is the most common. Passports work. Military CACs work. Expired IDs do not. If your address on the ID is out of date, bring a secondary document — a utility bill, lease, or current voter registration card — that shows where you actually live. PSI takes this seriously because the FAA cross-references it with the IACRA application later.

Second, you must be the minimum age for the certificate you are testing for. We will cover the age table below. The FAA lets you take the knowledge test up to 24 calendar months before you go for the practical (checkride), so a 15-year-old can legally take the Private Pilot written and use the result when they turn 17.

Third, for most pilot certificates you need an authorization to test. That comes in one of two forms: an endorsement in your logbook from an authorized instructor (CFI, ground instructor, or sport pilot instructor with the right rating), or a completion certificate from an FAA-approved home-study course. Part 107 drone pilots are the major exception — no endorsement required.

Age Requirements by Certificate

Each FAA certificate has a minimum age. The age applies to the certificate itself, not to the knowledge test, so younger applicants can sit the written early and bank the result. See the FAA ACS guide for what is actually tested under each certificate's standards.

For the Student Pilot Certificate, you must be 16 years old (14 for gliders and balloons). The Student certificate itself does not require a knowledge test, but you need it before you can solo.

For the Sport Pilot, age 17 (16 glider/balloon). For Recreational, age 17. For Private Pilot, age 17 (16 glider/balloon). For Commercial Pilot, age 18. For Airline Transport Pilot (ATP), age 23 for unrestricted, age 21 for the restricted ATP issued to military and qualifying degree holders.

For Flight Instructor (CFI), age 18. For Remote Pilot (Part 107), age 16. There is no upper age limit for any FAA knowledge test. Pilots in their 80s sit for Flight Reviews and add-on ratings every year.

Medical Certificate: Required or Not?

This trips up first-timers. You do not need a medical certificate to take a knowledge test. You need it before you solo and before you take the practical test for any certificate that requires one. So plan ahead, but do not let the medical hold up your written.

The exceptions matter: Sport Pilot uses a valid U.S. driver's license in place of an FAA medical. Glider and balloon pilots self-certify. BasicMed (since 2017) lets private pilots fly without renewing a Third Class medical, as long as they had one after July 2006 and complete a BasicMed exam every 48 months. Part 107 drone pilots need no medical at all.

Endorsement Requirements: The Logbook Sign-Off

For Private, Commercial, ATP, Instrument, CFI, and most other pilot knowledge tests, you bring a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor. The endorsement language is specified in FAA Advisory Circular 61-65, the current revision being 61-65J. It reads roughly: "I certify that [name] has received the required training for the [test name] knowledge test, and is prepared for the test."

The instructor signs, prints their name, lists their certificate number, and dates the endorsement. PSI will check that the date is current. Most centers want it within 60 days, though the regulation does not specify a hard window. Bring the original logbook page or a clean photocopy. Some PSI staff accept a typed letter on the instructor's letterhead instead of a logbook page — call ahead to your specific center.

If you used a home-study course (King Schools, Sporty's, Gleim, Sheppard Air, Gold Seal), the course completion certificate substitutes for the logbook endorsement. Make sure it is printed and signed. PSI will not accept a screenshot on your phone.

Part 107 Remote Pilot: The Easy Path

The Part 107 Initial knowledge test is the most accessible FAA exam. No endorsement, no medical, no flight training prerequisite. You walk in with your ID and FAA Tracking Number (FTN), pay $175, and take a 60-question test on small unmanned aircraft systems. Pass with 70% and you are eligible for the Remote Pilot Certificate. Prep with the Part 107 practice test guide before booking.

The Part 107 Recurrent requirement is now an online training module hosted at faasafety.gov. It is free, takes about two hours, and replaces the in-person recurrent knowledge test that existed before April 6, 2021. You complete the module, save the certificate, and you are current for another 24 calendar months. PSI is not involved.

Identification Documents PSI Will Accept

PSI's current Test Center Regulations list specific acceptable IDs. The primary ID must include your name, date of birth, photograph, signature, and current address. If your primary ID lacks one of those (a passport, for example, has no address), you need a secondary ID that supplies the missing element.

Primary IDs that work: U.S. driver's license, U.S. state-issued ID card, passport (U.S. or foreign), military ID, permanent resident card, and naturalization certificate. Acceptable secondary documents: credit card with signature, employee badge with photo, school ID with photo. Birth certificates and social security cards are not accepted as either primary or secondary by PSI for FAA testing.

Non-U.S. Citizens and TSA Screening

Foreign nationals can take FAA knowledge tests, but flight training (not the knowledge test itself) triggers the TSA's Alien Flight Student Program (AFSP) screening. The knowledge test is open to anyone with the proper endorsement and ID. If you trained at a foreign Part 141 school or with a CFI overseas, the endorsement still works as long as the instructor holds a valid FAA flight or ground instructor certificate.

That said, getting your IACRA airman application processed later requires a U.S. address or a designated representative in the U.S. Plan for that step early. The knowledge test is the easy part for international candidates. Read up on IACRA FAA if you have not already created an account.

FAA Tracking Number (FTN): Get This First

Before you can register with PSI, you need an FTN. You generate one by creating an account at iacra.faa.gov. It is free, takes ten minutes, and produces a permanent number tied to your name and date of birth. Without an FTN, PSI cannot book you.

The FTN replaces the old practice of using your Social Security Number on FAA paperwork. It is safer and portable across all certificates you will ever earn. Save it somewhere you will not lose it — you will reuse it for every test, rating, and renewal for the rest of your aviation career.

Fees and Payment

The standard fee is $175 per FAA knowledge test as of 2024. PSI raised it from $160 in late 2022. Payment goes through the PSI portal at booking — credit card or debit card, no cash, no checks. Some employers and flight schools pay directly through corporate accounts, in which case you book under their voucher code.

If you fail, you can retest after the 14-day waiting period (with an additional endorsement stating you received remedial training). The retest fee is the same $175. There is no discount. Plan for one attempt to be enough — most people who use a structured prep course pass on the first try with scores in the mid-80s.

What to Bring on Test Day

Bring exactly these items, nothing more. Phones, watches, hats, books, and snacks all go in the locker outside the testing room. PSI is strict about this, and a recorded violation can void your test result.

Required items: government photo ID (and secondary if needed for address), printed instructor endorsement or course completion certificate, your FTN written down somewhere, and the credit card that booked the test (some centers verify it). Optional but allowed: a non-programmable calculator that PSI's policy lists as approved, plotter, E6B (mechanical or electronic from the FAA's approved list), and scratch paper supplied by the proctor.

Do not bring your own scratch paper. Do not bring a smart watch. Do not bring a regular wristwatch — the on-screen timer is your only allowed timekeeping. Snack and bathroom breaks are allowed but the clock keeps running.

Special Accommodations

The FAA allows accommodations for documented disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Common accommodations include extended testing time (typically time-and-a-half), a private testing room, a reader for vision impairments, and a sign-language interpreter for the verbal portions (rare on knowledge tests but available).

You apply through the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine's accommodations process at least 60 days before your planned test date. Submit medical documentation and a letter from a treating clinician. Once approved, the accommodation letter goes to PSI, and you book through a special queue. Do not assume same-day accommodations are possible. Plan ahead.

What Happens If You Fail

You see your score immediately on the test screen, and PSI prints an Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR) before you leave. The AKTR lists every subject area where you missed questions. You need a new endorsement from your instructor before you retest, and the FAA recommends focused study on the missed areas.

There is a 14-day waiting period before you can retest at the same center, though some applicants have reported being allowed back sooner with a fresh endorsement. If you really need to retake quickly, call the FAA Airmen Certification Branch in Oklahoma City and ask. You can also test at a different PSI location without waiting, in some cases.

A failed test does not show up on your permanent record at the FAA. Only the passing AKTR is filed. So one failure is not a black mark — it is just a $175 inconvenience.

Validity of the Knowledge Test Result

Your AKTR is valid for 24 calendar months for almost all certificates. You must take and pass the practical test (checkride) within that window, or the knowledge test expires and you start over. ATP knowledge tests have a 60-month validity for the ATP Certification Training Program (ATP-CTP) graduates.

Plan your timeline backward from the checkride. If you are not going to be ready for the practical within two years, do not rush the written. Many students take the written too early and then watch it expire while they are still working on flight hours.

Final Thoughts Before You Book

FAA knowledge testing through PSI is a well-run process once you understand the pieces. The eligibility rules are not designed to keep you out — they are designed to make sure the people who pass the test actually understand the material and meet the basic requirements to operate as a pilot. Get your FTN, get your endorsement, double-check your ID, and book early. Most centers have slots within a week, but popular hubs (Phoenix, Orlando, Dallas) can run two weeks out.

Practice with realistic question banks before you walk in. The actual FAA bank has roughly 1,200 questions for the Private Pilot test and slightly fewer for Part 107. Cycling through the full bank twice with explanations beats memorizing answers any day. Good luck, and welcome to the certification process.