Getting ready for the AET certification and I'm trying to calibrate how deep the technical knowledge needs to be. I've got 4 years on general aviation avionics, mostly Garmin glass cockpit installs and radio repairs. The question is whether that covers what the exam tests or if there's a specific study track I should follow.
I've been doing 90 minutes a day for the last 5 weeks and the material splits into three main areas: digital systems and data buses, RF theory and antenna systems, and aircraft-specific integration requirements. The RF theory section is where I'm struggling most – my practical skills are solid but underlying wave propagation and signal theory isn't something I use day-to-day.
From what I've read the passing score is around 70%, and most people say the exam leans heavily on ARINC standards and FAA regulatory requirements rather than pure bench-level electronics. That's a bit of a relief but also means I need to know the paperwork side well.
Anyone taken this recently? Curious how long it actually took to feel prepared and whether practice tests were a good predictor of the real score.
I scored 74% on my first attempt after about 6 weeks of prep. The practical experience definitely helps but you're right that the test is more theoretical than I anticipated.
Questions about antenna polarization and coax losses were ones I hadn't touched since school. Worth brushing up on those.
The ARINC 429 and 664 data bus material is non-trivial. I spent a full week just on data bus architecture and still got several wrong. Don't underestimate that area.
Took mine about 8 months ago. Your RF background is going to feel weak regardless of experience level – everyone says that. I'd give that section specifically about 2 extra weeks of focused study.
The regulatory section was more forgiving than I expected. Mostly straightforward if you know the FARs.
How long is the exam? I've seen everything from 2 hours to 3.5 hours cited online and I'm trying to figure out if time pressure is a real issue for most people.
Quick update from my end — I've got my practice scores up to around 78% consistently now, which honestly surprised me given how spotty I felt going in. The avionics background helps more than I expected, especially on the troubleshooting scenarios. Didn't need to learn it all from scratch.
I'm planning to sit the real exam in about three weeks. If you've got the glass cockpit time you mentioned, you're probably closer than you think. The system-level thinking translates pretty well. Just grind the practice tests and pay attention to where you're dropping points — that's what shifted things for me.
Failed it the first time and honestly it humbled me. I've got a similar background to you and I thought my field experience would carry me through, but the exam goes way deeper into theory than I expected. It wasn't about knowing how to swap out a GNS 430 or terminate a coax. They want you to understand the underlying principles, like why things work, not just how to do the job. What actually helped me the second time was drilling with aet practice test questions video answers because seeing the reasoning explained on video clicked in a way that reading the AET handbook alone didn't.
Your GA avionics background is a real asset, don't underestimate it, but you'll want to shore up the theory side before test day. I spent the last two weeks before my second attempt focusing specifically on areas where I kept missing practice questions, and that targeted approach made all the difference. If you're consistently getting something wrong, that's your signal to go deeper on it instead of just moving on.