How long did you actually need to prep for the A&P written? Sharing my schedule

Honestly I almost rage-quit around week four. Wasn't retaining anything, kept failing the practice tests, and seriously considered just pushing it out another three months. What actually helped me was narrowing down the weak spots instead of re-reading everything. I drilled a p/questions/aircraft fuel systems specifically because that section was destroying me, and once it clicked the rest started falling into place faster.

If you're at that "I can't do this" point you're probably closer than you think. I felt completely unprepared the week before my test date and still passed. Just don't give up and book the test before you feel 100% ready, because that feeling never really comes.

Failed the General written my first attempt — 68, needed a 70. Two points. I had studied for about five weeks and felt pretty solid on most of it, but the FAA regulations section just wrecked me. I knew the maintenance record entries and the privileges stuff in theory but kept second-guessing myself on the specifics, like who can approve for return to service versus who can just sign off on a 100-hour. That ambiguity cost me.

What I changed the second time around was actually drilling with timed questions instead of just re-reading the textbooks. I spent way too much of round one passively reading Jeppesen chapters and thinking I understood it. Didn't matter. The questions are worded in a way that punishes passive knowledge hard. I used an a&p practice test site pretty heavily in the last three weeks and it made a real difference — not because it had the exact questions, but because it forced me to commit to an answer and see where my reasoning broke down. Started keeping a notebook of every question I missed and why. Boring, but it works.

Second attempt I scored an 82. Same material, totally different approach. If you're someone who "understands the concepts" but hasn't done at least a few hundred practice questions under timed conditions, you're probably not as ready as you feel.

This is exactly what I needed to read right now. I'm about three weeks into studying for the general written and I keep flip-flopping between feeling okay and feeling completely lost. Turbine engine theory is wrecking me — like I can memorize what a compressor stall is, but the FAA questions seem to come at it from weird angles and I keep second-guessing myself on the answer choices.

Can I ask how you handled the weight and balance stuff? That's the other section that's killing me. I get the math when I sit down and work through it slowly, but I'm worried about time pressure on the actual test. Did you find yourself speeding up naturally after enough practice problems, or did you just accept it's going to eat up more of your time budget?

Also curious if you felt like the Oral and Practical were scarier to prep for than the written, or if the written ended up being the bigger lift. I know that's jumping ahead but trying to mentally pace myself here.

Quick update on my end -- I've been grinding through practice tests for the past three weeks and finally hit an 83 on a full-length sim yesterday which felt amazing after bombing my first one at like a 61. The meteorology section was killing me but something finally clicked.

Planning to sit the real thing in about two weeks if I can keep scores in the low 80s. Honestly I didn't think I'd need this long but you guys were right, the airspace stuff alone took way longer than I expected to get comfortable with. Fingers crossed.

Just finished my general written three weeks ago and this hits exactly right. I told myself I could do it in a month and a half too — ended up being closer to four months of actual focused study. The thing that finally clicked for me was drilling the regulations (FAR Part 65 specifically) way more than I expected. I kept thinking the technical stuff would be the hard part but honestly the reg questions are where I was losing points on practice tests.

One thing I'd add to your schedule breakdown: don't underestimate how different the airframe questions feel compared to general. I passed general first and thought I had momentum, then sat down with airframe material and felt like I was starting over. The hydraulics and landing gear systems have so much overlap in the question bank that if you don't really nail the underlying concepts you'll second-guess yourself on like half the questions.

Pushing the test date back was the right call. I almost didn't, told myself I'd "probably be fine" — classic mistake. Took it when my practice scores were consistently in the low 80s and walked out with an 84. Not flashy but it's a pass.

Honestly I was that guy in the back of the class rolling my eyes at people saying they studied for four months. I figured I'd been turning wrenches long enough that the written would be easy, gave myself a month, and my first practice test humbled me fast. Scored so low I genuinely started wondering if I'd wasted my money on the whole program. I stopped studying for almost two weeks because what was the point, right?

What got me back on track was just doing a little every day instead of trying to cram. Twenty or thirty minutes with practice questions, writing down every one I missed and actually reading why. It's boring and it feels like nothing's happening, but after a month of that my scores crept up without me really noticing. Took me about ten weeks total from that first awful practice test to passing. So yeah, if you're sitting there thinking you're too dumb for this, you're probably not. I almost quit and I passed. Just don't trust your first timeline, it's always a lie.

This thread is making me feel better about pushing my date back honestly. Quick update from my end: I've been at it about nine weeks now and just scored an 82 on my last full practice test for general. Two months ago I was sitting in the low 60s so the progress is real, it just took way longer than I expected. Powerplant is next and I'm not rushing it this time.

One thing that helped me was drilling weak areas by topic instead of just taking full tests over and over. Fuel systems was killing me for weeks until I hammered the question bank at a p/questions/aircraft fuel systems a few times through. Went from my worst section to one of my best. Anyway, I'm booked for the general written in three weeks and if the practice scores hold I'll actually keep this date. If you're on the fence about pushing yours back, just do it. Nobody cares when you took it, only that you passed.

Just hit 82% on my last practice round so I'm finally feeling like this is actually going to happen. I've been grinding the systems stuff pretty hard this week — the a p/questions/aircraft fuel systems 2 set knocked me down a peg when I first hit it but I've run through it twice now and it's starting to click. Sitting the real thing in three weeks if I can keep this momentum.

Honestly the practice scores are so much more useful than just reading through the material. Didn't really believe that until I tried it. You find out fast where your gaps are instead of feeling confident about stuff you actually don't know.