Test strategy
What Happens If You Fail the Part 107 Test?
✓ Reviewed against current FAA sources on October 22, 2026
In this guide
In short
Section 107.71 (opens in a new tab) provides that an applicant who fails a knowledge test may not reapply for the test for 14 calendar days after the failure. The test may be retaken after that period on payment of the testing fee again, and the score report lists the Airman Certification Standards codes for the areas missed.
Failing is recoverable and more common than the forums suggest. In calendar year 2025 the FAA recorded a pass rate of 82.96 percent on the Unmanned Aircraft General - Small test, which means roughly one candidate in six did not pass on that attempt.
The waiting period
Section 107.71 (opens in a new tab), titled "Retesting after failure," provides that an applicant for a knowledge test who fails that test may not reapply for the test for 14 calendar days after failing.
Calendar days, not business days. The clock runs from the date of the failed attempt.
The score report is the valuable part
A failing report is not simply a number. It lists the Airman Certification Standards codes corresponding to the knowledge areas where you lost points. Each code maps to a defined subject in the Remote Pilot ACS, so the report is effectively a personalized list of what to restudy.
Most candidates glance at the score and put the report away. That is the opposite of what it is for.
Using the 14 days well
Two weeks is enough to fix a knowledge gap and not enough to relearn the subject from the beginning. Work the codes on your report first, in order of how many questions each represents. Then drill questions in those areas specifically rather than taking general practice tests, which will mostly re-examine what you already know.
The cost of a second attempt
The knowledge test fee is charged again for the retest. The fee is set by the testing vendor rather than by the FAA, so confirm the current figure with PSI when you book.
Why candidates fail
The usual cause is not insufficient study but misallocated study. Regulations carry roughly 29 of the 60 scored questions and weather roughly three. A candidate who gave equal time to both prepared for a test that does not exist. The weighting is set out in the 2025 test blueprint.
There is no limit on attempts
The rule imposes a waiting period, not a cap. Candidates who fail once and then study to the codes on their report usually pass comfortably on the second attempt.
Sources: 14 CFR 107.71 (opens in a new tab); FAA Airman Knowledge Test statistics, calendar year 2025; Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards FAA-S-ACS-10B.