Five clear steps from "I want to fly drones for work" to a Remote Pilot Certificate in your hand. No flight hours, no training program required — just the knowledge test and a little paperwork.
To hold a Part 107 certificate you must be at least 16 years old, able to read, speak, write, and understand English, and in a physical and mental condition to operate a small drone safely. That's it — no pilot's license, no flight experience.
This is the step that decides whether you pass on the first try. The Aeronautical Knowledge Test covers regulations, airspace, weather, loading & performance, and operations — and airspace/chart reading alone is about a quarter of it. DroneReady is built for exactly this: structured lessons, 1,400 exam-style questions, and free live practice on the hardest topics.
Create a profile in IACRA (the FAA's Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application) to get your FTN. You'll need it to schedule the test and to claim your certificate afterward. It's free and takes a few minutes.
Book the Part 107 Aeronautical Knowledge Test at an FAA-approved PSI testing center. It's 60 multiple-choice questions, and you need 70% to pass. The fee is about $175 (confirm current pricing when you register). You'll bring the FAA testing supplement of charts to the center — the same figures DroneReady's sectional practice uses.
Once you pass, finish FAA Form 8710-13 in IACRA. After a background check, you'll receive a temporary certificate and then your permanent Remote Pilot Certificate in the mail. Renew your knowledge every 24 months with the free online recurrent training.
The Part 107 knowledge test costs about $175 at an FAA-approved PSI testing center. IACRA registration and the certificate itself are free, so the test fee is the only required cost.
Most people study for one to three weeks, then the test and paperwork take a day or two. After you pass, a temporary certificate is issued quickly and the permanent card follows after a background check.
Yes. The minimum age to be issued a Remote Pilot Certificate is 16. A student can study and take the knowledge test, and once they're 16 they can be certificated — which is why many high schools run Part 107 as a junior- or senior-year credential.
You need 70% — that's 42 of the 60 multiple-choice questions correct.
You can retake it after 14 calendar days, paying the test fee again each attempt. Studying the FAA's actual standards and practicing exam-style questions is the best way to pass on the first try.
It's very passable with focused study. The most-missed areas are airspace and sectional-chart reading, which are about a quarter of the exam — so targeted practice on those topics makes the biggest difference.
Most people who fail the Part 107 exam didn't study the right things. DroneReady maps every question to the FAA's own standards — and lets students practice the exact skills the test measures.
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