The FAA A&P General Written Test, Explained (2026)
The General test is the first of three FAA knowledge tests for the mechanic certificate, and the one every A&P candidate takes. Here is how it works, from the FAA's own documents.
Exam facts
| The test | Aviation Maintenance Technician General (AMG): 60 multiple-choice questions, 2.0 hours, 70% to pass (FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix; 14 CFR 65.17) |
| Where | FAA airman knowledge testing centers. Airframe (AMA) and Powerplant (AMP) are separate 100-question tests |
| Who may take it | After meeting the experience requirement (school completion, or 18 or 30 months of practical experience), or a Part 147 student who has completed the general curriculum (14 CFR 65.75(c), 65.77) |
| Language | English. 14 CFR 65.71 requires a mechanic to read, write, speak and understand English |
| Retakes | 30 days after a failure, or sooner with a signed statement of additional instruction from a certificated mechanic (14 CFR 65.19) |
| Time limit | All tests for the certificate must be passed within 24 months (14 CFR 65.71(a)(3)) |
| Pass rate | 69.59% of the 22,585 General tests taken in calendar 2025 passed (FAA, all attempts) |
| Your test report | The FAA prints the ACS codes of missed questions on the Airman Knowledge Test Report |
Official content outline — where the points are
The FAA does not publish how many General questions come from each subject. The weights below are our stated estimate: each subject's share of the knowledge items listed in Section I of the Aviation Mechanic ACS (FAA-S-ACS-1), with a 4% floor so every subject appears in every 60-question mock.
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How hard is the General test?
About 3 in 10 attempts fail: the FAA reports 69.59% of General tests passed in 2025. The breadth is the problem. Twelve subjects, from Ohm's law to Form 337 to corrosion types, each with a handful of questions, so no single strong subject carries you.
What is on the General test?
The 12 subjects of ACS Section I: electricity and electronics, aircraft drawings, weight and balance, fluid lines and fittings, materials, hardware and processes, ground operations and servicing, cleaning and corrosion control, mathematics, regulations, forms and records, physics, inspection concepts, and human factors.
What happens if I fail?
You may retest after 30 days, or sooner with a signed statement from a certificated mechanic that you received additional instruction in each subject you failed (14 CFR 65.19). Your test report lists the ACS codes you missed, which tells you exactly what to study.
Which subject should I study first?
Electricity: it is the largest share of the General outline and the math in it trips people up. Then cleaning and corrosion control, whose identification and inspection item was the FAA's single most-missed General code from April 2024 to March 2025.