Failed the A&P General? Your test report already tells you what to fix.
About 3 in 10 General attempts fail, so you are in large company. The FAA prints the ACS code of every question you missed on your test report. Start there.
How retesting works
- You may retest 30 days after the failure (14 CFR 65.19(a)).
- You may retest sooner with a signed statement from a mechanic holding the certificate and rating you seek, certifying additional instruction in each subject failed and that you are ready (14 CFR 65.19(b)).
- Every test for the certificate must be passed within 24 months (14 CFR 65.71(a)(3)), so a long gap between attempts costs you time on the others too.
- Keep your Airman Knowledge Test Report. It lists the ACS codes you missed and you will need it again for the oral and practical tests.
Why people fail the General
Two patterns dominate. First, the subjects people skip because they feel like common sense: corrosion and human factors. The FAA's most-missed General code from April 2024 to March 2025 was corrosion identification and inspection (AM.I.G.K6, missed 77% of the time), and the second was electrostatic discharge (AM.I.A.K24, 74%). Second, regulations that have changed. 14 CFR 65.81, the mechanic's privileges and limitations, was amended in July 2025, and a question bank written before then can teach the old wording. Every regulation answer here is checked against the current eCFR text.
The second-attempt plan
- Write down every ACS code on your test report before you study anything. It is the only personalized data you have.
- Drill those codes here. Every question carries its code, so you can work exactly the items the FAA says you missed.
- Take a full 60-question mock to confirm the weak subjects. Two independent readings of the same weakness is a real weakness.
- Fix the regulations last-mile: privileges and limitations, record entries, Form 337, the 100-hour rule. These are memorization points that never change between attempts.
- In the final week, run full timed mocks until you clear 80% twice. 70% passes, but you want margin for the questions you have never seen.