Exam Prep
The Part 107 Exam Changes on 27 October 2026: What Actually Differs
The questions are not being rewritten. The way you look at the charts is — and it changes how you should practise.
Key takeaway
From 27 October 2026 chart figures appear on screen inside the question rather than in a printed supplement. The knowledge tested is unchanged, but candidates should practise reading charts on a screen.
The Part 107 knowledge test has changed twice recently, and only one of the changes has had much attention. Both matter, and they affect completely different parts of how you should prepare.
| Change | Effective | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| New test blueprint | 29 September 2025 | Subject-area weightings changed substantially. Regulations is now 48 percent of the exam |
| Embedded chart images | 27 October 2026 | Figures appear on screen inside the question instead of in the printed supplement |
The first one is the one that should change your study plan. The second changes how you should practice.
Change one: the weighting is not what most study guides say
In August 2025 the FAA's Airman Testing Community Advisory announced that PSI Services had completed a scientific assessment of the Unmanned Aircraft General (UAG) knowledge test, and that the results would be implemented on 29 September 2025.
The advisory's key sentence is blunt: the assessment "will make the current testing blueprint found in the Remote Pilot - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-10B) obsolete." Applicants are told to refer to the UAG Applicant Information Bulletin until the ACS itself can be updated.
Here is the blueprint that bulletin publishes, alongside the ACS bands it replaced:
| Content area | ACS code | Current weighting | Old ACS-10B band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulations | UA.I | 48% | 15–25% |
| Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements | UA.II | 20% | 15–25% |
| Operations | UA.V | 25% | 35–45% |
| Weather | UA.III | 5% | 11–16% |
| Loading and Performance | UA.IV | 2% | 7–11% |
Read that top row again. Regulations is now nearly half the exam. Weather, which most prep material treats as a major topic, is one question in twenty. Loading and performance is roughly one question on a 60-question test.
The FAA is explicit that the topics themselves did not change — only how many questions come from each area. The percentages were set by an industry-wide job task analysis completed in 2025.
Why this matters more than it sounds. A study plan built on the old bands sends you to weather and performance for a third of your time, in exchange for 7 percent of the exam. Meanwhile the area carrying 48 percent of the questions gets treated as one topic among five. If you are using a course, a book or a practice bank that still quotes 15–25 percent for regulations, its priorities are pointed at the wrong place.
Change two: charts move into the question
From 27 October 2026, the UAG test — along with the Instrument Rating Airplane test — will include image-based questions using images that are not in the printed testing supplement. The FAA is doing this in partnership with PSI as part of an upgrade to the airman knowledge testing system, embedding figures directly in the question.
The stated benefit is currency. Instead of a fixed booklet of figures that ages between revisions, questions can use images taken from current sectional charts, instrument approach charts and low-altitude enroute charts. FAA subject matter experts review each embedded-image question, and question performance is monitored after implementation.
What actually changes for you
You cannot memorize the supplement figures. A large amount of Part 107 prep has historically involved learning specific figures — Figure 20, area 3; Figure 23, area 2 — and remembering what the answer was. Those questions still exist for now, but from October 2026 you may be shown a chart panel you have never seen.
The skill being tested shifts from recall to procedure. Knowing that a particular tower on a particular figure is 2,874 feet MSL is worth nothing on a chart you have not seen. Knowing that the top figure is height above sea level and the bracketed figure is height above ground works on any chart.
You will be reading charts on a screen. Zooming, panning and reading fine magenta print on a monitor is a different physical task from reading a printed booklet. Practicing with paper leaves you doing that for the first time under a clock.
What does not change
- 60 scored questions, plus 5 unscored validation questions that do not count for or against your score
- 120 minutes
- 70 percent to pass
- The topics and subject matter, which the FAA states did not change as a result of the assessment
- The testing supplement, which remains available; a retirement date has not been announced
How to prepare for both changes
Rebalance your study time toward regulations. Not because regulations became harder, but because it became 48 percent of the test. Part 107 subparts A and B, certification under subpart C, waivers under subpart D, and operations over people under subpart D are where the questions now live.
Practice chart reading as a procedure, not as a memory exercise. For any chart question, the process is the same regardless of which chart appears:
- Find the exact point the question asks about — not the nearest airport.
- Identify the boundary type around it: solid blue, solid magenta, dashed blue, dashed magenta, or a faded magenta vignette.
- Read any boxed figures as ceiling over floor, in hundreds of feet MSL.
- For obstructions, read the top figure as MSL and the bracketed figure as AGL.
- Answer the question that was asked, which is often about what you must do rather than what the chart says.
The sectional chart trainer is built for exactly this. It presents chart panels with lettered points and asks the question types the exam asks, so the thing you rehearse is the procedure rather than a particular picture.
Use the free official sample test. PSI hosts a free UAG sample test at faa.psiexams.com under "Exam Resources". The FAA's June 2026 advisory recommends checking it as the new format rolls out, because that is where the embedded-image question format will appear first.
Should you test before or after 27 October 2026?
There is no clear advantage either way, and it is not worth delaying a certificate over.
Testing before the date means the figures come from the supplement you can buy and study today. Testing after means the figures are current and possibly clearer, but unfamiliar. Both tests cover the same material at the same weighting, with the same time and passing score.
The one thing that would genuinely be a mistake is preparing on the old weighting because you assumed the ACS was still current. That change is already in effect and applies to every test taken today.
Frequently asked questions
What is changing on the Part 107 test in October 2026?
From 27 October 2026 the Unmanned Aircraft General knowledge test will include image-based questions with figures embedded directly in the question, using images not found in the printed testing supplement. The images come from current sectional, instrument approach and low-altitude enroute charts.
Did the Part 107 exam weighting change?
Yes. A new test blueprint took effect on 29 September 2025, based on an industry-wide job task analysis completed by PSI. Regulations rose to 48 percent, Airspace is 20 percent, Operations 25 percent, Weather 5 percent, and Loading and Performance 2 percent. The FAA states this makes the percentage bands in FAA-S-ACS-10B obsolete.
Is the FAA testing supplement being retired?
Not yet. The supplement remains available and no retirement date has been announced. From 27 October 2026, however, some questions will use images that do not appear in it.
How many questions are on the Part 107 test?
There are 60 scored questions, plus 5 unscored validation questions that do not affect your score. You have 120 minutes, and the passing score is 70 percent.
What should I study now that regulations is 48 percent of the exam?
Concentrate on 14 CFR part 107 itself: the operating limitations in subpart B, remote pilot certification in subpart C, waivers and operations over people in subpart D, and registration and Remote ID requirements. Weather and loading still appear, but together they are only 7 percent of the questions.
Where can I find the current Part 107 test blueprint?
The current blueprint is published in the UAG Applicant Information Bulletin hosted by PSI, which the FAA's August 2025 Airman Testing Community Advisory directs applicants to use until the UAS ACS is updated.
Our question bank and mock exam follow the current blueprint, so a mock here has the same subject mix as the real test rather than the mix from the retired ACS bands.
Sources
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