A&P Oral and Practical Test: How It Works

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The A&P oral and practical test is the last step to a mechanic certificate: after your written tests, a designated mechanic examiner (DME) gives you a closed-book oral test and a hands-on practical test for General and for each rating you want (14 CFR 65.79; Companion Guide FAA-G-ACS-1, Change 2, ch. 6, p. 20). Each oral test and each practical test passes at 70 percent, applied to the test as a whole rather than subject by subject (14 CFR 65.17; FAA Mechanic Test Generator FAQs, updated May 22, 2023, pp. 3-4). This guide explains how it all works as of October 2026.

The A&P oral and practical at a glance

There are three oral tests and three practical tests: one each for General, Airframe and Powerplant (MTG FAQs, pp. 1-3).

	Oral test	Practical test
Who gives it	A DME, or in some cases an FAA inspector	Same
Size	At least 4 questions per test, plus one per ACS code you missed on that written test. Most possible: 22 General, 34 Airframe, 34 Powerplant	9 projects for General, 11 for Airframe, 11 for Powerplant, each with 2 practical questions
References	None allowed	Allowed, but only references the examiner provides
Pass mark	70% of the whole test, not per subject	70% of the projects; each project is pass or fail
If you fail	Retake that whole oral test	Retake only failed and untested projects

Sources: Companion Guide, ch. 6, pp. 20-22 and ch. 7, p. 24; MTG FAQs, pp. 3-4; 14 CFR 65.17.

Who gives the test: the designated mechanic examiner

The tests are usually given by an FAA DME, though an FAA inspector may give them in some circumstances. You contact a DME yourself to schedule; the FAA says a list of DMEs is on faa.gov or available from your local Flight Standards office. An examiner tests one applicant at a time (Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 20).

First comes a pre-test interview. It sets the date, time, place and schedule, and lets the examiner see the codes on your written test reports. FAA designees may charge a reasonable fee, agreed before the test (Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 20). Check the current fee when you book.

What you need before booking

You must pass each written test before applying for the oral and practical (14 CFR 65.75(b)). The one exception is a Part 147 school student whose school shows the FAA they have made satisfactory progress: they may take the oral and practical during their final subjects, before the written tests (14 CFR 65.80). The FAA’s test generator then treats them as if they scored 70 percent on the written, so they get the largest number of oral questions (MTG FAQs, p. 5).

Bring these to the pre-test interview and to the test (Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 20):

Two identically prepared FAA Forms 8610-2 with original signatures.
Your passing written test reports (unless testing early under 65.80).
A current government-issued photo ID with a signature.
Proof of eligibility: a school graduation document, a Form 8610-2 with a signature in Block V authorizing you to test (experience route), a military certificate of eligibility, or for 65.80, Section II of Form 8610-2 signed by a school official and an FAA inspector.

Missing documents may delay or end the test. If you are still sorting out eligibility, start with how to get your A&P license, and if you are new to the trade, read what an A&P mechanic is.

How the ACS sets the questions and projects

Everything on the test comes from the Aviation Mechanic Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-1. It has three sections: General (12 subjects, from electricity to human factors), Airframe (15 subjects) and Powerplant (13 subjects, ending with propellers) (FAA-S-ACS-1, pp. iv-v). Each subject lists three kinds of elements (Companion Guide, ch. 2, p. 11):

Knowledge (K): tested on the written and oral tests.
Risk management (R): tested on the oral and practical tests.
Skill (S): tested on the practical test.

Each element has a code. For example, AM.I.C.S2 is “Perform weight and balance calculations” (FAA-S-ACS-1, p. 4). Your written test report lists an ACS code for each question you missed (Companion Guide, ch. 5, p. 19).

The examiner does not write your test. They generate one unique to you from the FAA’s internet-based Mechanic Test Generator (MTG), with questions, answers, projects and performance standards, and include all of it (Companion Guide, ch. 6, pp. 21-22). You may not know beforehand which items from each subject are on your test, so be ready on every element in the ACS (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 1, p. A-1).

A&P oral exam questions: how the oral works

The oral test retests the knowledge areas behind the ACS codes on your written test reports, plus extra questions picked at random by the MTG (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 1, p. A-1). How many you get depends on your written results (MTG FAQs, pp. 3-4):

Every oral test has at least 4 random questions, even if you scored 100 percent on the written.
You get one extra question for each ACS code missed, not each question missed. Miss three questions under the same code and you get one oral question for it.
Someone who passed the written with exactly 70 percent could get the most: 22 General, 34 Airframe or 34 Powerplant questions.

The oral is closed book: you may not use any reference material (Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 21). It is scored on the whole test, so the FAA notes you could miss every question in one subject, such as electricity, and still pass if you reach 70 percent overall (MTG FAQs, p. 4).

Your score report codes are your best guide to your oral. You can look up any code with our ACS score report code lookup to see the exact element behind it.

How does the A&P practical work?

The practical is a set of hands-on projects. During each one, at a safe moment, the examiner asks 2 practical questions about that project from the MTG (MTG FAQs, p. 4), and personally watches every project (Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 22). The rules that shape the day:

Open book, with conditions. You may use references for the practical questions (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 1, p. A-1). The examiner provides all tools, equipment and unmarked references, such as 14 CFR, airworthiness directives, advisory circulars and manufacturer manuals. You may not use references the examiner did not provide; non-programmable calculators are allowed (Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 22).
Return to service standard. Where it applies, you must work to an approval for return to service standard and show you can find and apply the right reference. If the item cannot be returned to service, for example because it is out of limits, you must explain why (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 1, p. A-1).
Know the verbs. The examiner may review six defined terms with you: inspect, check, troubleshoot, service, repair and overhaul. “Check” means verify proper operation (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 1, p. A-2).
Safety. The examiner watches your approach, protective equipment, tool handling, cleanliness, use of current publications and attitude to safety. “Any disregard for safety is not tolerated and will result in a failure.” Unsafe steps may be simulated (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 2, p. A-3).

The FAA’s own published example shows the style: the applicant is given an aircraft and its references and must locate and explain how to remove and install a turbine engine fuel control unit, and both practical questions are answered from that aircraft’s maintenance manual (MTG FAQs, pp. 4-5).

A&P practical projects in 2026: the new framework

The FAA has reviewed and updated all mechanic practical projects under a new framework. As of its September 2026 bulletin, the General changes activated April 20, 2026, Airframe was scheduled for activation July 20, 2026, and Powerplant was in final review (FAA ATCA, September 2026 Special Edition, p. 2). What changed (ATCA, September 2026, p. 2):

Practical questions now line up directly with the assigned project, aircraft maintenance manuals and advisory circulars, to reduce subjective “look up and explain” questioning.
DMEs have more discretion over acceptable answers, based on the project, manufacturer information and approved references.
If you took your first practical before the new framework went live for that test, your retest uses the older content.

Also, for project AM.I.L.S1 (malfunction or defect report), DMEs should have you complete a fillable PDF or printed copy of FAA Form 8010-4; the online reporting system should not be used for this project unless it is tied to an actual discrepancy (ATCA, September 2026, p. 3).

How scoring works, and what happens if you fail

The minimum passing grade for each test is 70 percent (14 CFR 65.17(b)). On the practical, each project is graded pass or fail, and the 70 percent applies to the whole test. Miss a practical question, or do the work unsatisfactorily, and the whole project fails. In General you must pass 7 of the 9 projects, so failing 3 fails the test (MTG FAQs, p. 4). The FAA does not give the matching figure for Airframe or Powerplant, but the arithmetic is simple: with 11 projects, 7 passed is about 64 percent and 8 passed is about 73 percent, so applying the same 70 percent rule means passing at least 8 of 11.

If you fail (Companion Guide, ch. 7, p. 24; MTG FAQs, p. 4):

Oral: you retest the whole section you failed (General, Airframe or Powerplant).
Practical: you retest only the failed projects and any areas not tested. Projects you passed do not have to be repeated.
Not tested: if a test could not be finished, the examiner marks the untested parts, and you must be tested on them later.
Paperwork: bring every earlier Form 8610-2 showing failed or “not tested” parts, plus your passed written test reports.

You may apply to retest after 30 days from the date you failed, or sooner with a signed statement from someone holding the certificate and rating you are seeking, saying they gave you more instruction in each failed subject and consider you ready (14 CFR 65.19).

How long it takes

The ACS and Companion Guide do not give a set length. It depends on how many oral questions you get and how many projects you take (9 for General, 11 for each rating), so ask the examiner for the schedule at the pre-test interview. Two time limits do apply. You must pass all tests, written, oral and practical, within 24 months (14 CFR 65.71(a)(3)). And each written test report expires 24 calendar months after the month you took it; if it expires first, you must retake it (Companion Guide, ch. 5, p. 19), except in the cases 14 CFR 65.75(d) allows under 14 CFR 61.40.

When you pass everything, the DME typically issues a temporary certificate, valid for 120 days, while the FAA reviews your application (Companion Guide, ch. 7, p. 24).

How to prepare

List your codes. Each ACS code on your written test reports becomes an oral question, with no references.
Study those elements first, then the rest of each section, since the random questions can come from anywhere.
Answer out loud. Practice short, precise spoken answers.
Rehearse finding things. Get fast at locating limits, torque values and procedures in maintenance manuals, advisory circulars and 14 CFR.
Work through the skill elements. For each “S” element in your sections, ask whether you could do it, or explain it, to a return to service standard.

If you want structured practice, our A&P oral and practical prep builds mock orals from the codes you missed.

Common mistakes

Studying only your missed codes. The random oral questions can come from any subject.
Skipping safety basics. Safety glasses, hearing protection and other required protective equipment are on the examiner’s watch list (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 2, p. A-3).
Guessing at a number. Find the value in the manual instead.

Common questions

What kind of A&P oral exam questions are asked?

Questions on ACS knowledge elements, covering the codes you missed on your written tests plus questions picked at random (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 1, p. A-1). The FAA says test items come from the FAA mechanic handbooks or other documents in the Companion Guide reference list (MTG FAQs, p. 3).

How much does the A&P oral and practical cost?

Designees may charge a reasonable fee that you agree before testing (Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 20), so ask the examiner when you book.

Is the A&P oral and practical the same in 2026?

Not entirely. As of the September 2026 bulletin, the FAA had updated the practical project bank under a new framework: General changes activated April 20, 2026, Airframe was scheduled for activation July 20, 2026, and Powerplant was in final review (ATCA, September 2026, p. 2).

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