How to Get Your A&P License: Routes, Tests and Time Limits
Last updated October 4, 2026
To get an A&P license you must be at least 18, read, write, speak and understand English, qualify through one of three routes (graduate from an FAA-certificated Part 147 school, show 18 months of practical experience for one rating or 30 months for both, or qualify through military experience), and then pass the written tests (General, plus Airframe and/or Powerplant) and an oral and a practical test, all within 24 months (14 CFR 65.71, 65.75, 65.77, 65.79). This guide covers each route and how the tests work, as of October 2026.
“A&P license” is the everyday name. Officially it is a mechanic certificate with an Airframe rating, a Powerplant rating, or both (FAA, Become an Aviation Mechanic, FAQs, updated July 16, 2026).
Who is eligible
The basic rules are in 14 CFR part 65, subpart D. To be issued a mechanic certificate you must (14 CFR 65.71(a)):
- be at least 18 years old;
- be able to read, write, speak and understand English (the one exception is an applicant employed outside the United States by a U.S. air carrier, whose certificate is then endorsed “Valid only outside the United States”);
- pass all the required tests within a period of 24 months;
- meet the experience, knowledge and skill rules for the rating you want.
The FAA also says there is no general education requirement, no medical certificate is needed, and a maintenance license from another country does not replace the FAA tests (FAA, Become an Aviation Mechanic, FAQs).
The routes to an A&P, side by side
| Route | Minimum | What you show | What authorizes your written tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 147 school graduate | Complete the school’s curriculum. The FAA says most schools take 18 to 24 months, depending on the ratings | The school’s authenticated graduation document, with your graduation date and the curriculum you completed (14 CFR 147.21) | The graduation document itself (Testing Matrix, p. 6) |
| Civilian experience, one rating | 18 months of practical experience appropriate to that rating (14 CFR 65.77(b)(1)) | Documentary evidence, such as a log signed by your supervising mechanic or an employer statement | FAA Form 8610-2 with Block V signed by an FAA inspector at a Flight Standards office |
| Civilian experience, both ratings | 30 months of practical experience doing airframe and powerplant work at the same time (14 CFR 65.77(b)(2)) | As above | Form 8610-2, Block V signed |
| Military experience | The same 18 or 30 months, counting only time spent working in an aviation maintenance specialty | DD Form 214, training and qualification records, and a letter from your Executive, Maintenance or Classification Officer | Form 8610-2, Block V signed |
| JSAMTCC military program | Completion of the Joint Service Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification Council course | A Military Certificate of Eligibility | The Certificate of Eligibility, for the tests it lists (Testing Matrix, p. 6) |
Sources: FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (revised 9/25/26), p. 6; FAA, Experience Requirements to Become an Aircraft Mechanic (updated July 16, 2026); Companion Guide FAA-G-ACS-1, ch. 3, p. 12.
Part 147 school
School students get two head starts. If the school issues a document showing you finished the general portion of the curriculum, you may take the General written test before you graduate (14 CFR 65.75(c), 147.31). And if the school shows the FAA you have made satisfactory progress, you may take the oral and practical tests during your final subjects, before you have passed the written tests (14 CFR 65.80). The rules for schools are in 14 CFR part 147.
Practical experience without school
The FAA calls this on-the-job training and says it is usually the least expensive route (FAA, Experience Requirements). What matters is the paperwork:
- Work under the supervision of a certificated mechanic.
- Log every task: what you did, the time spent, and your supervising mechanic’s validation.
- Collect supporting evidence, such as an employer statement and training records.
The FAA counts months based on a typical full-time 40-hour week. Long hours do not shorten the time: in its FAQs the FAA says a year of 60-hour weeks (3,120 hours) does not meet the 18-month rule (FAA, Become an Aviation Mechanic, FAQs). Time spent in training does not count either, only time actually doing maintenance (FAA, Experience Requirements).
Military experience
Without a JSAMTCC Certificate of Eligibility, you apply at a Flight Standards office, where an inspector interviews you and reviews your records. The specialties the FAA may credit are listed in FAA Order 8900.1, volume 5, chapter 5, section 2, and the FAA is clear: “You will not be authorized to test just because you served in the military” (FAA, Experience Requirements). Active duty, guard and reserve members, their dependents, military retirees, and DoD and DHS civilians who are eligible can take the knowledge tests at no cost under the FAA and JSAMTCC agreement (FAA, Become an Aviation Mechanic, FAQs).
Step by step for experience applicants
The FAA describes the process like this (FAA, Become an Aviation Mechanic, FAQs; Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 20):
- Fill in two copies of FAA Form 8610-2, Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application. Mechanic applications are on paper, not in IACRA.
- Make an appointment at your local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). Bring both forms, photo ID and all your evidence of experience.
- If the inspector accepts your evidence, they sign Block V of Form 8610-2. That signed form is your authorization to take the written tests. Keep the originals.
- Register for an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) through IACRA if you do not have one, then book your written tests with PSI, the FAA’s testing provider.
- Pass the General test and the Airframe and/or Powerplant test. The FAA’s test requirements page says to take General first (FAA, Aircraft Mechanic Oral, Practical, & Written Tests, updated June 3, 2026).
- Find a Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME) with the FAA Designee Locator and book the oral and practical tests.
- Pass both. You then receive a temporary mechanic certificate (FAA, Become an Aviation Mechanic, FAQs).
School graduates skip steps 2 and 3 (the graduation document authorizes the written tests) but still bring two Forms 8610-2 to the oral and practical tests.
The tests: three written, then oral and practical
Every applicant must pass a written test for each rating (14 CFR 65.75) and then an oral and a practical test (14 CFR 65.79). The minimum passing grade for each test is 70 percent (14 CFR 65.17).
| Written test | Questions | Time | Pass mark | FAA 2025 volume | FAA 2025 pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General (AMG) | 60 | 2 hours | 70% | 22,585 | 69.59% |
| Airframe (AMA) | 100 | 2 hours | 70% | 16,885 | 74.01% |
| Powerplant (AMP) | 100 | 2 hours | 70% | 17,572 | 63.04% |
Sources: Testing Matrix, p. 6 (questions, time, pass mark); FAA CY2025 Airman Knowledge Test Volume Report, p. 1 (volume and pass rate). The same report gives average scores of 74.02% (General), 75.90% (Airframe) and 72.58% (Powerplant).
Powerplant had the lowest pass rate of the three in 2025, so give it extra time. The question count does not include unscored validation questions, but the time allowed does (Testing Matrix, p. 2).
The oral and practical tests are given by a DME, or sometimes an FAA inspector (Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 20). The oral portion retests the subjects you missed on your written tests, shown as codes on your test report, plus some randomly selected questions, and you may not use reference material. In the practical portion you complete hands-on projects and answer questions about them, and you may use references (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 1, p. A-1). Updated practical projects went live for General on April 20, 2026 and were scheduled for Airframe on July 20, 2026, with Powerplant in final review (FAA ATCA, September 2026 Special Edition, p. 2).
What the ACS is
The Aviation Mechanic General, Airframe, and Powerplant Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-1, November 1, 2021) lists everything the tests can cover. It is part of the rules by reference (14 CFR 65.23) and has three sections: General (12 subjects), Airframe (15 subjects) and Powerplant (13 subjects) (FAA-S-ACS-1, pp. iv-v). Each subject lists knowledge, risk management and skill elements with codes such as AM.I.A.K1 (Section I, Subject A, Knowledge element 1). Knowledge elements are tested on the written and oral tests, and skill elements on the practical (Companion Guide FAA-G-ACS-1, Change 2, ch. 2, p. 11). Risk management elements come up in the oral and practical tests, and the ACS says they are also evaluated in the written tests (FAA-S-ACS-1, Appendix 1, p. A-2). When you miss a written question, your test report lists the ACS code, not the question.
The 24-month rule
You must pass all the required tests (written, oral and practical) within 24 months (14 CFR 65.71(a)(3); Companion Guide, ch. 1, p. 9). Each written test report expires 24 calendar months after the month you took the test. If it expires before you finish the practical test, you must retake and pass that written test (Companion Guide, ch. 5, p. 19). So the first written test you pass starts the clock.
There is one narrow exception. If your written test report expired while you were serving, in a military or civilian role, outside the United States in support of a U.S. Armed Forces operation (or within 6 calendar months after you returned), you may apply to a Flight Standards office to use the expired report to take the practical test, as long as you complete it within 6 calendar months of returning (14 CFR 65.75(d), 14 CFR 61.40).
If you fail a test
You can retake a written, oral or practical test after 30 days, or sooner if you bring a signed statement from someone who holds the certificate and rating you are seeking, saying they gave you more instruction in each subject you failed and consider you ready (14 CFR 65.19). For a written retest, bring your failed test report to the test center (Testing Matrix, p. 6).
How to prepare
- Get your eligibility paperwork done first.
- Use the ACS as your checklist and the free FAA handbooks as your textbooks: General FAA-H-8083-30B, Airframe FAA-H-8083-31B and Powerplant FAA-H-8083-32B.
- Check the written test blueprints in the Companion Guide (ch. 3, p. 13). Every General subject is 5 to 10 percent of the test, except electricity and ground operations, which can each be up to 15 percent.
- Study topic by topic, for example regulations and maintenance records, electricity and electronics and reciprocating engines.
- Practice with figures. The written tests include questions with embedded images, and the printed testing supplement (FAA-CT-8080-4G) is still available at test centers until the FAA sets a removal date (ATCA, September 2026, p. 5).
- After each written test, review every ACS code on your report. Those subjects come back in your oral test, with no references allowed.
Common mistakes
- Counting hours instead of months. The FAA counts months of full-time work, based on a 40-hour week, and training time does not count.
- Thin paperwork. An inspector decides whether your evidence is satisfactory, and the FAA says the more documentary evidence you provide, the better (FAA, Experience Requirements). A detailed task log signed by your supervising mechanic says far more than a general letter.
- Letting the clock run out. Plan the oral and practical tests as soon as you pass your first written test.
Test-day checklist
- Written tests: your authorization (school document, signed Form 8610-2 or Certificate of Eligibility), your FTN and photo ID. The test fee is paid to the testing provider, so check the current fee when you book.
- Oral and practical tests: two identically prepared Forms 8610-2 with original signatures, your passing written test reports, a current government photo ID, and your eligibility document (Companion Guide, ch. 6, p. 20). DMEs may charge a reasonable fee that you agree before the test. There is no FAA charge for issuing the certificate itself (FAA, Become an Aviation Mechanic, FAQs).
Common questions
Can I get an A&P without going to school?
Yes. Show 18 months of documented practical experience for one rating, or 30 months doing both kinds of work at the same time, and an FAA inspector can authorize you to test (14 CFR 65.77(b)).
Do I have to get both ratings?
No. You can hold an Airframe rating, a Powerplant rating or both. To add a rating later, you meet the experience rule for it and pass its written, oral and practical tests within 24 calendar months; you do not retake General (14 CFR 65.71(b); Testing Matrix, p. 6).
Does an A&P certificate expire?
No. It stays in effect until it is surrendered, suspended or revoked (14 CFR 65.15(a)). To use it, though, you must have spent at least 6 of the past 24 months working as a mechanic or supervising mechanics or maintenance, or have the FAA find you able to do the work (14 CFR 65.83).
Are the written tests changing?
The FAA has said its testing provider is assessing all three mechanic written tests, with changes from that review expected to be put in place in 2027 (ATCA, September 2026, p. 4). The ACS is still FAA-S-ACS-1 as of October 2026.