Part 107 Test Breakdown: Regulations Are Now 48% of the Test
Last updated October 5, 2026
Regulations are 48% of the Part 107 initial knowledge test as of October 2026, about 29 of the 60 scored questions. The rest is Operations 25%, Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements 20%, Weather 5%, and Loading and Performance 2% (PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin, effective September 29, 2025, p. 4). The rules in 14 CFR part 107 and part 89 are the biggest block of points, so they deserve the biggest block of your study time.
Sources used here: the PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin (PSI is the FAA’s testing company), the Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-10B (the “ACS”, the FAA’s list of what the test covers), and the current text of 14 CFR part 107 and 14 CFR part 89 (Remote ID).
The Part 107 test breakdown
| Area (ACS code) | Share of the test | About how many of 60 |
|---|---|---|
| I. Regulations (UA.I) | 48% | about 29 |
| II. Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements (UA.II) | 20% | about 12 |
| III. Weather (UA.III) | 5% | about 3 |
| IV. Loading and Performance (UA.IV) | 2% | about 1 |
| V. Operations (UA.V) | 25% | about 15 |
Source: PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin, effective September 29, 2025, p. 4. The bulletin gives the percentages and 60 scored questions; the counts are the percentage times 60, rounded, so treat them as approximate. The bulletin says the shares were “determined by the industry-wide job task analysis study completed in 2025” (same page). For question count, timing and passing score, see our guide to the Part 107 test format and passing score.
What changed from the older weights
The ACS appendix still prints an older table of ranges (ACS, p. A-1):
| Area | ACS appendix range | Current bulletin |
|---|---|---|
| I. Regulations | 15 to 25% | 48% |
| II. Airspace and Requirements | 15 to 25% | 20% |
| III. Weather | 11 to 16% | 5% |
| IV. Loading and Performance | 7 to 11% | 2% |
| V. Operations | 35 to 45% | 25% |
Under the old ranges, Regulations was roughly 9 to 15 questions and Operations was the largest area. Now Regulations alone (48%) outweighs Airspace and Operations combined (45%), while Weather and Loading share just 7%. The tasks themselves still come from the ACS; what moved is how many questions each area gets.
Why 48% matters for your score
You need 70% to pass (PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin, p. 4), which is 42 of 60. If you got only 15 of about 29 regulations questions right, you would need 27 of the other 31 (about 87%) to reach 42. In calendar year 2025 the FAA recorded 73,914 UAG tests, with an 82.96% pass rate and an average score of 79.31% (FAA CY2025 Airman Knowledge Test statistics).
What the Regulations area covers
Area I of the ACS has six tasks, A to F, with 65 numbered knowledge elements between them (ACS, pp. 2 to 8). Each element has a code such as UA.I.B.K10: Area I (Regulations), Task B (Operating Rules), knowledge element 10. Your Knowledge Test Report lists the codes of the questions you answered incorrectly (ACS, p. 1).
| Task | Elements | Main rules |
|---|---|---|
| A. General | 8 | 14 CFR 107.1 to 107.9 |
| B. Operating Rules | 28 | 14 CFR 107.12 to 107.53 |
| C. Remote Pilot Certification | 4 | 14 CFR 107.57 to 107.65 |
| D. Waivers | 1 | 14 CFR 107.200 and 107.205 |
| E. Operations Over People | 17 | 14 CFR 107.39, 107.100 to 107.165 |
| F. Remote Identification | 7 | 14 CFR part 89 |
For the exact numbers, use our Part 107 rules cheat sheet.
Task A: General (UA.I.A)
- Applicability and definitions (K1, K2). What part 107 covers (14 CFR 107.1) and its defined terms, such as “small unmanned aircraft,” “visual observer” and “corrective lenses” (14 CFR 107.3).
- Falsification (K3). In the current text, 107.5 is marked “[Reserved]”; the general falsification rule is in 14 CFR 3.403.
- Reporting (K4). The ACS says “Accident reporting.” The current rule, 14 CFR 107.9, is titled “Safety event reporting.”
- Inspection and records (K5, K7). What you must carry and show, and to whom (14 CFR 107.7). Record retention applies to people who submit a declaration or means of compliance (14 CFR 107.165).
- Multiple category sUAS (K6). A drone can be eligible for more than one category of operations over people, if the pilot cannot switch modes or configurations by accident (14 CFR 107.150).
Task B: Operating Rules (UA.I.B)
The largest task, with 28 elements (ACS, pp. 3 to 4), grouped plainly:
| Group | ACS elements | What to know | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who may fly | K4, K4a, K22 | The remote pilot in command’s responsibility; who else may use the controls | 14 CFR 107.19, 107.12 |
| The aircraft | K1, K2, K13, K27, K28 | Registration, safe condition, no hazardous material, no transponder or ADS-B Out unless authorized | 14 CFR 107.13, 107.15, 107.36, 107.52, 107.53 |
| The people | K3, K8 | Medical conditions; alcohol and drugs | 14 CFR 107.17, 107.27 |
| Emergencies | K5 | Deviating to meet an emergency; written report if the FAA asks | 14 CFR 107.21 |
| Seeing the aircraft | K10, K11, K12, K14 | Visual line of sight, visual observers, one aircraft at a time, right of way | 14 CFR 107.31 to 107.37 |
| Time of day | K9, K24, K25 | Daylight, civil twilight, night | 14 CFR 107.29 |
| Hazards and vehicles | K6, K7, K26 | Careless operation, dropping objects, moving vehicles, carrying property | 14 CFR 107.23, 107.25 |
| Where you fly | K16 to K19 | ATC authorization, airports, prohibited and restricted areas, NOTAM restrictions | 14 CFR 107.41 to 107.47 |
| Before and during flight | K20, K21 | Preflight actions; speed, altitude, visibility and cloud limits | 14 CFR 107.49, 107.51 |
Learn the conditions inside each rule, not just the number. For example, flying from a moving land or water vehicle is allowed only over a sparsely populated area and not while carrying another person’s property for compensation or hire (14 CFR 107.25). The airspace elements overlap with Area II, covered on our Airspace topic page.
Task C: Remote Pilot Certification (UA.I.C)
Four elements (ACS, p. 5): drug offenses (14 CFR 107.57), refusing an alcohol test (14 CFR 107.59), eligibility (14 CFR 107.61) and recency (14 CFR 107.65). A drug conviction or a refusal can be grounds for denying an application for up to 1 year, or for suspension or revocation (14 CFR 107.57 and 107.59).
Task D: Waivers (UA.I.D)
One element (ACS, p. 6). The FAA may issue a certificate of waiver only for the rules listed in 14 CFR 107.205, and only if the operation can safely be conducted under its terms (14 CFR 107.200(a)). Rules not on the list, such as alcohol and drugs (107.27) or hazardous material (107.36), cannot be waived under 107.200.
Task E: Operations Over People (UA.I.E)
Seventeen elements (ACS, p. 7). You may not fly over a person unless that person is directly participating, is under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that gives reasonable protection, or the flight meets a subpart D category (14 CFR 107.39):
- Category 1: 0.55 pounds or less, no exposed rotating parts that would cut skin (14 CFR 107.110).
- Categories 2 and 3: below set impact energy limits, no exposed rotating parts that would cut skin, no safety defects, on an FAA-accepted declaration of compliance and labeled (14 CFR 107.115 to 107.130). Category 3 may never fly over open-air assemblies (14 CFR 107.125(b)).
- Category 4: an airworthiness certificate under part 21 with limitations that do not prohibit flight over people (14 CFR 107.140).
The other elements cover declarations and means of compliance (14 CFR 107.155, 107.160), operating instructions (14 CFR 107.120(b)(2)), replacement labels (14 CFR 107.135) and moving vehicles (14 CFR 107.145). Sustained flight over open-air assemblies in Categories 1, 2 and 4 also needs Remote ID under 14 CFR 89.110 or 89.115(a) (14 CFR 107.110(b), 107.115(b), 107.140(a)(2)).
Task F: Remote Identification (UA.I.F)
Remote ID is part of the Regulations area: the ACS puts part 89 in Area I, Task F (ACS, p. 8). After September 16, 2023, unless the FAA authorizes otherwise, every flight must meet 14 CFR 89.110 or 89.115 (14 CFR 89.105).
| Element | What to know | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| K1 Standard Remote ID | Broadcast from takeoff to shutdown; land as soon as practicable if it stops | 14 CFR 89.110 |
| K2 Alternative Remote ID | A broadcast module, or flying inside an FAA-recognized identification area (FRIA) | 14 CFR 89.115 |
| K3 Aeronautical research | The FAA may authorize flights without Remote ID | 14 CFR 89.120 |
| K4 ADS-B Out | Cannot be used to meet Remote ID | 14 CFR 89.125 |
| K5 Confirmation of identification | Needed for foreign-registered drones | 14 CFR 89.130 |
| K6 Message elements | A standard drone broadcasts the control station location; a module broadcasts the take-off location | 14 CFR 89.305, 89.315 |
| K7 Product labeling | Producer labels | 14 CFR 89.525 |
A two-week study plan built on the weights
About an hour a day. Seven of the 14 days go to Regulations, roughly its 48% share. Practice on our Regulations topic page as you go.
| Day | Focus | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Task A | Read 107.1 to 107.9. Put the 107.3 definitions in your own words. |
| 2 | Task B | Read 107.12 to 107.27. For each rule, note who it applies to. |
| 3 | Task B | Read 107.29 to 107.37. Write one line each for day, civil twilight and night. |
| 4 | Task B | Read 107.39 to 107.53. Learn the 107.51 limits and quiz yourself. |
| 5 | Tasks C and D | Read 107.57 to 107.65, 107.200 and 107.205. List the waivable sections from memory. |
| 6 | Task E | Read 107.100 to 107.165. Build a four-column table, one column per category. |
| 7 | Task F, review | Read 89.101 to 89.130. Answer 30 mixed regulations questions; look up the rule behind every miss. |
| 8 to 9 | Airspace (20%) | Airspace classes, ATC authorization, current sectional charts. |
| 10 to 11 | Operations (25%) | Radio, airport operations, emergencies, decision-making, physiology, maintenance. See our Operations topic page. |
| 12 | Weather and Loading (7%) | Weather sources and effects; loading, balance and center of gravity. |
| 13 | Timed test | 60 questions in 2 hours. Note the ACS code of every miss. |
| 14 | Review | Re-read the rule behind each missed regulations question first. Take a second timed test if you can. |
Common mistakes
- Studying from the old ranges. The ACS appendix shows Regulations at 15 to 25% (ACS, p. A-1); the current bulletin says 48% (PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin, p. 4).
- Learning numbers without conditions, such as the structure exception to the 400-foot limit (14 CFR 107.51(b)).
- Skipping part 89. Remote ID is a full Regulations task (ACS, p. 8).
- Assuming any rule can be waived. Only those listed in 14 CFR 107.205.
Try one: an original practice question
A remote pilot plans to apply for a certificate of waiver. Which of these part 107 rules can the FAA waive?
- A. 14 CFR 107.36, carriage of hazardous material
- B. 14 CFR 107.35, operation of multiple small unmanned aircraft
- C. 14 CFR 107.27, alcohol or drugs
Answer: B. A certificate of waiver may authorize a deviation only from the rules listed in 14 CFR 107.205 (14 CFR 107.200(a)). Section 107.35 is on that list (14 CFR 107.205(e)); 107.36 and 107.27 are not.
Common questions
What percentage of the Part 107 test is regulations?
48%, about 29 of the 60 scored questions, as of October 2026 (PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin, effective September 29, 2025, p. 4).
What is on the Part 107 test?
Regulations 48%, Operations 25%, Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements 20%, Weather 5%, and Loading and Performance 2% (PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin, p. 4). The ACS, FAA-S-ACS-10B, lists the tasks inside each area.
Why do some study guides say regulations is only 15 to 25%?
That range is in the ACS appendix (ACS, p. A-1). The PSI bulletin effective September 29, 2025, sets the current shares (PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin, p. 4).
Is Remote ID on the Part 107 test?
Yes. Part 89 is Task F of the Regulations area, with seven knowledge elements (ACS, p. 8).