EASA and UK CAA PPL theory exams

The nine exams

Each guide covers the syllabus, the paper's format and a few sample questions with explanations.

• Air Law→European and UK VFR rules: EASA & UK CAA, SERA, airspace, licensing, altimetry, the documents you carry, and the services and information behind every flight.16 questions · 35 min
• Human Performance & Limitations→The pilot as a system: hypoxia and hyperventilation, vision and spatial disorientation, fatigue, decision-making, and the SHELL model and CRM.12 questions · 25 min
• Meteorology→The weather a PPL has to read: atmospheric structure, European fronts, hazards, and METARs/TAFs.16 questions · 50 min
• Communications→Radio work for VFR: phraseology, ATC services, Q-codes, transponders, and lost-comms procedures.12 questions · 20 min
• Navigation→From chart and compass to GPS: dead reckoning, the wind triangle, VOR, ADF, and GNSS.12 questions · 45 min
• Principles of Flight→The aerodynamics behind every manoeuvre: lift, drag, stalls, stability, load factor, and propeller effects.12 questions · 35 min
• Operational Procedures→In-flight hazards and emergencies: wake turbulence, wind shear, fire, forced landings, and search and rescue.12 questions · 30 min
• Flight Performance & Planning→Turning POH numbers into a safe flight: mass and balance, density altitude, V-speeds, and fuel planning.12 questions · 45 min
• Aircraft General Knowledge→How a light aircraft works: airframe, piston engine, fuel, electrical, propellers, and panel instruments.16 questions · 35 min

How the exams work

You sit the exams at your school or at a test centre approved by your national aviation authority.

• You have four attempts at each subject before further training is required.
• You must pass all nine within 18 months of your first sitting, in no more than six sittings.
• Your passes then stay valid for 24 months, and your skill test must fall inside that window.

Pocket Pilot has a mock exam for each subject with the real paper's question count, time limit and pass mark.