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How Do Your FAA Written Test Scores Stack Up?

May 9, 2025/in News, Test questions/by Eric Radtke

The FAA recently released its 2024 written testing statistics, and the results offer a look at how pilots are performing across the country. Whether you’re studying for your Private, Instrument, or Commercial, these numbers can help you benchmark your own performance.

How to use a mechanical E6B flight computer

May 7, 2025/in Video Tips/by Bret Koebbe

Most students today prefer to use an electronic E6B flight computer when planning a flight or preparing for the FAA knowledge test. The electronic E6B is actually the evolution of a mechanical E6B flight computer, often referred to as a whiz wheel. While the mechanical E6B may take a little longer to learn compared to its electronic counterpart, the learning process is a fun challenge.

How Do Your FAA Written Test Scores Stack Up?

May 9, 2025/in News, Test questions/by Eric Radtke

How to use a mechanical E6B flight computer

May 7, 2025/in Video Tips/by Bret Koebbe

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How Do Your FAA Written Test Scores Stack Up?

May 9, 2025/in News, Test questions/by Eric Radtke

2024 Knowledge Test Averages

Private Pilot (Airplane): 83%. More than 46,000 tests were taken in 2024 with a first-time pass rate of 92%. This represents a 2% increase in testing volume from 2023. The average test score is up from 82% in 2023.
Instrument Rating (Airplane): 86%. Nearly 26,000 instrument tests were taken in 2024 with a first-time pass rate of 94%. This represents a 10% increase in testing volume from 2023. The average test score in 2023 remained at 86%.
Commercial Pilot (Airplane): 91%. Nearly 19,000 Commercial airplane tests were taken in 2024 with a first-time pass rate of 99%—an 8% increase in volume from 2023. The average test score in 2023 was 89%.

Frequently Missed Topics

According to the FAA’s quarterly report on “Frequently Missed Knowledge Test ACS Codes,” certain subjects consistently stump test takers. While the codes themselves (like PA.III.A.K3) may not be familiar, they correspond to specific task elements in the ACS.

PA.VI.A.K1 – Pilotage and Dead Reckoning: A top miss on the Private Pilot test. Pilots often struggle with enroute calculations. Tip: practice with real POH data and cross-check multiple conditions.
CA.I.H.K1g – Human Factors (Stress): Missed frequently on the Commercial test—understanding the symptoms, causes and effects of stress as it relates to the safety of flight.

The FAA now publishes these frequently missed codes on a quarterly basis, offering valuable insight for students and instructors alike. You can view the full list on the FAA website. And remember you can get instant FAA Knowledge Test ACS Code Analysis–free from Sporty’s (learn more).

What’s New in the Test Format?

Buried in the FAA’s April 2025 Airman Testing Community Advisory are a few small but meaningful changes to the written test question format:

No more negative phrasing. Questions like “Which of the following is NOT…?” are being phased out.
Third-person phrasing. Instead of “you,” questions now refer to “the pilot”.
Clearer answer formatting. Test takers will no longer see options like “both A and B” or “neither.”
Airport names updated. Sectional chart references now match chart formatting exactly (e.g. SIOUX GATEWAY/COL DAY instead of Sioux Gateway).

While these changes may seem subtle, they reflect a larger FAA effort to make test questions more clear, consistent, and representative of real-world aviation decision-making.

Final Thoughts

If you’re preparing for a knowledge test this year, aim high—and use these national averages to track your progress as you enjoy an unlimited number of practice tests in Sporty’s online courses.

As always, Sporty’s and Flight Training Central offers study tips, test prep tools, and expert guidance to help you succeed. Good luck!

How to use a mechanical E6B flight computer

May 7, 2025/in Video Tips/by Bret Koebbe

The E6B got its start in the late 1930s and 40s as a circular slide rule developed for military aviators. The name “E6B” actually comes from its original part number for the US Army Air Corps around that time. It went through many iterations during World War Two and eventually evolved into the version most pilots recognize today. Today’s mechanical E6Bs still use the same core circular slide rule logic as those from World War Two, but also include some additional capabilities. This week’s tip shows you the basic operation of the front side circular slide ruler and how to compute basic aviation conversions.