FAA Part 107 Testing Center & Exam-Day Checklist (2026)

FAA Part 107 Testing Center and Exam-Day Checklist for 2026

Verified July 18, 2026 against the FAA's June 9 certification instructions, current Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix, June 2026 testing advisory, and PSI's FAA booking surface.

If you are a first-time remote-pilot applicant, the correct sequence is IACRA profile → FAA Tracking Number (FTN) → PSI → Unmanned Aircraft General–Small (UAG) appointment → acceptable ID → Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR) → IACRA Form 8710-13 → TSA vetting → temporary certificate. The order matters. You cannot book the initial knowledge test without an FTN, and passing the test does not by itself create a Remote Pilot Certificate.

Before following that sequence, check one fork: a Part 61 pilot certificate holder with a flight review completed within the previous 24 months uses an FAA online-training route instead of taking UAG at a PSI center. Everyone else who is pursuing the initial Part 107 certificate should follow the first-time route below.

If you are still deciding whether your knowledge is ready, use the Part 107 study guide and free Part 107 practice strategy first. This article begins where studying ends: booking the right appointment and turning a passing report into a certificate.

First, do not confuse two completely different kinds of FAA sites

Searches for “FAA drone test site” can send you to the wrong place. An FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Center is a proctored computer-testing location found and booked through the FAA-linked PSI portal. That is where a first-time applicant takes UAG.

An FAA UAS Test Site is part of a research and demonstration program. The FAA says these sites support work such as detect-and-avoid, command and control, airworthiness, beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations, UAS traffic management, and standards development. They are not a directory of places where the public schedules the Part 107 knowledge exam. The official UAS Test Site Program page is useful for understanding drone research, not for booking UAG.

Do not rely on a blog's claimed national center count. Locations and appointment inventory can change. Use PSI's live FAA search, choose a center that actually offers your selected test, and treat the address and instructions in your appointment confirmation as controlling.

Choose your route before paying anything

The controlling instructions are on the FAA's Become a Certificated Remote Pilot page. Do not buy an initial UAG appointment merely because you hold some aviation credential; the shortcut requires both a qualifying Part 61 certificate and a current flight review. Conversely, recreational TRUST completion is not an initial Part 107 certificate route.

Step 1: Create IACRA profile and obtain your FTN

Create a profile in the FAA's Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application system before registering for the knowledge test. IACRA assigns the FAA Tracking Number that follows your airman testing and certification record. If you already have an FTN from another FAA airman activity, use that existing number rather than trying to create a second identity.

Record the FTN exactly and keep your IACRA login available somewhere secure. The FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix says applicants who do not already have an FTN should establish one before taking an FAA knowledge test, and that the FTN is printed on the resulting AKTR.

This is also a good time to compare the identity information in IACRA with the identification you plan to present. If a name or other material detail is inconsistent, resolve it before test day through the official support path rather than asking a proctor to improvise at check-in.

Step 2: Use PSI and select the exact UAG test

Follow the FAA link to the PSI FAA portal, create or access your test-taker account, and use the current location search. The exam name is Unmanned Aircraft General – Small and its test code is UAG. Similar-looking aviation tests are not substitutes. Verify the full test name before paying.

Choose a center and time from the live inventory, then save the confirmation. The FAA's current cost FAQ says Knowledge Testing Centers charge approximately $175 for the initial aeronautical knowledge test. Because the FAA describes that amount as approximate, trust the price displayed by PSI for your actual appointment instead of a third-party article.

Keep the receipt and confirmation together. Confirm all of these before closing the booking session:

• The selected test says UAG / Unmanned Aircraft General – Small.
• Your FTN and test-taker identity are associated with the appointment.
• The date, local time, time zone, and physical address are correct.
• You have read the PSI confirmation's arrival, rescheduling, accessibility, and site-specific instructions.
• You know how long travel and parking will take; do not discover that the listed facility is on a large airport or campus on exam morning.

Step 3: Build an identification packet that satisfies the FAA rule

“Bring photo ID” is incomplete advice. The FAA says identification must be valid and current and must establish photo, date of birth, signature, and physical residential address. The information may be presented in more than one acceptable document. A P.O. box or business address is not a physical residential address.

For U.S. citizens and resident aliens, examples in the FAA matrix include a driver permit or license issued by a U.S. state or territory, a U.S. government ID, a U.S. military ID, a passport, or an alien residency card. If the chosen primary ID does not establish the required residential address, consult the matrix's accepted address-verification list and bring an allowed supporting document. The list includes items such as a signed lease, utility statement, mortgage statement, property-tax record, vehicle title or registration, homeowners or renters insurance statement, or voter registration card. Not every bill is accepted; for example, the matrix specifically excludes cable-company statements.

For a non-U.S. citizen, the FAA table requires a passport and either a U.S. state or territory driver permit/license or an identification card issued by a government entity. Read the official FAA identification FAQ and the current matrix instead of relying on a generic “passport is enough” checklist.

Put the physical IDs and any address-verification document in your bag the night before. A phone photograph of an ID is not a safe substitute for the original identification expected at check-in. If your situation is unusual, contact PSI or the FAA before traveling.

The night-before checklist

Use the appointment confirmation as the source of truth, then run this short check:

• Appointment: correct date, time, center address, and UAG test name.
• Identity: current FAA-acceptable identification plus address verification if needed.
• FTN: recorded and consistent with the appointment.
• Travel: route, parking, building access, and a buffer based on PSI's stated reporting time.
• Personal items: follow the center's storage and prohibited-item instructions; assume your phone and smartwatch will not stay with you at the workstation.
• Calculator: do not depend on a personal device. The FAA companion guide says centers may provide calculators and may deny a personal calculator if its memory or functions cannot be verified.
• Final review: stop broad cramming. Drill airspace/LAANC with the sectional-chart guide, then do a short set of Part 107 practice questions.

Sleep is more valuable than another late-night full test. Your exam-day task is to recognize the rule, chart cue, weather code, or safest remote-PIC decision—not to recall a leaked question.

What happens inside the knowledge testing center

The proctor verifies your identification and completes the required intake. Before the scored test, the testing software gives you a tutorial opportunity so you can practice navigation, selecting an answer, marking a question for review, and monitoring remaining time. Use it even if the interface looks obvious.

The current matrix lists UAG as 60 scored multiple-choice questions, 2.0 hours, and a 70 passing score. It also warns that an FAA knowledge test may contain validation questions. Those questions are not scored and do not affect the final score; the published 60-question figure excludes them, while the allotted time includes time to answer them. Because you cannot identify validation items, treat every item as scored.

The FAA companion guide says the proctor provides the applicable testing supplement. Use the supplement, but do not depend on memorized figure numbers. The FAA's June 2026 Airman Testing Community Advisory says that beginning October 27, 2026, UAG will include image-based questions whose images are not found in the test supplements. Candidates testing on or after that date should be ready to interpret current sectional-chart images embedded directly in a question.

If equipment, a figure, or the testing session malfunctions, notify the proctor while the issue is happening. Do not silently work around a technical problem and try to reconstruct it after leaving.

Before you leave: protect the AKTR

At completion, the testing center issues a printed Airman Knowledge Test Report. The FAA's ACS Companion Guide for Pilots says the report documents your score and lists codes for incorrectly answered questions. The Remote Pilot ACS also says the report carries the test date, test type, unique test identification number, score, and deficient ACS codes.

Check that you received the report, then photograph or scan it when you are allowed to use your phone again. Keep the paper. The 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID on that report is what the FAA tells first-time applicants to enter in IACRA.

If you did not pass, the current matrix requires a 14-day waiting period before a UAG retest. Bring the failed AKTR to the testing center for the retest. UAG does not require an instructor endorsement for the initial attempt or after failure. Use the printed ACS codes to target review, then return to fresh-question practice instead of memorizing the prior form.

After a passing score: AKTR to temporary certificate

Passing is not the final application step. Follow this order:

1. Sign back into IACRA and start FAA Form 8710-13 with Application Type “Pilot” and Certification “Remote Pilot.”
2. Enter the 17-digit Knowledge Test Exam ID when prompted. The FAA warns that the test may take up to 48 hours from the test date to appear in IACRA. If it is not available immediately, do not create a second FTN or submit guessed data.
3. Follow the prompts, sign electronically, and submit the application for processing.
4. Wait for the FAA confirmation email after the TSA security background check is complete.
5. Follow that email's instructions to print the temporary Remote Pilot Certificate from IACRA.
6. The FAA mails the permanent certificate after its remaining internal processing is complete. Keep the certificate accessible whenever you conduct UAS operations.

The FAA does not promise a universal “same day” certificate. The knowledge-test record alone may take up to 48 hours to populate, and the TSA/FAA processing step follows submission. Plan your first Part 107 job around an issued temporary or permanent certificate, not around the moment you see a passing score.

Once certificated, the card itself is not the end of your obligations. Review the Part 107 recurrent-training guide so you understand the 24-calendar-month knowledge-recency rule before it can surprise you.

Current Part 61 pilot route: no UAG booking if you qualify

A current Part 61 pilot takes a different path. The FAA requires a Part 61 pilot certificate and a flight review completed within the previous 24 months. The pilot completes the free Part 107 Small UAS Initial course (ALC-451) on FAASafety.gov, creates or accesses IACRA, and completes Form 8710-13.

Then the pilot makes an identity-validation appointment with an FAA Flight Standards District Office, FAA-designated pilot examiner, airman certification representative, or FAA-certificated flight instructor. Bring the completed application, proof of the current flight review, photo ID, and course completion certificate. The FAA notes that a CFI can process the application but cannot issue a temporary certificate. If immediate temporary-certificate issuance matters, choose an authorized representative who can issue one.

This fork is why “every Part 107 applicant takes PSI” is wrong. PSI/UAG is the normal first-time route for applicants without the qualifying current Part 61 status; ALC-451 plus identity validation is the alternate initial route for those who meet both Part 61 conditions.

The five errors this checklist prevents

1. Booking before obtaining an FTN.
2. Selecting something other than UAG / Unmanned Aircraft General–Small.
3. Bringing an ID that lacks a required element without acceptable supporting address verification.
4. Treating a passing AKTR as though it were already a Remote Pilot Certificate.
5. Searching for an FAA UAS research test site instead of using PSI's approved Knowledge Testing Center search.

Keep the chain intact from FTN to temporary certificate, and the administrative part of Part 107 becomes predictable. The exam tests aeronautical knowledge; the surrounding process tests whether you followed the exact FAA workflow.