12.1 Build the Final Study Calendar Around AMG, AMA, and AMP
Key Takeaways
- The FAA mechanic path uses three separate knowledge tests, AMG (60 questions), AMA (100), and AMP (100), each with a 70% pass mark and a 24-calendar-month validity for the practical.
- Schedule General first because its electricity, math, weight-and-balance, and human-factors content underpins both rating exams.
- Use the Aviation Mechanic ACS code coverage, FAA-H-8083 handbooks, supplement practice, and an error log rather than chasing confidential live item content.
- Leave recovery time between tests so each Airman Knowledge Test Report can steer oral-and-practical remediation.
Three Tests, One Integrated Cram
This is the capstone. The FAA Aviation Mechanic certificate (governed by 14 CFR Part 65) carries an Airframe (A) rating, a Powerplant (P) rating, or both. Earning a rating means passing the relevant knowledge (written) tests, then the Oral & Practical (O&P) with a Designated Mechanic Examiner (DME). There are three knowledge tests, not one: Aviation Maintenance Technician General (AMG), Airframe (AMA), and Powerplant (AMP). AMG lists 60 questions; AMA and AMP list 100 questions each.
0 hours** and require 70% to pass, and a passing Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR) is valid 24 calendar months to complete the O&P.
Do not build a final calendar around one giant bundled exam. Build it around three starts, three pacing plans, and three AKTR outcomes. Most candidates place General first because its content, basic electricity, aircraft drawings, weight and balance, physics, materials and processes, fluid lines, cleaning and servicing, maintenance records, inspections, and the Dirty Dozen human factors, supports reasoning on both rating exams. That order is a practical study sequence, not a legal requirement.
| Final-review window | Main purpose | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 14 to 10 days out | Close broad ACS gaps across G/A/P | Updated weak-area list |
| 9 to 6 days out | Drill calculations and supplement use | Fewer unit and figure errors |
| 5 to 3 days out | Mixed timed sets at test length | Pacing plan per test |
| 2 days before each test | Light review and logistics check | Confirmed appointment and documents |
| Same day after each test | Read AKTR and capture ACS codes | Remediation list for the DME bridge |
| Between tests | Target weak ACS areas | Stronger O&P readiness |
High-Yield Anchors to Re-Read by Subject
A last pass should re-touch the highest-frequency facts in each test. 11** record entries. 5D** and pitch 4-6D; MIL-H-5606 (mineral) versus Skydrol (phosphate-ester) hydraulic fluids that must never be mixed; and the pitot-static instruments (altimeter, airspeed, vertical speed).
For Powerplant: the four-stroke Otto cycle (intake, compression, power, exhaust); the magneto as a self-contained ignition source with an impulse coupling for starting; mineral versus ashless-dispersant oil; and the propeller governor using flyweights and a pilot valve to control blade angle.
A Disciplined Final-Schedule Method
- Choose the order for AMG, AMA, and AMP based on eligibility, readiness, and appointment availability.
- Put General early unless a school, instructor, or your readiness data supports another order.
- Assign each day one primary ACS cluster plus one recurring records-or-safety review habit.
- Build in supplement practice for drawings, charts, tables, and embedded images.
- Use timed blocks matching the 60-question and 100-question pacing demands.
- Reserve time after each test to mine AKTR ACS codes.
- Keep DME preparation active throughout rather than waiting until all writtens are done.
A compressed schedule works only if your practice data is honest. Recognizing reused questions is not readiness for FAA-aligned ACS tasks; train on unfamiliar wording, figure interpretation, calculations with units, and out-loud explanation of why an answer is correct. Avoid any source claiming to sell current live FAA item content, the FAA does not publish it. Do not stack three tests back to back: fatigue erodes accuracy, and even a passing AKTR can flag weak ACS areas worth closing before the DME oral.
The best calendar is not the most aggressive one, it is the one that passes all three writtens while preserving the judgment, documentation habits, and hands-on readiness certification demands.
Eligibility and the Experience Routes Behind the Calendar
Your calendar sits inside a larger certification structure that is worth re-confirming in the final pass. To be eligible for a mechanic certificate under 14 CFR Part 65 you must be at least 18 years old and able to read, write, speak, and understand English. Two experience routes feed the knowledge tests and the eventual O&P.
The first is documented practical experience: at least 18 months for a single rating (Airframe or Powerplant alone) or 30 months working on both airframes and powerplants concurrently for both ratings, signed off using FAA Form 8610-2. The second is graduation from an FAA-approved Part 147 Aviation Maintenance Technician School (AMTS), which issues authenticated graduation documentation in place of the experience time.
| Route | Time / basis | Authorization document |
|---|---|---|
| Single rating, experience | 18 months on that area | FAA Form 8610-2 |
| Both ratings, experience | 30 months on both | FAA Form 8610-2 |
| Part 147 AMTS graduate | Program completion | Authenticated AMTS documentation |
| Eligible military pathway | Service maintenance experience | Military Certificate of Eligibility |
Knowing your route shapes the calendar. An AMTS graduate often takes all three writtens close together because school content is fresh and structured around the ACS. An experience-route candidate may need more deliberate spacing to fill gaps that on-the-job work never touched, for example weight-and-balance math or the records and human-factors material that dominate General.
Either way, the testing matrix the guide references (an October 22, 2025 Airman Knowledge Testing matrix) is the authority for current question counts and timing, and the Aviation Mechanic ACS is the authority for content. Build the calendar from those two documents plus your AKTR feedback, never from rumor about what is on the test.
Which statement correctly describes the FAA mechanic knowledge-test structure?
Why do most candidates schedule the General (AMG) test first?
What should final review use instead of claims about active FAA question content?