FAA knowledge test changes on October 26, 2026
From October 26, 2026, the Part 107 drone test (UAG) and the Instrument Rating test (IRA) add questions with images from current FAA charts that are not in the testing supplement. The Flight Instructor and Airline Transport Pilot tests start embedding images in their questions, and the ATP Multiengine test drops its Dash 8-Q400 questions. The supplement stays at the test center until the FAA announces otherwise.
What changes on October 26, 2026, test by test
Each row quotes the FAA advisory word for word, with the page it is on. Click the page to open the PDF there.
| Test | What changes | The FAA's words |
|---|---|---|
| Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG), the Part 107 testUAG | Adds image-based questions built from current Sectional Charts that are not in the testing supplement. | “Beginning October 26, 2026*, the Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA) and Unmanned Aircraft General-Small (UAG) tests will include image-based questions not found in the test supplements (see examples below).” p. 6 |
| Instrument Rating Airplane (IRA)IRA | Adds image-based questions from current Sectional, Instrument Approach and Low Altitude Enroute charts that are not in the supplement. | “This update enhances the tests by incorporating clearer, up-to-date images from the latest Sectional Charts, Instrument Approach Charts, and Low Altitude Enroute Charts.” p. 6 |
| Flight InstructorFIA | Questions start showing their figure embedded in the question on screen. | “Effective October 26, 2026, the following exams will feature questions with embedded images:” p. 5 |
| Airline Transport PilotATM · ATS | Questions start showing their figure embedded in the question on screen. | “Effective October 26, 2026, the following exams will feature questions with embedded images:” p. 5 |
| Airline Transport Pilot Multiengine Airplane (ATM)ATM | Questions about the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 are removed; CRJ900 questions stay. | “Knowledge test items (test questions) regarding the Bombardier Dash 8 – Q400 aircraft will be removed from the ATM knowledge test beginning October 26, 2026.” p. 4 |
The images come from “VFR Charts” and “IFR Low Altitude Charts” (p. 6). The test format does not change: the UAG stays at 60 questions in 2 hours and the IRA at 60 in 2 hours, both with 3 answer choices and 70% to pass (FAA testing matrix).
What stays the same, and what you can't see in advance
The FAA's own sample questions, explained
The advisory shows 5 sample questions in the new format, each with the answer the FAA marks as correct. The question and choices below are the FAA's; the explanation is ours. The chart images are in the PDF.
Sample 1 · IRA · p. 6 · Test-supplement image next to the same area on Low Enroute Chart L-11
When flying a northbound IFR flight on V21, what is the minimum crossing altitude at DUBOIS (DBS) VORTAC?
- A. 7,500 feet.
- B. 8,600 feet. ✓ (FAA answer)
- C. 11,100 feet.
A minimum crossing altitude (MCA) is the lowest altitude at which you must cross a fix when you continue toward a higher minimum en route altitude. The chart prints it next to the fix with the airway and the direction it applies to, so you have to read it for your direction of flight, not pick the biggest number near the VORTAC (Pilot/Controller Glossary, MCA).
Sample 2 · IRA · p. 7 · IFR Enroute Low Altitude L-12, dated 7 Aug 2025 to 2 Oct 2025
What is indicated by the flag symbol at RENAE intersection?
- A. The Minimum Reception Altitude is 13,000 feet MSL. ✓ (FAA answer)
- B. The OROCA altitude is 10,700 feet MSL when south bound.
- C. The Minimum Turning Altitude is 2,700 feet AGL.
The flag with an R at an intersection gives its minimum reception altitude (MRA): the lowest altitude at which you can receive the navaids that define the fix. An OROCA is printed once per grid square and never depends on the direction of flight (FAA Aeronautical Chart User's Guide, IFR Enroute symbols; Pilot/Controller Glossary, MRA).
Sample 3 · IRA · p. 8 · IFR Enroute Low Altitude L-11, dated 7 Aug 2025 to 2 Oct 2025
What is indicated by IR313/IR300 in the figure?
- A. An IFR Military Training Route. ✓ (FAA answer)
- B. A low altitude Victor airway.
- C. A WAAS enabled airway.
IR marks an IFR military training route (VR is the VFR version). Routes with at least one segment above 1,500 feet AGL get three-digit numbers, like IR313 and IR300; Victor airways are labeled V plus a number (AIM 3-5-2).
Sample 4 · UAG · p. 9 · Sectional: Washington, dated 12 Jun 2025 to 7 Aug 2025
What type of airspace is associated with MILLVILLE MUNI (MIV) and is ATC authorization required to operate a small UA there?
- A. Class E that is associated with an airport surface area, authorization is required. ✓ (FAA answer)
- B. Class G that is associated with an operating control tower, authorization is required.
- C. Class B that is under the associated Class D airspace, authorization is not required.
The dashed magenta circle around Millville is Class E airspace that starts at the surface for the airport. Under 14 CFR 107.41 a small UA needs ATC authorization in Class B, C or D airspace and inside the lateral limits of a Class E surface area designated for an airport (for most pilots, through LAANC).
Sample 5 · UAG · p. 10 · Sectional: Las Vegas, dated 12 Jun 2025 to 7 Aug 2025
If GRAND CANYON NTL PARK (GCN) control tower is not in operation, which frequency should be used as a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF) to monitor airport traffic?
- A. 119.0 ✓ (FAA answer)
- B. 124.3
- C. 122.95
At an airport with a part-time tower, the tower frequency followed by a C in a circle is also the CTAF when the tower is closed. At Grand Canyon that is 119.0, which the FAA's airport database (NASR, 1 Oct 2026 cycle) also lists as GCN's CTAF; 122.95 is a UNICOM frequency.
How to prepare before October 26, 2026
Part 107 (UAG): practice reading a current sectional, not only the supplement figures: airport data blocks (tower, CTAF, elevation), Class B/C/D/E boundaries and their altitudes, obstacle heights in MSL and AGL, and special use airspace. We built 25 practice questions on crops of the current sectionals, each answer checked against FAA data; 10 are free with no signup.
Instrument Rating (IRA): get used to current IFR Low Altitude Enroute charts and instrument approach procedures, which the FAA publishes free (IFR charts, d-TPP). The three IRA samples above are the best guide to the style. Our instrument rating guide covers the rest of the test.
Flight Instructor and ATP: the content is not announced as changing; the figure now appears inside the question on screen. The FAA points candidates to the PSI sample tests: “Candidates preparing for FAA exams are encouraged to visit the PSI True Talent site regularly to access sample test questions and become familiar with the new format.” (p. 5).
Frequently asked questions
Is the FAA test change on October 26 or October 27, 2026?
October 26, 2026. The FAA's September 2026 Special Edition of the Airman Testing Community Advisory marks the date with an asterisk and the note "*Corrected date from the previous edition of this advisory." Sites that still say October 27 are quoting the earlier edition.
What changes on the Part 107 (UAG) test on October 26, 2026?
The UAG test starts including image-based questions taken from current FAA Sectional Charts that are not in the testing supplement. The format stays the same: 60 questions, 3 answer choices, 2 hours and 70% to pass.
Will the testing supplement be removed from the test center?
Not yet. The FAA says: "The date for removing testing supplements from test centers has not yet been set. However, the public will receive ample notice before this change takes effect. Until the removal, candidates will continue to have access to the testing supplement for their exam."
Can I see the actual chart images that will be on my test?
No. The FAA says the specific images in active test questions cannot be previewed. What you can do is practice reading current charts: the FAA's own samples (pages 6 to 10 of the advisory) and practice questions built on current sectionals.
Are Rotate Pilot's chart questions the real FAA test questions?
No. They are practice in the style of the FAA's published samples, built on crops of the current FAA sectional charts. Every answer is checked against FAA data (airport, frequency, airspace and obstacle databases), and the real test images are not public.
Which other FAA tests change on October 26, 2026?
The Flight Instructor and Airline Transport Pilot tests start featuring questions with embedded images, and the ATP Multiengine (ATM) test removes the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 questions; CRJ900 questions stay.
Rotate Pilot is independent and not affiliated with the FAA or PSI. Last checked against the FAA advisory on .