BR-ANAC-IAPO
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ExploreAbout this exam
The ANAC IAPO credential relates to the Brazilian civil aviation authority's certification of air operators under RBAC 135, the regulation governing commercial air transport in aircraft below the airline-scale threshold. Candidates for this profile are typically pilots, operations managers, chief pilots, maintenance controllers, and compliance staff who need to demonstrate that they understand how an operator's manual, training programme, and safety management system fit together into a single approved structure. The exam is delivered in multiple-choice format and samples a broad syllabus: the regulatory framework of RBAC 135 and RBAC 91, operational control and flight dispatch, airworthiness and maintenance control, crew qualification and flight-and-duty limits, dangerous goods and security, SMS, emergency procedures, human factors and CRM, and meteorology with flight planning. Because the domains are weighted unevenly, a candidate who studies only technical flying subjects will lose ground on the regulatory and safety-management material. Preparation should centre on the actual RBAC texts and the operator's own manuals rather than on memorised question patterns: read the regulation, then trace how each requirement appears in a manual, a training record, or a maintenance log. Working through realistic scenarios, such as a crew-duty exceedance or a deferred defect, builds the judgement the exam rewards. ANAC publishes current administrative details on its own website.
What you'll study
About BR-ANAC-IAPO preparation
What is the IAPO actually for?
It sits within ANAC's framework for certifying and overseeing air operators conducting commercial transport under RBAC 135. The exam checks whether you can apply the rules that govern an operator's manuals, training, maintenance control, and safety management, not just whether you can fly. Confirm the current scope on ANAC's site.
What is the exam format?
Questions are multiple choice, and the syllabus is organised into weighted domains covering regulation, operations, airworthiness, crew training and duty limits, dangerous goods, SMS, emergency procedures, human factors, and meteorology. ANAC publishes the current administrative details, including any updates to format, on its official website.
How difficult is it?
Most candidates find the regulatory and safety-management domains harder than the flying content, because the questions test application rather than recall. Distractors often quote a real requirement with one condition changed, such as a different time interval or approval level. Reading the regulation closely and checking exact wording is the most effective way to raise your score.
How long is the exam, and what score do I need?
Those figures are set by ANAC and can change, so this page does not state them. Check the official ANAC website or the examination notice issued for your sitting for the current duration, number of questions, and minimum passing score. Rely only on the authority's published material, not on forum posts.
Can I retake it if I fail?
Retake rules, waiting periods, and any fee are set by ANAC and are not fixed here. Consult the current ANAC notice or your training organisation for the applicable policy. Practically, candidates who fail usually did so on one or two weak domains, so review the score report before booking again and target those areas.
In what order should I study?
Start with RBAC 91 and RBAC 135 as a single regulatory framework, then map each requirement to the operator's manual structure. Move to operational control, then maintenance and airworthiness, then crew training and duty limits. Finish with SMS, dangerous goods, emergency procedures, human factors, and meteorology, revisiting the regulation as you go.
What are the most common failure modes?
Confusing RBAC 91 with RBAC 135 requirements, mixing up approval levels and who may authorise a deviation, misapplying flight-and-duty limits, and treating SMS as a paperwork exercise rather than a set of processes. Weak candidates also skip meteorology and flight planning because they assume operational experience covers it.
Does operational experience alone get me through?
No. Experienced pilots often know what is done in practice but not the precise regulatory basis or the conditions attached to an approval. The exam rewards candidates who can cite the requirement and explain why the practice satisfies it. Pair your line experience with close reading of the regulation and the operator's approved manuals.
Is this page affiliated with ANAC?
No. This is independent study material and is not produced, endorsed, or reviewed by ANAC or any operator. Always treat the official regulation, the current ANAC notices, and your operator's approved manuals as authoritative, and use this page only as a guide to how to structure your preparation.