Commercial Pilot Licence Aeroplane (CPAER) exam-day guide
Commercial Pilot Licence Aeroplane (CPAER) · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo identification
Bring the original document with a photo, signature and a name that exactly matches your exam booking. Confirm with the provider which forms of ID it accepts before exam day; photocopies and expired documents are commonly refused.
Exam appointment confirmation
Carry a printed or saved copy of the booking showing the date, time, full address and room, plus the test centre phone number so you can call if a delay threatens your slot.
Proof of exam fee payment
Confirm with the provider the fee amount, accepted payment methods, and whether payment must be made in advance or at the desk. Bring the receipt or reference number if one was issued.
Aviation medical certificate and personal logbook
Some centres ask to see your medical certificate and logbook when you write a commercial exam. Confirm the requirement with the provider and bring the originals if requested.
Approved calculator and stationery
Confirm whether the centre supplies scratch paper, pencils and a basic calculator or whether you must bring an approved non-programmable calculator. Programmable, graphing and phone calculators are normally not permitted.
Exam format and pass standard written down
Confirm the current number of questions, time allowed and pass mark with the provider; a common format is 100 multiple-choice questions in three hours with a 60% pass, but verify rather than assume, because the format determines your pacing.
Condensed review notes
Prepare a one- or two-page sheet of the facts you keep forgetting: key CARs numbers, AIM excerpts, METAR and TAF decoding rules, weight-and-balance steps, navigation and fuel formulas. Use it before check-in only; it stays outside the exam room.
Results of your last two timed practice exams
Write down your scores and the three subject areas where you lost the most marks, so the final 72 hours are targeted rather than random.
Travel, parking and check-in plan
Confirm the location, parking or transit options and the check-in procedure, then plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start. Allow extra time for building security.
Rest, food and personal needs
Plan a normal night's sleep, a light meal and water before the exam. Bring glasses, medication or other items you need, and confirm with the provider in advance how any medical need is handled during the test.
Simple wristwatch
A basic watch helps you pace yourself if the testing software clock is hard to see. Confirm with the provider whether watches are allowed at the workstation.
Plan the day
Re-read the booking and confirm the address, arrival time, ID requirements and fee arrangements with the provider. Sit one full-length timed practice exam under realistic conditions: no phone, no notes, one sitting. Mark it, then list your three weakest subject areas.
Work in focused blocks on the weak areas: air law and CARs, meteorology, navigation, flight operations, theory of flight and human factors. Do 20 to 30 practice questions per topic and review every wrong answer until you can explain why the correct choice is correct and why each distractor is wrong.
Light review only: memory aids, METAR and TAF formats, flight-planning and weight-and-balance steps, conversion factors and the common wording traps such as 'except', 'not' and 'most likely'. Pack your ID, confirmation, receipt, calculator and notes, confirm your transport, then stop studying early and sleep.
Eat a normal meal and arrive at the centre at least 30 minutes early. Switch off your phone and store personal items exactly as directed. Read the candidate instructions, then confirm with the proctor the time remaining, scratch-paper rules, calculator rules and whether unanswered questions are penalised.
Aim for roughly 1.5 to 2 minutes per question. Answer everything you know confidently, flag long calculations and unfamiliar items, and keep moving. Do not leave blanks if there is no penalty for guessing, but confirm that with the proctor first.
Return to flagged questions, check units and question wording, and recompute navigation, fuel and weight-and-balance problems from the beginning rather than trusting your first arithmetic. Keep the last 10 to 15 minutes to review the answer sheet or confirmation screen before submitting.
Record the result and any section-by-section feedback. Confirm with the provider how long the result stays valid for licence issuance, what documents you must keep, and what the rewrite rules are if you did not pass.
Rules to check
Carry original government photo ID whose name matches your booking. If the document is expired, damaged or shows a different name, you may be refused entry, so confirm acceptable alternatives with the provider before exam day.
Phones, smart watches, earbuds and written notes must be switched off and stored as directed. Keep nothing on your person that could be used to store or transmit information.
No talking, signalling or collaboration during the test. Raise your hand and wait for the proctor if you need paper, a break, or help with a technical problem.
Ask about breaks before you begin. The clock may keep running while you are out of the room, so confirm the policy with the proctor rather than assuming.
Use only the scratch paper, writing materials and calculator the provider permits, and write nothing on the ID, the confirmation letter or the workstation itself.
Scoring is against a fixed pass standard set by the provider, and a failure normally means a waiting period before a rewrite. Confirm the current pass mark, the reporting format and the rewrite rule with the provider rather than relying on second-hand information.
Report any equipment fault, distraction or illness to the proctor immediately; do not attempt to fix or restart the workstation yourself.
Keep your result letter and confirm with the provider how long the result remains valid for licence issuance and which documents must accompany it in your licence file.