Aircraft Dispatcher exam-day guide
Aircraft Dispatcher · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID with signature
Driver's license, passport, or military ID. It must be unexpired and the name must match your registration/IACRA record exactly. Confirm with the provider which forms of ID they accept before test day.
Appointment confirmation / test authorization
Print or save the scheduling confirmation from the testing provider, plus your FAA Tracking Number (FTN) if you registered through IACRA. Bring it even if you were told it is 'in the system'.
Knowledge test report (practical test only)
If you are taking the oral/practical portion, bring the original (not a photocopy) airman knowledge test report with a passing score.
Graduation certificate or experience documentation
For the dispatcher practical test, bring your certificate of graduation from an approved dispatcher course, or the documentation supporting your eligibility under the experience route. Confirm with the provider exactly which document the examiner expects to see.
IACRA application summary
Have your application completed and signed in IACRA; bring the applicant summary/FTN page in case the examiner or center cannot access it electronically.
Current charts and flight-planning tools (practical test)
Current en route/terminal charts, plotter, flight computer (E6B) or equivalent, and a straightedge. For the written knowledge test, these are generally prohibited and reference material is supplied on screen or as a supplement - confirm with the provider.
Calculator
Bring a simple non-programmable, non-scientific calculator if permitted. Programmable, phone, and smartwatch calculators are not allowed. Confirm the provider's calculator policy in advance.
Current FAR/AIM or regulation reference
Useful for the oral portion of a practical test where use of reference material is allowed. Ask the examiner in advance what references are permitted.
Study summary and notes - to review BEFORE entering
One or two pages of high-yield items (fuel/weight-and-balance formulas, weather minima, NOTAM and flight-planning definitions, regulatory time limits). Notes cannot be taken into the testing room.
Layered clothing and water/snack for the break
Test rooms are often cold and the written test allows up to three hours. Confirm the provider's break and food/drink policy.
Travel plan and backup alarm
Know the route, parking, and building/room number. Aim to arrive 30 minutes early; confirm with the provider what happens if you are late.
Plan the day
Reconfirm the appointment date, time, and address with the provider (test centers relocate and reschedule). Verify your ID is unexpired and that the name on it matches your registration. Pull up your documents - knowledge test report, graduation certificate or experience paperwork, IACRA summary - and put them in one folder. Check that your charts are current if you are taking a practical test. Spend remaining study time on practice questions and your weakest subject areas rather than rereading everything.
Shift your sleep schedule so you will be sharp during your scheduled test window, especially for a morning appointment. Stop studying new material the night before.
Pack your bag: ID, confirmation, documents, approved calculator, pencils, charts/tools for a practical test, water and a snack. Print the confirmation. Do a light review of high-yield topics - dispatch and operational control regulations, fuel requirements, weather products and decoding, NOTAMs, weight and balance, aircraft performance, and flight plan / ATC procedures. Confirm the provider's policy on personal items, breaks, and permitted reference material. Set two alarms and check the weather and traffic for your route.
Eat a real meal and hydrate. Arrive about 30 minutes early. Leave your phone, smartwatch, and notes in the car or in the locker the center assigns. Do a five-minute review of your summary page in the lobby only, then put it away. Use the restroom before you are seated.
Read the instructions and note the time limit and the review/flag function. Write any formulas or memory aids on the scratch material as soon as permitted, before the questions crowd them out.
Pace yourself: with 80 questions and a 3-hour limit you have roughly two minutes per question. Answer every question - there is no penalty for a wrong answer. Flag anything that takes more than about three minutes and come back. Read for the word 'except' and for the most conservative/safe answer, which is often correct on operational questions. Verify official current question count, time limit, and passing score with the provider before test day.
Answer aloud and walk the examiner through your reasoning, using the applicable practical test standards as your outline: preflight, weather, flight planning, aircraft performance, and operating control. Show your work on calculations. Use approved reference material deliberately rather than guessing. If a task goes badly, keep going - you must complete the remaining tasks, and a single weak area does not always end the test. Ask for clarification if a question is ambiguous.
Collect your score report or evaluation and confirm what it says before you leave. If you did not pass, ask what the retest procedure and any waiting period are, and get that in writing from the provider.
Rules to check
Bring an unexpired government-issued photo ID with your signature, and make sure the name matches your registration exactly. If it does not match, the provider may refuse to admit you - confirm the name-matching policy in advance.
Personal items - phones, smartwatches, notes, textbooks, bags - are not allowed in the testing room. Store them where the proctor directs and do not retrieve them mid-test.
The written knowledge test is multiple choice; confirm the current question count, time limit, and passing score with the provider. Answer every item, because unanswered questions count as wrong.
Breaks: ask in advance whether breaks are permitted and whether the clock stops. For a test of several hours, plan hydration around the answer you get.
Only a basic non-programmable calculator is normally permitted, and some centers supply everything. Confirm the calculator and reference-material policy before test day rather than relying on what a classmate told you.
The practical test is scored pass/fail against the applicable standards, and unsatisfactory performance on a required task can result in a notice of disapproval. Cooperate with the examiner's sequence and complete every task offered.
Do not discuss exam content with other candidates, and do not remove, photograph, or reproduce any test material. Sharing recalled questions can jeopardize your certificate.
If you fail, follow the provider's and the FAA's retest procedures - additional training and an endorsement may be required before a reattempt. Get the specific requirements in writing rather than assuming a waiting period.