FAA Aviation Mechanic - General (AMG)

That detail is not published in the FAA material this guide is built from, so no number is stated here. Question counts and time limits are set in the FAA's testing standards and are confirmed on the Airmen Certification, Training & Testing pages at faa.gov, or by the computer testing provider when you schedule. Verify before exam day rather than relying on secondhand figures.

Also not published in the source used here. Passing scores for mechanic knowledge tests are set by the FAA and stated in its testing standards; check the FAA Airmen Certification, Training & Testing pages or ask the testing center when you register. Treat any specific percentage you hear in a hangar or on a forum as unverified until you confirm it against FAA material.

Mechanic knowledge tests are multiple-choice and delivered by computer at approved testing centers, so you answer on screen, can generally flag items to revisit, and receive a result at the end of the session. Confirm current delivery details, appointment rules, and identification requirements with the testing provider when you book.

Fees and retake rules are administered by the FAA and its testing provider and are not stated on the FAA page this guide draws from. Expect to pay per attempt and to wait a set interval before a repeat test, but confirm the current amount and waiting period with the provider at scheduling time rather than budgeting from older figures.

Start with the two areas that quietly decide the most items - weight and balance and mathematics - then move to the regulation-flavored topics: forms and records, publications, and mechanic privileges and limitations, which reward precise reading. Finish with the hands-on subjects: electricity, drawings, fluid lines and fittings, materials and processes, ground handling, and corrosion control. Rotate subjects weekly so recall stays fresh.

Most candidates find it broad rather than deep. Each subject appears in small doses, so the real risk is a blind spot in one or two areas, not an impossible question set. If you have completed a structured maintenance training program and can work weight-and-balance and shop-math problems without a formula sheet, the material is manageable.

Three repeat offenders: treating weight and balance as a formula to memorize instead of a procedure to compute carefully; guessing at maintenance-record and publication rules instead of reading the exact wording; and studying only from question sets so that a reworded item collapses. Slow down on records, publications, and privileges - those questions are usually plain-language rule checks.

Use FAA-published material first: the handbooks and manuals, advisory circulars, regulations, and forms linked from faa.gov. Those are the documents the test is built around. Supplement with practice questions to expose gaps, but check any explanation you do not trust against the FAA text. Third-party guides are useful for structure, not for authority.

Passing scores on mechanic knowledge tests are time-limited, and the exact validity window is set by the FAA, not by this guide. Confirm the current rule on the FAA Airmen Certification pages before spacing your general, airframe, and powerplant tests far apart, since a stale result can force a repeat.

The general knowledge test is normally the first of the three written tests in the mechanic certification sequence and underpins both the airframe and powerplant ratings. Sequence requirements and any prerequisites are governed by FAA rules, so confirm the current order on the FAA Airmen Certification, Training & Testing pages before you schedule.