FAA BGI
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Cheat sheet
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ExploreAbout this exam
The FAA BGI is a Federal Aviation Administration airman knowledge test delivered through the FAA's knowledge testing program, which the agency administers with its testing contractor, PSI Services, at PSI knowledge testing centers. The FAA publishes the supporting material candidates need: Airman Certification Standards and Practical Test Standards, reference handbooks, computer testing supplements, sample knowledge tests, and a learning statements reference guide. Candidates register for an airman knowledge test, sit the computer-based exam at a testing center, and receive a knowledge test report; the FAA also publishes a frequently asked questions document covering registration, who may administer a practical test, and what a knowledge test report is. This independent study page organizes preparation around four equally weighted domains: regulations and legal requirements; flight operations and procedures; aircraft performance and planning; and safety and aeronautical knowledge. Because the FAA publishes no separate BGI-specific fact sheet in the material consulted here, treat this page as orientation only and confirm the current test code, question count, time limit, passing score, fee, retake rules, and validity period directly with the FAA and PSI before you schedule. Preparation should center on the FAA's own Airman Certification Standards, reference handbooks, and sample tests, worked domain by domain with practice questions and a review of every missed item.
What you'll study
About FAA BGI preparation
What exactly is the FAA BGI exam?
It is an FAA airman knowledge test, the computer-based written test the FAA requires through its airman testing program. The FAA administers knowledge tests via its contractor PSI Services at PSI knowledge testing centers, and publishes Airman Certification Standards, handbooks, and sample tests as preparation material.
How do I register and where do I take it?
The FAA's airman testing FAQ addresses how to register for an exam and points candidates to PSI Services knowledge testing centers and the scheduling page. Follow the FAA's published registration steps and the knowledge testing authorization requirements matrix, and schedule through PSI rather than assuming a walk-in slot.
How many questions, how long, and what score passes?
The FAA material consulted here does not state a question count, time limit, or passing score for this test, so no figure is given. Confirm all three with the FAA and PSI when you schedule. Do not rely on numbers from older study guides, since tests are revised periodically.
What happens if I fail - can I retake it?
The FAA source material consulted does not state a retake policy, waiting period, or fee for this test. Ask PSI when you schedule and check the FAA airman testing FAQ before test day. Plan your study so a retake is unnecessary, since a retake costs both time and money.
What does the knowledge test report tell me?
The FAA's airman testing FAQ explains what a knowledge test report is. In practice it records your result and identifies the subject areas you missed, which makes it a study plan for any retake or for your oral and practical test. Review it closely with your instructor.
How should I order my study across the four domains?
Start with regulations and legal requirements, since the other three domains assume that vocabulary and those limits. Then work flight operations and procedures alongside aircraft performance and planning, because weight-and-balance and takeoff and landing calculations only make sense inside a flight profile. Finish with safety and aeronautical knowledge.
What are the most common ways candidates lose points?
Weak regulation recall, arithmetic slips in performance and fuel planning, and misreading the question stem. Work the FAA computer testing supplements and sample knowledge tests under time pressure, and log every missed item by domain so you can see which of the four areas is actually costing you.
Which official materials should I use?
Use the FAA Airman Testing page: Airman Certification Standards, Practical Test Standards, reference handbooks, computer testing supplements, Airman Knowledge Sample Tests, and the Learning Statements Reference Guide. Order 8080.6H, Conduct of Airman Knowledge Tests, explains test conduct. Avoid unofficial question dumps, which go stale as tests are revised.
How long is the result valid, and who gives the practical test?
The FAA source material consulted does not state a validity period for knowledge test results. The airman testing FAQ addresses who can administer a practical test, so check it and confirm with your local FAA office or examiner before your knowledge test result expires in your planning timeline.