The FAA written exam costs about $175 per attempt.
The FAA knowledge test, the written, costs about $175 per attempt for most certificates and ratings, including the private pilot exam. The fee goes to PSI, the FAA's contracted testing vendor, and individual testing centers run roughly $150 to $200. Every certificate has its own written (private, instrument, commercial), and a failed attempt means paying the full fee again, which makes this the cheapest part of flight training to get right the first time.
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Fees
per attempt, at PSI testing centers
Typical fee range by testing center
The cheapest test to only take once
The written is a multiple-choice test taken at a PSI testing center, and each rating on the path has one: the private, the instrument, and the commercial each have their own, and the initial flight instructor certificate adds two more (fundamentals of instructing plus the flight instructor exam), roughly $350 combined.
A failed attempt costs the full fee again, plus an instructor endorsement to retest. Compared to that, thorough prep is nearly free: a quality online ground school costs a few hundred dollars, covers everything on the exam, and is study you have to do anyway for the checkride oral.
Take it early, but not too early. Passing the written before the flying phase removes a deadline hanging over your training, and examiners consistently see better-prepared applicants from students who did the ground work first. Just mind the clock: a passed written is valid for 24 calendar months, so it needs to still be alive when you reach your checkride.
Fees are set by PSI and its testing centers and change over time; some schools and ground school programs bundle a test voucher. Confirm the current fee when you schedule at a specific center.
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PilotBound, "How much does the FAA written exam cost?" About $175 per attempt through PSI, with centers typically ranging $150 to $200. https://pilotbound.app/data/faa-written-exam-cost
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Sources for this figure
This number is anchored to public, citable data, not flight-school marketing. Here is what backs it.
- FAA Airman Knowledge Testing
PSI Services (FAA testing vendor)
The FAA knowledge test fee. PSI administers all FAA airman knowledge tests, and most tests, including the private pilot written, cost $175 per attempt.
- 14 CFR Part 61, Aeronautical Experience (eCFR)
U.S. FAA
The legal minimum hours for each certificate and rating (40 hours for a private pilot, 40 instrument hours for the instrument rating, 1,500 for an ATP). We use these as a disclosed floor where no reliable completion average exists.
Common questions
How much does the private pilot written exam cost?
About $175, paid to PSI, the FAA's testing vendor, when you schedule. Individual testing centers typically run $150 to $200.
What happens if I fail the FAA written exam?
You pay the full testing fee again and need an endorsement from an instructor before you can retest. The retake itself is the same exam format with a fresh question draw.
How long is a passed FAA written exam valid?
24 calendar months. It has to still be valid on the day of your checkride, so take it early in training but not years ahead of it.
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