Private pilot licence (aeroplane) exams

Find out what you need when sitting your private pilot licence (aeroplane) exam including permitted materials and pass rates.

The PPLA exam includes multiple-choice questions and questions where you type a whole number in a box.

You have 3.5 hours to complete the exam and to pass, you will need to get at least 70% of the marks.

The exams cost $208.51 each ($143.51 invigilator fee and $65 CASA fee).

Preparing for your exam

The exams will test your knowledge on the syllabus in Part 61 Manual of Standards (MOS) schedule 3.

Permitted material

You may use either the Airservices or Jeppesen list of permitted materials. You need to supply these materials.

You cannot use a combination of materials from both the Airservices List and the Jeppesen List.

The Visual Flight Rules Guide (VFRG) and the CASR Part 91 plain English Guide may not have current information. If you choose to use these documents, make sure you also have other materials to help with current laws and procedures.

The VFRG referred to in the lists of permitted material is the document produced by CASA and not by another party or organisation.

Your invigilator will give you some things before the exam, which you must hand back at the end. These include:

• pen
• pencil
• ruler
• eraser
• scribble pad
• The RPL, PPL and CPL (aeroplane) workbook (PDF 643kB).

Pass rates

You can see how candidates performed in their PPLA exam.

Year	0 - 54%	55 - 59%	60 - 64%	65 - 69%	70 - 74%	75 - 79%	80+%	Pass rate
2020	5.30	5.36	7.38	15.01	15.95	16.90	34.11	66.96%
2021	6.17	4.61	8.92	17.68	17.01	15.53	30.09	62.63%
2022	6.16	6.23	10.38	15.47	16.92	15.72	29.12	61.76%

Check the results of candidates from previous years.

Fuel policy in PPLA exams

CASA’s Flight Crew Licence exams reference policies related to fuel usage and reserves.

In your PPLA exam, fuel reserves will be carried in accordance with CASR Part 91 MOS, Chapter 19, table 19.02 (2), Item 1. This applies to aeroplanes with MTOW less than 5,700 kg (piston engine or turboprop) under VFR by day.

We recommend you avoid rounding off at intermediate stages of your workings when calculating fuel requirements in your exam.

Common errors:

The following areas have been weak areas for candidates:

• correct use of the take-off and landing charts
• find time/distance and revision of estimates
• work out density height and/or pressure height
• correct use of the various loading systems (ALPHA, BRAVO and CHARLIE)
• interpretation of meteorological forecasts.