To become a certificated pilot in the United States, there are certain requirements that must be met. One of these requirements is for applicants to pass a knowledge exam (commonly referred to as a “w..
To become a certificated pilot in the United States, there are certain requirements that must be met. One of these requirements is for applicants to pass a knowledge exam (commonly referred to as a “written exam”). These exams are administered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and applicants must achieve a score of at least 70% to pass the exam. While this all seems simple enough, existing literature has identified potential issues with this process, such as deliberate student memorization of questions and outdated exam questions. Still, student performance on FAA knowledge exams remains a relatively underexplored area of study within the aviation education literature. Stemming from a seminar presentation delivered in October 2022 at the Collegiate Aviation Conference and Expo, hosted by the University Aviation Association, this poster presentation highlights a forthcoming essay that thoroughly reviews the existing literature concerning the performance of students on FAA knowledge tests, and related issues. While this project does not specifically focus on data collection, based on the literature reviewed, the essay will propose recommendations for future research, including studies examining how students prepare for these exams and effective pedagogical methods for flight instructors or professors to employ in preparing students for FAA knowledge exams.
