What Is a Good Score on the Private Pilot Written?

If you are asking whether your score is “good enough,” first separate two questions: did you pass the knowledge test, and what should you work on next? The first has a published threshold. The second needs more evidence than your total score.

What are the key facts?

The passing threshold is 70%, while the practical test and its preparation remain separate requirements.

This article's descriptions of a strong result and useful study evidence are editorial guidance, not an extra FAA passing threshold. If your instructor sets a higher practice goal, discuss what that goal measures and which subjects still need attention.

Is 70% a passing score or a study goal?

Seventy percent is the FAA passing threshold for PAR; planning your preparation around barely reaching it leaves little room for mistakes.

On the matrix's 60 scored questions, 42 correct answers equal 70%. That leaves 18 incorrect at the threshold. These are calculations from the published question count and passing score, not a recommendation to leave topics unstudied.

The current testing matrix, page 2 says validation questions are not scored and are not included in the listed question count. The table above uses only the 60 scored questions. It does not count every question that might appear on screen.

Calculated examples using the FAA's listed 60 scored questions. The minimum is 70%; the higher examples are not extra FAA requirements.

Prepare across the applicable subjects rather than treating the error allowance as a budget. You do not know which topics will feel unfamiliar, which calculations may take longer, or where a rushed reading could lead you astray. Build room for those uncertainties by resolving weak explanations before test day.

Is 90% a good private-pilot written result?

Ninety percent is a strong numerical result, but its usefulness depends on what you understand and what remains weak.

In the 60-question illustration, 90% means 54 correct and six incorrect. That is materially more correct answers than the minimum. Calling it strong describes the result; it does not make 90% an official distinction, a required practice target or a guarantee about the checkride.

Ask what sits behind the percentage. Did you work through unfamiliar questions, explain why the other choices did not fit, and handle the figures and calculations? Or did a familiar practice set make an answer look obvious even when you could not explain the subject?

A lower passing result deserves the same honest review. It does not invalidate the pass, and it does not establish that you will fail the practical test. It does give you a reason to look closely at the missed areas and discuss your preparation with your instructor.

You can feel pleased with a high score while still using its gaps constructively. You can also use a modest pass as the beginning of focused review rather than as a judgment about your potential as a pilot.

Does a higher score make the checkride easier?

A higher written score does not change the published practical-test standards or excuse the required review of deficient areas.

The Private Pilot Airplane ACS, Appendix 1, printed page 66 requires evaluators to cover knowledge-test deficiencies, as applicable, along with minimum knowledge, risk-management and skill elements from each applicable Task. It also explains that evaluators can sample beyond those minimums to assess mastery.

Even a 100% knowledge-test result does not remove the practical test. 14 CFR 61.103 separately requires the relevant training, experience and practical-test pass. Expect to explain, apply and demonstrate what the ACS requires.

Avoid trying to predict an examiner's exact questions or the length of an oral examination from a written percentage. The ACS describes the standard, while the evaluator develops a plan of action and uses scenarios. A score alone cannot tell you how that particular test will unfold.

For a report with missed areas, 14 CFR 61.39(a)(6)(iii) requires the instructor's endorsement to certify satisfactory knowledge of those subjects. That step still matters after a high pass.

How should you judge your practice scores?

Use practice percentages alongside topic coverage, explanations and performance on changed examples.

A practice result comes from the questions and scoring method in that practice session. Repeating the same set can make the score look reassuring without showing whether the knowledge transfers. The FAA says live questions are not publicly released and their wording and sequence vary (FAA testing FAQ, pages 1–2).

Consider two hypothetical practice sessions. Both produce 80%, but their weak subjects are different:

These are teaching scenarios, not actual candidates or published test data. The equal percentage does not make their preparation needs identical.

The same total score can hide different study needs. These original scenarios illustrate how to use topic-level evidence.

Track your mistakes and guesses by topic across several sessions. Look for recurring difficulties rather than averaging them away. A strong total can conceal a subject you have barely practiced; a lower result can also come from a specific, fixable misunderstanding.

What evidence matters beyond the percentage?

Look for explanations that hold up when the wording, inputs or scenario change.

Try four checks for a topic you recently practiced:

1. Explain the answer. State the reasoning in your own words before looking at the explanation. Include why an attractive alternative does not fit.
2. Change the example. Alter an input or use a different figure, then work through what changes. Do not rely on remembering the position of the correct option.
3. Find the reference. Identify the relevant FAA handbook, regulation or ACS Task reference and check whether your explanation matches it.
4. Revisit in mixed practice. Return after a break and include other topics. Bring persistent uncertainties to your instructor.

An editorial study method, not a certification test or an endorsement process.

Use the current Private Pilot Airplane ACS to organize coverage. Its references connect the topics to official material. You do not need to convert every review session into a complete mock checkride; the aim is to find what you can explain and what needs help.

Agree with your instructor on the evidence they want to see before the knowledge test. FirstSolo.ai can support your practice, but it does not issue endorsements now or in the future. A study-tool score cannot supply the required test authorization.

What should you do after a passing result?

Keep the report, review its missed-area codes and continue preparing for the practical test with your instructor.

The ACS Companion Guide, Section 2 explains that the AKTR records your score and missed-area codes and that the evaluator reviews deficiencies during the practical test's oral portion. Use the ACS code guide to turn the list into specific review tasks.

A score above 70% does not need to become a competition with other students. Your useful comparison is between an explanation you could not give before and one you can now apply. Spend the next review session on the gaps rather than only on improving a headline percentage.

Check the report and the practical-test timeline with your instructor. For the usual private-pilot case, 14 CFR 61.39(a)(1)(i) uses a 24-calendar-month window tied to practical-test completion. A passing result is one part of the process, not an unlimited or automatic certificate approval.

Check yourself

These are original score-reading scenarios, not released FAA test questions.

Frequently asked questions

Is 80% enough to pass the private pilot written?

Yes, 80% is above the FAA's 70% PAR passing threshold. In the 60-scored-question illustration it equals 48 correct. After a pass, retain your report and review missed areas with your instructor rather than treating the percentage as the end of preparation.

Do I have to get 90% before taking the test?

The FAA matrix lists 70% as the actual PAR passing threshold, not 90%. Your instructor or course may set a higher practice goal; ask how it fits your preparation and test authorization. No practice percentage alone guarantees the real result or replaces an endorsement.

Will an examiner only ask about the questions I missed?

No. The ACS requires evaluation of deficient elements as applicable and other knowledge, risk-management and skill elements from the applicable Tasks. The report helps direct review, but it does not define the entire practical-test scope (FAA-S-ACS-6C, Appendix 1).

Is the national average a good personal target?

It provides context, not a readiness standard. A group average does not describe your subject coverage or ability to apply knowledge. The FAA pass-rate data guide separates the national average, pass rate and individual passing threshold.

What is your next step?

Use your score to start a review conversation, then make the next study task specific enough to improve an explanation or skill.

Read the complete private pilot written-test guide for the overall process, the FAA pass-rate data guide for national context, and how to read your report and ACS codes for the work after a pass.

Practice private-pilot knowledge with FirstSolo.ai, and bring the topics you cannot yet explain to your next instructor discussion.

Sources and review notes

• FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix, revised September 25, 2026: PAR has 60 scored questions and a 70% passing score; page 2 describes unscored validation questions.
• FAA testing FAQ, updated June 1, 2026: live-question policy and variation in wording and sequence.
• Private Pilot Airplane ACS, FAA-S-ACS-6C, Appendix 1, printed pages 66–68: practical-test scope, deficiencies and evaluator responsibilities. The ACS index identifies the current standard.
• ACS Companion Guide, FAA-G-ACS-2, Section 2: report and deficient-area review.
• 14 CFR 61.39 and 14 CFR 61.103: practical-test prerequisites and separate private-pilot certificate requirements.

Facts checked October 8, 2026 for the October 9 draft. Score examples are calculated from 60 scored questions. The practice scenarios and study checks are editorial teaching aids, not FAA-mandated practice thresholds.

FirstSolo.ai is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA. It is solely a study tool and does not issue knowledge-test endorsements.