Part 107 Test Changes 26 October 2026: New Sectional Chart Questions

From 26 October 2026, the FAA’s Part 107 knowledge test, officially the Unmanned Aircraft General-Small (UAG) exam, will include questions built around chart images that are not in the printed testing supplement. The images come from current FAA sectional charts and are embedded in the question itself.

If you have been studying the supplement’s figures, the airspace and chart-reading rules have not changed, but you can no longer rely on recognising the same handful of excerpts. Here is what the FAA has published, what it has not, and how to prepare.

Quick answer

	What the FAA says
Start date	26 October 2026 (corrected from 27 October in an earlier advisory)
Test affected	Unmanned Aircraft General-Small (UAG), the initial Part 107 knowledge test
What changes	Image-based questions not found in the testing supplements
Image source	Current VFR charts, including sectional charts, and IFR low altitude charts
Printed supplement	Still available at test centres; no removal date set, advance notice promised
Measuring tools	Provided when a question needs them; the FAA has not yet described how they work
Recurrent training	Unchanged: free online training, not a test

What exactly changes on 26 October

The change is part of the FAA’s Graphics Conversion Project with its testing contractor PSI. Instead of pointing you to a figure number in the printed supplement, a question will show the chart excerpt on screen as part of the question. The FAA’s August 2026 Airman Testing Community Advisory says the UAG test “will include image-based questions not found in the test supplements”, and that the images are “clearer, up-to-date images from the latest Sectional Charts.”

Two practical consequences follow. You will see excerpts of airports and airspace you have not memorised from the supplement, and once an image is embedded it becomes part of a live question, so the FAA will not publish the actual images in advance.

The FAA’s two sample questions

The FAA published two sample questions in the new format. Both test standard sectional-chart reading rather than anything new in the regulations.

Chart	Question	Correct answer
Washington sectional, Millville Municipal (MIV), New Jersey	What airspace is associated with the airport, and is ATC authorization needed to fly a small UA there?	Class E airspace associated with an airport surface area; authorization is required
Las Vegas sectional, Grand Canyon National Park (GCN), Arizona	Which CTAF frequency should be used when the control tower is not operating?	119.0

The Millville question is a good example of what trips people up: Class E surface areas, shown with a dashed magenta line, require authorization for Part 107 flights just like Class B, C and D, which you can request through LAANC or DroneZone.

What the FAA has not said yet

How the measuring tools work. Some questions may need distances or bearings measured on the chart. The FAA says applicants will have the tools they need but cannot yet describe them, and will announce any new electronic tool in a future advisory.
When the supplement disappears. No date has been set for removing printed supplements from test centres. Until then you keep access to the supplement for questions that still use it.
How many questions change. The advisories do not say what share of the 60-question test will use embedded images.

How to prepare

Practise on real, current sectional charts rather than only the supplement figures. The FAA publishes digital VFR charts free on its website.
Drill the chart legend: airspace boundaries and floors, Class E surface areas, CTAF and tower frequencies, MEF figures, obstacles and special-use airspace.
Try the new question format on PSI’s sample test site, which the FAA points applicants to.
Check the FAA’s Airman Testing Community Advisory before your test date for any announcement about measuring tools or the supplement.

How hard is the test now?

According to the FAA’s calendar-year 2025 knowledge test statistics, as reported by DroneXL, 73,914 people took the UAG test in 2025, with an 82.96% pass rate and an average score of 79.31%. The pass mark is 70%. The new chart questions do not change the knowledge required, but they remove the shortcut of recognising familiar supplement figures, so first-time pass rates are worth watching after 26 October.

Does this affect current Part 107 pilots?

No. The change applies to the initial knowledge test taken at a PSI test centre. Certificated remote pilots keep their currency through the FAA’s free online recurrent training, which replaced the in-person recurrent test in April 2021 under the Operations Over People rule. Recreational flyers take TRUST, not this test. If you are not sure which rules apply to your drone, our drone registration by weight guide covers the basics.

Frequently asked questions

When does the Part 107 test change?

On 26 October 2026. From that date the Unmanned Aircraft General-Small knowledge test includes image-based questions using chart excerpts that are not in the printed testing supplement.

Is the Part 107 testing supplement being removed?

Not yet. The FAA says no removal date has been set and the public will get advance notice. Until then, candidates keep access to the supplement for their exam.

What charts will the new Part 107 questions use?

Current FAA VFR charts, including sectional charts, and IFR low altitude charts, according to the FAA’s August and September 2026 advisories.

Will I get tools to measure distances on the chart?

The FAA says applicants will have the measuring tools they need for questions that require them, but it has not yet described how the on-screen tools work.

Do I need to retake the Part 107 test after 26 October?

No. Existing remote pilots stay current through the FAA’s free online recurrent training every 24 calendar months. The change only affects the initial knowledge test.

What is the Part 107 pass rate?

The FAA’s 2025 statistics show an 82.96% pass rate across 73,914 Unmanned Aircraft General-Small tests, with an average score of 79.31%. The passing score is 70%.