Part 107 study guide for 2026: the five ACS areas and what to learn in each

Key facts

• FAA-S-ACS-10B divides the Part 107 knowledge test into five areas: Regulations, Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements, Weather, Loading and Performance, and Operations.FAA-S-ACS-10B
• Since September 29, 2025, the item shares are 48% Regulations, 20% Airspace, 5% Weather, 2% Loading and Performance and 25% Operations.PSI UAG Applicant Information Bulletin
• The FAA says the UAG test topics and subject matter did not change when the blueprint was updated.FAA Airman Testing Community Advisory, August 2025
• 14 CFR 107.73 lists 13 knowledge areas for the initial test, ending with operation at night.14 CFR 107.73
• Your test report lists the ACS codes for questions you answered incorrectly.FAA-S-ACS-10B, Introduction

The FAA’s Remote Pilot Airman Certification Standards, FAA-S-ACS-10B, define what the Part 107 knowledge test covers. They sort the material into five areas of operation: Regulations; Airspace Classification and Operating Requirements; Weather; Loading and Performance; and Operations (FAA-S-ACS-10B). The FAA encourages applicants to use the ACS as a reference while preparing (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Introduction). FAA-S-ACS-10B is still the Remote Pilot ACS on the FAA’s ACS list (FAA ACS list).

What changed for 2026 is the weighting. Since September 29, 2025, Regulations makes up 48 percent of the test items and Operations 25 percent (PSI UAG bulletin). This guide goes area by area: the knowledge topics the ACS lists, and the FAA sources that teach them. For the test format itself, see the Part 107 test guide.

Current area weights

The shares come from PSI’s UAG bulletin, which the FAA named as the updated blueprint after its assessment made the ACS testing blueprint obsolete. The FAA also says the test topics and subject matter did not change (FAA ATCA, August 2025). So the ACS still tells you what to learn, and the bulletin tells you how much each area counts.

Area I: Regulations (48%)

The ACS lists these knowledge topics (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Area I):

• General: applicability of part 107, definitions, falsification or alteration of certificates and records, accident reporting, inspection and demonstration of compliance, record retention.
• Operating rules: registration, condition for safe operation, medical conditions, remote pilot in command responsibility, hazardous operations, alcohol and drugs, daylight, civil twilight and night operations, visual line of sight and visual observers, operating limitations (maximum groundspeed, altitude, minimum visibility, cloud clearance), operating near airports and in airspace that needs prior authorization, NOTAM flight restrictions, transportation of property, and the transponder and ADS-B Out prohibitions.
• Remote pilot certification: eligibility, offenses involving alcohol or drugs, refusing a drug or alcohol test, aeronautical knowledge recency.
• Waivers: waiver policy and requirements.
• Operations over people: Categories 1 through 4, minimum distances, moving vehicles, closed or restricted-access sites, declarations of compliance, means of compliance, impact kinetic energy, exposed rotating parts.
• Remote identification: standard and alternative remote identification, ADS-B Out, message elements, product labeling.

What to study. The ACS references 14 CFR parts 47, 48, 89 and 107 for this area, plus AC 107-2 (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Area I). AC 107-2A, which cancels AC 107-2, is the current edition (FAA AC 107-2A document page). The FAA study guide’s regulations chapter is one line: be familiar with part 107 and the parts it references, as well as AC 107-2 (FAA-G-8082-22, Chapter 1). In other words, read the rule text itself. Our Part 107 rules guide covers the operating limits, and the remote pilot certificate and recurrent training guides cover certification and recency.

Area II: Airspace classification and operating requirements (20%)

Topics (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Area II):

• Class B, C, D and E controlled airspace and Class G uncontrolled airspace.
• Special use airspace: prohibited, restricted and warning areas, military operations areas, alert areas, controlled firing areas.
• Other airspace areas: airport advisory services, military training routes, temporary flight restrictions, parachute jump operations, TRSAs, national security areas and VFR routes.
• Operating requirements: basic weather minimums, ATC authorizations, operations near airports, the NOTAM system, and potential flight hazards such as unmanned balloons, laser operations, thermal plumes and the wire environment.
• Night equipment and lighting: ground structure lighting, unlit ground hazards, manned aircraft lighting, small UAS lighting.

What to study. FAA-G-8082-22, Chapter 2 covers airspace classes, special use airspace, other airspace areas and NOTAMs. The handbook’s airspace chapter is FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 15, and the AIM’s is AIM Chapter 3. For chart symbols, the FAA describes its Aeronautical Chart Users’ Guide as an introduction to its charts and a learning aid for new pilots (FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide). Chart skills matter more now: from October 26, 2026, UAG tests include image-based questions from the latest FAA charts that are not in the testing supplement (FAA ATCA, September 2026). Continue with the drone airspace guide and sectional chart reading.

Area III: Weather (5%)

Topics (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Area III):

• Sources of weather: internet weather briefings, METAR, TAF, weather charts, ASOS and AWOS.
• Effects on performance: density altitude, wind and currents, atmospheric stability, pressure and temperature, air masses and fronts, thunderstorms and microbursts, tornadoes, icing, hail, fog, ceiling and visibility, lightning.

What to study. Aviation Weather Sources (FAA-G-8082-22, Chapter 3a), Effects of Weather on Small Unmanned Aircraft Performance (FAA-G-8082-22, Chapter 3b), Weather Theory (FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 12) and Aviation Weather Services (FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 13). For more depth, the FAA publishes the Aviation Weather Handbook (FAA-H-8083-28B). Learn to decode reports with our METAR and TAF guide.

Area IV: Loading and performance (2%)

Topics (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Area IV): effects of loading changes; balance, stability and center of gravity; and using performance data to calculate the effect on the aircraft’s performance.

What to study. Small Unmanned Aircraft Loading, covering weight, stability, load factors and weight and balance (FAA-G-8082-22, Chapter 4), Determining the Performance of Small Unmanned Aircraft (FAA-G-8082-22, Chapter 8), Weight and Balance (FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 10) and Aircraft Performance (FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 11). The area is small, so cover the concepts and move on. See drone weight, balance and performance.

Area V: Operations (25%)

Topics (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Area V):

• Radio communications: airports with and without an operating control tower, CTAF, self-announcing, UNICOM, ATIS, call signs, the phonetic alphabet and phraseology.
• Airport operations: types of airports, runway markings and signage, traffic patterns, security identification display areas, sources of airport data (aeronautical charts and Chart Supplements), wildlife hazards and airport lighting.
• Emergency procedures: emergency planning, lithium battery hazards, loss of control link and fly-aways, loss of GPS, frequency spectrums, and procedures for operations over people and at night.
• Aeronautical decision-making: ADM, crew resource management, situational awareness, hazardous attitudes, hazard identification and risk assessment.
• Physiology: dehydration and heatstroke, drugs and alcohol, medications, hyperventilation, stress and fatigue, vision, fitness for flight, night physiology and night illusions.
• Maintenance and inspection: basic maintenance, preflight inspection (including for night), record keeping, who may perform maintenance, and the manufacturer’s declaration of compliance for Category 2 and 3 operations.

What to study. In the FAA study guide, the matching chapters are 5 (Emergency Procedures), 6 (Crew Resource Management), 7 (Radio Communication Procedures), 9 (Physiological Factors), 10 (Aeronautical Decision-Making and Judgment), 11 (Airport Operations) and 12 (Maintenance and Preflight Inspection Procedures) (FAA-G-8082-22, Chapters 5 to 12). For depth, add Aeronautical Decision-Making (FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 2), Airport Operations (FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 14), Aeromedical Factors (FAA-H-8083-25C, Chapter 17) and the Risk Management Handbook (FAA-H-8083-2A). One of the FAA’s published UAG samples asks which frequency to use as the CTAF when a tower is not in operation (FAA ATCA, September 2026), so practice reading airport data on a chart.

A study approach grounded in FAA guidance

1. Start from the rules and the ACS. The FAA says to prepare by reviewing the applicable regulations and guidance (FAA testing FAQ), and it recommends the ACS as a guide for testing resources (FAA ATCA, August 2025).
2. Spend time where the items are. Regulations, Operations and Airspace together carry 93 percent of the items (arithmetic: 48 + 25 + 20).
3. Use the FAA study guide with care. FAA-G-8082-22 is dated August 2016 and lists 12 knowledge areas. 14 CFR 107.73 now lists 13, ending with operation at night (14 CFR 107.73(m)). Pair the study guide with AC 107-2A and the current rule text, because the ACS test tips say to answer according to the latest regulations and guidance (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Appendix 2).
4. Practice the way the test asks. Read the question before the answer options, remember that only one answer is complete and correct, and mark hard questions for review (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Appendix 2). The FAA does not release live test questions (FAA testing FAQ), so practice items only show the style. Try our practice questions with cited answers.
5. Study your misses by ACS code. The test report lists ACS codes for questions answered incorrectly (FAA-S-ACS-10B, Introduction). Track your practice misses by area and code in the same way, and revisit the matching section above.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these public FAA documents and the eCFR. If the FAA updates one, the source wins.

1. FAA-S-ACS-10B, Remote Pilot - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards
2. FAA, Airman Certification Standards list (FAA-S-ACS-10B status)
3. PSI, Unmanned Aircraft General - Small Applicant Information Bulletin (effective September 29, 2025)
4. FAA Airman Testing Community Advisory, August 2025 Edition
5. FAA Airman Testing Community Advisory, September 2026 Special Edition
6. 14 CFR 107.73, Knowledge and training (eCFR)
7. AC 107-2A, Small Unmanned Aircraft System (Small UAS), editorial update
8. AC 107-2A document information (status and what it cancels)
9. FAA-G-8082-22, Remote Pilot - Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Study Guide
10. FAA-H-8083-25C, Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (chapter list)
11. FAA-H-8083-28B, Aviation Weather Handbook
12. FAA, Aviation Handbooks and Manuals (Risk Management Handbook FAA-H-8083-2A)
13. FAA, Aeronautical Information Manual (chapter list)
14. FAA, Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide
15. FAA Testing Standards Section, Frequently Asked Questions (updated 6/1/26)

Related guides

• The Part 107 test: format, scoring, scheduling and test dayThe Part 107 test (UAG) has 60 scored questions, 2 hours and a 70% pass mark. See the current area weights, the October 2026 change and what to bring.
• Part 107 rules: the operating limits for small dronesPart 107 rules with the exact numbers: 400 feet AGL, 87 knots, 3 statute miles visibility, cloud clearance, night lighting, flying over people, waivers.
• Drone airspace: classes, charts, LAANC and ATC authorizationsDrone airspace for Part 107 pilots: which classes need ATC authorization, how each is charted, special use airspace, TFRs, and how LAANC works.
• Part 107 practice questions, with the source for every answerTry five Part 107 practice questions on drone regulations. Each has its answer, a plain-English explanation and the 14 CFR or FAA source it comes from.