Updated October 24, 2026
If you are preparing for the FAA Part 107 knowledge test, you may have heard that the exam is changing on October 26, 2026. That is true, but some online descriptions make the update sound much larger than it is.
The FAA is not rewriting Part 107 on October 26. The operating rules, certification requirements, passing score, and two-hour testing period are not being replaced by a new system.
The important change is how some chart-based questions may appear on the Unmanned Aircraft General-Small, or UAG, knowledge test.
Beginning October 26, applicants may receive image-based questions that use current FAA chart excerpts not found in the printed testing supplement. The change rewards pilots who can interpret an unfamiliar aeronautical chart instead of relying on memorized figure numbers or repeated practice-test images.
For anyone pursuing a Remote Pilot Certificate, the message is simple: learn how to read the chart, not just how to recognize the picture.
The Short Answer
Starting October 26, 2026, the FAA's UAG knowledge test may use embedded images from current aeronautical charts that are not included in the testing supplement provided at the test center.
The FAA announced the change through its August 2026 Airman Testing Community Advisory and repeated the implementation information in its September 2026 Special Edition. The August advisory corrected an earlier October 27 implementation date to October 26, 2026.
The published UAG examples use excerpts from FAA sectional charts. Because the image is part of the live test question, the exact images used on active exams will not be released for advance review.
This does not create new Part 107 flight rules. It changes the testing environment and makes genuine chart-reading ability more important.
What Is Actually Changing on the Part 107 Test?
The FAA and its testing vendor have been moving airman knowledge tests toward questions with graphics embedded directly on screen. The UAG exam already uses embedded figures. The October 26 update goes a step further by allowing test questions to contain chart images that are not found in the traditional testing supplement.
Previously, many students repeatedly practiced with the same supplement figures. A candidate could become familiar with the location, figure number, or visual pattern without developing a flexible understanding of the chart.
Under the new approach, a question may show a current chart excerpt the applicant has never seen before. The candidate must interpret the symbols and airspace depicted in that image.
The FAA's sample UAG material illustrates the type of skill being tested, including the ability to:
Identify the class of airspace surrounding an airport
Determine whether prior air traffic control authorization is required
Interpret airport and airspace symbols
Recognize boundaries, obstacles, and other charted features
Apply Part 107 requirements to the location shown
The underlying knowledge areas are not new. Airspace, airport operations, and operating requirements have long been part of the UAG exam. What changes is the candidate's ability to rely on a small, familiar set of chart figures.
What Is Not Changing?
The October 26 update does not, by itself, change:
The Part 107 operating regulations
The requirement to earn a Remote Pilot Certificate for covered nonrecreational operations
The 60-question UAG knowledge test
The two-hour testing period
The 70 percent passing score
The requirement for current certificate holders to complete recurrent online training every 24 calendar months
The validity of an existing Remote Pilot Certificate
The subjects remote-pilot applicants are expected to understand
The FAA has also stated that it has not set a date for removing printed testing supplements from testing centers. Candidates will continue to have access to the applicable supplement until the FAA announces otherwise. The key limitation is that some live-test images may not appear in that supplement.
Does This Make the Part 107 Test Harder?
The FAA has not characterized the October update as a new, higher passing standard. The number of scored questions, testing time, and passing score remain the same.
However, the test may feel harder for applicants who prepared by memorizing answers, locations, or figures from a fixed question bank. An unfamiliar chart forces the applicant to demonstrate the skill rather than recognize the image.
For a well-prepared candidate, this should be manageable. A pilot who can identify airspace boundaries, read airport information, recognize obstructions, and determine whether authorization is required can apply those skills to any correctly presented sectional excerpt.
That is also a better reflection of real commercial operations. A remote pilot in command must evaluate the actual location of each mission. The chart will not always look like the one used in a practice quiz.
What Part 107 Applicants Should Study Now
Candidates testing on or after October 26 should spend less time memorizing individual figures and more time practicing with different current charts.
1. Controlled and Uncontrolled Airspace
Be able to distinguish Class B, C, D, E, and G airspace on a sectional chart. Understand how the boundaries, shelves, surface areas, and altitude labels affect a small UAS operation.
2. Airspace Authorization
Know when a Part 107 operation requires prior authorization from air traffic control. Be prepared to connect the charted airspace with the operational requirement rather than treating chart interpretation and regulations as separate subjects.
3. Airport Symbols and Information
Practice identifying towered and nontowered airports, airport data, runways, frequencies, and other operationally relevant features.
4. Special-Use and Other Airspace
Review prohibited, restricted, warning, military operations, alert, and temporary flight restriction concepts. Understand that the chart is only one part of current preflight planning and does not replace a check of current notices and restrictions.
5. Obstacles and Terrain
Know how to interpret obstacle symbols, elevations, maximum elevation figures, and terrain information. A remote pilot should understand both the chart symbol and why it matters to the planned flight.
6. Latitude and Longitude
Practice locating a point using latitude and longitude without depending on one familiar sectional excerpt.
7. Current FAA Chart Resources
Use the FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide and current FAA VFR charts. Open different sectional charts and work through unfamiliar airports and airspace configurations. The goal is to build a repeatable method that works regardless of which area appears on the exam.
A Practical Chart-Reading Method for Test Day
When an unfamiliar chart appears, avoid jumping straight to the answer choices. Work through the question deliberately:
Identify the location named in the question.
Find the airport, landmark, or coordinates on the image.
Identify the relevant boundary, symbol, or altitude.
Determine what the symbol means.
Apply the correct Part 107 rule or operating requirement.
Review each answer choice and eliminate options that conflict with the chart or rule.
This process is more reliable than trying to remember a practice question that looks similar.
Should You Rush to Take the Test Before October 26?
Probably not.
If you are already prepared and have a scheduled appointment before October 26, there is no reason to cancel it. But rushing into a paid knowledge test simply to avoid unfamiliar chart images is not a sound strategy.
The skills emphasized by the update are skills a safe commercial drone pilot needs after the exam. If chart reading is currently a weak area, spend the extra time developing it. Passing the test matters, but being able to plan a legal and safe flight matters more.
Does the Change Affect Current Part 107 Pilots?
No new test is required solely because of the October 26 change.
If you already hold a Remote Pilot Certificate, the update does not invalidate your certificate or require you to retake the initial UAG exam. To remain current, certificate holders continue to complete the appropriate FAA online recurrent training every 24 calendar months.
Current pilots should still treat the change as a useful reminder. Aeronautical charts are updated, airspace can change, and operational planning requires current information. Passing the original exam is not the end of professional development.
What Training Providers Should Change
Part 107 instructors and course providers should review any material that teaches students to recognize fixed supplement images or memorize recurring questions.
Effective preparation should now include:
Multiple current sectional-chart excerpts
Airports and airspace from different regions
Scenario-based authorization questions
On-screen chart practice
Explanations of why an answer is correct
Exercises that combine chart interpretation with Part 107 decision-making
Practice questions still have value, but they should measure understanding rather than reward familiarity with a picture.
Patriot Drone Operations is aligning its Part 107 preparation materials with the FAA's updated testing approach. Our focus is practical understanding: how to interpret the airspace in front of you, apply the rule, and make a sound remote-pilot-in-command decision.
What This Change Means for Employers and Drone Programs
Organizations that hire or train remote pilots should not treat a passing score as the only measure of readiness. The October change highlights the difference between test recognition and operational competence.
A new remote pilot may know the regulations but still need supervised practice in:
Airspace research and mission planning
FAA authorization workflows
Current chart and notice review
Site surveys and risk assessment
Crew communication
Aircraft-specific procedures
Emergency response
Documentation and postflight review
The Remote Pilot Certificate establishes an important federal qualification. A safe and reliable organizational drone program also requires practical flight skills, sound procedures, and mission-specific training.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Part 107 changing on October 26, 2026?
The Part 107 operating rules are not being broadly rewritten on that date. The confirmed change affects the UAG knowledge test and allows image-based questions that use chart images not found in the testing supplement.
What is the correct effective date, October 26 or October 27?
The FAA initially published October 27 in an earlier advisory. The August 2026 Airman Testing Community Advisory corrected the implementation date to October 26, 2026.
Is the FAA getting rid of the testing supplement?
Not on October 26. The FAA says a removal date has not been set and that applicants will receive advance notice before supplements are removed from test centers.
Will I have to read a chart I have never seen before?
Possibly. The FAA says the UAG test will include image-based questions not found in the test supplements. The exact images used in active questions cannot be previewed.
Are there new Part 107 subjects on the exam?
The FAA describes this as a change to the images and testing presentation, not the addition of a new Part 107 knowledge area. Airspace and chart interpretation are already established test subjects.
Do existing Part 107 pilots have to retest?
No. The October test update does not require current certificate holders to repeat the initial UAG knowledge test. Existing pilots must continue to meet the FAA's recurrent-training requirement.
How should I prepare?
Study the Part 107 rules and practice interpreting a variety of current FAA sectional-chart excerpts. Use the FAA Aeronautical Chart Users' Guide, FAA study resources, and practice questions that explain the reasoning behind each answer.
Prepare for the Test and the Mission
The October 26 update is a move away from memorizing familiar test figures and toward applying aeronautical knowledge to current chart information. That is good preparation for the decisions commercial drone pilots must make in the field.
Patriot Drone Operations provides online Part 107 preparation and practical drone training for new pilots, working professionals, and organizations. Our training connects exam knowledge with airspace awareness, mission planning, safe flight operations, and professional decision-making.
Explore Part 107 and drone training options or contact Patriot Drone Operations to discuss individual or organizational training.
Fly Safe. Stay Sharp. Capture Everything.