Aviation maintenance
The Three A&P Knowledge Tests: General, Airframe and Powerplant
✓ Reviewed against current FAA sources on October 22, 2026
In this guide
In short
An A&P candidate takes three knowledge tests. Aviation Maintenance Technician General, code AMG, is 60 questions in 2 hours. Airframe, code AMA, and Powerplant, code AMP, are 100 questions each in 2 hours. All three require a minimum passing score of 70 percent.
The mechanic certificate is the only one in this list that requires three separate written tests, and the order you take them in matters.
The three tests
From the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix:
- AMG, Aviation Maintenance Technician General: 60 questions, 2 hours, 70 percent to pass.
- AMA, Airframe: 100 questions, 2 hours, 70 percent to pass.
- AMP, Powerplant: 100 questions, 2 hours, 70 percent to pass.
Note that Airframe and Powerplant each carry 100 questions in the same two hours the General test allows for 60. The pace is tighter on the rating tests than on the General.
Why General comes first
The General test covers the knowledge common to both ratings: electricity, weight and balance, materials and processes, ground operations, publications, mathematics and the regulations governing maintenance. The Airframe and Powerplant tests assume it.
One certificate, two ratings
A mechanic holds one Mechanic Certificate which may carry an Airframe rating, a Powerplant rating or both. Holding both is what the industry calls an A&P. You may earn one rating and add the other later. The route is set out in 14 CFR Part 65 Subpart D, and we cover it in how to become an FAA A&P mechanic.
The written is one third of the process
Passing all three knowledge tests does not produce a certificate. Each rating also requires an oral and a practical examination conducted by a Designated Mechanic Examiner, and the knowledge tests must be current when you present for them.
Where the questions come from
The Aviation Mechanic General, Airframe and Powerplant Airman Certification Standards define the knowledge areas and supply the codes that appear on a score report.
What the General test actually covers
The General is the shortest of the three at 60 questions, and the one that decides how hard the other two feel. Its subject areas include basic electricity, aircraft drawings, weight and balance, fluid lines and fittings, materials and processes, ground operations and servicing, cleaning and corrosion control, mathematics, maintenance forms and records, basic physics, maintenance publications, and mechanic privileges and limitations.
Two of those carry disproportionate weight on the job as well as the test. Weight and balance recurs in both rating tests. Maintenance records and privileges, governed by 14 CFR Part 43 and Part 65, determine what you may legally sign for, and the rules are examined directly rather than through scenarios.
Airframe and Powerplant, and why the pace is tighter
Each rating test carries 100 questions in the same two hours the General gives for 60. That is roughly 72 seconds per question against the General's two minutes.
Airframe covers structures and systems: wood, fabric, sheet metal, composites, welding, assembly and rigging, inspection, landing gear, hydraulics and pneumatics, environmental systems, instruments, communication and navigation, fuel, electrical, position and warning, ice and rain control, and fire protection.
Powerplant covers reciprocating and turbine engines, engine inspection, instrument systems, fire protection, electrical, lubrication, ignition and starting, fuel metering, induction, cooling, exhaust, propellers and unducted fans, and auxiliary power units.
The oral and practical come after
Passing all three written tests does not produce a certificate. Each rating also requires an oral and a practical examination with a Designated Mechanic Examiner, and the knowledge test results must still be valid when you present for them. Plan the sequence so the writtens do not expire while you are gathering experience or finishing a program.
Where the questions come from
The Aviation Mechanic General, Airframe and Powerplant Airman Certification Standards define each knowledge area and supply the codes printed on a score report. A failed test report is therefore a precise list of what to restudy, by subject.
Sources: FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix; 14 CFR Part 65 (opens in a new tab) Subpart D; Aviation Mechanic ACS.