The Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 test is a crucial step for anyone aiming to become a certified drone pilot for commercial operations in the U.S. Some questions are pretty easy, where a dose of common sense could solve them. But other questions are not just difficult unless you’ve seriously studied — but they’re almost intentionally tricky. So of those, what are the most missed — or shall we say hardest Part 107 test questions?
I reached out to my friends at Drone Pilot Ground School, which has been offering online Part 107 test prep courses ever since 2016. Their program offers five, full-length practice tests that mirror the real exam format. Those tests come from a bank of more than 400 sample questions from the FAA.
When you complete the practice test, Drone Pilot Ground School sends over a performance report and breakdown of your incorrect responses. Given that, they have a strong data set of the Part 107 test questions that are missed the most.
They shared those questions with me. And along with that, Drone Pilot Ground School Customer Success Manager Michael McGuirt added is own insight on why they’re so tricky — and why the correct response is the way it is.
Related read: Flying drones commercially? How to get a drone pilot license
Here are three of the most commonly missed Part 107 test questions, and an explainer of the right answer:
Inside the hardest Part 107 test questions
- 1) Which two factors can be used to compute the cloud base?
- 2) What is the only type of Class E airspace that requires an airspace authorization?
- 3) Which of the following is not one of the minimum message elements that must be broadcast by a standard Remote ID unmanned aircraft according to § 89.305?
- Be prepared — because test scores aren’t great
- How to avoid missing the hardest Part 107 Test questions
1) Which two factors can be used to compute the cloud base?
A) The temperature and the dew point
B) The temperature and the barometric pressure
C) The barometric pressure and the dew point
Correct answer: A. The temperature and the dew point
Why students miss this question: “Students they don’t really understand that ‘dew point’ is an actual temperature instead of just a weather term and that it is used to determine the cloudbase,” McGuirt said.
But understanding the relationship between temperature and dew point is key to determining when and where clouds will form.
Explanation: “The difference between the surface temperature and the dew point temperature determines the altitude at which the air cools to its saturation point,” McGuirt said. “This altitude is where clouds begin to form.”
- A small difference (3-5º) between temperature and dew point results in a low cloud base, as the air doesn’t need to rise far to condense.
- A large difference leads to a higher cloud base, as the air must rise farther before cooling to the dew point.
The height of the cloud base can be found on various weather apps such as UAV Forecast (1,900 ft AGL) or it can be calculated using the formula below.
Cloud Base Formula:
(Current Temperature – Dew Point) = Spread
Divide the Spread by 4.4 (if °F) or 2.5 (if °C), then multiply by 1,000 to get the cloud base in feet AGL.
Example: If the temperature is 82ºF and the dew point is 70ºF:
82 – 70 = 12
12 / 4.4 = 2.73
2.73 x 1,000 = 2,727 ft AGL
2) What is the only type of Class E airspace that requires an airspace authorization?
A) Class E Surface Area
B) Class E Extension
C) Class E Transition airspace that starts at 700 ft AGL
Correct answer: A. Class E Surface Area.
Why students miss this question: “There are eight types of Class E airspace and students think that any class of airspace outside of Class G requires an airspace authorization,” McGuirt said. “But the only type of Class E that requires an airspace authorization is Surface Area Class E.”
Explanation: Class E Transition airspace that starts at 700 ft AGL or 1,200 ft AGL, or Class E Extensions do not require an airspace authorization.
3) Which of the following is not one of the minimum message elements that must be broadcast by a standard Remote ID unmanned aircraft according to § 89.305?
A) The geometric altitude of the control station.
B) The battery level of the unmanned aircraft.
C) The latitude and longitude of the unmanned aircraft.
Correct answer: B. The battery level of the unmanned aircraft.
Why students miss this question: “This question is often missed because students have not committed to memory all of the elements of the Remote ID Broadcast message,” McGuirt said.
Explanation: There are eight elements that you have to commit to memory.
- A serial number or session ID
- Latitude and longitude of the control station
- Geometric altitude of the control station
- Latitude and longitude of the aircraft
- Geometric altitude of the aircraft
- The velocity of the aircraft
- A timestamp in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
- The emergency status of the aircraft
Notice that battery level is NOT a required element—a common misconception among test-takers.
Be prepared — because test scores aren’t great
If you thought those questions were difficult, you’re not alone. For what it’s worth, these three are the hardest Part 107 test questions. Still, many test-takers are missing more than just these three.
Out of the 67,576 people who took the Small Unmanned Aircraft Test in 2024, the average Part 107 test score was 79.95%. That’s not even a B.
Meanwhile, the pass rate was 84.2%. (Passing the Part 107 test requires a 70% score.) In fact, the Part 107 test has among the worst pass rates of any test issued by the FAA. For example, 91.9% of test takers pass the Airplane Private Pilot’s Test, and 85.64% pass the Airplane Instrument Rating Test. According to FAA data, the overall pass rate across all FAA-issued Airman Knowledge Tests in 2024 was 89.51%. Clearly, drone pilots are bringing the average down.
How to avoid missing the hardest Part 107 Test questions
These tricky questions illustrate why studying for the Part 107 test requires more than just a basic understanding of drones. To boost your chances of success:
Take a Part 107 prep course – Online courses like Drone Pilot Ground School (which provided the data for this story) and Drone Launch Academy provide structured lessons, practice tests and expert guidance. They also offer deals. For example, Drone Pilot Ground School offers an exclusive discount for Drone Girl readers to get you $100 off using coupon code DRONEGIRL100.
I personally used Drone Pilot Ground School‘s online study course. It worked, as I passed the Part 107 test on my first try with a 90% score.
Use practice tests – Identify weak areas before test day with realistic practice questions. Again, pretty much any Part 107 online course will include these.
Focus on tricky topics – Subjects like airspace classifications, weather and Remote ID rules tend to cause the most trouble.
Bring the right materials – You need your brain power, but there are also some physical items you need to bring to the Part 107 test. That includes a valid, government-issued ID.
The post The hardest Part 107 test questions — and how to get them right appeared first on The Drone Girl.
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