Your Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR), Explained

October 26, 2026 · Primary sources checked October 25, 2026

A report of your written test is sent to you, and it shows the grade you scored as a percentage. Use the Airman Certification Standards (ACS) to read the missed-area codes, then keep the report for your next testing step. For airframe and powerplant (A&P) applicants, the ACS says all deficient knowledge areas, as shown by the ACS codes on your Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR), are retested during the oral portion of the oral and practical (O&P) test.

14 CFR 65.75 — §65.75(b); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · Mechanic Test Generator FAQs (May 22, 2023) — unnumbered page, PDF 4; Oral-related Questions · FAA-S-ACS-1 (November 1, 2021) — printed A-1, PDF 65; Evaluator Responsibilities

What does the report tell you?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) matrix says the Federal Tracking Number (FTN) is printed on the report. The grade is shown as a percentage. Matching the listed ACS codes with their descriptions assists in evaluating the subject areas shown to be deficient on the knowledge test. A code is not a one-to-one count of missed questions; several misses can belong to one code.

FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (September 25, 2026) — unnumbered page, PDF 1; Federal Tracking Number · FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (September 25, 2026) — printed 2, PDF 2; Codes for Incorrectly Answered Test Questions · Mechanic Test Generator FAQs (May 22, 2023) — unnumbered page, PDF 4; Oral-related Questions · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 8, PDF 8; 5-5-11-5E3)f)1

This article is about reading, keeping, and using the report; use the linked code guides for the code structure itself.

How ACS codes connect to the oral

How to decode an ACS code

How does report validity affect your O&P date?

The ordinary certificate-eligibility rule requires all prescribed tests to be passed within 24 months. FAA Order 8900.1 says the examiner should ensure the written knowledge tests were passed in the 24-month period before the date the oral and practical tests are expected to be completed. Current 65.75(d) includes a limited expired-report exception under 61.40; have the examiner review it if it may apply to you.

14 CFR 65.71 — §65.71(a)(3); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 8, PDF 8; 5-5-11-5E3)f)4 · 14 CFR 65.75 — §65.75(d); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable

For an added rating, 65.71(b) also states the 24-calendar-month testing requirement and expressly preserves the 65.75(d) exception. Do not confuse a booking confirmation with completion of the required tests within the applicable window.

14 CFR 65.71 — §65.71(b); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable

What is the limited expired-report exception?

Section 61.40(a)(6) permits an expired written report for a Part 65 practical test only when the section’s eligibility and document requirements are met. The relief is for people who served in a U.S. military or civilian capacity outside the United States in support of a U.S. Armed Forces operation at some time on or after September 11, 2001; it is not a general extension for every applicant. For written-report relief, the report must have expired during the qualifying service or within six calendar months after return, and the appropriate practical test must be completed within six calendar months after return. The rule requires a signed application to the appropriate Flight Standards office with one of the listed documents showing assignment and return dates. Have the examiner and the FAA office review the specific case; this guide does not decide whether you qualify.

14 CFR 61.40 — §61.40(a)(6), (b), (c); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · 14 CFR 61.40 — §61.40(b)(1); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · 14 CFR 61.40 — §61.40(b)(2)(i), (b)(3); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · 14 CFR 61.40 — §61.40(c); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable

Why does the examiner need the report?

ACS Appendix 1 says the evaluator asks you to provide the reports before generating the test planning sheet. Before the test begins, Order 8900.1 says the examiner must have you provide the reports for the appropriate written knowledge tests. Order 8900.1 lists the reports to present, as applicable to the rating being sought and tested: General and Airframe for an airframe rating, General and Powerplant for a powerplant rating, and all three for both ratings. Applicants testing under 14 CFR 65.80 are an exception. Authorized school students under 65.80 have the specified exception to the ordinary written-first sequence.

FAA-S-ACS-1 (November 1, 2021) — printed A-1, PDF 65; Evaluator Responsibilities · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 13, PDF 13; 5-5-11-7C1) · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 14, PDF 14; 5-5-11-7C1)c) · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 8, PDF 8; 5-5-11-5E3)f)2 · 14 CFR 65.80 — §65.80; HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable

How do you replace a missing report?

For a test taken on or after January 13, 2020, the matrix says an applicant who no longer has the report may go to the PSI website to print a duplicate. For a test taken on or before January 10, 2020, it provides a separate replacement-instructions link. Use the official replacement route appropriate to the test date; do not recreate a report or edit a score or code yourself.

FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (September 25, 2026) — printed 2, PDF 2; Acceptable Forms of Test / Retest Authorization

Our advice: turn the report into a useful study plan

Keep a readable personal copy and the official report you need for the testing process. For each listed weak area, write the exact ACS element, the FAA reference location, and one explanation you could not give clearly. Check the whole applicable outline too; a report identifies missed areas, not every subject you need to know.

Make a one-page study plan

An oral practice tool alongside written study

DMEReady is an artificial intelligence (AI) voice examiner for the A&P oral: you answer out loud in your phone or computer browser, and it asks follow-up questions the way a designated mechanic examiner (DME) would. It is an AI examiner, not a human DME, and it is not a written-test question bank or hands-on practical training. The first drill is free, with no sign-up; afterward, a report shows what you covered, what you missed, what a complete answer includes, and where to read in the FAA handbooks. DMEReady is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FAA.

For fee planning, read the DME exam cost guide.

Primary sources

• FAA-S-ACS-1 (November 1, 2021)
• 14 CFR 65.71
• 14 CFR 65.75
• 14 CFR 65.80
• FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (September 25, 2026)
• Mechanic Test Generator FAQs (May 22, 2023)
• FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024)
• 14 CFR 61.40

Before the oral

The Mechanic Test Generator (MTG) adds one oral question for each distinct missed code among the ACS codes on your Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR), plus at least four randomly generated oral questions per applicable section. Several missed written questions under one code add only one additional oral question. Use written study to build explanations you can give without answer choices, then check each explanation against its FAA source.

Mechanic Test Generator FAQs (May 22, 2023) — unnumbered page, PDF 3; Oral-related Questions · Mechanic Test Generator FAQs (May 22, 2023) — unnumbered page, PDF 4; Oral-related Questions

Practice explaining it out loud

About this guide: drafted with AI from the FAA sources listed on this page and checked claim by claim against them. Not reviewed by an A&P mechanic or DME. How we make our guides