A&P Oral and Practical Exam Cost: What You'll Actually Pay

October 8, 2026 · Based on FAA Order 8900.1, the FAA's Mechanic Test Generator FAQ, and published examiner prices · Updated October 18, 2026

The FAA does not set the DME exam cost. Each Designated Mechanic Examiner sets their own fee for the A&P oral and practical, and the prices we found published in 2026 run from about $500 to $2,000. Add three knowledge tests at $175 each, and possibly a retest fee if a section does not go your way.

Who sets the DME exam cost?

Your DME sets the fee, not the FAA. FAA Order 8900.1, the FAA's guidance for examiners who give the mechanic oral and practical tests, says a designee "may charge a reasonable fee" for handling the forms, for the use of their facilities, equipment, and materials, and for giving the oral and practical tests.

The same order says the designee should clearly communicate the fees before testing, "including any fees that will be applicable in the event an applicant must retest after failure." Designees are encouraged to give you a written agreement. During the pretest talk, the DME is supposed to discuss fees and what you should expect if you pass, fail, or do not complete the test. So you have every right to ask for the full price, in writing, before test day.

A&P DME fee: reported ranges for 2026

Reported DME fees for the full A&P oral and practical run from roughly $500 to $2,000. These are prices published by examiners, schools, and prep sites. They are not FAA numbers, and your examiner may charge more or less.

Why the spread? Some DMEs quote one price for everything. Others charge per section or per rating. Time limits matter too. FAA-DME.com, for example, says its fees cover up to eight hours of testing and that extra time is billed at $150 per hour. Travel, scheduling deposits, and cancellation rules can also change your total. That deposit, for example, is nonrefundable if you cancel or reschedule within 14 calendar days.

Knowledge test costs

Each FAA knowledge test costs $175 at PSI, the FAA's knowledge testing provider. A&P applicants take three: General, Airframe, and Powerplant. That is $525 if you take all three. PSI's FAQ says you can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before your appointment, provided you paid within the past year.

If you serve in the U.S. military or fit certain related groups, PSI says the tests are available with no fee at JSAMTCC testing locations. Check with JSAMTCC to see if you qualify.

The $10 Mechanic Test Generator fee

The FAA announced a $10 fee per test downloaded from the Mechanic Test Generator (MTG). Your DME uses the MTG to build your oral and practical test. In its FAQ updated 5/22/2023, under "DMEs & Applicants," the FAA wrote:

"Yes. There will be a $10 fee per test downloaded. More information will be presented during training for the new MTG."

FAA, Mechanic Test Generator FAQs, updated 5/22/2023.

That was written as a future fee, before the MTG went live. The FAQ does not say whether the DME or the applicant pays it, and we could not confirm how it is charged today. Ask your DME whether it is already in their price.

What a retest costs

A retest is a separate fee on the price lists we found, and each DME sets it. Under 14 CFR 65.17, the minimum passing grade for each test is 70 percent. Fall short on a section and you will be retested on it, which published price lists bill as a reexamination. Here is what we found:

• FAA-DME.com: $250 for an oral reexamination of the assigned subject areas. $600 per half-session for a practical reexamination; the total depends on the projects assigned.
• aviationmechanicexam.com: $200 to $400 for a partial retake of specific failed sections.

Your DME may charge something different. Ask about their retest fee in the pretest talk, along with the main fee. If you have failed a section already, our guide to the oral and practical retest walks through the 30-day rule and what to bring.

The retest fee is not the only cost. Under 14 CFR 65.19, you wait 30 days to retest, unless someone who holds the certificate and rating you are seeking signs a statement that they gave you more instruction in each failed subject and consider you ready. That can mean more weeks before you start work as a certificated mechanic.

How to avoid paying for a retest

The cheapest test is the one you pass the first time. You cannot control the price, but you can control how ready you are. Here is what the FAA rules point to:

1. Know how you are graded. The FAA's MTG FAQ says the 70 percent standard is applied to each oral test (General, Airframe, or Powerplant) as a whole, not by subject area. On the practical, each project is pass or fail; in the FAQ's General example, you must pass 7 of 9 projects.
2. Study your ACS codes. Every ACS code you missed on the knowledge test adds one oral question. Read how your ACS codes become oral questions and look up each one before test day.
3. Do not skip the random questions. Each oral section has at least four questions picked at random, even if you scored 100 percent on the written.
4. Practice out loud, without notes. The ACS says you cannot use any reference material during the oral. Knowing an answer and saying it clearly to an examiner are different skills.
5. Remember the practical questions count. According to the MTG FAQ, if you finish a project but answer one of its practical questions wrong, the whole project is failed.

For the full picture of how test day runs, see our A&P oral and practical exam guide.

Sources

• FAA, Order 8900.1, Volume 5, Chapter 5, Section 11, Administer an Oral and a Practical Test: Mechanic Applicant Under Part 65 Subpart D (CHG 929, 9/17/2024), paragraph 5-5-11-5E (pretest interview and fees).
• FAA, Mechanic Test Generator FAQs (updated 5/22/2023), fee, oral-related, and practical-related questions.
• FAA, FAA-S-ACS-1, Aviation Mechanic Airman Certification Standards, Appendix 1.
• eCFR, 14 CFR 65.17, Tests: General procedure and 14 CFR 65.19, Retesting after failure.
• PSI, FAA Airman Knowledge Testing FAQ (test price, refunds, JSAMTCC).
• Reported DME prices (not FAA sources): FAA-DME.com; AMT Schools, A&P license cost; AvTech Exams, course pricing; American Airman, oral and practical; aviationmechanicexam.com, A&P certification cost.

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