Does a Failed A&P Oral or Practical Stay on Your Record?

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

Yes. A failed airframe and powerplant (A&P) oral and practical (O&P) test is documented on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Form 8610-2: the examiner marks “Disapproved” for a failed or incomplete test and records the failed Airman Certification Standards (ACS) codes, and your annotated copy serves as notification of the areas passed or failed. The FAA passages quoted in this guide do not say what an employer will see or how a background check works.

FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 26, PDF 26; 5-5-11-9A3)a) · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 22, PDF 22; 5-5-11-7F2)c), Table 5-5-11C · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 28, PDF 28; 5-5-11-9D1)

What is recorded after an O&P failure?

For the oral, FAA Order 8900.1 says the result of each oral question is recorded as pass, fail, or not tested on the test planning sheet, and the result of each oral test section as pass or fail on Form 8610-2. Practical project results are recorded on the test planning sheet the same way: pass, fail, or not tested. On Form 8610-2, the examiner records the failed ACS codes: for the oral, the codes on the test planning sheet that correspond to the questions you failed; for the practical, the code for the failed skill element of each failed project. Any section and test not tested or not completed is entered in the form’s Remarks section.

FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 15, PDF 15; 5-5-11-7C2)c) · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 16, PDF 16; 5-5-11-7C3)c)1. · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 22, PDF 22; 5-5-11-7F2)c), Table 5-5-11C

When the test is failed or incomplete, the examiner marks “Disapproved” in the form’s FAA Examiner’s Report section, including when you passed the General tests but failed or did not complete the tests required for the airframe or powerplant rating. If you tested for both ratings but are eligible for only one, the examiner marks “Approved (Temporary Certificate Issued)” for the rating issued, marks “Disapproved” for the other, and enters a remark stating which rating was disapproved.

FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 26, PDF 26; 5-5-11-9A3)a)

For each section or test you failed, the examiner marks the “Fail” box and does not enter an expiration date. Passed sections are handled differently: for each section passed, the examiner enters an expiration date 24 calendar months from when that test was passed.

FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 22, PDF 22; 5-5-11-7F2)c), Table 5-5-11C

Order 8900.1 calls Form 8610-2 the official file record of the mechanic oral and practical tests and says it will be placed in the airman’s permanent file after a Mechanic Certificate is issued. The results must be recorded on two copies of the form: one is provided to you, and one is retained by the FAA. A designee, such as a designated mechanic examiner, must forward the certification file to the responsible Flight Standards office within 7 calendar days of test completion. For a failed or incomplete test, the designee must not hold the file until retesting. “Permanent file” is the Order’s term; the passages quoted here do not say who can look at that file later or set out a records-retention period, and this guide does not cover either question.

FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 21, PDF 21; 5-5-11-7F2), 7F2)a) · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 29, PDF 29; 5-5-11-9E

Which document is returned to the mechanic applicant?

For a failed section or test, the annotated applicant copy of FAA Form 8610-2 serves as notification of the areas passed or failed. The applicant must present the form showing the failed ACS codes to the examiner before a retest.

FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 28, PDF 28; 5-5-11-9D1) · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 28, PDF 28; 5-5-11-9D2)

Is that the same as a Form 8060-5 notice?

No. In FAA Order 8900.1, Form 8060-5, the “notice of disapproval” many applicants search for, belongs to the pilot-side procedure. Under that procedure, the inspector should complete FAA Form 8710-1, Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application, and prepare Form 8060-5 in duplicate; the form records the aircraft used for the test and the flight time. That flight time comes from the applicant’s logbook and is categorized as pilot-in-command (PIC) or solo, instrument, and dual. The mechanic-specific instruction instead identifies annotated Form 8610-2 as the notification of areas passed or failed.

FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.1 Sec.6, CHG 0 (August 31, 2023) — printed 1, PDF 1; 5-132, 5-132A4) · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 28, PDF 28; 5-5-11-9D1)

What can these documents tell me about employers?

The FAA passages quoted here describe how test results are recorded, how the annotated form is returned to you, and how the certification file is forwarded; they do not answer employment or background-check questions. So be careful with claims such as “employers can never see it,” “every employer sees it,” or “the failure stays public forever”; these passages support none of them. This guide makes no claim about an employer’s access, hiring policy, or the effect on an application.

What is the retest timing rule?

Under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), section 65.19(a), you may apply for retesting after 30 days after the date you failed. Under 65.19(b), you may apply earlier with a signed statement from an airman holding the certificate and rating you seek. The statement must certify additional instruction in each failed subject and that the signer considers you ready for retesting.

14 CFR 65.19 — §65.19(a); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · 14 CFR 65.19 — §65.19(b); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable

FAA publications describe oral retest scope differently; do not infer a universal “failed items only” rule from the timing provision. The May 22, 2023 Mechanic Test Generator (MTG) FAQ says an applicant who fails the General oral test as a whole retakes the entire General oral test. Order 8900.1 CHG 929 says the retest consists of the ACS codes marked as failed on the previous test, plus any marked as not tested. Confirm the applicable retest scope with your examiner; this article is about the recorded result and does not resolve that source difference.

Mechanic Test Generator FAQs (May 22, 2023) — PDF 4 (no printed page number); Oral-related Questions · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 20, PDF 20; 5-5-11-7E2)

Read the separate O&P retest guide

Our advice: keep your own paperwork organized

Keep the annotated form and use it to plan the additional instruction with the appropriate certificate holder. Before scheduling the retest, ask the examiner which original documents and statement apply to your case, and check the recorded failed and not-tested items together. Treat the first result, the retest result, and eventual certificate issuance as separate events.

Practice an explanation out loud

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; it rehearses the oral and does not train hands-on practical skills. The first drill is free, with no sign-up, and the session 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.

Related guides

• Separate O&P retest guide

For fee planning, read the DME exam cost guide.

Primary sources

• 14 CFR 65.19
• Mechanic Test Generator FAQs (May 22, 2023)
• FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.1 Sec.6, CHG 0 (August 31, 2023)
• FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024)

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