How to Know You're Ready to Schedule Your A&P O&P

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

You are ready to schedule when you have checked the applicable eligibility and paperwork with your examiner and can demonstrate the knowledge and skills you still need to rehearse. Being ready for the airframe and powerplant (A&P) oral and practical (O&P) has an administrative side and a preparation side; the self-check below is our advice, not a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval or a promise of passing.

What does the FAA require before the O&P?

For certificate eligibility, Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), section 65.71(a) requires age 18, the applicable English-language requirement, all prescribed tests within 24 months, and compliance with the applicable rating requirements. The English-language provision includes the stated endorsement exception for an applicant employed outside the United States by a U.S. air carrier. FAA Order 8900.1 says an applicant who meets every part 65 requirement except the age requirement in 65.71(a)(1) may take the O&P, but cannot be issued a temporary Mechanic Certificate until on or after the 18th birthday.

14 CFR 65.71 — §65.71(a)(1)–(4); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · 14 CFR 65.71 — §65.71(a)(2); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 31, PDF 31; 5-5-11-11C

Section 65.77 lets you meet the experience requirement with either an authenticated document from a certificated aviation maintenance technician school or documentary evidence, satisfactory to the Administrator, of the practical experience in 65.77(b). That experience provision specifies at least 18 months for the appropriate single rating, or at least 30 months concurrently performing duties appropriate to both ratings. The examiner reviews FAA Form 8610-2 for completeness, eligibility to test, and eligibility for the requested certificate or added rating.

14 CFR 65.77 — §65.77(a)–(b); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · 14 CFR 65.77 — §65.77(b)(1)–(2); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 6, PDF 6; 5-5-11-5E3)

Which eligibility documents fit your route?

• Civil or military experience, except the Joint Services Aviation Maintenance Technician Certification Council (JSAMTCC) route: Form 8610-2 with section V signed by a Flight Standards aviation safety inspector.
• JSAMTCC applicants: a JSAMTCC Certificate of Eligibility (COE); you must still enter your applicable aviation experience in section III of Form 8610-2, but section V does not need to be signed by the FAA.
• School graduation: an authenticated document from a certificated aviation maintenance technician school (AMTS), such as a graduation certificate, plus an authenticated AMTS document, such as a completion certificate, showing you were eligible to take the General written test early if you took it before receiving the graduation certificate.
• School students using 65.80: Form 8610-2 with the FAA authorization indicated in section V.

FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 7, PDF 7; Table 5-5-11A · 14 CFR 65.77 — §65.77(a); HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable

Section 65.80 lets a student take the O&P during the final subjects of training, before meeting the experience requirements and before passing each written-test section, when the certificated school shows the Administrator that the student has made satisfactory progress and is prepared for those tests. Do not treat attendance at a school as that authorization by itself.

14 CFR 65.80 — §65.80; HTML, printed/PDF pages not applicable

Check the reports, application copies, and identification

Before the test begins, Order 8900.1 says the examiner must have you provide two original copies of FAA Form 8610-2. If your FAA authorization to test (for civil or military experience, or for 65.80 testing) was signed electronically, you must print two copies of the signed Form 8610-2 and give both to the examiner. If the FAA did not sign section V, you must give the examiner the original eligibility documentation for your route, such as an authenticated AMTS graduation document or a JSAMTCC COE; the examiner will copy it for the certification package and return the original to you.

FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 13, PDF 13; 5-5-11-7C1)a), a)1. · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 14, PDF 14; 5-5-11-7C1)b)

You must also provide the written test Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR) for each written test your rating requires: General and Airframe for an airframe rating, General and Powerplant for a powerplant rating, or all three for both ratings. If you are testing under 65.80, Order 8900.1 says you do not need to provide any written test results at the time of the O&P. Bring government-issued photo identification too; the examiner must verify your identity before testing. The photo ID must be a passport (for U.S. or foreign citizens), a U.S. or U.S.-territory driver’s license, or U.S. military identification (for U.S. citizens).

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)3. · FAA Order 8900.1, Vol.5 Ch.5 Sec.11, CHG 929 (September 17, 2024) — printed 14, PDF 14; 5-5-11-7C1)d)

The Order says the examiner should ensure the written 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) also makes an applicant eligible to take a practical test with an expired written test report in accordance with 61.40; have the examiner check that provision if it may apply to you. Do not assume either that an old report always works or that every expired report requires the same next step.

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

Our readiness self-check: can you explain, find, and perform?

Use these prompts to find unfinished preparation, not to calculate a probability of passing. The FAA Airman Certification Standards (ACS) say an applicant should be well prepared in all knowledge, risk management, and skill elements included in the ACS.

FAA-S-ACS-1 (November 1, 2021) — printed A-1, PDF 65; Applicant Responsibilities

• Explain each weak topic in your own words with the source closed, including the topics behind the ACS codes on your AKTR.
• Ask a study partner to vary the wording and ask a simple follow-up; check the FAA page after your answer.
• Review the other applicable subjects too; a familiar missed-topic list is not your entire preparation plan.
• In supervised practical preparation, find an applicable procedure and its limit, identify the correct tools, explain the risks, and check the result against the data.
• If a limit cannot be met or the needed data is missing, explain that gap instead of inventing a value or calling the task complete.
• Use your instructor’s feedback and your examiner’s answers about your documents to decide what to finish before agreeing on a date.

ACS Appendix 1 expects applicants to locate and apply required reference materials, and to explain why a return-to-service standard was not met when it cannot be achieved.

FAA-S-ACS-1 (November 1, 2021) — printed A-1, PDF 65; Applicant Responsibilities

After A&P Written Test Success: Your O&P Next Steps

Use the broader four-week study plan

Read the exam-day guide

Find and contact the appropriate examiner

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.

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 65.77
• 14 CFR 65.80
• 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