PPAER
Private Pilot Licence Exam (PPAER): Pass Mark, Partial Pass and Booking
The written exam for the Private Pilot Licence — Aeroplane.
| Questions | 100 |
|---|---|
| Time allowed | 3 hours |
| Pass mark | 60% overall and 60% in each of four subject areas |
| Scored by subject area | Yes — 60% in each area as well as overall |
Source: Transport Canada TP 12880E — Sixth Edition, May 2025. Verified 19 September 2026.
How it is scored
The PPAER is sectionalized. Transport Canada requires 60% overall — and 60% in each of four subject areas. Both conditions have to be met: a strong overall mark does not rescue a weak area.
Partial pass. Reach 60% overall but fall below 60% in one or more areas and you rewrite only those areas, as supplementary exams — not the whole paper.
| Exam | Subject area | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| PALAW | Air Law | 20 | 1 hour |
| PANAV | Navigation | 20 | 2 hours |
| PAMET | Meteorology | 30 | 1½ hours |
| PAGEN | Aeronautics — General Knowledge | 30 | 1½ hours |
Where more than one supplementary exam is written in a sitting, the time allowed is the sum of the individual times, up to a maximum of 3 hours.
The subject areas
- Air Law and Procedures
- Navigation and Radio Aids
- Meteorology
- Airframes, Engines and Systems; Theory of Flight; Flight Instruments; Flight Operations; Human Factors
Booking and exam day
- Booking
Ask an Authorized Examination Invigilator (AEI) near you whether they can give the exam. If none can, book it at a Transport Canada Centre with TC's online booking tool: have your pilot licence or file number ready (a file number begins 5802), choose the exam, location and date, attest that you meet the eligibility criteria, and pay. To be refunded, cancel at least 3 business days before the exam.
Transport Canada, How to book a flight crew exam- Fee
Transport Canada's fee table lists $131.54 to write or rewrite a licence exam from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027, and $35 for a supplementary exam. Fees may change with inflation every 1 April, so confirm the amount when you book, and if an AEI gives your exam, ask them what you will pay. The fee is lost if you sit an exam without meeting its eligibility criteria.
Transport Canada, How to book a flight crew exam, Fees and service standards- Photo ID and medical
Photo identification "bearing the signature and photograph of the candidate" (a passport, aviation document booklet or driver's licence, for example) and proof of medical fitness: a Medical Certificate valid for the licence, which for the PPL means "a Category 1 or 3 medical certificate" (a temporary certificate also counts). Without them you will not be allowed to write, and the fee is not refunded.
Standard 421.13(1)–(2); CARs 404.10(3)(c); Transport Canada, How to book a flight crew exam
- Letter of recommendation
From your flight training unit or the flight instructor responsible for your training, stating that you have completed the ground school instruction and "reached a sufficient level of knowledge to write the examination". It must be dated within 60 days before the exam and "may only be used once", so a rewrite or a supplementary exam needs a new one. TP 12880E prints model letters for the exam and for the supplementaries.
Standard 421.13(3)(a), (e); TP 12880E, pp. 28–29
- Flight experience
Your logbook or pilot training record, showing "5 hours flight time in the same category of aircraft" (aeroplanes), or a valid ultra-light aeroplane pilot permit.
Standard 421.13(4)(a); Transport Canada, How to book a flight crew exam
- In the exam room
Bring a pencil and navigation tools — ruler or scale, protractor and flight computer. A calculator's memory is cleared before and after the exam in front of the invigilator, and an electronic flight computer must be one the Minister has approved. Unless the invigilator allows it, any other aid, notes or help fails the exam, and you "may not take any other examination for a period of one year".
TP 12880E, Materials Required; CARs 400.02
- Results
The same day, with feedback on the areas that need improvement.
Transport Canada, How to book a flight crew exam- Rewriting
After a first failure you wait 14 days to rewrite; after a second, 30 days; after a third, 60 days, and 30 more for each failure after that, to a maximum of 180 days. Transport Canada shortens the wait on request once it has confirmation that you have reviewed your weak knowledge areas.
CARs 400.04(1), (6)
- Partial pass
Rewrite only the failed areas, all in one sitting, as the supplementary exams in the table above. A failed area counts as a failure under the waits above (14 days after a first failure), unless Transport Canada shortens the wait on request. Book the exam whose name ends in "Partial" and choose the areas.
CARs 400.04(1), (4), (6); Transport Canada, How to book a flight crew exam
- 24-month limit
Written exams, "including all sections of a sectionalized examination", must be completed "during the 24-month period preceding the date of the application" for the licence or rating. Every part your application relies on, supplementaries included, has to fall inside that window.
CARs 400.03(1)
Checked against the CARs, Standard 421 and Transport Canada on 4 October 2026.
Topics on the PPAER, explained
- VFR Weather Minima in CanadaCARs 602.114–602.117
- Light Gun Signals in CanadaTC AIM RAC 4.2.11 and 4.4.7
- VFR Cruising Altitudes in CanadaCARs 602.34
- VFR Fuel Requirements in CanadaCARs 602.88
- How to Read a GFA (Graphic Area Forecast)TC AIM MET 4
- Joining the Circuit: Uncontrolled AerodromesCARs 602.96 and 602.97–602.102; TC AIM RAC 4.5.2
- Canadian Airspace Classes A to G ExplainedCARs 601.02–601.09; TC AIM RAC 2.8
- Right of Way Rules for Aircraft in CanadaCARs 602.19
Common questions
What is the PPAER pass mark?
60% overall, and separately 60% in each of the four mandatory subject areas. Both conditions must be met. Scoring 75% overall while getting 55% in Navigation is not a pass.
What is a partial pass on the PPAER?
If you reach 60% overall but fall below 60% in one or more subject areas, you rewrite only the areas you missed, as supplementary exams — PALAW, PANAV, PAMET or PAGEN — rather than the whole 100-question paper.
How long is the PPAER?
100 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours.
How many questions are in each subject area?
Transport Canada does not publish the per-area split for the main exam. The supplementary exams are the best available indication of weighting: Air Law 20, Navigation 20, Meteorology 30, and Aeronautics — General Knowledge 30.
What does the General Knowledge area cover?
It is the broadest of the four: airframes, engines and systems, theory of flight, flight instruments, flight operations and human factors are all reported under it.
How do I book the PPAER?
Ask an Authorized Examination Invigilator (AEI) near you first; if none can give it, book a Transport Canada Centre with TC's online booking tool, using your pilot licence or file number. Transport Canada's fee table lists $131.54 from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027; if an AEI gives the exam, ask them what you will pay.
Transport Canada: How to book a flight crew examWhat do I need to bring to the PPAER?
Photo identification, proof of medical fitness, a letter of recommendation from your flight training unit or instructor dated within 60 days of the exam, and your logbook showing at least 5 hours of flight time in aeroplanes (Standard 421.13). Without them you will not be allowed to write, and the fee is not refunded.
How soon can I rewrite the PPAER?
14 days after a first failure, 30 after a second, then 30 more for each further failure, up to 180 days (CARs 400.04(1)). A failed area counts as a failure too, so the same waits apply to a supplementary exam after a partial pass. Transport Canada shortens the wait on request once it has confirmation that you have reviewed your weak areas (CARs 400.04(6)).
Practise the PPAER the way it is scored
The Private Pilot Licence course ($89 CAD, one-time, for 3 months) has 7 chapters of notes cited to the CARs and TC AIM, and 4 full-length mock exams scored by subject area, so you see the partial pass before the examiner does.
Other exam guides
TC Exam Prep is independent and not affiliated with Transport Canada. Specifications are quoted from the study and reference guide linked above and were correct on 19 September 2026 — confirm current details with your flight training unit before booking.