How to Pass Part-66 Exams: A Method That Works

If you want to know how to pass Part-66 exams, start with an uncomfortable fact: the exam is designed to catch people who recognise answers without understanding them. Every question has three options, the wrong ones are written to look right to someone who half knows the subject, and you need 75% to pass. Reading more notes is rarely the fix. A better method is. This article sets out the method we would use ourselves: learn by sub-module, practise the format until it is boring, handle calculations and essays deliberately, and book only when your practice scores say you are ready.

Part-66 Prep is an independent study aid, not EASA, the UK CAA or a Part-147 organisation. Nothing here, and no product, can guarantee a pass. What follows gives you a much better chance.

Know the rules before you study

How you prepare depends on which system you are sitting. Since 12 June 2024 the EU exam standard (Regulation (EU) 2023/989) differs from the UK's in several places. The authority that will issue your licence decides which rules apply.

Rule	EASA Part-66	UK Part-66
Question format	Three options, one correct, about 75 seconds each	Same
Pass mark	75% for multiple choice and for essays	Same
Negative marking	None	None
Essays	Module 7 only (two essays)	Module 7 (two), Module 9 (one), Module 10 (one)
Attempts	Up to 3 per module in any 12-month period	3 consecutive attempts, then a 1-year wait
Resit wait	90 days (30 after tailored Part-147 retraining)	Same
How long a pass counts	10 years towards a licence application	Same

Two things follow from this table. First, attempts are limited, so a "practice go" at the real exam is a bad idea. Second, essays need their own preparation, and UK candidates have more of them. The Part-66 exam format guide covers the question rules in full, and the EASA vs UK CAA guide lists every paper where the two systems differ.

Step 1: Study from the right syllabus

The syllabus is Appendix I to Part-66. It lists every sub-module and gives a knowledge level for each category: level 1 means you are familiar with the basics, level 2 means you understand the theory and can apply it, level 3 means detailed knowledge and the ability to combine it. The same sub-module can be level 1 for category A and level 3 for B1.

Read the EU version in the EASA Easy Access Rules for Continuing Airworthiness or the UK version on legislation.gov.uk. Then check your notes against it. Material written before 2024 doesn't match the current EASA syllabus for Modules 7, 8, 9 and 10, and Module 10 is now different law in the EU and UK.

Exam tip: Mark each sub-module in your syllabus copy with its knowledge level for your category. Level 3 sub-modules deserve the most time; level 1 sub-modules need definitions and principles, not derivations.

Step 2: Learn one sub-module at a time

A module is too big to learn as one block. Break it down:

1. Read the note for one sub-module.
2. Do a short set of questions on that sub-module with explanations on.
3. Read the explanation for every question, including the ones you got right. A lucky guess looks like knowledge on the scoreboard.
4. Move on, and come back to earlier sub-modules every few sessions so they don't fade.

Short, regular sessions beat long weekend blocks for most people working shifts. The Part-66 self-study guide has a weekly plan and a suggested module order if you are preparing without a course.

Use the hangar. When you torque a fitting, lock a turnbuckle or fill in a task card, look up the matching sub-module that evening. Modules 6, 7 and 10 in particular stick far better when you can attach them to a job you have done.

Step 3: Practise the three-option format

Three-option questions reward a specific technique. Practise it until it is automatic.

Read the stem twice

Most avoidable errors come from misreading the question, not from not knowing the answer. Watch for "not", "except", "first", "most likely" and units. A question on torque in pound-inches with an answer in pound-feet is testing whether you noticed.

Eliminate before you choose

With three options, removing one wrong answer turns a guess into a 50/50. Removing two gives you the answer. Ask of each option: is there any situation where this is true? If an option is true in general but doesn't answer the question asked, it is a distractor.

Never leave a blank

There is no negative marking under either system. A blank is a guaranteed zero; a reasoned guess is not.

Don't change answers without a reason

Change an answer only if you have found something specific, such as a misread word or a calculation slip. A vague second feeling is not a reason.

Find your starting point: Before you plan the weeks ahead, take the free 20-question diagnostic for your category, such as the B1.1 diagnostic or the B2 diagnostic. It samples every module you need and shows where to begin. No account is needed.

Step 4: Get calculations right without a calculator

Modules 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 contain calculations, and some later modules include them too. CAA exam venues did not allow calculators when we checked in October 2026; EU exam centres set their own rules, so ask yours. Either way, prepare as if you won't have one.

• Learn the method, not the number. Appendix II requires calculation distractors to come from common procedural mistakes. If you have memorised an answer, a version with different numbers will catch you with exactly the mistake the distractor was built from.
• Estimate first. Round the figures and work out roughly what the answer should be. With three options, a sensible estimate often rules out one or two straight away.
• Practise mental arithmetic. Fractions, powers of ten, square roots of common values, percentages and unit conversions. Ten minutes a day for a few weeks makes a large difference.
• Write units through every step. Unit errors are a favourite source of distractors.

Our calculation questions get new numbers from a generator each time, so you can't learn them by heart. The free Module 1 quick practice for B1.1 and the Module 1 arithmetic note are a good place to test yourself.

Step 5: Prepare essays as a separate skill

Essays are marked against key points, and you pass with 75% of them and no significant error, such as a step that would make the task unsafe. You get 20 minutes per essay. Every candidate sits two in Module 7; UK candidates also write one in Module 9 and one in Module 10.

A method that works:

1. Plan for about three minutes. List the steps in order before writing a sentence.
2. Write for about fifteen. Use a before, during and after structure: preparation and safety, the task itself, then inspection, testing and documentation.
3. Check for about two. Have you named the correct tools, terms and documents? Have you closed with the paperwork and the certificate of release to service where it applies?

Write in clear sentences with correct technical terms. Legibility counts, because the marker has to find your key points. The Part-66 essay questions guide covers marking and typical subject areas, and the Module 7 questions page breaks down the multiple-choice side of that module.

Step 6: Book when the numbers say so

Here is the readiness rule we use and build into the app: book a module exam once you score 85% or more on three different full papers you haven't seen before, at the real size and time for your category and authority.

Why 85% when the pass mark is 75%? Because the real exam brings unfamiliar wording, nerves and topics you didn't meet in practice. The margin absorbs them. Why three papers? Because one good score can be luck, and a repeated paper measures memory.

Free paper 1 for each module is a good first measure; for example, Module 10 paper 1 for B1.1. Sit it timed, with no notes and no phone, and answer every question.

What booking too early costs

A failed attempt means another exam fee (the CAA charges £60 per module exam as of October 2026, per its engineer licensing pages), a 90-day wait before the resit and one of your limited attempts used. Under UK rules, three failed attempts in a row mean a year before you can try again. The Part-66 resit rules explain both systems with worked examples.

Modules that need a different approach

Most modules respond to the method above. A few have quirks worth planning for.

Module	What makes it different	How to handle it
Module 7 Maintenance practices	Long paper (80 questions for B1) plus two essays	Split preparation: multiple choice by sub-module, essays written to the clock every week
Module 9 Human factors	Feels like common sense, so people under-prepare	Learn the models and terms exactly; the Dirty Dozen and safety management are in the 2024 EASA syllabus. CAP 715 is useful background, though it dates from 2002
Module 10 Aviation legislation	Different law in the EU and the UK; detail-heavy	Use notes for your system only, and read the rule text for Part-66 and the maintenance organisation requirements
Modules 11A, 12 and 13	Very long papers covering many systems	Learn in blocks of related systems, sit a paper after each block, keep revisiting earlier blocks
Module 3 Electrical fundamentals	AC theory and calculations	Practise phasor and reactance questions without a calculator until the method is routine

Each module has its own page with paper sizes and a sub-module walkthrough; the Part-66 modules guide links them all. Our Module 10 questions page is a good example of the EASA and UK split in practice.

Habits that cost people modules

• Using four-option or pre-2024 practice material. It trains the wrong format and the wrong paper size.
• Repeating the same paper until the score looks good. Use a new paper for every real reading.
• Skipping explanations for correct answers. You might have guessed.
• Leaving essays until the last week. They are a writing skill and need weeks of practice.
• Studying three modules at once. Keep one main module active; a short one alongside is fine.
• Trusting "recalled" exam questions. They are unreliable, and a candidate proven to have cheated is barred from all exams for 12 months.

Where Pro fits

You can follow this whole method with free material: the diagnostic for your category, 20-question quick practice and the full timed paper 1 for every module, a printable 50-question sheet per module, the three exam guides and the first study note of every module.

The step where most people need more is Step 6. Reaching 85% on three different papers needs more than one unseen paper. Pro adds papers 2 to 10 for every module, sub-module drills to fix weak areas (such as AC theory drills for B1.1 Module 3), the 60-question mixed-module paper and all 149 study notes, for every category under both EASA and UK CAA sizes. It costs £6.99 per week, £11.99 per month or £22.99 for three months, billed in GBP by Stripe, with one-click cancellation. See the pricing page for details.

It won't pass the exam for you, and it doesn't replace approved training or count towards experience. It gives you enough correctly sized, unseen papers to apply the readiness rule honestly.

Your next steps

1. Confirm whether you are sitting EASA or UK CAA exams, and get the matching syllabus.
2. Take the free B1.1 diagnostic, or the one for your category.
3. Pick your next module and learn it sub-module by sub-module.
4. Sit the free paper 1 under real conditions.
5. Book when you have 85% on three different papers.