Self-Studying for Part-66: A Practical Plan

Self-study for Part-66 is how many licensed engineers got there: mechanics who already work on aircraft, ex-military technicians and career changers who could not stop work for a full-time course. The exams are the same whether you learn in a classroom or at the kitchen table. This guide explains who self-study suits, what it changes about the licence route, which materials to use, how to plan your weeks and where to sit the exams.

Part-66 Prep is an independent study aid, not EASA, the UK CAA or a Part-147 organisation, and our papers are practice material, not approved training. The rules mentioned here are in Part-66, Annex III to Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 for the EU and in UK Part-66 on legislation.gov.uk for the UK. For the whole route from first job to licence, see how to become an aircraft engineer.

Who self-studies for Part-66

• Mechanics already in maintenance. The most common self-study candidate: working in a hangar or on the line, gaining experience anyway, and passing modules at night and between shifts.
• Ex-military technicians. Strong practical background, often with useful experience that the authority may partly accept, but new to the civil rules in Module 10 and to the civil exam format.
• Career changers. Electricians, mechanical engineers and others with a technical background who want to move into aviation without leaving their current job straight away.
• Licensed engineers adding a category, for example a B1 adding B2, who need only the missing modules.

If you have no maintenance job yet, self-study can still get your modules done, but the licence will wait for the experience. Read the experience section below before deciding.

Self-study vs a Part-147 course

	Self-study	Part-147 approved basic course
Experience before the licence (B1.1, B1.3, B2)	5 years	2 years
Experience before the licence (A, B1.2, B1.4, B3)	3 years	1 year
Structure	You set it	Fixed timetable and syllabus
Exams	Booked yourself with the CAA or a Part-147	Included in the course
Cost	Exam fees, materials, practice tools	Course fees, usually much higher
Working while studying	Easy	Often hard, as many courses are full-time
Practical training	From your job	Included, with workshop elements

Key fact: The experience difference is the deciding factor for most people. If you are already working in maintenance and will reach the full experience anyway, self-study costs far less. If you are starting from zero and want a licence as soon as possible, a Part-147 course can save three years.

The skilled-worker route in 66.A.30 (2 or 3 years instead of 3 or 5) is not available for UK licences in practice, because the UK CAA says it currently recognises no course that qualifies. The experience requirements guide explains all the routes.

"Online courses" and approval

You will see many online Part-66 courses. Some are excellent learning material. But only training delivered by a Part-147 approved maintenance training organisation, within the scope of its approval, counts as an approved basic course for the experience reduction. Some Part-147 organisations do run approved distance-learning courses; others sell online modules that are learning aids only. Before paying for a course because of the experience reduction, ask for the organisation's approval reference and check what it covers.

Self-study materials that work

1. The syllabus

Start with the official syllabus, Appendix I to Part-66. It lists every sub-module and its knowledge level by category, which tells you how deep to go. Read the EU version in the EASA Easy Access Rules for Continuing Airworthiness or the UK version on legislation.gov.uk. Since June 2024 the EU and UK syllabuses differ in places (Modules 7, 8, 9 and 10 especially), so use the one for the system you are sitting.

2. Module notes

You need notes written to the Part-66 syllabus for each module. Training organisations sell printed sets, and many people buy second-hand. Check the date: notes written before 2024 do not match the current EASA syllabus. Our study notes follow the current EASA syllabus and flag UK differences; the first note of every module is free, starting with Module 1 arithmetic.

3. Free background reading

The FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbooks (General, Airframe and Powerplant) are free, well illustrated and good for understanding systems. They are US documents with US rules and units, so use them for explanations, never for Part-66 rules. For human factors background, the CAA's CAP 715 is an older introduction for engineers, marked "reference only", useful alongside your Module 9 notes.

4. Practice papers

Practice papers are where self-study candidates win or lose. You need papers that match the real format: three options per question, the right number of questions for your category and system, timed at 75 seconds a question. Neither EASA nor the CAA publishes past papers; for what that means for "past paper" searches and printable alternatives, see Part-66 past papers.

Choosing your module order

There is no required order. A sequence that works for most self-study candidates:

1. Module 1, 2 and 3 (maths, physics, electrical), because later modules build on them.
2. Modules 8, 9 and 10 for early passes: short, largely self-contained.
3. Modules 4, 5 and 6.
4. Module 7, which is long and, in both systems, includes two essays.
5. The aircraft and engine modules for your category last: 11A, 11B or 12, 13 and 14 for B2, 15 or 16, and 17.

The Part-66 modules guide lists the modules for each category with their paper sizes. Every pass counts for 10 years, so plan the whole sequence inside that window, with room for a resit or two.

A weekly self-study plan

For someone working full-time, a realistic pattern per module looks like this:

Week	Focus
1	Read the syllabus for the module; take the free quick practice to find your starting point
2 to 4	Work through the notes sub-module by sub-module; short drills after each
5	First full timed paper; list weak sub-modules
6 to 7	Targeted revision and drills on the weak areas
8	Further full papers until you hit 85% on three; then book

Short modules may take half that; long ones such as Module 7 or Module 11A may take twice as long. Aim for regular short sessions, such as an hour on four or five evenings, rather than one long weekend block. If you work shifts, plan by shift pattern rather than by weekday: lighter reading and quick quizzes after a day shift, full papers on rest days when you can give them 60 to 120 uninterrupted minutes. Keep one module active at a time, with a short one alongside a long one if you want a change of subject. Use real hangar tasks to anchor theory: when you replace a component, look up the matching sub-module that evening.

Exam tip: Do your calculation practice without a calculator from the start. CAA venues do not allow one, and exam centres in the EU set their own rules, so build the habit early rather than in the last week.

Modules that are harder to self-study

Most modules work well alone with notes and papers. Three need extra thought.

Module 7 essays

You cannot mark your own essays easily. Essays are marked against key points, and you pass with 75% of them and no significant error. Practise by writing to the clock (20 minutes per essay), then checking your answer against a list of key points from the notes: a procedure in the right order, the safety precautions, the correct terms and the documentation at the end. The Part-66 essay questions guide explains the method in detail. Under UK rules, apply the same method to the Module 9 and 10 essays.

Module 10 legislation

Module 10 is different in the EU and UK, because each system's legislation is now its own. Make sure your notes match the system you are sitting, and read the actual rule text for the parts that are examined in detail, such as Part-66 itself and the maintenance organisation requirements.

The long aircraft modules

Modules 11A, 12 and 13 are long papers with many systems. Self-study candidates often run out of steam halfway. Break them into blocks of related systems, sit a full paper after each block, and keep going back to earlier blocks so they do not fade.

Common self-study mistakes

1. Studying from out-of-date notes. Pre-2024 material does not match the EASA syllabus; check Module 7, 8, 9 and 10 especially.
2. Practising at the wrong paper size. Four-option questions or the wrong question count give a false picture. Use three-option papers at your category's size, under EASA or UK rules as appropriate.
3. Memorising answers. If you recognise a question rather than understand it, the real exam will catch you with new wording. Calculation questions on Part-66 Prep get new numbers each time for this reason.
4. Booking too soon to "see what it is like". That uses an attempt and starts a 90-day wait. Use a full timed practice paper for that instead.
5. Forgetting the logbook. Self-study candidates need the full experience duration, so every month of undocumented work is lost time.

Where self-study candidates sit exams

• UK, directly with the CAA: register on the CAA Customer Portal, request e-exam access and book from the timetable. As of October 2026 each attempt is £60. The CAA exam booking guide covers venues, fees and what you can take in.
• UK Part-147 organisations: some sell exam seats to external candidates at their own fees and dates.
• EU: Part-147 organisations with exam approval, or national authorities that run exams. Ask the authority of the country where you will apply.

Check the rules of the system you are sitting. Under EASA rules only Module 7 has essays; under UK rules Modules 7, 9 and 10 do. Paper sizes also differ for several modules.

Knowing when you are ready

The single most useful habit is to stop judging readiness by how much you have read. Instead:

1. Sit full papers at the real size for your category, timed, under the correct rules.
2. Review every wrong answer and the explanation, not just the score.
3. Book only when you score 85% or more on three different papers.

The extra margin over the 75% pass mark covers nerves, unfamiliar wording and topics you have not seen in practice. Booking too early is expensive: a fail costs another exam fee, a 90-day wait and one of your three attempts. The Part-66 resit rules explain the limits in both systems.

How Part-66 Prep fits into self-study

For every module of every category, you can use these free, without an account: the category diagnostic, a 20-question quick practice such as Module 1 quick practice, the full timed paper 1 at the real EASA or UK size, a printable 50-question sheet per module, and the first study note of each module. Pro (see pricing) adds papers 2 to 10, the 60-question mixed paper, sub-module drills and all 149 notes for every category. It is a practice tool, with no pass guarantee, and it does not replace approved training or count as experience.

Your study plan

1. Decide your category and system (EASA or UK) and download the matching Appendix I syllabus.
2. Take the free B1.1 diagnostic, or the one for your category, to see your starting point.
3. Start Module 1: read the free arithmetic note and do the Module 1 quick practice.
4. Follow the weekly pattern above, then sit the free paper 1 for the module under timed conditions.
5. Book your first exam once you score 85% on three different papers, and keep your logbook up to date in parallel.