EASA Part-66 module exams: format, pass mark and retake rules
1,032 words · checked 2026-10-03 · Free
This guide explains how the basic knowledge examinations work for an EASA Part-66 aircraft maintenance licence (categories A, B1, B2, B2L and B3). It follows Appendix II to Part-66 as replaced by Regulation (EU) 2023/989, which applies from 12 June 2024. If you sit exams with the UK CAA or a UK Part-147 organisation, read the UK guide instead: the UK still uses the older rules.
Who sets the exams
- Exams are run by the competent authority of an EASA member state or by a Part-147 approved maintenance training organisation that holds an examination approval.
- Each module (or sub-module) pass is recorded on a certificate of recognition. Keep every certificate: you need them for the licence application.
- Module passes count for a licence application for 10 years (66.A.25(d)). Older passes may only be credited under 66.A.25(e)/(f).
The format in one table
| Rule | EASA (Appendix II, Reg. 2023/989) |
|---|---|
| Question type | Multiple choice, 3 options, one correct |
| Time | Nominal 75 seconds per question |
| Pass mark | 75 % for each module or sub-module |
| Negative marking | None |
| Essays | Module 7 only: 2 essay questions, 20 minutes each (+40 min) |
| Essay pass mark | 75 % of the key points, and no significant error on a required key point |
| Retake wait | 90 days after a fail, or 30 days if a Part-147 organisation gives you a retraining course on the failed subjects |
| Attempt limit | 3 attempts per module in any 12-month period |
| Cheating | Ban from all exams for 12 months (66.B.200(i)) |
Key fact: 75 % is the pass mark for every module. On a 32-question paper you need 24 correct; on 52 you need 39; on 80 you need 60.
How wrong answers are written
Appendix II requires distractors that "seem equally plausible" to someone who does not know the subject. In numerical questions the wrong answers must come from procedural errors — a correction applied in the wrong direction, a wrong unit conversion — never random numbers. That is why you must always check units and the direction of a correction: the trap answer is usually the result of the most common mistake.
Questions and time per module (EASA)
Number of multiple-choice questions / time in minutes.
| Module | A | B1 | B2 | B2L | B3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mathematics | 16 / 20 | 32 / 40 | 32 / 40 | 32 / 40 | 32 / 40 |
| 2 Physics | 32 / 40 | 52 / 65 | 52 / 65 | 52 / 65 | 32 / 40 |
| 3 Electrical fundamentals | 20 / 25 | 52 / 65 | 52 / 65 | 52 / 65 | 24 / 30 |
| 4 Electronic fundamentals | — | 20 / 25 | 40 / 50 | 40 / 50 | 20 / 25 |
| 5 Digital techniques / EIS | 20 / 25 | 40 / 50 | 72 / 90 | 72 / 90 | 20 / 25 |
| 6 Materials and hardware | 52 / 65 | 80 / 100 | 60 / 75 | 60 / 75 | 80 / 100 |
| 7 Maintenance practices | 76 / 95 + 2 essays | 80 / 100 + 2 essays | 60 / 75 + 2 essays | 60 / 75 + 2 essays | 80 / 100 + 2 essays |
| 8 Basic aerodynamics | 24 / 30 | 24 / 30 | 24 / 30 | 24 / 30 | 24 / 30 |
| 9 Human factors | 28 / 35 | 28 / 35 | 28 / 35 | 28 / 35 | 28 / 35 |
| 10 Aviation legislation | 32 / 40 | 44 / 55 | 44 / 55 | 44 / 55 | 44 / 55 |
| 11 Aeroplane aerodynamics, structures and systems | A1 108 / 135; A2 72 / 90 | B1.1 140 / 175; B1.2 100 / 125 | — | — | 60 / 75 |
| 12 Helicopter aerodynamics, structures and systems | A3/A4 100 / 125 | B1.3/B1.4 128 / 160 | — | — | — |
| 13 Aircraft aerodynamics, structures and systems | — | — | 188 / 235 | by system rating | — |
| 14 Propulsion | — | — | 32 / 40 | 32 / 40 (Instruments and Airframe systems ratings) | — |
| 15 Gas turbine engine | A1/A3 60 / 75 | B1.1/B1.3 92 / 115 | — | — | — |
| 16 Piston engine | A2/A4 52 / 65 | B1.2/B1.4 76 / 95 | — | — | 76 / 95 |
| 17 Propeller | A1/A2 20 / 25 | B1.1/B1.2 32 / 40 | — | — | 32 / 40 |
Module 13 for B2L is examined per system rating: Basic requirements (13.1, 13.2, 13.5, 13.9) 32 / 40; Com/Nav 24 / 30; Instruments 20 / 25; Autoflight 28 / 35; Surveillance 20 / 25; Airframe systems 52 / 65.
Key fact: Under EASA rules since June 2024, Modules 9 and 10 have no essay any more. Only Module 7 has essays.
Long exams can be split
An exam with an allowed time of more than 90 minutes may be split into 2 partial exams; more than 180 minutes into 3. Each partial exam must:
- cover complementary parts of the module and take a similar time;
- contain a number of questions that is a multiple of four;
- be passed at 75 % on its own;
- be taken in the same organisation and be listed on the same certificate of recognition.
Retakes in practice
- You fail Module 5 on 1 March. The earliest retake is 30 May (90 days later).
- If your Part-147 school gives you a retraining course tailored to the failed subjects, you may retake after 30 days.
- You can make no more than 3 attempts at the same module within any 12-month window. Before each exam you sign a statement of how many times you attempted that module in the previous 12 months.
- If only the multiple-choice part or only the essay part of Module 7 is failed, only that part is retaken.
Exam-day checklist
- Photo ID (passport or national ID card) and your booking confirmation.
- Ask the centre in advance what is allowed (non-programmable calculator, drawing instruments). Phones, notes and talking are not allowed.
- Read every option: there is always exactly one correct answer and no penalty for a wrong guess, so never leave a question blank.
- Budget about 1 minute 15 seconds per question. Mark hard questions and come back.
- For Module 7 essays, plan your 20 minutes: about 3 minutes to list key points, 15 minutes writing, 2 minutes checking (see the Module 7 essay note).
How this app mirrors the exam
- Mock exams use the exact EASA question count and 75 s per question for your category, with a 75 % pass line.
- Topic practice follows the Appendix I sub-modules and the knowledge level of your category.
- Practice papers in the Library are exam-style papers written for this app. EASA and national authorities do not publish past exam papers.