Short answer: the FAA Part 107 knowledge test costs $175 to sit. That's the number you'll see everywhere. But there are a few other things worth knowing before you budget this out.
The Hard Costs
Here's every dollar you might actually spend:
- Exam fee: $175 — paid to the testing center (PSI or CATS) when you schedule. Non-refundable if you no-show, so don't schedule until you're ready.
- Drone registration: $5 — if you haven't already registered your drone with the FAA DroneZone, it's $5 and takes about 5 minutes. Good for 3 years.
- Study materials: $0 to $150+ — the free stuff from the FAA is actually pretty solid if you're disciplined. Paid courses and apps run anywhere from a few bucks to well over $100 depending on what you go with.
- Retake fee: another $175 — if you fail, you wait 14 days and pay again. This is why it's worth actually preparing.
The Cost Nobody Talks About: Your Time
Most people who pass spend somewhere between 10 and 20 hours studying. That's the real investment here. If you go in underprepared and fail, you're out another $175 and another two weeks minimum before you can retake it.
The people who waste the most money on this are the ones who figure they can skim the material and get lucky. Sometimes it works. A lot of the time it doesn't, and they end up spending $350+ total instead of $175.
So What's the Total?
If you prepare properly and pass on the first try, you're looking at $175 to $200 all in. If you use a paid study course on top of that, maybe $250 to $300. Still way cheaper than most professional certifications, and the license never expires (you just need a recurrent knowledge test every 24 months to keep it current).
For what it lets you do professionally, it's a pretty low bar to clear.
Pass on the first try and save $175
FAA 107 Prep gives you focused practice questions and real explanations so you're not guessing on test day.