Hard mostly by volume: one of the broadest syllabi in the set, spanning everything from hydraulics to turbine engines.
Last updated
Exam
80 questions
In 120 minutes, at the standard 75% pass mark.
Study load
upper end
Of the rough 40–80 h/subject planning range — it is a range, not a promise.
Sit alongside
Flexible
Affinity guidance below — matched to our in-app planner.
Flashcards in the exam
Not typical
No authority-published allowance we track for this subject.
Airframe structures, hydraulics, fuel systems, pressurisation, ice and rain protection, fire protection, oxygen systems, electrics, and piston and turbine engines.
At 80 questions in 120 minutes it is one of the largest single exams in the ATPL set.
For the full topic-by-topic syllabus breakdown, see the Aircraft General Knowledge subject guide.
Any single number here would be false precision, so we won’t give one. As a rough planning figure, most self-study candidates allocate 40–80 hours per subject, and students report Aircraft General Knowledge typically sitting toward the upper end of that range. The sheer breadth of systems covered makes this one of the biggest syllabi — expect it to sit at the upper end of your per-subject study budget.
Your own figure depends on background, maths comfort and whether you are studying full-time — treat the range as a budget to adjust, not a target to hit.
Facts about specific systems (pressures, temperatures, sequences) do need memorising — but each system is far easier to retain once you understand what it is for and how it fails. Understanding is the compression algorithm for this subject.
Pure answer-memorisation is fragile here because the syllabus is so broad: small rewordings across so much material are hard to defend against without the underlying picture.
AGK is not part of our seeded affinity groups — treat it as a flexible block. Its size makes it a poor third subject in a crowded sitting; give it room.
How the pairings fit into a full plan — and why order matters — is covered in the recommended order of study, with the sitting mechanics in sittings & limits.
Important: Exam question counts and durations are set per authority and periodically revised, and difficulty reports are exactly that — student reports, not guarantees. Confirm current exam details with your ATO and authority before planning.
Hard mostly by volume: one of the broadest syllabi in the set, spanning everything from hydraulics to turbine engines.
Facts about specific systems (pressures, temperatures, sequences) do need memorising — but each system is far easier to retain once you understand what it is for and how it fails. Understanding is the compression algorithm for this subject. Pure answer-memorisation is fragile here because the syllabus is so broad: small rewordings across so much material are hard to defend against without the underlying picture.
It is a range, and it genuinely varies by background — as a rough planning figure, most self-study candidates allocate 40–80 hours per subject, and students report Aircraft General Knowledge typically sits toward the upper end of that range. The sheer breadth of systems covered makes this one of the biggest syllabi — expect it to sit at the upper end of your per-subject study budget.
AGK is not part of our seeded affinity groups — treat it as a flexible block. Its size makes it a poor third subject in a crowded sitting; give it room.
Drill Aircraft General Knowledge (021) questions with per-topic mastery tracking, spaced-repetition review, and timed mock exams at the real 75% pass mark.
