The most underestimated subject in the set: small, yes — easy, no. Students who coast into it say so afterwards.
Last updated
Exam
34 questions
In 45 minutes, at the standard 75% pass mark.
Study load
lower end
Of the rough 40–80 h/subject planning range — it is a range, not a promise.
Sit alongside
See pairing
Affinity guidance below — matched to our in-app planner.
Flashcards in the exam
Not typical
No authority-published allowance we track for this subject.
VHF communication, frequency management, SELCAL, ACARS, radiotelephony procedures, IFR phraseology, emergency procedures and CPDLC.
The smallest exam by duration (34 questions in 45 minutes), which is precisely why it gets under-prepared.
For the full topic-by-topic syllabus breakdown, see the Communications 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 Communications typically sitting toward the lower end of that range. A short syllabus — but budget honest hours anyway; the small size is what catches people.
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.
Phraseology and procedures are exact-recall material: the exam tests the published words, not a working approximation of them. Memorisation is the right tool — the mistake is not doing it because the subject looks small.
One student in our community scored 92% in Operational Procedures and 85% in Communications in the same sitting, and wrote afterwards: "I had greatly underestimated the subject." An 85% is a pass — their point was how close coasting brought them to the 75% line.
“I had greatly underestimated the subject”— a student in our community, after passing Communications with less margin than expected
Part of the seeded regulatory cluster: sit Communications with Air Law (010) and Operational Procedures (070).
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.
The most underestimated subject in the set: small, yes — easy, no. Students who coast into it say so afterwards.
Phraseology and procedures are exact-recall material: the exam tests the published words, not a working approximation of them. Memorisation is the right tool — the mistake is not doing it because the subject looks small. One student in our community scored 92% in Operational Procedures and 85% in Communications in the same sitting, and wrote afterwards: "I had greatly underestimated the subject." An 85% is a pass — their point was how close coasting brought them to the 75% line.
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 Communications typically sits toward the lower end of that range. A short syllabus — but budget honest hours anyway; the small size is what catches people.
Part of the seeded regulatory cluster: sit Communications with Air Law (010) and Operational Procedures (070).
Drill Communications (090) questions with per-topic mastery tracking, spaced-repetition review, and timed mock exams at the real 75% pass mark.
