Widely reported by students as one of the hardest ATPL subjects: dense chartwork, mental maths and concepts that punish shallow preparation.
Last updated
Exam
60 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
See pairing
Affinity guidance below — matched to our in-app planner.
Flashcards in the exam
Permitted*
*At Austro Control — see the note below.
Great-circle and rhumb-line navigation, map projections, time, compasses, dead reckoning, GPS, inertial navigation and RNAV.
Two hours for 60 questions — the ratio alone tells you the calculations are substantial.
For the full topic-by-topic syllabus breakdown, see the General Navigation 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 General Navigation typically sitting toward the upper end of that range. A long, calculation-heavy exam with a conceptual core — plan for the upper end of your per-subject 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.
This is the subject our community is most emphatic about. In a student’s words: "I would not recommend to memorize answers without understanding the minimum theory even if they are banky." Convergency, conversion angle and projection properties generate endless numeric variants — the method transfers, the memorised answer does not.
What is worth memorising: the standard formulas and the properties of each chart projection, cold. Then drill applications until they are fast.
“I would not recommend to memorize answers without understanding the minimum theory even if they are banky”— a student in our community, on GNAV, RNAV and Instrumentation
Sit General Navigation with Radio Navigation (062) — the seeded navigation pair. The chartwork and maths of 061 sit naturally alongside the aids and systems of 062.
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.
The detail nobody mentions
Austro Control permits flashcards in the General Navigation (061) exam — per Austro Control’s own FAQ, flashcards are allowed in subjects 031, 032, 033, 034 and 061. If you are sitting with Austro Control, building a clean flashcard set for this subject is study time that walks into the exam room with you. Other authorities set their own rules — confirm before assuming.
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.
Widely reported by students as one of the hardest ATPL subjects: dense chartwork, mental maths and concepts that punish shallow preparation.
This is the subject our community is most emphatic about. In a student’s words: "I would not recommend to memorize answers without understanding the minimum theory even if they are banky." Convergency, conversion angle and projection properties generate endless numeric variants — the method transfers, the memorised answer does not. What is worth memorising: the standard formulas and the properties of each chart projection, cold. Then drill applications until they are fast.
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 General Navigation typically sits toward the upper end of that range. A long, calculation-heavy exam with a conceptual core — plan for the upper end of your per-subject budget.
Sit General Navigation with Radio Navigation (062) — the seeded navigation pair. The chartwork and maths of 061 sit naturally alongside the aids and systems of 062.
Drill General Navigation (061) questions with per-topic mastery tracking, spaced-repetition review, and timed mock exams at the real 75% pass mark.
