Genuinely demanding: graph work, regulatory performance classes and multi-step calculations under time pressure.
Last updated
Exam
35 questions
In 60 minutes, at the standard 75% pass mark.
Study load
middle
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.
Lift and drag, engine-failure cases, climb and descent performance, take-off and landing distances, en-route performance and obstacle clearance.
Expect heavy use of performance graphs and tables against the certification requirements.
For the full topic-by-topic syllabus breakdown, see the Performance 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 Performance typically sitting toward the middle of that range. A mid-sized exam whose difficulty is in technique and time management rather than volume.
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.
The regulatory definitions (screen heights, segment requirements, factors) must be memorised — but the calculations cannot be. As one student in our community put it about Performance and Flight Planning: "every calculation is on the L500 (concept)" — the questions test whether you can work the method on whatever numbers appear, not whether you have seen the answer before.
Understand the aerodynamics behind each graph (this is where Principles of Flight pays off) and the special cases stop feeling arbitrary.
Two seeded pairings: with Mass & Balance (031) as the calculation pair, and with Principles of Flight (081), which supplies the "why" behind every Performance calculation. Both pairings work; pick based on your sitting sizes.
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 Performance (032) 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.
Genuinely demanding: graph work, regulatory performance classes and multi-step calculations under time pressure.
The regulatory definitions (screen heights, segment requirements, factors) must be memorised — but the calculations cannot be. As one student in our community put it about Performance and Flight Planning: "every calculation is on the L500 (concept)" — the questions test whether you can work the method on whatever numbers appear, not whether you have seen the answer before. Understand the aerodynamics behind each graph (this is where Principles of Flight pays off) and the special cases stop feeling arbitrary.
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 Performance typically sits toward the middle of that range. A mid-sized exam whose difficulty is in technique and time management rather than volume.
Two seeded pairings: with Mass & Balance (031) as the calculation pair, and with Principles of Flight (081), which supplies the "why" behind every Performance calculation. Both pairings work; pick based on your sitting sizes.
Drill Performance (032) questions with per-topic mastery tracking, spaced-repetition review, and timed mock exams at the real 75% pass mark.
