Four attempts per paper, six sittings, eighteen months. Those are the EASA-wide limits from FCL.025 — identical whichever national authority you sit with. But the word "sitting" itself is not defined by Part-FCL at all: your authority defines it, and the definitions differ by a factor of two. This guide quotes the actual rules from the consolidated regulation and shows where the national differences hide.
Last updated
Pass mark
75%
Per paper, with no penalty marking — so never leave a question blank.
Attempts per paper
4
Fail a paper four times and you retake the complete set of examinations.
Sittings
6
For ATPL/CPL/IR — what one "sitting" means is set by your authority.
Window
18 months
Counted from the end of the calendar month of your first attempt.
FCL.025 caps you at 6 sittings — but Part-FCL never says what a sitting is. The definitions article, FCL.010, has no entry for “sitting”. Each national authority fills that gap itself, and the answers differ by a factor of two:
A 10-day sitting lets you spread the same group of subjects across two working weeks; a 5-day sitting does not. That two-fold spread directly determines how many subjects you can realistically group per sitting — and it is one of the genuinely differentiating factors when choosing which authority to sit with.
These rules come from FCL.025 of the consolidated Reg. (EU) 1178/2011 (30 April 2026 consolidation) and apply in full whichever member state you sit with:
Once the full set is passed, validity depends on the licence you are working towards:
The limits reward planning your groups of subjects before your first attempt: the 18-month clock starts at the end of that first calendar month, and every visit to the exam centre spends one of your 6 sittings. Most candidates plan 3–4 sittings and hold the rest in reserve for resits.
Which subjects to group together — and which to sit first — is its own question: see the recommended order of study, and check which ECQB version your authority examines from before you book anything.
Important: The FCL.025 limits above are quoted from the consolidated Reg. (EU) 1178/2011 as of 30 April 2026. Sitting definitions and exam-session logistics are set per authority and change more often — always confirm the current arrangements with your authority and ATO/DTO before booking.
Under FCL.025 of Reg. (EU) 1178/2011 you may attempt each examination paper a maximum of 4 times. If you fail one paper 4 times, you must retake the complete set of examination papers, after further training at an ATO or DTO.
A maximum of 6 sittings for ATPL, CPL and IR theory. Note the cap applies to those licences — LAPL and PPL candidates get the 4-attempts-per-paper limit and the 18-month window without the 6-sitting cap. What counts as one "sitting" is defined by your national authority, not by Part-FCL.
All examination papers must be passed within 18 months, counted from the end of the calendar month in which you first attempted an examination. The rule opens with "Unless otherwise determined in this Part", so it is a general rule rather than an absolute one. Miss the window and you retake the complete set after further training.
It depends on your authority, because Part-FCL never defines "sitting" — FCL.010 has no entry for it. The UK CAA works to 10 days, Transport Malta to 5 consecutive working days, and the French DGAC to 5 consecutive days for ATPL/CPL (3 for IR). That two-fold spread directly changes how many subjects you can realistically group per sitting.
For an ATPL, the theory pass remains valid for 7 years from the last validity date of an IR entered in your licence (or, for helicopter pilots, a helicopter type rating). For CPL, MPL and IR issue the accepted period is 36 months; for LAPL/PPL it is 24 months. A pass for the BIR is valid without a time limit.
No. FCL.025 states that "No penalty marking shall be applied." A wrong answer scores the same as a blank one, so you should always answer every question.
Practise every subject with timed mock exams at the actual pass threshold, so none of your 4 attempts is wasted finding out what exam pressure feels like.
