Theoretical knowledge exams are the official written tests required for EASA licences — 9 subjects for PPL-level and 13 for ATPL. They are sat at authority-approved centres within fixed time windows and attempt limits, which schools must track alongside flight progress.
Theoretical knowledge exams are the official written tests for EASA licences, sat at authority-approved centres: nine subjects at PPL level, thirteen for the ATPL. The attempt structure is strict — limited attempts per subject, a limited number of sittings, and a fixed window within which all subjects must be passed. Exceed the limits and the entire set must be retaken.
Passes then carry their own validity toward licence issue: complete the flight training within the window, or watch passed exams expire. The FAA equivalent — knowledge tests per certificate — is structurally lighter: single tests with their own 24-month validity toward the practical.
Why it matters for flight schools
The exam window is programme-design gravity for EASA schools: theory scheduling, exam-centre booking and flight-phase sequencing all hang on it, and a student who stalls mid-window faces retaking everything. Tracking each student's attempts, sittings and clock positions is not administration — it is completion-risk management.
How FlightLogger handles it
FlightLogger tracks exam attempts, sittings and validity windows per student, flagging clock risks early — so no one discovers an expiring window after the flight training slipped.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if I exceed the exam window or attempt limits?
The full set of subjects must be retaken — the harshest cliff in the EASA training system. This is why theory scheduling and continuous flight progress are managed together, not separately.
How long are passed exams valid?
Passes remain valid for licence and rating issue for defined periods after completion — long enough for normally paced training, short enough that extended breaks put them at risk. Plan the flight phases against the clock.