What the PPAER exam looks like
To get a Private Pilot Licence (Aeroplane) in Canada, you need to pass a Transport Canada multiple-choice written exam called the PPAER, along with your flight training and flight test. Transport Canada's study guide for the exam is TP 12880, the Study and Reference Guide for Written Examinations for the Private Pilot Licence (Aeroplane). You can write the exam in English or French, and you must be able to read the questions without help.
| Part of the exam | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Questions | 100 multiple-choice questions |
| Time limit | 3 hours |
| Pass mark | 60% overall, and 60% in each of the four mandatory subject areas |
| Subjects | Air Law and Procedures; Navigation and Radio Aids; Meteorology; Aeronautics General Knowledge |
| What to bring | A pencil for rough work, navigation tools (ruler or scale, protractor, flight computer) and, if you like, an accepted calculator with its memory cleared |
| Before you write | Medical fitness, identification, required experience and a letter of recommendation from your flight instructor |
Questions fall under one of the four subjects, but some need knowledge from another one. TP 12880 gives the example of a fuel calculation in Navigation that depends on the VFR fuel rules in Air Law.
The four subject areas
- Air Law and Procedures: the Canadian Aviation Regulations on licensing, recency and medicals, airspace classes, VFR weather minima, right of way, minimum altitudes, fuel requirements, flight plans and itineraries, cruising altitudes, altimeter setting rules, aerodrome and mandatory frequency procedures, ATC light signals and equipment such as ELTs and transponders.
- Navigation and Radio Aids: charts, time and longitude, variation and deviation, time, speed, distance and fuel calculations, wind effects, VOR, NDB, DME and GNSS.
- Meteorology: the atmosphere and pressure, stability, clouds, fog, fronts, icing, thunderstorms, turbulence, and decoding weather reports and forecasts such as METARs, TAFs, the GFA and upper wind forecasts.
- Aeronautics General Knowledge: airframes, engines and systems, theory of flight, flight instruments, flight operations (performance, weight and balance, wake turbulence) and human factors.
If you pass overall but fail a subject
If you score 60% or more overall but fall below 60% in one or more subjects, Transport Canada assesses a partial pass. You then write a supplementary exam for each subject you failed, during one sitting:
| Supplementary exam | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Air Law (PALAW) | 20 | 1 hour |
| Navigation (PANAV) | 20 | 2 hours |
| Meteorology (PAMET) | 30 | 1.5 hours |
| Aeronautics General Knowledge (PAGEN) | 30 | 1.5 hours |
Each supplementary exam needs 60%. If you write more than one, the times add up, to a maximum of 3 hours. Below 60% overall, you rewrite the whole exam. After a failure you must normally wait 14 days before a first rewrite and 30 days after a second. Your results letter tells you which questions you got wrong, and the exams for the licence must be completed within the 24 months before you apply.
How to prepare
Work through TP 12880 topic by topic, then read the parts of the Canadian Aviation Regulations and the Transport Canada Aeronautical Information Manual (TC AIM) it points to. Learn the numbers that come up again and again: VFR minima, fuel reserves, recency, medical validity, cruising altitudes, transponder codes and light signals. Practise the arithmetic until it is quick: time, speed and distance, fuel, variation, wind components and weight and balance. Decode real METARs and TAFs every day.
Use timed practice to build pace. You have 3 hours for 100 questions, so about 1 minute 48 seconds each, and the navigation questions take longer. Check your score in each subject as well as your total, because a weak subject alone means a supplementary exam. Note that this practice bank is text only: the real exam also has chart work with a VFR navigation chart and flight computer, which you should practise on paper with your instructor.
Our questions are original practice questions written from the official sources listed below. They are not real exam questions. This is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Transport Canada.
Three worked examples
One question from different sections of the full pack, with the answer and explanation.
You are flying VFR in controlled airspace outside a control zone. What is the minimum flight visibility?
- 1 statute mile
- 2 statute miles
- 3 statute miles
- 5 statute miles
How long does a 156 NM leg take at a groundspeed of 104 knots?
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- 1 hour 36 minutes
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- 1 hour 45 minutes
In the ICAO Standard Atmosphere, what is the temperature at mean sea level?
- 0 degrees Celsius
- 10 degrees Celsius
- 15 degrees Celsius
- 20 degrees Celsius