Students usually search ATPL exams when they want certainty about the pass mark, the structure and the sittings, and how hard each paper really is. This guide covers those questions, and then the part that actually decides results: turning each score into the right next revision block.
75%
Per paper; no negative marking, so never leave a blank
13
One per syllabus subject, multiple choice from the ECQB
18 mo
FCL.025 window to pass everything once you start sitting papers
6 / 4
At most 6 sittings and 4 attempts per paper
The current EASA ATPL theoretical knowledge examination set is 13 papers, one per syllabus subject, with VFR and IFR Communications examined together as a single Communications paper. The questions are multiple choice, drawn from the ECQB (the European Central Question Bank), and every paper needs 75 percent to pass. There is no negative marking, so an educated guess is always better than a blank answer.
You do not sit all 13 at once. Papers are grouped into sittings at an examination centre, and EASA's FCL.025 rules put hard limits around the whole campaign: a fixed time window to pass everything, a maximum number of sittings, and a maximum number of attempts per paper. Rather than repeating those rules here, use the free ATPL exam planner, which encodes the current FCL.025 limits with citations and lets you map your own subjects onto real sittings before you book anything.
If you are still working out what the 13 subjects cover (or why older sources say 14), start with the ATPL subjects hub and the ATPL theory guide.
Honest answer: there is no reliable, current, public table of ATPL pass rates. EASA member-state authorities generally do not publish per-subject statistics, and the UK CAA, which did publish subject pass rates in the past, no longer does so routinely. The numbers you find on forums are usually several years old, tied to one authority, or tied to an older question-bank generation, so they say little about the paper you will sit.
What can be said qualitatively: most prepared students pass most papers, first-attempt failure is common enough in the heavy calculation subjects that nobody should treat it as a career-ending event, and pass rates shift noticeably whenever a new ECQB generation is introduced, because fresh questions defeat memorisation-based preparation. That last point is the practical lesson: prepare for the syllabus and the method, not for specific remembered questions.
Difficulty is partly personal, but student reports cluster strongly. The papers most often called hardest are General Navigation, Flight Planning, Performance, and Meteorology: the first three because they are calculation-heavy under time pressure, Meteorology because of its sheer breadth. Airframe and Systems and Instrumentation are less conceptually hard but carry large volumes of facts. The Communications paper and Human Performance are usually rated the lightest, though neither is free.
Ordering advice that holds up: put at least one calculation-heavy paper early enough that you can retake it inside your window without panic, pair heavy papers with lighter ones in the same sitting so every sitting has a probable win, and do not save General Navigation or Flight Planning for last. For the full reasoning, read how hard ATPL really is and which subjects students rank hardest and the guide to the best order to study ATPL subjects.
Whatever order you choose, the preparation flow is the same: expose weak areas in open practice in the ATPL question bank, repair them, then confirm under timed conditions before you book the sitting.
Students spread the ATPL examination papers across multiple sittings, all inside the FCL.025 18-month window, with at most 6 sittings and 4 attempts per paper. Map your own sittings against the 18-month window with the free ATPL exam planner.
Use public subject guides to orient yourself, then use question practice and timed mock exams to see which topics still need repair.
Practice timed mock exams and targeted question sets across every ATPL subject. Free to start, no card needed.
This page is general educational information for student pilots and may be out of date. Aviation rules, training requirements, costs, medical standards, and exam details change over time and vary by country, authority, and training organisation, so details here may no longer be current or may differ in your case. Always confirm the current details with your approved training organisation (ATO) and national aviation authority before relying on them. SkyStudy is an independent study aid, is not affiliated with EASA or any aviation authority, and does not guarantee any exam or licence outcome.
Last reviewed July 2026