The A1/A3 exam is not hard. It is 40 questions in 40 minutes, and you pass at 75%. People still fail it — almost always by skimming the basics and second-guessing the easy ones. Here is how to prepare so the first attempt is the only one.
Know the format cold
The CAA course and exam are free, there is no time limit on the course, and you can pause and resume it. The exam itself: 40 questions, 40 minutes, 75% correct. The certificate is valid 5 years across the EU. Knowing this removes half the exam-day nerves.
For the certificate side of that, see the separate guide to A1/A3 validity and EU recognition. If you are taking the exam outside Latvia, use the official A1/A3 exam portal directory instead of a private aggregator.
Where people actually lose points
Not on rare aviation trivia — on the Open-category basics they read too fast:
- the difference between an operator and a remote pilot
- when registration is required (weight, camera, energy)
- VLOS and the FPV-with-an-observer rule
- the 120 m height limit
- the distance rules for A1, A2 and A3
- Latvian geographical zones
If you can explain each of these in your own words, you are ready.
A three-evening plan
You do not need weeks. A realistic plan:
- Evening one — read through the nine subjects once, slowly.
- Evening two — drill questions by topic; note every one you get wrong and why.
- Evening three — take full mock exams until 75% is boring, not just reached once.
Use practice the right way
Answering a question is not the same as understanding it. Space your practice over a few days rather than cramming, and read the explanation even when you were right. Memorising answer letters fails you the moment the wording changes. The dronelingo practice drills cite the rule behind each question, and the lessons cover the same nine subjects in the exam's order.
A practice bank is a training tool, not the exam. The goal is not to remember the wording — it is to make the rule obvious even when the wording changes. So drill by topic before you sit full mocks: jumping straight to a 40-question mock is wasted time if every mistake comes from the same two areas.
A clean order:
- drill one topic
- read the explanation after every wrong answer
- open the matching lesson
- repeat the missed questions
- only then take a full mock exam
This is slower for the first hour and faster by exam day.
What a wrong answer is telling you
A wrong answer usually points to one of three problems:
- you knew the rule but missed a word in the question
- you remembered a number but not when it applies
- you guessed from drone habits instead of the regulation
The third one is the expensive mistake. It shows up around registration, VLOS, flying near people, and geographical zones — and it is the one that survives into the real exam, because a habit feels like knowledge.
One thing not to bother with: rumours about "real" leaked questions. The exam is simple enough that the official structure plus explained practice covers it.
If a mock goes badly, diagnose before you retake
A low score is less useful than a pattern. Before another attempt, name the repeated mistake:
- airspace and geographical zones
- registration versus pilot qualification
- VLOS and FPV with an observer
- A1, A2 and A3 distance rules
- privacy, insurance or security duties
If you cannot name the weak topic, another attempt is just guessing with a fresh timer. The correction loop is short: write down the topic that caused the mistake, open the matching lesson, read the rule in plain language, answer only that topic in practice, send repeated misses to Review your mistakes, and take a full mock only after the topic stops failing.
Don't spend another evening on topics you already know. Spend it on the two rules that keep costing points. You are ready to try again when the pass mark feels routine rather than lucky: timed mocks above 75% and no repeated misses in the same topic.
On exam day
Read every question twice — the wrong options are usually written to look right at a glance. Flag the ones you are unsure of and come back; 40 minutes is plenty. And remember that 75% means you can miss ten and still pass, so don't spiral over one hard question.
Ready to drill? Open the course, drill practice questions, and sit a full mock exam until the pass mark feels routine.
If the format itself is still unclear, read what the A1/A3 exam looks like.
