- You need 73% correct on 90 multiple-choice questions to pass the AET exam.
- That's roughly 66 correct answers out of 90 within the 2-hour limit.
- Retakes are unlimited, but each attempt requires a new $175 exam fee.
- There's no hands-on component - the entire score comes from written, multiple-choice questions.
The Passing Score, Exactly
If you landed on this page hunting for a single number, here it is: the Aircraft Electronics Technician (AET) certification exam requires a 73% passing score. That figure is set under ASTM F3245-25, the standard maintained by ASTM International's National Center for Aerospace & Transportation Technologies (NCATT) program through Committee F46. SpaceTEC Partners' Credential Testing Services administers the actual exam sessions, but the passing threshold itself comes directly from the ASTM standard - it isn't adjusted site-to-site or curved between test windows.
With 90 multiple-choice questions on the exam, 73% translates to approximately 66 correct answers. There's no partial credit for reasoning through a question halfway, and there's no hands-on practical component that could offset a weak written score - this is a fully computer-based test, so every point comes from your answer choices alone.
How the Exam Is Scored
The AET exam doesn't weight domains differently in terms of your final percentage - every question counts the same toward your overall score. That said, the four domains aren't equal in size, so some content areas naturally carry more questions than others. Understanding that distribution matters more than memorizing a single passing number, because it tells you where your study hours actually need to go.
You have a 2-hour limit to answer all 90 questions, which works out to about 80 seconds per question on average. That's generous for most multiple-choice formats, but only if you're not stalling on questions outside your comfort zone. Candidates who struggle with time usually aren't slow readers - they're re-reading questions because the underlying concept wasn't solid going in. For a full walkthrough of what the exam format and question style actually feel like, the complete AET difficulty guide breaks down where most people lose time and points.
Key Takeaway
Because there's no practical/hands-on scoring component, 100% of your certification outcome rides on written question performance - treat every domain as equally "testable" even if you feel stronger in on-equipment work.
What 73% Looks Like Across the Domains
The AET exam draws its 90 questions from four domains. Knowing what each one covers - and roughly how test-worthy it is - helps you triage your prep instead of studying everything with equal intensity.
Domain 1: Introductory and General Requirements
Foundational material: regulatory context, general safety practices, documentation standards, and the baseline knowledge assumed before you touch aircraft-specific electronics work.
- Regulatory and documentation terminology
- General workplace and safety standards referenced throughout the other domains
Domain 2: Common Maintenance Practices
Practices that apply broadly across aircraft systems rather than to one specific component - tooling, handling procedures, and the maintenance conventions technicians are expected to follow regardless of aircraft type.
- Standard maintenance procedures and tool usage
- Handling and inspection conventions common to avionics work
Domain 3: Fundamentals of On-Equipment Maintenance
The applied side of the certification - how maintenance principles translate to work performed directly on installed aircraft equipment, even though the exam itself has no physical hands-on testing.
- Troubleshooting logic for on-equipment systems
- Procedures for testing and verifying installed components
Domain 4: Aircraft Fundamentals
Broader aircraft systems knowledge that provides context for the electronics-specific material - how avionics fit into the aircraft as a whole.
- General aircraft systems and how electronics integrate with them
- Terminology and structure candidates are expected to already recognize
For question-by-question detail on what's fair game inside each of these four areas, the AET exam domains guide goes deeper than what fits here. If you're building a study plan from scratch, pairing that domain breakdown with a structured AET study guide is the fastest way to convert "I know the topic exists" into "I can answer questions about it correctly."
| Exam Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Passing score | 73% |
| Total questions | 90 multiple-choice |
| Approximate correct answers needed | 66 of 90 |
| Time limit | 2 hours |
| Hands-on component | None |
| Exam fee (per attempt) | $175 |
| Certification term | 5 years |
Registration, Fees, and Retake Mechanics
The AET credential is administered by SpaceTEC Partners' Credential Testing Services, and you can sit for it at an approved testing site or via remote proctoring - whichever fits your schedule and location better. There's no prerequisite gate: the exam is open to candidates regardless of age, education level, training background, career field, or prior experience. That open-access design is part of why AET has become a common entry point for people transitioning into avionics from adjacent technical fields, not just aircraft maintenance veterans.
Each attempt costs $175, and if you don't clear the 73% threshold on your first try, retakes are unlimited - but every retake requires a new exam fee. There's no bundled "second attempt free" policy, so a failed attempt is a real cost, not just lost time. That's the practical argument for taking your prep seriously the first time rather than treating the exam as a low-stakes trial run.
Once you pass, the certification is valid for a 5-year term, after which recertification requirements apply. Passing the core exam also opens the door to specialty endorsements, letting you layer additional credentials onto your base AET certification over time.
Scheduling Your Prep Around the Score Target
A 73% passing score with no partial credit means your prep needs to close every domain gap, not just your weakest one. A common approach is to spend early study time on whichever domain feels least familiar, then rotate through the remaining three before finishing with mixed-question practice that mimics the actual 90-question, 2-hour format.
Domain 1 & Domain 4 groundwork
- Review general requirements terminology and aircraft fundamentals side by side
- Build a working vocabulary list for terms you don't recognize on sight
Domain 2: Common Maintenance Practices
- Focus on standard procedures and tool-handling conventions
- Drill practice questions specifically framed around "common" (not aircraft-specific) scenarios
Domain 3: On-Equipment Maintenance
- Work through applied troubleshooting logic even without physical equipment access
- Practice reading test/verification scenarios the way they'll appear as written questions
Full-length timed practice
- Take mixed-domain practice sets under the same 2-hour limit
- Track score by domain to identify which section is still below your 73% target
This isn't a rigid template - some candidates need six weeks, others need two - but the sequencing logic holds: tackle the domain that feels most abstract first, save the applied/on-equipment material for when your foundational vocabulary is solid, and always finish with timed, mixed-question runs. A practice test platform that lets you filter by domain is genuinely useful here, since it lets you isolate weak spots instead of re-taking full exams every time.
Common Mistakes That Sink Candidates Below 73%
Most people who fall short of 73% aren't failing because the material is unreasonably hard - they're failing because of predictable, fixable gaps:
- Studying one domain heavily and skimming another. Since all 90 questions count equally, a strong Domain 3 score can't fully compensate for a weak Domain 1 score if the gaps are large.
- Treating "no hands-on component" as meaning the exam is purely theoretical. Domain 3 questions still test applied, on-equipment logic - just in written-question form.
- Under-practicing the 2-hour pacing. Running out of time on the last 15-20 questions after spending too long deliberating early on is a common, avoidable score-killer.
- Skipping realistic practice questions in favor of just re-reading reference material. Recognition (reading it and nodding along) is not the same skill as recall under multiple-choice pressure.
Key Takeaway
Because every question is worth the same fraction of your score, uneven domain prep is the single most common reason candidates land at 65-70% instead of clearing 73%.
If you want a realistic read on how tough this exam actually is relative to other technical certifications, the AET pass rate data and the broader difficulty guide both give useful context without relying on guesswork.
After You Pass: What the Score Doesn't Tell You
Clearing 73% gets you the credential, but the score itself isn't something employers see or compare - you either passed or you didn't. What employers in avionics, aircraft maintenance, and related aerospace maintenance roles actually look for is the AET credential itself as a baseline qualifier, often alongside other training or experience. If you're weighing whether the time and $175 fee are worth it before you commit to a study plan, the ROI analysis on AET certification and the AET salary guide both offer useful framing without relying on speculation.
It's also worth confirming you meet whatever role-specific expectations your target employer has, since the certification itself has no formal prerequisites. The AET requirements overview covers eligibility in more detail, and if you're still deciding whether to pursue AET at all versus a different credential path, starting with what AET certification actually involves is a reasonable first stop.
Frequently Asked Questions
You need 73% correct across the 90 multiple-choice questions, which works out to approximately 66 correct answers.
Yes. The 73% threshold is set by the ASTM F3245-25 standard and applies uniformly whether you test at an approved physical site or through remote proctoring.
No. The AET exam has no hands-on or practical testing component - your entire score comes from the 90 written multiple-choice questions.
You don't pass, but retakes are unlimited. Each retake attempt requires paying the $175 exam fee again, so there's a real cost to failing and retesting.
Every question counts equally toward your overall percentage, though the domains contain different numbers of questions. Uneven prep across domains is a common reason candidates fall short.