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A remote pilot licence, or RePL, is obtained by completing a RePL training course with a CASA-accredited training organisation. Under the Part 101 Manual of Standards the theory component ends with a supervised, closed-book, multiple-choice exam with an 85 percent pass mark, covering the knowledge units for your category of aircraft, followed by practical competency assessment.
Checked against: Part 101 (Unmanned Aircraft and Rockets) Manual of Standards Instrument 2019, Compilation No. 10 (amendments up to the Miscellaneous Fixes Amendment Instrument 2024): Chapter 2 Division 2.3 and Schedule 4.
| Item | What the MOS says | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Format | A set of multiple-choice questions covering all the knowledge units for the aircraft category | 2.10 |
| Pass mark | 85 percent, rounded to a whole number of questions where needed | 2.09 and 2.10 |
| Book rules | Closed book, except documents about the RPAS authored by CASA or the training organisation and published on its website | 2.08 |
| Supervision | Supervised and assessed by an examiner | 2.09 |
| Duration | A continuous exam: 15 minutes plus one minute for each question in the set | 2.11 |
| Question sets | At least four unique sets in use, rotated at random, each with an identification code | 2.12 |
| Results | Written result to the applicant within one week of the exam | 2.13 |
| Fourth attempt | Not allowed after three failed attempts unless the applicant has repeated the aeronautical knowledge component and at least 14 days have passed | 2.09 |
| After a pass below 100 percent | A knowledge deficiency report, then an oral examination to remedy each deficiency before a licence is issued | 2.16 |
| Applies to | Units | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Every initial RePL | RBAK, RACP, RBMO, REES, RHPF, RKOP, RORA (Appendix 1, units 1 to 7) | Common units, not required for some upgrades |
| Manual or automated operation | RAFM, automated flight management systems knowledge (unit 8) | Required for any RPA operated under a manual or automated flight management system |
| Aeroplane category | RBKA (unit 9) | Aeroplane aircraft knowledge and operation principles |
| Helicopter, multirotor class | RBKM (unit 10) | Multirotor knowledge and operation principles |
| Helicopter, single rotor class | RBKH (unit 11) | Single rotor knowledge and operation principles |
| Powered-lift category | RBKP (unit 12) | Powered-lift knowledge and operation principles |
| Medium or large RPA with a liquid-fuel system | REFE (unit 13) | Additional requirement |
A RePL is the licence for flying remotely piloted aircraft outside the excluded category, for example as part of a business that holds a remotely piloted aircraft operator certificate. It is issued under CASR Part 101, and the detailed standards for the training course are in the Part 101 Manual of Standards. Whether you need one depends on the kind of operation you plan, so check CASA guidance for your category of operation before you train.
The MOS defines the route to an initial licence. CASR 101.295 provides for the RePL training course, and the MOS sets out what the course must contain: an aeronautical knowledge component that ends in an exam, and a practical component in which the applicant is assessed as competent in each practical unit for the category.
The exam rules are in Chapter 2, Division 2.3. Section 2.08 says an applicant must pass an aeronautical knowledge examination, and that it is closed book except for documents about the RPAS that are authored by CASA or by the training organisation and published on their website. Section 2.09 sets the pass mark at 85 percent, requires an examiner to supervise and assess the exam, and limits resits. Table 1 collects the main rules.
The rounding rule is worth knowing. Section 2.10 says that where exactly 85 percent of the questions would involve a decimal, the number of correct answers required is rounded to a whole number. The MOS gives examples: at least 69 correct for an 81 question exam, at least 73 for 85 questions, and at least 77 for 90 questions, even though 85 percent of 90 is 76.5.
Duration is a formula. The exam must be completed in a period equal to 15 minutes plus the number of questions in the set, counted as minutes. A 90 question set therefore allows 105 minutes. The exam must be continuous, so it is not paused and resumed.
The exam must be a set of multiple-choice questions covering all the aeronautical knowledge units for the relevant category of aircraft. Section 2.10 also says how many questions each item receives. For each Priority A item in the relevant units there must be at least two questions, for each Priority B item at least one, and for every two Priority C items at least one.
This tells you something useful about studying. The units are written as items with priorities, and the exam samples them systematically rather than by chance. Your preparation should therefore aim to cover every item in the units for your category, with extra depth on the items marked as higher priority in the unit documents.
Training organisations must use at least four unique sets of questions, approved by CASA, rotated at random, and a set cannot repeat a question in exactly the same form as another set. Questions are secure: the organisation must prevent applicants from retaining or recording them. That is why genuine exam questions are not available to study from, and why Aero Academic writes its own practice questions from the syllabus instead.
If you fail the exam at the first, second or third attempt, the MOS does not let you make a fourth attempt unless two things are true. You must have repeated the aeronautical knowledge component of the RePL training course, and at least 14 days must have passed since the third attempt. Between attempts, the organisation must rotate your question set at random.
Plan your study as if each attempt is a real cost, because it is. Use practice exams to find which units are weak before you sit, rather than using the real exam to find out.
Section 2.16 applies when you pass with less than 100 percent. The training organisation must tell you which items you answered incorrectly, prepare a written knowledge deficiency report, and give you a copy. The report names the items of the knowledge units, not the questions themselves, because the questions are secure.
A deficiency is remedied only if, after an oral examination, you satisfy an examiner that it has been remedied and the examiner records that in writing with the report. The MOS notes that a person is not issued a RePL until the deficiency is remedied. In other words, a pass at 85 percent is not the end of the knowledge process: you still need to be able to talk through the items you missed.
Schedule 4 holds the unit of knowledge documents. Table 2 shows which apply. Everyone doing an initial RePL studies the seven common units: basic aviation knowledge, airspace, charts and aeronautical publications, basic meteorology, electrical and electronic systems, human performance, operations and procedures, and operational rules and air law. Anyone operating under a manual or automated flight management system also studies unit 8 on automated flight management systems.
Then add the category unit: RBKA for aeroplanes, RBKM for multirotors, RBKH for single rotor helicopters or RBKP for powered-lift. Medium or large aircraft with a liquid-fuel system add unit 13. Because the exam covers every unit for your category, you cannot skip a unit and make it up elsewhere.
Division 2.4 covers practical competencies. The applicant must be assessed as competent in each unit in Schedule 5 that applies to the category, including common units such as pre- and post-operation actions, energy reserves management, managing crew, payload and bystanders, navigation and operation of the RPAS, and non-technical skills. The category units then cover ground operations and launch, normal operations, landing or recovery, advanced manoeuvres and abnormal and emergency operations.
Practical assessment is done by the training organisation. Theory preparation therefore pays off in the practical too, because the knowledge units underpin the competencies.
A RePL is gained through a training organisation, not by sitting a CASA exam directly. The course includes the theory component with the exam described above, practical training and assessment, and the organisation then applies for the licence. Course length and price depend on the organisation and the category.
For price orientation only, in our research on 4 October 2026 we found training providers advertising full RePL courses at roughly A$1,200 to A$3,495. Prices change, so check each provider and ask what the price includes, such as exam resits, equipment hire, and the licence application. We do not publish a fixed cost because it differs by provider.
Candidates often assume the pass mark differs by unit, but the MOS sets one pass mark for the whole exam. They also assume the exam is open book because it is called a course exam, while the MOS says it is closed book except for the specified CASA and organisation documents. A third mistake is stopping study after passing at 85 percent, when a knowledge deficiency report and oral exam may still be required before the licence issues.
Section 2.09 of the Part 101 Manual of Standards sets the pass mark at 85 percent for the aeronautical knowledge examination in a RePL training course.
It is closed book, except for documents about the RPAS authored by CASA or by the training organisation and published on their website (section 2.08).
The period is 15 minutes plus one minute for each question in the set (section 2.11). A 90 question set allows 105 minutes.
After three unsuccessful attempts, a fourth is allowed only if you have repeated the aeronautical knowledge component and at least 14 days have elapsed since the third attempt.
The seven common units (RBAK, RACP, RBMO, REES, RHPF, RKOP and RORA), unit 8 (RAFM) for manual or automated operation, and the unit for your category such as RBKM for multirotor.
No. Questions are secure. If you pass with less than 100 percent you receive a knowledge deficiency report naming the items you missed, not the questions.
https://www.aeroacademic.com.au/guides/repl-requirements-exam-and-pathway