so ive been putting this off for like a year and finally scheduled my test for next month at a testing center about 45 mins from me. i have zero aviation background, like i dont know anything about airspace or weather or any of that stuff. i fly a mavic air 2 mostly just for fun but want to start doing some paid real estate and event work so i need the cert.

ive seen people mention like sheppard air and some youtube channels but honestly i dont even know where to start. is the test actually hard? how long did people study? i feel like i have enough time but im not sure if thats true lol

okay so i took mine about 8 months ago with basically the same background as you, zero aviation knowledge going in. the test is not impossible but the airspace stuff will absolutely get you if you dont spend real time on it. sectional charts are probably the thing most people underestimate ? like reading them takes practice and its not intuitive at all when youre first looking at one.

i used the FAA study guide (its free, just google FAA part 107 study guide PDF), went through it twice, and then did a ton of practice tests online. there are free ones on like 3dr and goldmethod and a few other sites. the practice tests are probably the most useful thing honestly. if you can consistently score 85 or above on practice tests youre probably fine. i scored an 83 on the actual exam which felt terrible but a pass is a pass, the cutoff is 70.

give yourself at least 3-4 weeks of actual consistent studying, like an hour a day minimum. a month is enough time if you actually put it in.

sheppard air worked for me but its not free. i think it was like 35 bucks or something. the question bank is pretty close to what shows up on the real test from what i remember. tbh the weather section tripped me up more than airspace did, stuff like reading METARs and TAFs, its not hard once you get it but it looks like gibberish at first