Free Advanced drone exam practice test
Ten original questions in the style of Transport Canada's Small Advanced exam — controlled airspace, structures, METARs, batteries, load factor, human factors, registration, emergencies and the EVLOS rules in force since November 2025. Every answer is explained. The real Advanced exam is 50 questions in 60 minutes at an 80% pass mark, and passing it is only half the certificate: an in-person flight review comes after.
Advanced is a different exam from Basic, not a longer version of it. Basic asks what the rules are. Advanced asks you to work with them: read a METAR, decide what a structure does to your ceiling, know what you need before you enter controlled airspace. Give yourself about 70 seconds a question, which is the pace the real paper sets.
How the Advanced exam works
The Small Advanced exam is written online through Transport Canada's Drone Management Portal: 50 multiple-choice questions, 60 minutes, 80% to pass, minimum age 16. A failed attempt means a 24-hour wait before the next one, and there is no cap on attempts. It goes considerably deeper than Basic on airspace, meteorology and operational planning.
Passing it does not make you an Advanced pilot on its own. The certificate also needs an in-person flight review with a Transport Canada-recognized reviewer. The full Advanced pathway is here.
Fifty questions, the whole syllabus, and the kit for review day.
The Advanced Exam Kit is the three things worth having: the 50-page Canadian RPAS Operations Guide, the 50-question practice paper weighted the way the real exam is, and the Site Survey & Authorization Kit you'll need on review day. Bought separately they come to CA$97.
What ten questions won't tell you
Ten questions sample the syllabus; they don't cover it. A strong score here means you understood these ten, and the real paper is fifty, wider than it is deep. Treat a good result as a reason to sit a full-length paper under time, and a weak one as good news, because you found out for free.
Starting from the beginning? The free Basic practice test is twenty questions at Basic depth. The exam questions candidates search most often are answered in full here, with every wrong option explained.
After the exam: the flight review
Once you pass, the certificate needs an in-person flight review: a pre-flight briefing, your aircraft and documents, the flight itself, and a post-flight debrief. We run reviews from Guelph for CA$275, and the 64-page Advanced Flight Review Playbook comes with every booking. You can enquire before you've sat the exam, and we'll hold a provisional date.
Flight reviews — CA$275 at Guelph
Questions about the Advanced practice test
Is this the real Transport Canada exam?
No. The real Small Advanced exam is written through Transport Canada's Drone Management Portal — 50 questions, 60 minutes, 80% to pass. These are original questions written to the same syllabus so you can find your weak spots before you pay to sit the real thing.
How is the Advanced exam different from Basic?
Basic is 35 questions in 90 minutes at 65%, minimum age 14, with no flight review. Advanced is 50 questions in 60 minutes at 80%, minimum age 16, and the certificate also needs an in-person flight review. Advanced is what controlled airspace and flying near or over people require — along with a drone declared for that operation.
What score should I aim for before booking the real exam?
The pass mark is 80%, so there is far less room than at Basic. Ten questions can only sample the syllabus. Before you book, sit a full 50-question paper under a 60-minute clock and clear 80% with some margin.
Can I book my flight review before I pass the exam?
You need the exam pass before the review day, but not before enquiring. Ask while you're still studying and we'll hold a provisional date.
Are the answers current?
They reflect the Canadian Aviation Regulations as amended by the RPAS Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight and Other Operations amendments, in force 1 April and 4 November 2025, including the EVLOS rules added in November 2025. If you spot an error, email us and we'll fix it.
See the Advanced Exam Kit The Advanced certificate, explained
Written by Chris Jones, Transport Canada-certified RPAS pilot and flight reviewer. Questions last verified against the regulations on 10 August 2026. Found an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.