Free Canadian drone exam practice test
20 practice questions pitched at Small Basic depth, covering all eight of Transport Canada's TP 15263 knowledge areas. Every answer is explained. Nothing is stored, nothing is emailed, and there's no account — it runs in your browser and then it's gone. The real Basic exam is 35 questions in 90 minutes at a 65% pass mark.
Most people fail the Basic exam for one of two reasons: they studied the aircraft rather than the regulations, or they revised from material written before the 2025 amendments. This test is built to surface both problems quickly. Answer honestly, read the explanations on the ones you get wrong, and you'll know within ten minutes whether you're ready to pay the exam fee.
How the real exam works
The Small Basic exam is written online through Transport Canada's Drone Management Portal. It's 35 multiple-choice questions, 90 minutes, and you need 65% to pass. The minimum age is 14. There's no flight review for Basic — pass the exam and the certificate is issued.
The free Basic course covers every one of the eight knowledge areas in full, at no cost and with no email wall, because the Basic exam isn't hard enough to justify charging for. If you're heading for the Advanced certificate instead, that's a different proposition — 50 questions in 60 minutes at 80%, plus an in-person flight review — and the Canadian RPAS Operations Guide is written for it.
What this test won't tell you
Scoring well here means you've understood the material these 20 questions cover. The real bank is far larger, and a practice test can only ever sample. Treat a strong score as permission to book the exam, not as proof you'll pass it — and treat a weak score as genuinely good news, because you found out for free.
Questions about the practice test
Is this the real Transport Canada exam?
No. The real Small Basic exam is written through Transport Canada's Drone Management Portal — 35 questions, 90 minutes, 65% to pass. This is independent practice material written to the same knowledge areas so you can find your weak spots before you pay to sit the real thing.
Do I have to sign up or pay?
No. No account, no email, no payment. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored or sent anywhere. If you want the rules reference afterwards there's an optional email signup, but the exam itself has no gate on it.
How many questions should I get right before sitting the real exam?
The Basic pass mark is 65%. If you're scoring below 80% here, keep studying — the real exam draws from a much larger bank and you want margin, not a coin flip. Consistently above 85% and you're ready.
Does this cover the Advanced exam too?
These questions are pitched at Basic depth. The Advanced exam is 50 questions in 60 minutes at an 80% pass mark and goes considerably deeper on airspace, meteorology and operational planning. The Canadian RPAS Operations Guide is written for that syllabus, and there's a 50-question Advanced practice exam in the store.
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. A great deal of Canadian drone practice material online still predates those changes. If you spot an error here, email me and I'll fix it.
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Written by Chris Jones, Transport Canada certified RPAS pilot and flight reviewer. Found an error? Tell me and I'll fix it.