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6.1 Registering with IACRA and PSI, Step by Step
- Create an IACRA account and obtain an FAA Tracking Number
- Schedule the UAG knowledge test through the PSI system
- Identify exactly which forms of identification are acceptable at the testing center
There is no reason to leave the administrative part of this to the last week. It takes about twenty minutes, it costs you nothing until you pay the testing fee, and having a scheduled date is the single best predictor of actually sitting the exam. Do this tonight.
Step 1 — IACRA and your FAA Tracking Number
IACRA stands for the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application. It is the FAA's online system for airman certificates, and every certificated pilot in the country has an account. You need one before you can schedule the test, because scheduling requires an FAA Tracking Number, or FTN, and IACRA is where the FTN is issued.
- Go to iacra.faa.gov and choose to register as a new user.
- Accept the terms of service, then select the role Applicant. You are not an instructor or an examiner.
- Enter your personal information. Use your full legal name exactly as it appears on the identification you will bring to the testing center. Middle name, suffix, hyphens - all of it, exactly.
- Set a username, password, and security questions, and store them somewhere you will still have them in two years when you need IACRA again.
- Complete registration. IACRA issues you an FTN - a letter followed by seven digits, for example A1234567.
- Write the FTN down. You will type it into the PSI scheduling system, and you will read it out at the testing center.
- The FTN (FAA Tracking Number) comes from IACRA and is required to schedule the knowledge test
- The name in IACRA must match the name on your government identification exactly
- You do not fill in the certificate application yet - that happens after you pass, in lesson 6.5
- Age: you may take the test at 14, but you must be 16 to hold the remote pilot certificate
The mismatched-name problem is real and it happens weekly. If IACRA says Robert James Smith and your driver's license says Robert J. Smith, the testing center may turn you away, and you will forfeit the fee. Fix the discrepancy in IACRA before you schedule, not on the morning of the test.
What must you obtain before you can schedule the UAG knowledge test?
- An FAA Tracking Number (FTN) from IACRA
- A completed FAA Form 8710-13
- A TSA security threat assessment clearance
Answer: A. The FTN from IACRA is the identifier PSI uses to register you for the test. Form 8710-13 and the TSA security threat assessment both come after you have passed - they are part of applying for the certificate, not for the exam.
Step 2 — schedule with PSI
The FAA contracts knowledge testing to PSI, which runs a national network of roughly 800 approved Knowledge Testing Centers. Some are dedicated test centers, many are inside flight schools, community colleges, and technical institutes.
- Go to faa.psiexams.com and create a PSI account, entering your FTN when prompted.
- Choose the test by its code: UAG - Unmanned Aircraft General - Small. Check the code, because PSI administers dozens of airman tests and several have similar names.
- Search for testing centers by ZIP code. Availability varies enormously - a metropolitan area may have slots tomorrow, a rural one may be three weeks out. Search a wide radius.
- Pick a date and time. Choose a slot that matches when your brain works, not what is convenient for the drive. If you are sharp in the morning, take a morning slot.
- Pay the fee - approximately $175, charged by PSI, not the FAA.
- Save the confirmation email. It contains the center address, the reporting time, and the identification requirements.
Rescheduling. PSI generally allows you to move or cancel a booking without a fee if you do it far enough in advance - two business days is the usual cutoff - and charges you for a late change or a no-show. The exact policy is stated when you book. Read it then, so that if life intervenes you know what your options are.
Step 3 — the identification you must bring
This is where people actually get turned away, so read it carefully. Your identification must be current and valid, and it must show four things: a photograph, your date of birth, your signature, and your physical residential address.
| If you are… | Acceptable identification |
|---|---|
| A US citizen or resident alien | Any one of: a driver's license or permit issued by a US state or territory; a US government identification card; a US military identification card; a passport; or an alien residency card |
| Not a US citizen | A passport, plus one additional government-issued photo identification - for example a driver's license or identification card issued by a US state, a US government identification card, or a US military identification card |
- Identification must show photograph, date of birth, signature, and physical residential address
- US citizens: one acceptable document - state or territory driver license or permit, US government ID, US military ID, passport, or alien residency card
- Non-US citizens: a passport plus a government-issued photo identification
- A post office box is not a physical residential address. If your license shows a PO box, bring a supplementary document showing where you actually live
- Bring the FTN as well as the identification
A passport alone frequently fails for a US citizen, because most passports do not show a physical residential address. The document must supply all four elements between them. If you are relying on a passport, bring your driver's license too, or a utility bill or bank statement in your name at your address. Bringing one extra document costs you nothing; being sent home costs you $175 and two weeks.
Which is true about identification at the testing center?
- A student identification card with a photograph is acceptable if it is current
- The identification must show a photograph, date of birth, signature, and physical residential address
- Non-US citizens may present a passport by itself
Answer: B. Those four elements are the requirement, and one document does not always supply all four. A student card is not a government-issued identification. Non-US citizens need a passport plus an additional government-issued photo identification.
Two last practical points. Confirm the reporting time in your confirmation email - most centers want you there fifteen to thirty minutes early, and some will not seat a late arrival at all. And put the address into your navigation app the night before. A surprising number of testing centers are inside a building with an unhelpful sign and no obvious parking.
Beyond the test: keep your IACRA credentials somewhere permanent. You will need them again the day you pass, and then not again until you change your name or address, or until you go on to add another certificate. The FAA also requires you to notify it of a change of permanent mailing address within 30 days, after which you may not exercise your privileges until you have done so.
- Create an IACRA account at iacra.faa.gov as an Applicant and obtain your FTN, using your full legal name exactly as it appears on your identification
- Schedule the UAG test at faa.psiexams.com using your FTN; the fee is about $175 and is paid to PSI
- There are roughly 800 FAA-approved Knowledge Testing Centers; availability varies, so search a wide radius
- Identification must show photograph, date of birth, signature, and physical residential address
- US citizens may use a state driver license or permit, US government ID, US military ID, passport, or alien residency card; non-US citizens need a passport plus a government-issued photo ID
- A passport alone often fails because it lacks a residential address - bring a second document